© Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau / shootandstyle.com

With around 400 ski resorts, Austria offers plenty of choice for a winter trip. Smaller regions such as St. Johann in Tirol and TirolWest are popular with families, offering ski schools, children’s clubs and childcare. Across the country, around 18,000 instructors help people find their feet on snow. Mountain huts, winter walks, tobogganing and Christmas markets offer plenty to enjoy away from the slopes, too.

That first experience on skis is something Snowsport Scotland and Austria Tourism are helping more children discover through First Tracks. The project, which ran last term, gave primary school pupils the chance to try skiing, including children who might otherwise have little opportunity to take part.

At Riverside Primary, all 25 pupils taking part were new to skiing. One pupil called it “the most fun trip we did all year”, while a teacher said: “The kids came back buzzing! They had so much fun.”

Mr Logan, Acting Depute Head Teacher at St John Paul II Primary School, described what the opportunity meant for his pupils: “For many of our children, living in an area of high deprivation, this is an experience they may never otherwise have had the chance to try.” He said the pupils loved the sessions and grew in “confidence, resilience and enthusiasm along the way.”

Class teacher Lesley Gibson also saw the children surprise themselves. She praised the instructors for pitching the lessons at the right level and encouraging pupils “to be resilient and work as a team”. As she put it: “This was a great opportunity and it would be great to do again as many of our pupils would not otherwise access this sport.”