With Easter upon us, and the majority of Exeter students migrating back to the ghettos of Surrey and Kent, 600 snowsports students prepared for a week of mayhem and foolishness in VT. Expectations were high and with boards, skis and stash at the ready, we left Exeter excited for a week of piste and love.
Whilst the week was amazing, there’s no denying that the coach journey was tedious, uncomfortable and lead to moments of complete agitation. However, after a memorable week I can confirm that the 24 hours (both there and back) on the coach was completely worth it. Imagine waking up to this view every morning…
Our home for the week was The Hotel Olympiads and on Saturday evening we kicked the week off in true Exeter fashion… STASH night. It wasn’t long until herds of VT t-shirts and Snowsports snapbacks headed for Malaysia, the underground haven of dance and drunken decisions, disguised by its humble “shack” above the ground. Despite being just meters from our hotel, there was no guarantee of safe return on the icy path that lay between you and your bed.
Whilst the evenings were entertaining and theme-filled (my personal favourite was charity shop night), we must remember that the trip was all about the snowsports. We weren’t the luckiest weather wise, fighting days of poor visibility and strong winds. However, almost all of us were on the slopes everyday and those that weren’t learnt quickly that mountain air is the best hangover cure. The beginners stayed in the comfort of Val T’s chair lifts and runs whilst the more experienced seasonnaires ventured to the Vallies of Méribel or Courchevel.
After a tiring day of skiing/boarding there was only one pace to be…après-ski. Its safe to say Exeter were representing at both La Foulie Douce and 360 everyday, whatever the weather. Nothing gets you in the mood for a big night out like champagne showers, dancing on the tables and skiing home with one too many drinks in you!
Disclaimer: don’t worry, safety was a matter of the utmost importance and there was a strict policy of no man left behind! It turns out watching tipsy university students snow plough the entire piste is very entertaining.
If you were debating heading to VT this year and missed out, get yourself on Exeter Snowsports‘ Christmas trip! You’ll have an incredible week of madness whatever your ability, as refresher workshops, back-country workshops, freestyle workshops and race workshops are all available! Not to mention the maddness of the Valley Rally, Mountain Meal and Port-to-Port challenge, which is not for the faint hearted. There truly is something for everyone and most importantly you’ll meet some amazing people (its like fresher’s 2.0 but better). You might leave feeling a little bit worse for wear, or as committee warned us before the trip, “a broken shell of a human” but you have the whole holiday to recover!
Lastly, a massive thank you to the Snowsports Committee for making the trip possible! Click here to check out Henry Thwaite’s unofficial trip video for some inspiration.
Photo credits:
- Exeter Snowsports
- Oli Pestell Videography
- Abigail Leone
- http://www.les3valees.com/
- Anna Morris