Over half term, a group of adventurous girls took to the slopes in Italy to enjoy time off with friends. Harriet from the Lower Sixth (Year 12) and Valerie from the Upper Fourth (Year 9) kindly shared their reports.
Harriet, Lower Sixth
After the glorious weather the previous day, the morning of day three started with more cloud and was a bit chillier. After getting the bubble lift up to the slopes and quickly kitting up we were all ready for another exciting day on the slopes. The beginners started the day by doing the button lift for the first time and trying out the steeper slopes surrounding it, what amazing progress! The intermediate and advanced groups hit the slopes again, improving their skills and having so much fun! After a delicious lunch, we all headed out and soon the snow started falling thick and fast creating the most magical atmosphere on the slopes. After a busy day skiing, we had a delicious (and massive) supper of pizza at the hotel and then had a fun filled evening of quizzes.
Day four was another enjoyable day and after an early start we were all ready for to set out for the slopes. Heavy snow and low visibility made skiing slightly trickier today but it didn’t hold us back! The advanced and intermediate groups headed straight up the mountains to enjoy the amazing powder that had landed on the slopes. The beginners also tried out the chair lift for the first time and learnt how to ski in fresh deep snow – what an achievement for them! In the evening we headed to a lovely pizza restaurant in Bormio town and then to get crepes and ice cream. Upon getting back to the hotel we enjoyed some board games and lots of laughs before heading to bed for an early night.
Valerie, Upper Fourth
Due to the heavy snowfall from the night before, we were blessed with soft powdery snow to ski on for day five. We had a great morning skiing, followed by a delicious lunch. We then headed out to do a ski race which was a fun an exciting experience. Everyone did very well, especially those who have not skied before. Thanks to Harriet’s amazing commentating, everyone (including the teachers) made it down in one piece! Unfortunately, the power went out as we tried to get the ski lift back up! But as we are Downe House girls, of course we found another solution and decided to hike up the mountain. Although it was difficult, it was very worth it and character building. In the evening, we were lucky enough to go ice skating on the Bormio Ice Rink, which will hold the 2026 Olympics!
On our final day, we enjoyed another fabulous day skiing. We had so much fun with our instructors and we were all very sad to say goodbye. At the end of the day, the instructors presented the results of the ski races. Congratulations to everyone but especially Lizzie who achieved the overall fastest time. We then headed down the mountain to get crepes. They were delicious and everyone enjoyed them. After spending some time packing, we headed down for our final supper. It was a very bittersweet moment, as we all looked back at the fun memories we created together. A massive thank you to all three teachers (and Harriet aka the Honorary Teacher!) We have had such a great trip and have shared so many laughs.
Click here to watch a video of the ski trip on our Co-Curricular Activities Instagram account.
