Snowsports club looking to build on success of France trip
GCU Snowsports are celebrating another successful ski trip and want to make sure students don’t miss out on their next annual adventure.
Fresh from her visit to the French Alps in January, President Beth Wallace wants to see other students benefit in the same way she has.
“Being involved with GCUSC has been amazing for me. I’ve been skiing since I was 18 months old so the fact the university had a club that suited one of my interests made a massive difference,” explained Beth, who’s in the final year of her BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy degree.
“I joined GCU during covid so there wasn’t much on with the Snowsports club other than an online AGM, but I still knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I then tried to get involved in all the social events and as much as I could throughout second year.”
After initially joining as a general member, Beth took on the role of GCUSC President at the start of third year and has continued to create a supportive environment for members.
She said: “We take on anyone of any skiing ability and even help students by sending them to beginner lessons. We’ve got people in the club who have raced their whole life, but we’ve also got people that are just there for the party aspect and social events.
“We compete in the Scottish Universities Dry Slopes Championships (SUDS), British Universities Dry Slopes Championships (BUDS), Glasgow Taxis Cup and Granite City Invitational, but there’s no pressure for any member to actually take part in these.
“There’s no two people the same – and there are such differing levels of abilities. We just want everyone to feel comfortable coming along and getting involved in whatever way they wish; I think that’s the main thing that makes our ski trips so successful.”
After months of build-up, a total of 60 students travelled to Val Thorens for the eagerly anticipated annual event, which took place between the 20th and 27th of January.
Beth said: “We advertise it as our main event of the year and hold our launch night at the start of Trimester A which ends up being our biggest social event of the year. It’s a great way to build excitement before revealing exactly where we’re going. Members then book up on the night through a big QR code on the screen – it’s all a bit frantic but it’s a lot of fun!
“Usually you take a bus for ski trips but that wasn’t a popular decision last year given we were travelling for 24 hours! We made the decision that everyone would fly this time because it was costing the same amount.
“Everyone gets a lift pass to the slopes that they can use for the whole week but I always say it’s up to them what they do with their time away. You can ski the whole time or you don’t need to ski at all – it’s entirely up to the individual. We had people out from dawn until dusk but we also had people who went to the spa for the day.
“We also organised different themes for each night to help encourage the group to socialise. We had a night where we all wore our marching trip t-shirts. We also dressed as something beginning with the first letter of our name, and we even had a Burns night theme since we were a long way from home to celebrate.”
The students involved also came together for a reunion a few weeks after their return, highlighting the camaraderie throughout the club.
“It was a great opportunity for everyone to meet-up once again and celebrate what was such a fantastic week. We all watched a big video montage from the trip and also held our very own awards which was just a fun way to reflect on everything.
“I was so stressed about my dissertation and that week in France really helped me. It was my time to just head out into the Alps and spend time with my friends. Even going to the socials allows me to forget about things for a few hours, which is really important as a student. Being involved in the club allows you to make friends away from your course which is something that can be difficult when you’re studying.”
Beth added: “It would be great to see other GCU students get involved with the club - we’re a very welcoming bunch. The skiing does die down a bit at this time of year due to exams but there are still lots of different social events and we will also be hosting a couple of day trips. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never skied before; this is the place to learn!”
You can get involved with the group through the GCU Students’ Association website and you can also follow the GCUSC on Instagram
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter