Enhance 2016 Week Four

Week four of the program was an absolute highlight- having three full days spent at Mt Buller skiing and snowboarding!

We all met bright and early (and we mean early...) on the Wednesday morning at Collingwood before driving up to Mansfield. Here we met with the Western Newstart group again, who were coming along on the same trip as us. It's always great to meet new people and be able to share such a wonderful experience with a bigger group. At Mansfield we jumped on a public bus to take us up the mountain. It was really exciting to see those first glimpses of snow as we drove up, and despite rain the weather didn't stop us at all. Our first task once we were at Mt Buller was to find our lodge, get settled in and have a big lunch before hitting the slopes.

The students all had the opportunity to try either skiing or snowboarding for the three day trip. Getting equipment sorted and figuring out how to walk in ski shoes and carry all the poles etc was tricky at first but every individual persevered and the group were all independent in getting ready and making sure they had everything needed by the last day.

We learnt the basics in the lessons and it was great to see how much everyone listened intently and took on board all the advice they were given. This enabled all the students to improve quickly and have a lot of success. Both the skiers and the snowboarders had a great instructor who really helped us pick up the skills. It wasn't long before everyone had conquered the lifts and were out doing longer and more challenging runs. Keep an eye out for our end of term video to see a whole heap of footage.

Both staff and students alike are incredibly grateful to Mt Buller Resort for giving us this amazing opportunity. For most students, it was their first time at the snow which was exciting in itself. To be able to spend so much time out practicing and learning on the snow was incredible, and an opportunity that everyone is incredibly grateful for.