In January we left HGS behind and headed for the snowy – we hoped! - ski slopes of Austria. After a twenty three hour journey we arrived in Mauterndorf and everyone was ecstatic since there was a lot of snow and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. We unpacked, made ourselves comfortable then went to the ski hire shop where we got our skis, boots, poles and helmets. Back at the hotel it was dinner and an early night before the early start the next morning. After breakfast we went up the mountain on the gondola lift to meet our instructors where we were put into groups according to our skiing ability and then off we went skiing! One local said that it was the best snow conditions they’d had in the resort for thirty years! Sadly this meant we missed a couple of evening activities in other towns because of closed roads. When the roads improved we were able to go swimming in the nearby town of Tamsweg which had an outdoor pool and a long slide. Every year on the Ski Trip there are the ‘Muppet’ and ‘Wipeout’ competitions. Every day after skiing we met down to the lounge and voted for who we thought deserved the awards. The ‘Muppet’ award was for accidentally doing something silly, like putting your ski boots on the wrong feet, and the ‘Wipeout’ award was for a spectacular fall. The people who ‘won’ had to wear bright yellow jackets until the next vote. Overall, the ski trip was absolutely amazing! Adam El-Modir LET IT SNOW! 21