2025 Ski Trip Update #2
The second round of skiing has officially begun with new groups, new teachers and continued improvement, often dramatic. (“I don’t know, something just clicked – and it was amazing!”) Repetition and snowballing confidence (terrible pun intended) can work wonders, not to mention a bunch of dedicated teachers who genuinely get excited with every new turn completed, new lift ascended, new snow waltz perfected. (Sat. update: ALL students have ridden a lift! Hurray!)
The weather gods have smiled upon us again – until they didn’t. Our free-ski day with a football tournament, a great hike with Mr. Weiss or our traditional shopping walk to Fügen were bookended by rain but dry and sunny in between, with only a few stragglers getting caught in the magnificent curtain of rain that stormed through the valley after lunch, thunder and lightning included. But that also meant snow at higher elevations, and we began our new rotation with fresh snow and slightly colder temps, ideal for our budding (or expert) downhillers. For about ten minutes. Because the clouds and snow were extremely stubborn in clearing and most of us were confronted with new challenges, namely, not being able to see 3 meters in front of us – at least for a while. However, above the clouds awaited a sunny, winter wonderland and unexpected suntans on an otherwise bleak and rainy day below. Fickle weather gods!
To be honest, there was very little actual free time on free-ski day because the preparation for the first room inspection became a top priority for most rooms. We’re not just talking about clothes picked up off of the floor and garbage thrown away. Oh no. The room inspection, organized by the Jason Lang Foundation and sponsored by Almdudler and the Tiroler Tageszeitung, has become a combination of hyper-cleaning (do NOT expect this at home), organizational mastery down to the last perfectly shelved helmet/goggles and presentations or performances to create the perfect ambiance or Stimmung for the visiting inspectors. Inspectors were welcomed with artistry, song & dance, fake champagne, poetry and more. Before the inspection team’s arrival, rooms were aromatized with a heavy fragrance of deodorant (the boys) or incense (the girls). The less inventive rooms did little to hide the annual stench typical of sweaty socks that we get to ‘enjoy’ each night when we put your children to bed with stories or sing them to sleep.
So, have we achieved the aforementioned “Ski Trip Nirvana” theme from update one? Umm, not yet. Still some lessons to learn in interpersonal communication. Still some lessons in general decision-making. Still some lessons of dining room etiquette to learn. But that’s why we’re here. And usually, they learn a great deal – and have fun doing it!
