Snow Tour

Powder to the people

by Kris Austin, Tour Coordinator

This year the Preshil Snow Tour took us to Mt Hotham - promising the best snow in Victoria - and boy did it deliver!

Twenty-four students and four staff headed off last Friday afternoon, arriving at the mountain under the fall of darkness. As a group we needed to organise ourselves to get dressed, fed and fitted out with gear before 8.30am on our first day. It was a whirlwind beginning but the reward was great.

Bright sunshine meant visibility was incredible. Some students opted to join in night-skiing at the Big D. The last of our crew left the slopes having been out there effectively from 8.30am to 9.30pm. It was a big first day!

Snow conditions were amazing and only got better as the next band of snowfall arrived just after dinner on Sunday night. The arrival sparked the most epic of snowball fights, snow angels and gymnastic flips into soft landings on the ground!

The fresh snow converted a notoriously difficult area (Blue Ribbon) into a brilliant backdrop for tackling steep terrain and investigating the trails between the trees.

By the end of the tour we had seen so many outstanding moments from our students. Many showed great resilience in working hard to improve and were rewarded with an awesome last day. Lots of them discovered new areas on the mountain while being guided by older or more experienced students and many stories were swapped on the couch in front of the fire. 

Our students' attitude and behaviour were amazing – both the bus operator and lodge manager made mention of how incredible they were. It was wonderful to watch them clean up after themselves at dinner without being asked, or help pick up items that weren't theirs. The staff was very proud to be there with them!

For those who could not make the trip this year, get planning! We will be doing it all again in 2020 and we look forward to seeing new faces.