Friday 14^th December, the last day of term, essays handed in, bags packed, 350 Newcastle students heading to Austria for a Ski trip they will never forget. Coaches were subject to a little delay leaving the Student Union due to difficulty packing in so many skis and boards, but by 6pm the last of the Newcastle pirates (the dress code for the bus) was en route to Dover and beyond. The student only ferry was a sight for sore eyes at 2am; thousands of students from Universities across the UK all heading to more snowier climes were sprawled out across any available floor space like sleeping lions, catching zzz’s before a crazy 8 days ahead. As nighttime fell for the 2^nd time finally after what seemed like days on that 15-hour coach journey, touch down in Mayrhofen! With a resort map in hand a can of red bull in the other and a new NUSSC t-shirt and beanie we were sent off to find our accommodation for a quick turnaround.

After a first night full of frivolities everyone was up at the crack of dawn for the day ahead and the sight of snowy mountains. First on everyone’s agenda was collecting hired skis and boots before heading to the main Gondola in town which took you from 650m to 1,800m above sea level in just a few minutes. The conditions for skiing were amazing, several days of beautiful sunshine and a couple of blizzards meant thatincredible powder snow covered the resort on and off the piste for the entire trip. The week was pretty much constant fancy dress, the themes set before we leftranged from Disney characters to “make your own” outfits, which were mostly created from the local SPAR bags.Scratch Perverts and Rudimental also played in the resort while we were there in the infamous Arena nightclub; the chart-toppingtune “Feel the Love” became the song of the week.

Inevitably the trip came to a very sad ending, nobody was looking forward to a repeat performance of the bus journey home, but it was the 22^nd of December and everyone was excited for Christmas. The trip was truly an unforgettable experience, hundreds rebooked straightaway onto the Easter Trip to AlpeD’Huez, and I will certainly be booking onto the trip for next Christmas. Huge thanks go to the NUSSC Committee and Outgoing who organised the trip. If you want a peak as to what actually went on, here’s a video of memories that will make you want to go next year!