It’s always weird getting used to the silence after a ski season. Luckily Sofie didn’t have to, because her season ended with a Snowminds trip to Hawaii, where instructors from Japan and Canada met to finish off the season. The trip offered a lot of different activities like a surf camp, ATV’s, beach volley and tanning.
My name is Sofie and i’m 21 years old. Last winter i went on a season in Canada on Mount Washington, which is located on Vancouver Island.
We were 18 people going from Snowminds and we lived together in a hostel located in Courtenay, a small town located 30 minutes from the mountain.
When our season ended in early april, the whole group went to Vancouver, where we spent four amazing days.
Afterwards six of us jumped on a plane and went to Hawaii, which we all were very excited about – a week full of sand, beach volley, giant cocktails and sunscreen.. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?
From winter-wonderland to a summer-paradise
To be honest, the reason i went to Hawaii was because it is something everyone wants to visit. Besides the island being on almost everyones bucketlist (It’s been on mine since i was 8 and watched Lilo & Stitch!), it’s a rare opportunity, so when Snowminds offered the trip, it was a no brainer!
Dream come true!
It didn’t take long to get the paradise feeling, because Ottar and Christoffer we’re waiting in the airport, with big smiles, and of course, the mandatory hula necklace!
In the evening we had a welcome dinner with all the Snowminders, which included entertainment. We were surprised by a local dance group of 4 beautiful girls and one lovely man, who (most likely) danced as a hobby/lifestyle thing, not a full time job – very entertaining though!
The highlight of the evening was, without a doubt, when Christoffer joined the amazing dancers. Believe it or not, he actually did alright! And yes.. There’s video footage 😉
Insta-worthy, right? 😉
The following days we spent surfing, riding ATV’s, playing beach volley and tanning. We had a surf instructor the first day, which gave us the tools to continue by ourselves afterwards. Other people in the group also went hiking, skydiving, on roadtrips and boat-trips with dolphins.
Ottar and Christoffer at hula-practice
Ottar and Christoffer arranged two great beach volley tournaments, where the entire group competed, except for me, i prefer tanning, cheering and listening to music 😉 Life was great!
By the evening we made real BBQ by the common area where we lived. We ate great food, went swimming and held a beerpong tournament, which everyone took very seriously of course! By the end of the evening, we went to the beach and said goodnight under the stars.
In the morning, we went on a 60-man roadtrip around the island, which included great hiking spots, cold swims and beautiful views.
ATV-driving is a lot of fun!
I loved Christoffer and Ottar’s whole-day trip around the island, it was an amazing experience, where i got a lot of beautiful pictures. I can really recommend it!
Another highlight was the last evening in Hawaii. We celebrated the succesful trip with dinner and drinks. Truly a perfect ending! Last, but not least, i have to talk about the weather too. After spending 4 months in minus degrees it was the perfect end to the season. Warm weather and relaxation!
Beach-volley in the sun ☀️
It was really fun to meet everyone and hear about their ski-trips and experiences. When i went on a season again, to Japan, it might have had something to do with everyone who told me about their experiences.
We had a lot of amazing chats and i believe a big part of it, was because we all had a passion for snow – and skiing!
If i had to mention one thing i would do differently, it would be the decision making part. Do i go, or? I wish i could have taken the trip with more of my friends from the Mount Washington group. Don’t get me wrong, we had a great time, but we missed the rest of the crew!
// Sofie Ulrich
If you want to join our Snowminds trip to Hawaii like Sofie, you can look at our trip here.