A delicious breakfast at the local “ Festival Hall” helped to get some of the lost energy back. Later a chair lift took us up a steep slope. The sun was shining and we had a fantastic view of the snow-covered countryside. After twenty minutes we got off the lift to start on a two-hour hiking tour up the mountain to the ‘Falkenhuette` (Falcon Cabin), about 1,500 m above sea-level. Everybody was exhausted and tired from the long walk uphill. Landlady Erika and the kitchen staff had prepared pasta for the whole group…
At 4 pm, we put on skis and were allowed to test them. It was quite funny to see how everybody tried to get used to the new and unfamiliar equipment; almost everybody fell into the snow at least once. The next morning, we had our first instruction. Andreas, Tony, Tobi and Bernd arrived, trying to teach us how to “climb” a hill with skis, how to fall and mainly how to ski down the gentle slopes quite safely. They were really patient and gave us time to develop a feeling for this sporting experience. The advanced group, led by Markus, was already practicing carving. The two groups of snowboarders had lessons with Moritz (23) and 21-year old Julian (for all the girls still remembering him from last year and the year before: he doesn’t have dreadlocks any more but seems to be as attractive as ever).
At 12 o’ clock it was lunch time. The food was really good - sometimes we even got a dessert. At the bar, the drinks had to be paid for. They were the only items you could buy because all the shops and restaurants are down in the valley. After a two-hour break we put on the skiing equipment and practised for two more hours. If Pupils practice longer they will risk to get injured because they will be exhausted and lacking in concentration. Three snowboarders fell and broke their arms. The skiers were more lucky though many of them caught a bad cold. After dinner we could spend our leisure time with whatever we wanted to do: One could either stay in the rooms upstairs or sit in the lounge, playing cards and talking to friends. Usually, the lights were turned off at 10 pm. Then, everybody was supposed to stay in bed for the rest of the night but one could discover torches flashing around from time to time.
The procedure stayed unchanged every day with one difference only: The pupils were improving their skiing and snowboarding competences. After three days most of the pupils were prepared to ski down the steeper slope. We also had the opportunity to try extremely short skis, so-called “Big Foot”; not everybody was pleased with this experience, others thought they were easier to handle than normal skis.On Wednesday, all the groups took part in a competition. Everybody had to go round a slalom for two times. The three fastest got winners’ received certificates later on.In the evening, we were surprised by a delicious buffet prepared by the kitchen staffand with a party: great music seduced many people to dance and have fun. The lights were turned off at midnight. The next day, we had the opportunity to practise skiing and snowboarding without our instructors who had already left.Friday morning, we had to get up half an hour earlier to get our luggageready and to tidy the rooms for the new groups. After lunch we left the "Falkenhuette". Down in Steibis a bus took us to the swimming pool "Aquaria" in Oberstaufen.At six o'clock, we got on the buses for Aurich. Most pupils were sleeping on the way back.When we arrived in Aurich at 4.30 am, many tired parents were already waiting for their children to take them home. Alltogether, our school trip was really funny, interesting and all the pupils improved their sporting skills in a great skiing area.

by Anna Gerdes , Gesa Hoofdmann, Hella Hoofdmann, Anna-Lena Romaniak

last change: 10.03.2004 17:36