Should I Stay Or Should I Snow?

With Exeter Snowsports club fresh off the mountains after their Easter trip to Val Thorens, I doubt that any of you have managed to avoid the barrage of status’, photos and video edits that were uploaded.

The content of these ranging from action shots of your friends hurtling down the slopes or landing a backflip in the park to shots from the infamous ‘après ski’ or gaggles of slightly sunburnt beaming faces in clubs and bars, it can certainly be said to look like a pretty full on week.

And that is only what the cameras captured. Your friends, whether seasoned snowsporters or fresh to the concept of throwing themselves down a mountain with one or two planks of wood strapped to their feet, will have come back with what seems like a ridiculous amount of anecdotes for one week.

Surely they can’t all be true? Would anyone actually be able to ski down a mountain after partying at 360 bar and live to tell the tale? Equally, can you actually ski 70km a day, having been out the night previously dancing to Krafty Kutsin the biggest club in the Alps? And is this all actually half the price of regular ski trips?

Having been on three Exeter Snowsports trips in my two years of university, I am here to tell you exactly what happens on these trips and why you should try it yourself. Yes, all those stories you heard were true.

Yes the cost, including travel, accommodation, lift pass and free entry to all the clubs with more drinks deals than I can shake my helmet at, was actually £364. And yes, the week is always one of the most intense of my term, but the beauty of going on one of the snowsports trips is it can be exactly what you make of it.

With around 315 students all piling onto the 24-hour coach ride to Val Thorens, part of the Three Valleys in the French Alps, there was always someone who wanted to do what you did. Beginners could book discounted lessons to start them off and finding other people who wanted to stick to the easier slopes.

If you wanted to cover distances, there was always a group getting their skis on outside the hotel willing to take on new recruits.

Or, heading over to the snow park, you could always find an array of keen freestylers up for giving you some tips on just how to land that 360. Wherever you were and whatever you were doing, there was never a snowsporter far away.

A ski trip with Snowsports will not only bring you on leaps and bounds with your skiing but you will be amazed at the multitude of new friends you can’t help but make. I know the feeling of dread when you get on a coach, with hazy memories of the pre-trip social, and you realise you only know three and a half people.

This should never be a worry with Snowsports. The committee are an ever-warming presence, wanting to get everyone involved. You couldn’t help but be pulled onto tables at 360 bar at après ski by Mike or Sarah (this years Treasurer and Vice-President) or catch Martin and Rosie (el Presidente and Snowboard Captain) hopping around the rooms checking that everyone was okay and knew what was going on that evening.

And it’s not just the committee who are super friendly. With different events on throughout the week to bring the club all together, you couldn’t leave the trip without a warm fuzzy feeling from the amount of lovely, grounded people you met.

Whether it was through being the last ones in the club to see the very end of Krafty Kuts, who played especially for Snowsports, or joining on a team of people for the infamous “Valley Rally”, I doubt anyone went away without at least one new best friend.

When you all share the experience of having to pass a sausage between 5 team mates in the most original way possible, or pile as many clothes one on team member, extra points for bras, it is hard not to feel a closeness with everyone else taking part.

All I would ask of you now is think about giving Snowsports a go. With two big trips abroad a year and plenty of taster sessions in skiing, boarding and freestyle in between, there is something for everyone. Throw in the amazing snocials and who knows what could happen and stories you will have to tell…