Furness Academy students hit slopes for adventure-filled week of skiing in Austria

Last week, over 90 Furness Academy students, along with a number of staff visited Austria for a week on the slopes.

This trip has traditionally been an annual event in the Furness Academy calendar but was unable to take place during 2021 due to Covid restrictions.

The first trip in nearly two years saw record numbers of students taking part in the visit.

The students and staff travelled via coach and ferry down the UK and across Europe to Salzburg, Austria. The weather conditions were perfect and the students headed straight to the slopes on arrival.

They were provided with expert skiing tuition to ensure they were safe on their skis and could enjoy their time on the mountain.

The students also took part in sledging and tubing on the slopes, enjoyed a night at the bowling alley and finished the week with an Italian pizza party, all in perfect alpine weather.

Craig Maclean, trip leader said: “It was an absolute pleasure to take the students on our first ski trip in two years, with one of our biggest groups ever.

“The preparation for the trip was not without it’s challenges, and we worked hard to ensure we adhered to all coronavirus protocols and restrictions which were often changing during our period of organisation.

“All of this however was worth it to see the students faces when we arrived in Salzburg and the students saw the slopes.

“From the moment we left Furness Academy, until the moment we arrived home the students were impeccably behaved and a credit to our school. We are looking forward to next year’s trip already.”

Simon Laheney, headteacher of Furness Academy and CEO of Furness Education Trust said: “The Furness Academy Ski Trip is an important event in our school calendar and I am pleased that we have been able to proceed with the trip after being unable to travel last year.

“Part of our Furness International programme, the trip is just one of the many opportunities we offer students to travel internationally for education and recreation.

“Craig did a great job organising a trip of this scale with changing guidance, but it was very much worth it for our students to enjoy this incredible experience.”