Yr. 9 Snow Camp

Our Year 9s travelled to Falls Creek/Howman's Gap for their Snow Camp last week.  This was a great opportunity for many of our students who had never skied before.  The conditions were perfect for skiing and they all had a fantastic time.

Students would like to thank the staff for accompanying them and making it a great 3 days. Below are some recollections from students.

Camp Reflection 2021

With a rocky 2020 full of lockdowns and loneliness, this year I was glad to finally be taking a trip away from the home I knew so well.  After coming back from a relaxing two week holiday, I had a normal Monday and then an early start of 4:30 am the next day.  Getting dressed in 4 different layers was a struggle yet a normal preparation for the freezing cold days to come.

Still pitch black outside, I arrived at school 3 hours early, 5:30 am. However, that's the time the bus would leave for our camp at Falls Creek. As we made our way on roads I have never been on, I took a needed nap for the long day to come. When we arrived, we dropped our bags off, got hired wet weather gear and straight into the fun. Up on the mountain we were split into groups where most of us would be learning how to ski for the first time.

Cross country skiing took a lot of effort yet was very enjoyable. The weather was rainy and foggy but nothing completely unmanageable. After a quick lunch break, everyone was full of energy and ready to go again. The whole group had free time together before we were rushed onto the bus to collect our ski boots and helmets. The next two days to come would involve downhill skiing which had much more professional gear. Yet with more gear came more confusion.

The next morning it was an early 6:30 am start with breakfast at 7:15 am. Toast, bacon and eggs were the perfect way to start the second day. However because of the bus being late due to the weather and some gear confusion our lesson had to be rescheduled for the afternoon. Before long we were back on our way back to the downhill slope where we were going to have our lesson. The lovely instructors went through two hours of learning how to turn, stop and slow down. Even so, the second day was definitely the worst with the least amount of skiing time and freezing cold weather. I was glad to get back and have a warm shower.

Another 6:30 am started and the moment I got up my legs and arms felt numb. My body was not used to the intense and long days of skiing. Another good start with toast, eggs and hashbrowns. Yummy! Once again we sorted our gear and on the bus, we went. Today we were planning to go down some tracks and I was so excited yet terrified. That morning as I went up the lift, I enjoyed the lovely view before we were sorted into groups to practice and experience some ski runs for the first time.

Due to the visibility deteriorating we were split into two groups and kept going down Wombats Rumble. The most enjoyable day by far and I met many different people on lifts and down the slopes. Finally, our bus ride home was a relief because I knew the next day we would be heading home without any more strain on my body. Sadly when we arrived Ms Elgar stood up and made the devastating announcement. “Due to covid we will be in a lockdown as of 12 and we will be making our way home tonight.” In my head, I was like, once again covid ruins it all. So with our heads held low we enjoyed our last meal at Howman's Gap and packed our bags. We all made it home safely at midnight and as we went home we wished each other a “Happy Lockdown!”

Charlie Langdon

My Time at Camp 

Day 1 

It started off with an early morning and taking the bus from school to Falls Creek. The bus trip was pretty chill considering most of us slept most of the way. The first day was jam-packed full of exciting activities and experiences. We dropped out gear off at camp and headed straight to skiing where we did cross country skiing. For a lot of us, it was our first time seeing snow. We learnt how to ski and it was so fun. We went down these mountains, went around corners, we learnt how to stop and turn and it was such an amazing experience. I am so glad I took this opportunity although I was scared and didn’t know what to expect. I'm glad I did it. I Built my first snowman and I’m so happy and grateful I got to experience this with my friends and classmates. 

Day 2

On the second day, we did downhill skiing, which was very different from the day before. We had to go higher up the mountain and the views were absolutely gorgeous. We had to take ski lifts to go even higher up which was a cool experience. The weather was very different from when we went cross country skiing. None of us expected it, but downhill skiing was a lot harder. The skis we used the previous day were different and it was harder to stay in the one place as you were always falling backwards. But from what I heard everyone had lots of fun.

Day 3 

On the third day, we once again did downhill skiing. It was the most fun and exciting experience. It was hard at the start but once you got into the groove of it, it became easy and extremely fun. Going downhill at extreme speeds was exhilarating and just the best feeling. I could have done it all day and for the most part, I did. I thought I got quite good at skiing and I was very surprised and proud of myself. I’m so happy and grateful once again that I got to share this experience with my friends and classmates.

This camp was a blast. The camp that we stayed at was so nice and the staff were so welcoming and the teachers were pretty great too. Overall I loved this camp it was such a great experience.

Brooklyn Sparkes.

Camp Reflections 

Day 1 

Early in the morning, I woke up at 4 o'clock to make sure everything was packed and ready to head into town to get on the bus at 5:30 to head to Falls creek, Howman's camp. The bus trip took roughly around 4 hours with toilet breaks along the way. We arrived at camp, put our gear on and headed up the mountain to Falls Creek where we got our ski boots and skis. We then split off into groups and learnt how to ski. It was really enjoyable and watching people fall over was funny especially when you did it yourself. At the end of the day, we had free time and enjoyed the snow altogether. Cross country was fun. We also got to learn how to stop, start, turn and jump 180s and 360s. We went back into the shelter and had lunch and snacks. We all went back out and walked our skis up to the main snow pit. Then all slid down and tried to ski down the hills. We went back on the bus to a ski hire place and hired all our gear for the next day of downhill skiing. We got back to our cabins, all had showers and then went to tea. 

Day 2 

We woke up at 6:30, got ready for the day and went to breakfast. After breakfast, we got our gear on and headed on the bus to go downhill skiing. The first day of downhill skiing was really cold and windy. The snow was blowing a blizzard. We got told to head back to our camp but there was an accident on the roads so we had to wait it out. We headed back to our camp and went to the games room. We then all had lunch and went back up the mountain to go skiing. We went up on the ski lift and it was freezing cold and scary as!!! We split off into groups and had our lessons to make sure everything and everyone was ready. Going down the mousetrap was fun and enjoyable. But when I didn't know how to stop immediately it turned into a problem. I wiped out Mackenzie and Nash wiped out me. We went up a moving machine that took us back up to the top to repeat the same thing. We learnt a skill called red light, green light. Where we would stop and start. We went back down the ski lift at the end of the day and headed back to our camp around 5. I took my gear off and then had showers. Then off to dinner we went. 

Day 3 

Day 3 was a lot similar to day 2 however I was feeling sick and nervous to go on the ski lift. I went up with Ms Elgar and another student and actually opened my eyes and the view was really pretty. I continued to do mousetrap and then I was confident enough to go to down Wombats Ramble with Mr Clancy and a group of other students. Brooklyn and I both stuck together and when I fell over she was there waiting for me. That was the highlight of my camp going down wombat because we flew down and it was challenging but very fun. After many times we headed back to the waiting room to have lunch and then headed back out and did the same thing. After a very long time, we took our ski gear back and headed back to Howman's Gap on the bus. We then got told that due to the coronavirus we had to head back home to Rochester on the bus to get back before the lockdown. I packed up all my things and we then helped everyone else with their luggage. Had dinner and dessert and then headed home. We watched a few movies on the bus and then after a long bus trip, we were at the school, ready to be picked up.

Monica Ingram