A Skiing Accident｜一次滑雪事故

Bryan邬逸凡在两年前从上海搬到了澳大利亚阿德莱德，现在在读初中八年级。他参加了我们暑期的青少年英文创意写作项目，写下了自己在澳洲学校参加滑雪旅行的经历。他的文笔非常自然流畅，不太能看到中文写作的痕迹，开始在英文写作里有了自己的口吻（voice)。之前，他也在(点击了解更多)。

孩子能用中英文写作，而且两种语言都能写出各自独特的美感。这也是我们培养孩子真正进入语言本身的核心能力，多读，去感受，自然发散出写作的语感，而不是模仿、背诵例句范文，写出有人味的作品。

By Bryan

A historic drought struck South Australia, and it hadn’t rained for months. The sun slowly baked the yellowing grass, and the air was dry and smoky. Plants were wilted everywhere I looked, and it felt like a wasteland. Near the two-month mark of the drought, I received an email with a title of ‘Would you like to participate in a holiday skiing trip deep within the Australian Alps?’ I immediately pressed on it and was very surprised to see a picture of snow in Australia. How on earth does this scorching country have snow? I always thought of Australia as a place of endless deserts, beaches and sunshine. Seeing snow here completely disproved my expectations. My heated brain instantly turned on and I signed up straight away for the trip. The weather outside became more dreary and rainy until the day finally came to go on the trip.

It was a very long bus ride and after a long night. As the bus slowly crept up the highway, the serene sunrise slowly peeked over the snow-covered peaks. Seated beside me was Mr. Harper, my geography teacher. I met Mr. Harper at the start of Year Eight. He was usually quite strict, known for his sharp gaze and punctuality. For instance, as soon as his lesson began, he locked the door, making it clear that punctuality was non-negotiable. If someone arrives even a second late, they find the door firmly shut, and upon knocking, they can expect a serious conversation about the importance of being on time.

But as the warm sunlight hit his face, I saw a different side of him. I remember glancing over, expecting to see him immersed in his notes, but instead, he was quietly observing the landscape with a hint of a smile. "Beautiful, isn’t it?" I murmured, unsure if he'd like small talk. To my surprise, he nodded, his eyes reflecting the golden hues shining on the mountain. "This range," he began, his voice softer than in the classroom. “Was formed millions of years ago through tectonic shifts. The way the light hits the ridges reveals the texture of Earth's history. It’s like looking at a painting that the Earth made.”

Seeing this as an opportunity to improve our relationships over the next week, I decided to move deeper with the conversation. The initial iciness that had lingered between us began to dissolve with our conversation. What used to be awkward chats now flowed effortlessly. The beautiful scenery around us seemed to help soften the boundaries. I carefully tapped him on the arm with a grin on my face, “Did you ever think that there would be snow like this in Australia?” He chuckled softly and turned around looking at me. “Yeah, even after six years of skiing, I still could not believe my eyes every time I see this. Every time I visit this place, there is always something to be discovered.” His words echoed in me as the bus climbed higher. This trip was no longer just a simple ski trip, it was now a journey of discovery.

We began to see snow just after our sea level reached 1000 metres. At first it was just a few patches here and there, but then as the elevation got higher I noticed the trees were covered in snow. Before long we were above the clouds. The picture from the email was definitely real, but the snow-covered mountains looked even better in person.

I progressed very fast during the week as a beginner and was confidently doing medium-level runs. Having had a very successful rock-climbing experience before the trip, I believed I could handle the hard runs with ease. The focus and determination from facing the rock faces gave me my confidence on the slopes. The day before we headed back home, I was tempted to try ‘Gotcha’, one of the steepest runs, but unfortunately, the visibility dropped to zero and I was terrified to go down a slope being basically blind.

On the final day, everyone in my dorm seemed to be very excited when I woke up. The dorm was shared by six of us in Year Eight. As the seven o’clock alarm buzzed, it was met not with groans but with a commotion of excitement (great details here that offer context); it was apparently a ‘bluebird day’, which meant crystal skies and great visibility. Sunlight streamed through the snow-covered windows, hinting at the perfect weather outside.

There was this guy in our dorm named Conner who was a passionate snowboarder. He told us legendary stories about his great adventures and how the amazing weather always meant the best skiing. Fueled by his stories, we gathered our gear with anticipation. The dorm buzzed with energy, laughter, and the zipping of jackets and boots. The promise of adventure was in the air as we stepped outside into the crisp morning.

It was astonishing to see the whole mountain range without even a single cloud in sight. The sun reflected brilliantly off the snow and cast an array of sparkles across the pristine, mountainous landscape. I decided to try the steep slope again with a few of my friends. On the ride up the ski lift, I thought about why the slope was named ‘Gotcha’, but soon I forgot all about the reason as we were off the lift and skiing down the slope. My friends whizzed past me, and I was left by myself on this bare drop with a thick forest on one side and a hundred-metre cliff on the other. At least 20 skiers overtook me and shredded down the mountain like they were floating on the snow. My instructor told us to make quick and sleek turns to slow down, but I hadn’t exactly mastered the move. The terrain seemed to get steeper and bumpier, and my skis kept on getting tripped up bump after bump. I struggled to get down the mountain and fell a couple of times, but that didn’t stop me from trying to get down to the bottom. But then, there it was. The orange slow sign at the bottom beamed through my goggles, and I was locked in. I was so focused on how close I was to the end that I wasn’t concentrating on my skis at all. In a fraction of a second, my knees buckled as the terrain unexpectedly dropped away. I was flying through the air with my arms wailing around my side, completely helpless, tumbling down the hill.

Crunch!

I landed on my stomach with my head buried in snow. All my breath was instantly squeezed out of my lungs. Every inch of my body felt like it was beaten and lit on fire, like bellyflopping into a pool. Snow gradually seeped through my gloves and the taste of snow stung my tongue. I lay there for a few seconds, eyes closed,

feeling like someone had just punched me in the stomach. I slowly looked up and had to almost instantly duck down. People sped past me, and I suddenly realised that I was blocking the exit of the slope. and that Sooner or later someone who wasn’t looking at where they were going might knock me out. I sluggishly crawled back up and towards my stuff splattered across the whole hillside.

The snow shone bright through my eyes as I peered across towards my skis. It was right at the narrow passage at the end with everyone flying past at their top speed. I took a deep breath and wobbled slightly as I stood up, the coldness soaking through my wet clothes. I quickly shuffled over to the side, dodging skiers as they zoomed past, their skis spraying snow all over me. My heart raced faster with each near miss. Finally reaching my skis. I hauled onto my shoulder and stumbled down towards the ski lift line, avoiding the other skiers as they sailed down.

I stood at the bottom of the ski lift, catching my breath. Reliving the fresh scenes off the mountain. I waited for a few minutes until I got up a ski lift with my friend who had just done the same run again. As we slowly swung higher and higher on the chairlift, my friend suddenly turned around and said with a hint of surprise. “Weren’t you skiing down after me? How did you overtake me?” And so I told him all about my traumatic experience, to which he only responded with a few words. “Don’t worry, you will do better next time.”

Later that afternoon, we boarded the bus once again for the long journey back home. I thought about Mr. Harper’s words about a journey of discovery that lingered in my mind. It was the quiet wisdom of Mr.Harper that guided me, giving me courage to conquer my fear. I realised that each turn and improvement carved into the snow wasn’t just a technical progress; with every tumble and slide, it was also a symbolic journey. Long after we left the snowy mountains behind us, Mr. Harper’s words stayed with me.

That day, the mountain taught me something about undertaking risks and exploring new heights: bravery isn’t the lack of fear; it’s the courage to overcome it, to carve through it one turn at a time, and eventually conquer it.

写作导师

Julia Hollingsworth

Julia拥有University of East Anglia（UEA）创意写作（非虚构方向）硕士学位，以及Abilene Christian University英语文学学士学位。此外，她还在Institute of Ongoing Education at Cambridge University完成了创意写作证书课程和文凭课程。2019年，她以本科学术论文荣获德克萨斯创意写作协会颁发的“最佳本科论文奖”。

自2019年以来，Julia一直在教育领域工作。她曾担任小学英语教师，教授阅读、写作和语法课程；也曾为中学生提供阅读与写作辅导。为更好地支持国际学生并拓展自身教学能力，她于2024年完成了“对外英语教学”（TEFL）课程。

目前，Julia正在撰写一本回忆录，讲述她如何挣脱在原教旨主义福音派基督教社区中成长所带来的身份束缚。她的写作多聚焦于家庭关系及亲密关系中的冲突。她喜爱以人物为核心的叙事风格，善于运用对话与场景设定推动情节发展。她尤其偏好融合虚构与非虚构元素的作品。她的心头好包括Carmen Maria Machado的《梦屋》（In The Dream House）、Kathryn Scanlan的《Kick the Latch》以及Toni Morrison的《最蓝的眼睛》（The Bluest Eye）。

Tutor’s comment：

Bryan,

It was wonderful to watch your writing style come through in this essay – I noticed so many improvements in your ability to describe a scene with details and include your perspective. Below I have highlighted what I think are some of the most successful lines in green, and added my comment sin blue. I have a few, minor, suggestions in red that I hope you will consider if you end up submitting this for publishing. Which you should! It is an excellent personal essay of conquering fear.

Well done,

Julia

今天的作品来自Story Leading 12-16岁英文创意写作工作坊

"创意写作所追求的人性真实（truthfulness), 无论在虚构还是非虚构作品中，写作者的自我都会呈现，而且需要通过写作不断去逼近。人性里的真实，无论高光的渺小的，骄傲的难堪的，大目标还是小心思，都非常值得书写，也是书写中很重要的真实。有太多的'标化'写作已经阉割了孩子写作的真实感，成为一种标准的文书，就像一个个空洞的模板。”

想了解这个青少年创意写作项目的缘起，可以点击

免费体验活动

Story Leading Education12-16岁专业英语创意写作工作坊

导师：Julia Hollingsworth

体验时间：2025年9月6日 北京时间 周六 16:00-17:30

体验平台：腾讯会议 （仅限15席）

适用人群：

1、想尝试英语写作的青少年（即将升入或者已经开始初高中学习）；

2、正在青春期中，希望通过对内心对世界进行探索的青少年；

3、未来有志于用英语学习人文专业的青少年；

4、想要形成自己的英语作品用于申请各类海外夏校、专业学术机构及奖项的青少年。

报名条件：1、报名需提供过往英语写作作品参考；2、英语需达到美国孩子5年级以上阅读水平。

同时，新一期的秋季工作坊（2025年9月-12月，）正在报名中，分为三个阶段。

点击查看图片了解详情，可扫码联系Rey老师进行报名咨询。

接入全球化的学习体系，在互联网时代不再是需要等到上大学以后才开始的事情。三明治和故事星球Storyland于2020年在英国创立的教育公司Story Leading Education，整合了全球的英文创作资源，将持续在阅读、创意写作、人文社科、艺术、科学等方面将优质的导师团队和项目带给全球各地的中国孩子，形成一个随时、随地可接入的全球创作力社群。

▲新一期的虚构工作坊，将于9月1日正式开营。“虚构短故事”更名为“虚构·短篇”，欢迎来自各行各业的朋友参与，期待大家藉由短篇小说之眼，发现心底的那一个故事。

大师工作坊

虚构写作

非虚构写作

剧本创作

诗歌

里所诗歌工作坊

每日书

7月共写班（每月开展）

7月自由书写班（每月开展）

English Daily Writing（每季度开展）

点击查看更多

在地写作

写作生活节

点击查看更多