From London to Les Arcs

“I dunno why there’s so much snow, it’s just like MAGIC,” the words of the little girl in the ski film Attack of La Niña echoed amongst Imperial students throughout the first week of the holidays. The last night of term saw the departure of three coaches of us as we journeyed to Les Arcs in the Alps. A total of 137 attendees made this the biggest ski trip in recent memory by quite a long way. Just two weeks before we left for the Alps there was no snow – none. The wait for snow was painful but after enough Snow Dances praising the God of Pow (powder snow) we were blessed with an unprecedented amount. A mere two days before the trip our chosen French resort, Les Arcs was reporting “Dumping Snow” – the biggest and most consistent snow fall in 10 years. It really was magic.

The wait to board the ferry at Dover gave us a chance to catch up with the other London universities heading our way – Arts, Greenwich, Southbank, Ravensbourne and a couple from Westminster. Everyone was in high spirits, especially the committee, who had been planning for this event for a long time (six months!). Not everyone chose to board the ferry by bus, a few Imperial students thought it better to strut on – at least that’s what we heard – their fortune cookies might have read “a coach driver waits for no man”.

Arriving in the resort many hours later, we were greeted by the rest of the Wasteland Ski crew and the guys from Relentless. We were handed out free cans of the drink, the first of many to come. The result was a bizarre social experiment. The entire week was sponsored by Relentless which kept everyone going, but by the end of the week some students couldn’t function without it. These sad souls could be seen shaking from caffeine withdrawals muttering about how many they had consumed in the last hour and wondering when they might get their next fix. Still, we learnt a lot, for instance if you drink 15 cans in less than 12 hours you might find yourself in hospital. Needless to say, if you’ve ever complained about the cost of a can of Relentless – think again – it’s for your own safety!

Avalanche warnings were high and so was the adrenaline

The snow, the snow, the snow! This week was really about nothing else. It was incredible! Former Whistler seasonaires were overheard saying, “this is the most powder I’ve ever seen!” It just kept falling, everyday, relentlessly. Avalanche warnings were high and so was the adrenaline. Les Arcs has plentiful off-piste areas that are close enough to stay safe and offer fresh lines. By midweek it was snowing so heavily that the top half of the mountain closed. With only about three lifts open it didn’t matter how many times you did the same run by the time you got back up to the top – your previous tracks were covered in fresh, soft powder. It seemed ridiculous that three weeks prior, all of this was grass and rocks. It was deep enough that even though there was no Snow Park yet – Simon Federer and Will Stanger of the committee both landed their first backflips! Also, an impressive amount of piste skiing was done by frequent racer Michael Parkes and his crew – leaving no piste untouched! However, nothing could compare to being almost waist deep, sailing through trees and taking it as it comes.

Snow is something that is not only to be enjoyed during the day, the evenings of après-ski resulted in snowball fights and backflips off balconies. With four fancy dress themed evenings planned (Tube Stations, Comic Book Superheroes, Retro 80s and Animals), Imperial students really did us proud! Four outfits may be a lot of packing space to ask for, but it was so worth it! It was a wondrous sight to see a mixture of Cockfosters, Shepherd’s Bushes, Baker Streets and Blackfriars out one night then WonderwoMAN, Batman, Willie from The Simpsons, Dennis the Menace, Bananaman and Mario the next. It is fast becoming tradition in Les Arcs to get bizarre haircuts: 2 years prior it was the Hare Krishna Monk do, this year the Irish Crew Cut. Thank you so much to those who chose commitment to the cause over personal dignity (note: Mr. Squiggles) – we love you for it!

The consumption of an entire cup of cheese could earn you two euros

The mountain meal – for Retro Ski Day – brought out 80s onesies in force. Much cheese was eaten and much wine drunk in a restaurant on the slopes. Despite the long wait at the beginning all were well fed enough to start some table dancing and conga fun! For those looking to earn some extra pocket money, the consumption of an entire cup of cheese could earn you two euros. Sadly, the challenge might have left you feeling a bit funny. With night fallen and dinner and dancing over, it was time to find those skis or that pesky snowboard in the dark and descend down the green run home. By this stage those beginners were skiing like pros and everyone made it down safely!

With the week coming to a close, it was sad to say goodbye – to new found love, to new friends and old, and most of all to the unique beauty that is a university ski trip. We boarded the coaches exhausted, but in equally high spirits knowing that the mountains had blessed us with an incredible trip. A big thank you is needed to Vlad, our trip organiser who worked tirelessly on putting this trip together. If you see him, give him a high five! Also a thank you to travel company Wasteland Ski for helping us through it. London did Les Arcs and we did it well.

If you are feeling like you missed out there’s the Easter trip next (2000+ UK university students in one resort – with competitions all week if you want another sensational holiday). Next year’s winter trip should be just as big and so don’t leave it to the last minute to book! Any questions – email us at ski@ic.ac.uk. As always, Snow Love!