One of the largest groups we’ve taken to Coronet Peak enjoyed a memorable weekend of skiing and snowboarding. With some natural and man-made snow arriving in the week before, conditions were looking very promising for this time of year.

Fortified by an excellent cooked breakfast, we were ready to hit the slopes. The problem was getting there. Rain had fallen during the night then had instantly frozen. Walking across a flat sheet of ice is tricky enough, but on a sloping sheet of ice it is almost impossible to retain one’s dignity. A few entertaining spills and minor bruises later we made it intact to the base building and were issued with the appropriate gear. Lessons followed at 9am. Even for total beginners it proved a lot easier to master the new sport than the 5 minute walk up the road to get there.

After a great morning on the slopes, unfortunately some high winds led to all the lifts going on hold early afternoon then closing for the rest of the day. While the boys might have been a little frustrated at an early finish, they took it in their stride and had no trouble entertaining themselves back at the Otago Ski Club hut.

More gale force winds rattled the hut all night but had mostly died away by morning. The forecast wasn’t too good but we headed back onto the slopes with the intention of fitting in as much as we could before the weather turned. One good thing about a bad weather forecast is that the locals don’t come up to the skifield, meaning no lift queues. The best thing is when the forecast is wrong and you get a full day of fabulous skiing with hardly anyone else on the slopes. Sunday was just that – days don’t get any better on Coronet Peak!

The boys had the opportunity to witness first-hand the goodness of their fellow countrymen. Three mobile phones that our boys lost on the mountain in separate incidents were all handed in and returned to their owners. I hope they have all gained something valuable out of this.

Thanks to the great team of staff and the co-operation of the boys, it was a very successful trip.