Whoever decided that a week of physical exertion was exactly what 3000 burnt-out Oxbridge students needed after eight weeks of academic rigour was…onto something? For most freshers, 6 December signalled home time – much-anticipated, and well deserved. I however, found myself on a flight to Geneva at 5pm that afternoon. The reason? Varsity Ski 2025, a no-brainer for the seasoned skier, but a trip I barely knew existed until early November. Coming in at £400 base, I was told this was a ‘proper bargain’ for a week of skiing and my arm was twisted. Fleeces and flights were soon purchased in quick succession – what on Earth could go wrong?
By 11pm on Saturday of 8th week, the last bunch of us were herded off our flights, left to fend for ourselves in the mess of customs, and onto a fleet of coaches that proceeded to precariously scale the French Alps for the next three hours. The view we were met with in the morning, though, made it all worth the wait. For the never-ever’s of us, casting our eyes out two-star hotel windows to be met with rolling hills of snow was the closest we’ve been to reaching euphoria this Michaelmas. Reality hit again in the hour-long queue to pick up our ski equipment, but from there on out it was onwards and upwards. Quite literally. I somehow ended up on my first chairlift not too long after.
For beginners like me, the first few days were a hit to the ego. Most of my friends – and it seemed the majority of the Varsity cohort too – were well-acquainted with the slopes; I couldn’t help but feel like an ugly duckling amongst a flock of graceful swans, both in style and skiing.
Learning how to ski is, as I learnt, not for the faint hearted. The green slopes – the easiest and the flattest – soon became repetitive after my friend and I stuck strictly to them for the first few days. In a moment of weakness, we agreed to take on a blue – slightly prematurely. Your friends tell you it’ll be fine, but you almost take them out before hurtling down the slope, as you, your two poles – actually never mind, you dropped them halfway up the mountain after your first fall – and sheer unjustified confidence miraculously make it to the bottom unscathed. Time for après?
This was all, thankfully, sorted out by six hours of beginner lessons. Nathalie, our instructor, was, despite all stereotypes, a helpful and encouraging French woman who soon helped us find our feet. So, while making it back from the first night of après in the dark proved a slight challenge, completing a blue slope with our egos pretty much intact became more than doable by the end of the week.
While you may not need much talent to ski, there is more to the financial aspect of Varsity than meets the eye. It’s billed as the ‘cheapest university ski trip in the country’ – but this statement alone doesn’t make it affordable for the average student. The £400 base price mentioned earlier only includes your lift pass for the week and basic accommodation, while necessary add-ons such as ski equipment and clothing hire, airport transfers, and lessons bring the total closer to £800. With flights, events, and food shops on top of this, my expenses for the week ended up totaling £1200. Though it’s true – Varsity is more affordable relative to what other, external ski trips would set you back by – it isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
This isn’t to say I’m not looking forward to returning to the slopes next year, but rather to make an important note that Varsity, despite being marketed as such, isn’t widely accessible to the masses – most students have to think twice before dropping more than a grand on a week’s trip. For anyone thinking of making the trip next year, though, if you have the financial means to do so, Varsity Ski isn’t a trip you’ll regret – some of my fondest memories this term are of face planting in the snow off-piste while my friends laugh in the background. December 2026 can’t seem to come around fast enough.
