Shred the Snow – 2023
We started our trip on Monday, picking up fellow skiers from Wollongong and Edmonson Park and headed south, stopping for lunch in beautiful Cooma.
We arrived at the NSW Sport and Recreation Park in Jindabyne, which is the official ParaOlympic training facility, and were greeted by Shannon and Anne from DWA (Disabled Wintersport Australia).
We got to stay in Finsko’s Cabin, named after Ron Finneran OAM. Ron is the founder of disabled skiing in Australia, celebrating 30 years contribution.
At Finsko’s, we got all kitted up in our snow gear with Sinead personally looking after us. We collected our skis and snow boards and hit the sack after dinner.
Tuesday- was a very early start for us all as we excitedly got up, had a breakfast for skiing champions and headed for our first day at Thredbo.
We were met by the DWA crew who were supporting us all for the 3 days on the slopes. We had Anne, Ned, Paul, Steph, Rhonda, Sandra, Vee, Chris, Mel, and the Thredbo guides.
From here, the boys with their snowboards and Gina on her ski’s headed up the slopes of Friday Flats.
Dale was strapped into her sit ski, and along with Ned and Paul, went straight to the top of Merritts where she shredded down the mountain at speeds close to 50kph, and went sit ski jumping along the track down!
Glen tackled Gunbarrel after lunch with Dale, while Alex and Gina perfected their technique on Friday Flats for the rest of the day.
Wednesday- was not the best day weather wise, and conditions were less than perfect but who stops the TT Shred the Snow troupes? No one, and not even rain!
Glen hit Gunbarrel again with his snowboard and also tackled High Noon! Dale hit Merritts’s and High Noon again for more thrilling sit ski action, Alex and Gina finished polishing their techniques on Friday Flats.
After lunch, we decided to stay on solid ground and went into Thredbo on the shuttle bus to go up the gondola and were joined by Anne and Rhonda from DWA. This was amazing, as the shuttle bus, as well as the gondola were wheelchair friendly.
At the top, we all had some pictures and a hot chocolate. There were great tunes at the top of Merritts, so we also had a sing along to “Sweet Caroline”!
On the trip back down, we were greeted with an amazing rainbow.
Back at Thredbo, we said goodbye for the day to our DWA friends, and decided to stop off at Wild Brumby Distillery. Dale got to sample some of their legendary butterscotch and peach schnaps and purchased some small bottles to take home. Wild Brumby had some amazing sculptures that were perfect for some happy snaps too!
Back at Finskos, Alex got to see some of the up-and-coming winter Olympic hopefuls train on the Snow Australia air bags.
Thursday- we woke to beautiful blue skies, and Thredbo even had a light dusting of snow just for us.
Glen went back up to the top of the mountain and hit the snow from Merritts, and Gina and Alex hit Gunbarrel! We got some amazing footage of these slope slaying legends!
Dale decided to stay on solid ground, and hit the retail shops, and a walk around Thredbo.
After lunch, there was more slaying of the slopes before heading back to Jindabyne where we had dinner with Paul Gardner who was Dale’s first sit ski guide.
Friday- we were all bit sad today as it was home day. All great holidays must come to an end and we have to go back to reality. We have had the best time and we are all looking forward to coming back next year where we can continue slaying the slopes like legends that supported us. Huge big shout out to DWA! They went above and beyond to ensure we were all well looked after, and handed down their wealth of knowledge and expertise when it came to the slopes.
Alex’s best highlight of the trip was- the snow, and snowboarding with Anne and Jon Jon showing him how to snowboard better. He also loved all the food!
Dale’s best highlight from the trip was- jumping over the jumps up the top of Merritts with Ned and Paul, and catching up with Paul Gardner who she’s known for over 15 years!
Gina’s best highlight of the trip was- Skiing, and learning new signs to get down the mountain cleaner and faster!
Glen’s best highlight of the trip was- Taking on a few of the longer runs like Merritts and High Noon.
Ida and Tracey’s best highlight of the holiday was- Seeing everyone’s amazing smiles, the joy on the faces as we watched them grow and progress in their techniques and ability.