The late December trip to Jasper proved a great success, with packed days spent on the snow and ice, as recalled by Felix (Lower Shell, LL)

Once we arrived in Jasper at 3.30am we slept for a few hours before getting ready for our first day. Rejuvenated we made our way to a quick breakfast and emerged out of the hotel to the fresh, brisk air and a full view of the Canadian mountains that we had missed the night before. After a short coach ride to Marmot Basin, we stepped onto the fresh snow, gazing up at the skiers barreling down the mountain. Walking into the boot room we were all pleasantly surprised by the speed that we received our boots and equipment. Being sorted into groups we took our first chair lift, lifting us through the clouds, to a picturesque view of the bright sky with slopes and trees blanketed in snow.

Each morning we would rush out of our kings’ sized beds to the fresh delicious food prepared for us before racing onto the bus and gazing into the sea of mountains and clouds. There was a sense of excitement and anticipation every morning which inspired us to be faster and faster so we could have as much skiing as possible. The days flashed by, but it felt that we had been there for months already.

The fun didn’t just end with skiing, each night we had had a few minutes to prepare for our activities which allowed us to experience the full wonders Canada has to show. They included ice-skating on a frozen lake with only our phones for illumination, watching an ice hockey match, attempting curling, and visiting the shops in Jasper. If they ended early enough, we then visited the pool before going to bed, looking forward to our next day.

The long-anticipated two days arrived where we received our race tops and made our way to the start of the slalom and dual slalom races. There were two different categories of racers and both of the courses were steep and icy resulting in a few slip ups and falls but everyone pushed forward despite difficulties, racing their hardest and doing the school proud with awards being presented to the most successful.

Saying our sad farewells to the mountains and the fresh Canadian air we started the journey back to Calgary, stopping off at mall for a couple of hours where we prepared gifts for our families.