CSSC’s annual ski trip is seen by some as the highlight of our sporting calendar. We caught up with Steve Johns, who has been organising ski trips for almost 30 years, to hear his take on this year’s trip to the French Alps.
For many, the holiday commenced on 17 January, as they set off from far and wide, Cornwall, Edinburgh, Manchester to name a few, to various UK airports for an overnight stay. in preparation for their annual ski holiday.
The following day began with very early flights for all 27 on the trip with departures from Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and Gatwick. We all arrived at various times at Chambery airport in the French alps, the nearest airport to our destination, Les Arcs 2000. After a two and half hour transfer from the airport to our Hotel MMV Altitude, Les Arcs, we all arrived safely within a few hours of each other.
After checking in and finding our allocated rooms, there was time to collect our ski equipment and lift passes and to take the equipment to the large, heated boot/ski/board room and to keep in our designated lockers. Once those formal duties were complete, many of us went to the hotel bar to renew old friendships which in some cases had been built over many of these trips. There was also the chance for newcomers to meet other members of the group from far and wide parts of the UK.
Our chosen resort of Les Arcs and sister resort La Plagne, connected via the largest cable car in the Alps, is situated in the French Alps - one of the largest linked ski areas in the world and offering skiing and boarding for all abilities. It’s a high resort, which has the advantage of reliable snow coverage, and indeed, there had been a significant amount of snow fall before our arrival, providing us with well-groomed pistes with good snow depth and coverage. It was truly a winter wonderland!
Like many a traditional ski holiday ours followed the pattern of indulging in a hearty breakfast at the hotel to fuel up before hitting the slopes. Then catching an early lift close to the hotel and searching out a range of destinations during the week. Ski runs are graded for all abilities and are well signposted. Routes back to the hotel location are also marked out and assisted by free piste maps and large piste maps/boards at regular intervals on the slopes.
We were extremely lucky with weather conditions during our week. There were mostly beautiful blue skies with clear and stunning views of the Alps. Only on the Thursday did we have the interruption of some snow until lunchtime, which for many added some additional challenges and fun.
Most of the group of 27 of us were skiers, and thanks to the welcoming time the evening before, easily formed their own groups to go off for the day with people of similar ability. Many skied/boarded from early morning until 4.30pm, generally stopping for lunch and often a few après ski drinks at the end of the day. Others in the group preferred to finish early and relax for a few hours taking in the beautiful scenery. The hotel had a very welcome swimming pool, which many used at the end of the day, along with the sauna and gym.
Anyone who has been skiing before will tell you, it’s not only about the day’s skiing, but the evening après ski as well. Most of us gathered in the hotel bar in the early evening in preparation for the varied and wide-ranging evening buffet meal, to talk and share in the day’s adventures. The entertainment started with a few friendly games of Uno, the very popular card game. And later the holiday reps were on hand, daily, to provide any guidance or assistance we may have needed. They also arranged some evening entertainment with many in the group attending a quiz evening. I am reliably informed that our two quiz groups came first and second. The reps also arranged with the hotel for all 27 in our group to be seated together for our meal on the last evening. This provided a wonderful opportunity to toast each other’s health, to swap numbers and addresses and to start making plans and preparations for next year’s ski trip.
All too soon the fantastic week was over and after some heartfelt goodbyes and group shots we all departed for the airport, to catch our various flights home to our point of origin airports. It was at this stage that you can’t help but look forward to the next trip in 2026.
Thank you to all at CSSC for organising this holiday, we are truly looking forward to returning to the snow filled mountains in 2026 and reuniting with our new and familiar acquaintances.
Join us for 2026
If you would like to join us for next year’s ski trip, please register your interest via our email address Organiser.WinterSports@csscvolunteer.co.uk
For skiing and loads more sports and events check out our 2025/2026 sporting calendar