Last weekend, on the 17th and 18th of September, some of the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award students went cross country skiing at the snow farm in Wanaka.

We found it a very new experience, and some of us hadn’t had much experience in the snow so it was a little bit scary. However, we all improved very quickly after a lesson on how to cross-country ski. It’s a very different style to downhill skiing, so it did take a little bit to adjust and pick up the techniques but once we’d figured it out, the day progressed very quickly. We stopped halfway to the hut for a snow-cave break, and then skied on to Daisy Lee hut, which had a marvellous view. The evening passed with stunning sunsets and very good pasta dishes, and soon it was time for the next day's skiing.

The second day of skiing was even better, starting off with eggs, hash browns, and bacon, lovely sunny weather (resulting in a couple of unfortunately burnt scalps), barely a breeze, and freshly groomed snow to skate on. Although we were on an intermediate track it wasn’t long before we were speeding down the hills and climbing up with confidence. A short break was taken to slide down a very steep hill on our backs, before we were back to the base in no time! We finished off the trip by completing a black diamond route, which was very steep, and named ‘The Wall’. It was very tough in the beginning and everyone kept falling down, but with some hard work and twisted ankles we all made it to the top and finished the trip. We all really enjoyed the challenge of learning cross-country skiing, and loved the time spent making new friends and delicious dinners. We can’t wait until our next trip!