Varsity Trip
Encyclopedia
Varsity Trip is the official annual Oxford and Cambridge Ski and Snowboard trip. It was started as the facilitator of the Blues
Ski
Races between the University of Oxford
and the University of Cambridge
in Wengen
in 1922; at this time skiing was an expensive sport and it was almost exclusively attended by the racers and their families. Today things have changed, with the trip aiming to promote snow sports at as cheap a price as possible.
Varsity Trip is also by far the largest ski trip in the world run by full-time students. Around 2500 students from the two universities go each year. The trip is held at the end of the Michaelmas university term and around a third of participants are complete beginners.
In the past few years, the trip has sold for under £330 for all-inclusive skiing, often to world-class resorts such as Tignes
and Val d'Isère
. The destination for the 2010 trip was Val Thorens
.
Numbers have traditionally been around 1000, but since 2006, the trip has been growing significantly each year. The largest Varsity Trip was in 2010 with over 2500 people in attendance.
The organisation liaises closely with the Oxford and Cambridge Ski and Snowboard Clubs (OUSSC and CUSSC).
N.B. Prior to 2002 the organisation of the trip alternated between the Cambridge and Oxford ski club committees.
and Giant Slalom disciplines during the annual Oxbridge Varsity ski trip. The Blues race bears the distinction of being the world's oldest team ski event with a tradition which dates back to 1896. Most recently, a selection of supplementary events have been trialled including the Combi and Super G events. The most recent competition to be introduced was the Super G event in 2007, which was won by Ben van Zwanenberg (Oxford). The top four racers in the first men's and women's teams are automatically awarded Half Blues
. At the discretion of the Race Captain, another two Half Blues can be awarded; and, if certain conditions have been met, a Full Blue can be awarded. In recent years, the competition has extended to snowboarders but this has not yet obtained Blues status although Ed Gunn, winner of the 2008 BUSC snowboarding Championships at BUSC
has been awarded an Extraordinary Full Blue. Oxford Blues skier Freddie Clough (New College
) was awarded an Extraordinary Full Blue for his selection to the British University team that participated in the 2007 World Winter University Games in Turin; as have Ben van Zwanenberg, who competes on the World Carving circuit, and ex-French ski schools champion Adrien Geiger. Whilst ski racing has achieved discretionary Full-Blue status at Oxford University, it currently remains a Half-Blue sport at Cambridge.
supported Pendulum
at the Final Night Party, and brought the entertainment element of the trip to never-before-seen levels. In 2010, however, everything changed yet again. The opening night party saw the first 3D disco ever to take place in the Alps, followed by DJ Yoda
. The Final Night Party, meanwhile, played host to Kelé from Bloc Party
, Calvin Harris
and Jack Beats. Jakwob
also featured at various events throughout the week.
University Sporting Blue
A Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...
Ski
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
Races between the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in Wengen
Wengen
Wengen may refer to:*Wengen, a village and winter resort in Switzerland*La Val, a commune in South Tyrol, Italy with the German name "Wengen"*in Germany:**Wengen , a village in the municipality of Nennslingen in Mittelfranken...
in 1922; at this time skiing was an expensive sport and it was almost exclusively attended by the racers and their families. Today things have changed, with the trip aiming to promote snow sports at as cheap a price as possible.
Varsity Trip is also by far the largest ski trip in the world run by full-time students. Around 2500 students from the two universities go each year. The trip is held at the end of the Michaelmas university term and around a third of participants are complete beginners.
In the past few years, the trip has sold for under £330 for all-inclusive skiing, often to world-class resorts such as Tignes
Tignes
Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region...
and Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in south-eastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. The Face de Bellevarde was the scene of the men's downhill race as part of the 1992 Winter...
. The destination for the 2010 trip was Val Thorens
Val Thorens
Val Thorens, located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, French Alps, is the highest ski resort in Europe, at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie département...
.
Numbers have traditionally been around 1000, but since 2006, the trip has been growing significantly each year. The largest Varsity Trip was in 2010 with over 2500 people in attendance.
Varsity Trip Organisation
The trip is organised by a Committee of 8 from Oxford and Cambridge who have individual allocated roles with 4 from each university.The organisation liaises closely with the Oxford and Cambridge Ski and Snowboard Clubs (OUSSC and CUSSC).
| Year | President | Vice-President | Resort |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Anna Gibbs (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located at the end of Norham Gardens in north Oxford. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £34m.... ) |
Roger Clarke (Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance... ) |
Val Thorens Val Thorens Val Thorens, located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, French Alps, is the highest ski resort in Europe, at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie département... |
| 2010 | Sam Kirsop (Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance... ) |
Rikin Patel (Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street... ) |
Val Thorens Val Thorens Val Thorens, located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, French Alps, is the highest ski resort in Europe, at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie département... |
| 2009 | Christian Camm (Downing, Cambridge) | Courtenay Watson (Hertford, Oxford) | Tignes Tignes Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region... |
| 2008 | Matt Parritt (Exeter, Oxford) | Emily Baker (St John's, Cambridge) | Val Thorens Val Thorens Val Thorens, located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, French Alps, is the highest ski resort in Europe, at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie département... |
| 2007 | Mike Dowling (Mansfield, Oxford) | Nicholas Oettle (Jesus, Cambridge) | Val Thorens Val Thorens Val Thorens, located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, French Alps, is the highest ski resort in Europe, at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie département... |
| 2006 | Charlie Steel (Merton, Oxford) | Lomax Ward (Gonville & Caius, Cambridge) | Les Deux Alpes Les Deux Alpes Les Deux Alpes is a ski resort in the French Isère département. The village sits at 1650m and lifts run to 3600m . It has the largest skiable glacier in Europe and is France's second oldest ski resort behind Chamonix, where the largest mountain in western Europe is located, Mont Blanc... |
| 2005 | Tim Wilkes (Clare, Cambridge) | William Hardyment (St Hugh's, Oxford) | Tignes Tignes Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region... |
| 2004 | Sally Knock (Corpus Christi, Oxford) | Chris Aylard (Gonville & Caius, Cambridge) | Tignes Tignes Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region... |
| 2003 | George Herd (Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and... ) |
Julia Harris (St Catherine's College, Oxford St Catherine's College, Oxford St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera... ) |
Saalbach Saalbach-Hinterglemm Saalbach-Hinterglemm is a municipality in the district of Zell am See , in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is well-known for its skiing and other winter sports... |
| 2002 | Geoff Bamber (New College, Oxford) | Richard Murphy (Trinity Hall, Cambridge) | Saalbach Saalbach-Hinterglemm Saalbach-Hinterglemm is a municipality in the district of Zell am See , in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is well-known for its skiing and other winter sports... |
| 2001 | Joe Faraday (Cambridge) | Val d'Isere Val d'Isère Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in south-eastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. The Face de Bellevarde was the scene of the men's downhill race as part of the 1992 Winter... |
|
| 2000 | Edward Booty (Oxford) | Val d'Isere Val d'Isère Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in south-eastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. The Face de Bellevarde was the scene of the men's downhill race as part of the 1992 Winter... |
N.B. Prior to 2002 the organisation of the trip alternated between the Cambridge and Oxford ski club committees.
Blues Races and Competitions
The Varsity skiing match takes place in the SlalomSlalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
and Giant Slalom disciplines during the annual Oxbridge Varsity ski trip. The Blues race bears the distinction of being the world's oldest team ski event with a tradition which dates back to 1896. Most recently, a selection of supplementary events have been trialled including the Combi and Super G events. The most recent competition to be introduced was the Super G event in 2007, which was won by Ben van Zwanenberg (Oxford). The top four racers in the first men's and women's teams are automatically awarded Half Blues
University Sporting Blue
A Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...
. At the discretion of the Race Captain, another two Half Blues can be awarded; and, if certain conditions have been met, a Full Blue can be awarded. In recent years, the competition has extended to snowboarders but this has not yet obtained Blues status although Ed Gunn, winner of the 2008 BUSC snowboarding Championships at BUSC
British Universities Snowsports Council
The BUSC or British Universities Snowsports Council exists to promote participation and competition in skiing and snowboarding at all levels for students in the United Kingdom.- Activities :...
has been awarded an Extraordinary Full Blue. Oxford Blues skier Freddie Clough (New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
) was awarded an Extraordinary Full Blue for his selection to the British University team that participated in the 2007 World Winter University Games in Turin; as have Ben van Zwanenberg, who competes on the World Carving circuit, and ex-French ski schools champion Adrien Geiger. Whilst ski racing has achieved discretionary Full-Blue status at Oxford University, it currently remains a Half-Blue sport at Cambridge.
| Year | Men's University Result | Men's Individual Winner | Women's University Result | Women's Individual Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Oxford | Pete Calvert (Cam) | Cambridge | Abby Millward (Ox) |
| 2009 | Cambridge | Pete Calvert (Cam) | Oxford | Anouk Dey (Ox) |
| 2008 | Oxford | Freddie Clough (Ox) | Oxford | Aimee Broughton (Ox) |
| 2007 | Oxford | Pete Calvert (Cam) | Oxford | Rachel Nordby (Cam) |
| 2006 | Oxford | Freddie Clough (Ox) | Oxford | Rachel Nordby (Cam) |
| 2005 | Oxford | Adrien Geiger (Ox) | Cambridge | Rachel Nordby (Cam) |
| 2004 | Cambridge | Adrien Geiger (Ox) | Oxford | Beatrix Capodalista (Ox) |
| 2003 | Oxford | Geoff Bamber (Ox) | Oxford | Zanna Shute (Ox) |
| 2002 | Oxford | Geoff Bamber (Ox) | Cambridge | Zanna Shute (Ox) |
| 2001 | Oxford | Geoff Bamber (Ox) | Oxford | Zanna Shute (Ox) |
| 2000 | Oxford | Des Kingsford (Cam) | Cambridge | Juliette Malley (Cam) |
Entertainments
Varsity Trip has hosted increasingly world-class events over the last few years. In 2009 Chase & StatusChase & Status
Chase & Status are an electronic music production duo from London consisting of Saul Milton and Will Kennard. MC Rage & Andy Gangadeen also make up the live band.-2003-2005:...
supported Pendulum
Pendulum (band)
Pendulum is an Australian drum and bass and electronic rock band founded in 2002 in Perth by Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen, and Paul Harding.Swire and McGrillen were members of the rock band known as Xygen. After hearing Konflict's "Messiah" at a club, they were inspired to enter into the drum and...
at the Final Night Party, and brought the entertainment element of the trip to never-before-seen levels. In 2010, however, everything changed yet again. The opening night party saw the first 3D disco ever to take place in the Alps, followed by DJ Yoda
DJ Yoda
Duncan Beiny , better known as DJ Yoda, is a hip hop turntablist who uses samples to create a cartoony musical style.-Biography:From 1995 to 1998, he studied English and American literature at the University of Warwick...
. The Final Night Party, meanwhile, played host to Kelé from Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
, Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
and Jack Beats. Jakwob
Jakwob
-Career:Jakwob began making music aged 10 as a multi-instrumentalist and has been involved in many groups from his teenage years onwards, beginning in jazz but moving on to death metal and folk. His style is notable for its transcending of genres and its relative 'accessibility' given the dubstep...
also featured at various events throughout the week.