Zakopane Ski Trip 2023

Ski Trip Feb ’23 – Zakopane, Poland 

At 6am on Saturday February 11th, almost eighty 5th and 6th year students embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, skiing in Zakopane, Poland. We had a long day of travel ahead of us, but time flew. When we arrived, we were shocked to see so much snow - there was snow everywhere, towering over us, unlike anything we had seen before! 

We spent the first evening exploring Zakopane, still decorated in all of it’s Christmas glory! We browsed the local shops and grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel, excited for what the morning would bring. We had an early start the next morning and had a quick breakfast before heading to get fitted with our ski gear. Of course, while waiting, we had plenty of fun playing like little kids in the snow! All geared up, we headed off for our first skiing experience… 

Unfortunately, we ran into some unexpected traffic on the way to the ski resort, but eventually we made it, and it was worth the wait! We were split into groups, and tried our best not to fall over while we were taught the basics. It was daunting, but great laughs were had, and people caught on very quickly. We had fun trying to figure out the ski lifts and make it down the gentle slopes without falling! Our first day of skiing was complete, accompanied by a beautiful sunset as we left.  

Everyone made huge progress as the week went on. We were equally terrified and exhausted as we were often thrown into the deep end on huge slopes, (by our standards at least!). Three days in we moved to a different, bigger ski resort, meaning we never ran out of slopes to do. By the end of the week, we felt like professionals, several groups even managed to make it down the red slopes in, and in one piece! Thankfully, there were no broken bones, but there were plenty of bruises, a black eye, and a few dodgy knees!!! 

In the evenings, we enjoyed a variety of activities. There was a quiz night, MC’d by Mr Reilly. It was incredibly close, but of course only one team came out victorious – you know who you are, well done! We had a games night, playing cards, foosball, table tennis, pool, and more. Another evening was spent in Zakopane Thermal Baths, dancing and singing along to the DJ in the lovely warm pools (excellent for all the tired muscles!). Overall, the trip was full of laughter, and there wasn’t too much groaning over sore muscles (as Ms Nolan says, ‘Suck it up, buttercup!’). 

But of course, all good things must come to an end. After 5 days of intensive skiing and fun, it was time to go back to reality. Before waving goodbye, we headed into Krakow Old Town, where we were treated to a brilliant, guided tour, which brought us through the history of Krakow. We even got to hear the trumpet tune which is played from the top of a tower in the market square every hour. Importantly, we had some time to shop in the massive market and grab some lunch, before saying our final goodbyes to Poland…  

We made it back to Ireland safely, arriving back at Greenhills at half two in the morning, bleary-eyed and exhausted, full of many happy memories that we will cherish for years to come. 

By Sarah McGrath, 5th Year.