05 April 2005

What do you get if you cross 2000 students with one resort in one week? Mayhem, or the best week anyone could hope for? Well, the answer, according to Kaz Willmer, a student at Reading University, is both!

It started sunny...I think
"Despite the distinct lack of snow and the influx of three days of rain, it was a week to remember - or not to remember, thanks to all the alcohol.

The first two days were probably the best riding. Pure sunshine and crystal blue skies alongside semi-good snow conditions kept the smiles on our faces, and the sunbathing on the deckchairs in t-shirts kept morale high. Being a small resort and Easter weekend, the slopes were surprisingly empty, and a trip to Vars, gave us some more varied terrain and a lush board park.

Rocks, puddles and mud...
Although slightly icy, the big kicker was great fun and the park attendants kept making sure the rails were usable. However the return journey along a flat path of rocks, puddles and mud set the scene for the next few days as the rain came down.

The little snow that was left turned into deep streams and rock paths, and the diminishing number of riders on the slopes turned into a mass of dripping wetness.

By this time many of the students had decided it was a sleeping/drinking holiday and spent much of their days in the bars or in bed. Some we stayed hardcore and trekked up vertical mud cliffs to reach the half pipe.

Sun is always better than rain
Although half the pipe was lined with rocks, we had fun playing around. We also helped turn a small block of ice between two of the only usable trails into a small kicker. Although the run up was another line of ice and rocks, it broke the monotony of repeatedly riding the same trails.

The final day provided us once again with some sunshine, and although the resort had to place pipes half-way down the single open trail to collect the water, sun is always better than rain.

Dogs on the dancefloor
The main bars for the evening were the Yetibars, which were typical students' union areas. Le Cherin Bar kept our evenings moving with an amazing hip-hop night, a DnB night, a reggae night, plus entertainment from the Mash-Up Twins. The 80s night was when we decided to just go for one drink, but ended up spending all night there being able to dance as crazily as you wanted without looking so stupid… there was even a black Labrador cruising the dance-floor.

The Gendarmerie, otherwise known as John and Dom kept the thousands of reckless students from slipping on sheets of ice and scaling rocky cliffs on their way home.

Most of the mayhem was caused through large numbers of students being crammed into cramped rooms, some of which were the worse the wear at the end of it. Our room deposits were scrapped by the first night after the curtains were used as blankets, a lightbulb had exploded in the microwave, two lamps were broken, the toilet was unusable and two beds were smashed.

So after a week's hardcore snowboarding, sessioning rocks, ice, puddles, streams, the half pipe, kickers and jumps, I managed to gain my first major injury by wooden chalet steps half an hour before leaving the resort. Although I'm spending the rest of my Easter on crutches after surviving 18 hours on a coach and ferry with cracked bones and a torn muscle, looking back it was an amazing week.

16ft inflatable beer bottle reported missing
We kept John and Dom busy, Spar were kept in business for the next year, and considering the state most of our boards were shredded in after the last day, there will be plenty of work to be done.

Apparently a 16ft inflatable Corona bottle went missing, but when 2000 British students descend, worse can happen. Despite the lack of snow and abundance of hungover mornings I was still reminded why I got into boarding in the first place. The resort was lush, we had a fantastic time, and I'm sure every one of these 2000 students will be back for more next year.

Report by Kaz Willmer - The University of Reading

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