For
those thinking that university snowsports at Newcastle is nothing
more than a trip to the Alps at Christmas and again at Easter, nothing
could be further from the truth! The calendar is jam-packed with races,
freestyle, lessons, trips and of course socials. So read on...and get
involved!
Soon after the start of term is the massive Fresher's social to start the year off, last year we managed over seven hundred people,
let's make this year even bigger! This will be a fantastic event and the real start to the ski club year, not to be missed! The socials continue every Wednesday, there are also many other big social events planned for throughout the year...the Christmas party, pre-Easter trip social and more...
For all the keen competitive types the first inter-university competition is the round 1 of the Kings Ski Club series, which will take place at the dry slope
in Sunderland in October. This series is for skiers and
snowboarders and is run as a league of dual slalom races - where
teams go head to head on two parallel slalom courses in a relay. This
format is great fun to race and exciting to watch, so even if you are
not a hardcore racer come along to support! Newcastle are the dominant
team in the north-east, having won the league every year for the
last few years. However, our greatest strength is the depth of teams we
can field, we want as many people as possible to get involved! Race
training is every week, both for those wanting to shave that extra
hundredth of a second off their times and those who just want to improve
their skiing.
Soon after is the epic British Universities Dry Slope Championships (BUDS), held
at Hillend in Edinburgh in November. Mere words cannot describe the
scale of this event - at the biggest and steepest dry slope in 
Europe,
the hundreds and hundreds of competiors and supporters, the electric
atmosphere, Scottish weather in November...you really have to
experience it for yourself. There is individual slalom, giant slalom
and team dual slalom for the ski racers, team dual and individual dual
and giant slalom for the boarders, as well as big air, slopestyle and
boardercross for the freestyler; not to mention the massive support,
socials and black tie ball. This is THE event to win, and Newcastle are
right up there to challenge for the title.
For those more relaxed about their skiing or boarding, there is plenty
going on for you as well. Besides the weekly socials, there are
beginner lessons at the dry slope during the term, both for absolute
beginners and those looking to improve. We also run trips to the Xscape snowdome
in Castleford for anyone wanting to feel real snow under their feet
before the holidays. In the meantime, NUSSC also enters intra-mural
teams for netball, hockey and football - a good excuse to see
your friends from ski club outside of an alcohol fuelled Wednesday
night social, as well as getting in shape for your
skiing/boarding/dancing etc...
The main event people are all looking forward to at the start of the year is of course the Christmas Trip.
This year, we are returning to Val Thorens after a very successful trip
last year. It is the highest resort in Europe, and purpose built so all
the accommodation, restaruants, bars and clubs are central, and the
pistes easily accessible. We are working closely with the tour operator
to get you the best possible deals for skiing, eating out and of course
clubbing. Last year's mountain meal, more than 100 of NUSSC's finest
filled the restaurant for an evening of eating, drinking and dancing,
followed by an unforgettable torchlit descent down the mountain!
Soon after, in early January, there is also the Racer's Trip,
dedicated snow training for the race team. This is also great fun, even
if you do have to crawl out of bed a silly o'clock every morning to be
on the race piste for training...
After Christmas the term is just as packed, with socials, training, lessons, intra-mural matches carrying on as before. Competition wise, there is a switch towards snow with the British Universities Indoor Snowsports Championships (BUISC), with
regional heats and the final at Castleford snowdome, run in conjunction
with the charity event Ski2Help. As well as team dual and individual
slalom, there is also freestyle competitions with big air and
slopestyle, always very popular in the snowdome. This event was only
introduced last year, and Newcastle are reigning champions. Again, it's
not only for the racers, there is a huge party afterwards everyone is
welcome to come along to ski as well and support our teams.
These are all building up to the biggest event of the year, the BUSC Main Event
at Easter, where two and a half thousand students from across Britain
descend upon one resort for a week of racing, freestyle and partying
like no other. This year, it is being held in Saalbach in Austria, and
Newcastle will be looking to repeat last year, where spurred on by an
army of supporters we took overall victory. As well as being the main
BUSA championships for the inter-university competitions, with slalom,
giant slalom, supergiant slalom, skiercross, boardercross, team duals,
individual boarder duals, slopestyle, half pipe, big air and more, the
massive social events are like nothing else. Just as with BUDS, this is
an event you cannot describe, you simply have to experience it!
!
But the year is not finished there, Kings Finals are soon after Easter, where the best teams from the leagues across the country head down south to duke it out one last time on the dry slope to be crowned national champions. 
The
atmosphere here is fantastic, with the added bonus that it is hot and
sunny, so clothes are an optional extra (you have been warned!). Once again, Newcastle led the way on to victory last year, taking the hat trick of all three major titles in 2007. Afterwards is onwards to the ever-popular Kings black tie ball in London.
This is just a warm-up however for the final event of the calendar, the NUSSC summer ball
at the end of the year. It is an epic night of fine food, drink, and
the chance to party hard one last time with the rest of the club.
This is a fantastic end to the ski and snowboard club year, and like
the Fresher's social at the start, not one to be missed!
For a full listing of the events, please go to the calendar page.
