SAS Ski Trip Insider

The Saint got the inside track on this year's ski trip to the French Alps

For the members of the St Andrews Snowsports Society, seeking winter sun does not involve sunbathing on a deckchair, but rather the thrill of sunlight on snow very, very high up. For a week in January, a large group of St Andrews students set up camp at les Deux Alpes, a ski resort in Isère, France, for the society’s ski trip.

“There was something for everyone,” Alexa Brickett told The Saint upon her return from the Alps. “Whether they were just learning or were more experienced and wanted something more challenging. From what I heard, there were good lessons for people, too.”

Brickett had no need for lessons after learning to ski at the age of four. Skiing competitively when she was younger has given her a great deal of confidence on the slopes: “It was definitely nice for me because I could just ski off and go with the flow. Personally, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it if I had less experience, purely because I was really there for the skiing.”

As much as the trip was for skiing, there was a lively social aspect as well. The students spent time across the various après-ski bars and clubs that les Deux Alpes has to offer, including le Refuge des Glaciers, l’Avalanche, and la Grotte du Yeti. It’s obvious where the society gets its motto, “First lift, last orders.”

Brickett was full of praise for the trip and only had minor gripes about the resort. Les Deux Alpes is situated on the largest skiable glacier in Europe, making it a tough location to maintain.

“A lot of the black and red runs wouldn’t get groomed, and I’m not really a fan of mogul runs,” Brickett said. “While there was lots of terrain to ski, it also meant that you had to spend some time traversing to get from one place to the other, but I’d say overall it was a pretty good place to ski.”

“I think the way [the society] did things was really good,” Brickett said. “They had set après spots, a bar, and then a club every night, so everyone could choose to go where they knew people from the trip would be, or you could also go and do your own thing. They also did themed nights like wigs, which I think was also a fun incentive to get people out and have some fun."

The Snowsports Society advertised the trip at the base price of £635, which included seven nights in self-catered accommodation, a six-day lift pass, and a trip t-shirt. “I definitely think the cost is worth it because skiing can be quite expensive,” Brickett emphasised.

Flights were not included and were up to the skiers to arrange. Extra spending was to be expected for food — particularly considering all of the excursions arranged for après-ski — making it one of St Andrews’ more premium society trips.

With the Winter Olympics upon us, snowsports is taking the spotlight for the next month. Keep an eye out for Scotland’s very own Kirsty Muir: At seventeen years old, the freestyle skier was one of the youngest Olympians at the 2022 games. Hopefully, she has a slightly different mantra than that of the St Andrews Snowsports Society.

Image by Alexa Brickett