Officer Cadets Take on the Slopes! Ex Blue Slalom 2025

This year’s Exercise Blue Slalom took 44 lucky Officer Cadets (OCdts) from Oxford, Cambridge, Exeter and Northumbria University Officer Training Corps (UOTCs) to Val Thorens, for a fun filled week of excellent skiing and beautiful weather. OCdts took on Ski Foundation 1, Ski Foundation 2, and Ski Foundation 3, improving technique on and off the piste as well as learning about avalanches and ski touring. We were lucky enough to be greeted by amazing conditions, as there had been a huge dump of snow the week before. Also, due to Val Thorens being one of the highest resorts in Europe at 2300m, the snow conditions remained good for the majority of the week – meaning we had the best of both worlds with great snow and blue skies!

Val Thorens was an ideal location, with a good range of less challenging slopes for the beginners, as well as some tricky black runs and more isolated areas to push those who were giving touring a go. As well as this, due to its links with the 3 Valleys, some of the more advanced groups ventured all the way across to Meribel and Courcheval, experiencing a wider range of slopes to test their technique on, making it back before the last lifts in time for après! All in all everyone had a brilliant experience, being challenged to improve their skiing and push the limits of their comfort zones.

Here are some perspectives from OCdts about their favourite elements of the trip:

Maddy

This week I was lucky enough to undertake SF3 as part of OUOTC ski trip. It was the first time in 10 years that an SF3 group ran, and the experience I had was amazing. We got to ski on challenging off piste runs, as well as stay in a refuge overnight, something I was extremely excited to do, having never done anything like it. As well as that, we undertook multiple ski tours, one of which left directly from the refuge. This was challenging but extremely rewarding as we got to experience skiing a secluded part of the mountain and making our own tracks on the slopes. Although hard at times, this week has improved my skiing in ways I never could have thought off, and allowed me to take part in new experiences, and I am therefore extremely grateful for this experience, and already missing the mountains!

Hugo

The experience of learning to ski was both incredibly challenging and rewarding. At first we seemed to spend more time falling than on the skis however five days later, and after a lot of crashing, we were all able to competently ski down a range of pistes. To start the week, we were taken through the absolute basics covering the component parts of our equipment, progressing onto basic turning and how to control our speed, then onto planning a day’s skiing within a resort. On the last day we were trusted to enjoy Val Thorens and Orelle, skiing with friends. We were constantly stretched and required to think on our feet developing soft skills as well as or skiing ability. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable week, what a privilege it has been to learn a new skill that would not have been possible without the OUOTC.

Amelia

SF3 spent the first few days adjusting to our touring skis and practicing our off piste technique – with everyone falling over at least once on the first day! We also learnt about avalanche risk factors, safety whilst skiing off piste, and transceiver drills, whilst also digging a snow hole to analyse the different layers of snow and how this could impact the avalanche likelihood. This prepared us for our two day expedition, where we took a long off piste stretch down to the refuge, spent the night playing extremely competitive board games before getting up bright and early to begin our tour up to the Col de Pierre Blanche. This included skinning across a frozen lake, and up through beautiful and isolated scenery, resulting in a lunch spot with amazing views. This was an incredible experience, allowing us to explore a completely isolated area of the resort, and to put into practice all of the techniques we had learnt throughout the week. This week definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, highlighted by the number of faceplants I did, but my skiing has improved tenfold as a result and I loved every minute of it!

Will W

SF2 had a blast of vigorous and energetic skiing as we took the week by storm. After day 3 we had rediscovered our ski legs and were ready to take on our ‘Introduction to Ski Touring’. Having learnt about the capabilities of our specialised safety kit and how to operate it, we were ready to ski up a mountain. With the ALeRT modules fresh in our heads, we headed up to the off-piste peaks with our ‘growth mindsets’. As a pack of ski-touring novices, we were all taken away by the sport’s magic; we were all in awe. When atop of our peak we sat down and ate our packed lunch, with a speaker accompanying the beautiful white paradise we found ourselves in. It feels necessary to mention that our peak was by nowhere near the highest peak around, yet we still feel like we had accomplished something special.

Alex W

SF1 aims to build basic skiing ability for those who have never skied before. What followed was a week of skiing focused on fine tuning and developing a growth mindset, whilst being able to enjoy a sport we are all passionate for. However, the week was not ‘just a jolly’ as we were lucky enough to have staff who were able to push us forward in our skiing ability by developing our carving and body positions. In spite of this the week was not without its struggles – the continuous hunt for Officer Cadets who were last seen chasing poor French skiers after misidentifying them will not be forgotten (all were recovered swiftly after). The final day allowed us to enjoy Val Thorens in groups of 3 or more. The day was incredible and allowed us to show our fellow Officer Cadets what we had developed before quickly receiving an education on how thick the powder next to the slopes can be. Overall, the week was both thrilling and very educational as we were able to develop our skiing whilst creating bonds.


University Officer Training Corps 

The Universities Officers’ Training Corps (UOTC) is a unique place where students from all walks of life thrive, having exciting and rewarding experiences and make friends for life. As a member of the UOTC you will have amazing adventures, develop transferable skills, sporting opportunties and a great social life. You can do all of this alongside your studies, with the added bonus of being paid! As a member of the UOTC you have no commitment to a career in the Army after university.

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