… by Arran / from Glasgow / BSc Mathematics / 3rd Year (UG)
Obviously we can’t travel at the moment due to Covid-19, which has made me think back on some of my recent trips. Under normal circumstances, Edinburgh University has lots of opportunities to get involved with things outside of just studying your course. I am going to tell you about one of many fantastic opportunities that you can get involved with.
The university ski trip is an experience like no other. In both first and second year, I have gone to the French alps, along with over 1200 students, to spend a week skiing, partying, and having the time of my life. After quite a long bus ride (around 30 hours) we arrived in Tignes late in the evening, grabbed our skis from the rental shop, before dinner and an early night so we were fresh for the slopes in the morning… or we might have gone into town to check out the local bars and clubs.
Regardless of what happened the night before, we woke up around 8, filled with excitement to get out to ski on the fresh snow. I made porridge for everyone and we packed a lunch for the big day ahead. We booted up, slung our skis over our shoulder and picked a ski lift to head up to start the day.
Although you are surrounded by a desert of snow, the sun beats down on your face and the skies are as blue as the ocean. Surrounded by the immersive scenery, we would enjoy racing down the slopes, discovering new runs, and taking the occasional fall. After December exams, and Christmas festivities, this was the perfect bliss. There are multiple restaurants with outdoor seating areas where we would stop for our lunch and maybe a refreshing pint.
Normally we would ski right through until around 4 or 5 when the lifts would close; however, as the week went on there was normally a later start or a bigger lunch break, after all, skiing is very tiring! But the day wouldn’t end there. In the Alps they have massive outdoor parties called “Apres Ski” with world class DJs and amazing live performers. The best part about these parties is some of them are halfway up the mountain, so you ski to get there, and then after a few hours of partying you ski to get back home, which was always a good laugh.
Dinner usually consisted of a big pot of pasta while we all shared our stories of the day, and got ready for the night ahead. The bars and clubs in the Alps are something else. As the night went on more and more people would be up on the chairs and tables dancing, singing, and having the time of their lives. The vast majority of the people in these clubs were from Edinburgh as the group size is so massive, so it was brilliant constantly bumping into people you know and hearing about how their day on the slopes was. Once it was home time we usually got a pizza on the way home and set our alarms so we were ready to do it all again the next day.
There is a wide range of ability on the ski trip, some people go who have never skied before, and others have skied for team GB. This is a trip I would recommend to everyone and I believe I will remember it as one of the best experiences of my university years.