Day One (Sunday)

We arrived in Bulgaria in high spirits. The hotel welcomed us in the early hours and all the boys settled into their rooms quickly. We all woke up to a hearty breakfast (cereals, toast, eggs, the works). A short ride into the town centre, collected our skis and a scenic trip up the mountain in the gondola. The boys saw snow covered trees, fantastic fresh soft snow and bear tracks! Everyone divided into their ski groups and began learning/improving their ski technique. The instructors were testing the abilities of the boys and were impressed with their tenacity. In the evening they had free time exploring the local area and swimming in the hotel pool and spa facilities. They went to bed early to get ready for an exciting day of skiing the next day.

Day Two (Monday)

We collected our skis and all the students went to the top of the mountain. Over night it had dumped over 1 metre of snow. The pistes were nice and soft (perfect for the beginners to fall over on). The beginners learned controlled snow plough stops and turns. The advanced group took off with their instructor to work on their technique in preparation for some challenging runs and jumps the next day. After dinner they enjoyed an evening of outdoor ice skating, girls and hot chocolate, as well as attacking Mr Miller and Ms Copson with snow balls.

Day Three (Tuesday)

The boys were keen to start, ready with their skis before the coach arrived. When the arrived at the top of the gondola their ski teachers met them and they were all excited even though it was a bit foggy to start with although it cleared quickly and they had soft snow with clear blue skies, perfect conditions for skiing. The advanced group tackled more challenging runs and had some fun trying to land jumps their instructor took them over. Burgers for lunch were wolfed down to ensure they had energy for the afternoons skiing. During the afternoon the beginners were perfecting their button lift technique and are now building their confidence and thinking about conquering the Bansko mountains.

Evening ents saw the boys go to a Bulgarian/American Diner with music, pizza and soft drinks. The pizzas were delicious and the night was rounded off with a quiz. The last round of the quiz was a sporting charades quiz with some innovative displays from the boys, the highlight was the display from James Gallagher, Joe Rose, Connor Sweeny and Sean Robinson imitating the Jamaican bobsleigh team. The team BIG SNOW PLOUGH won the best name.

Day Four (Wednesday)

A new innovation at SJC Bansko, the video diary. Please play the video below for a report from some of the students on the trip.

 Day Five (Thursday)