A geologist on the slopes in Val Thorens
Old Members鈥� Trust Travel Fund report 鈥� Elizabeth Gibson (2023, Geology)
This Easter I was privileged to attend my first ski trip to Val Thorens with the aid of the Old Members Travel Grant.聽 Located in the Tarentaise Valley, Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in the world, situated at 2300m, and sits within the 3 Valleys area, providing a vast area of slope.
Over the six days on the slope, I managed to advance my skills, progressing from snowploughing (which killed my legs) to parallel skiing, and building confidence on the slopes to attempt many red runs and my first black run! My friend and I did experience our first moguls half-way through the trip and have since decided that mogul runs are not our run of choice!
Every day, we were up for the first lift to experience as much of the resort as possible. Of the three valleys, Meribel was my favourite, with tree-lined slopes, and a square with wood-panneled chalets for a lunch stop 鈥� skiing past trees on mostly empty slopes felt like it was taken straight from the front of a postcard! The number of dogs on the slope took me by surprise but provided many chances to speak to new people and of course give out many strokes.
I found myself going very quiet on the ski lifts, with my friends growing concerned until they would ask 鈥渋s it the rocks?鈥� where I would have to sheepishly nod. Using the skills I have developed over the last three years of my degree, I would spend my time on the lifts trying to determine the lithology below me. Upon returning from the day, I would search for a geological map of the area we were in and experienced great satisfaction when my predictions were correct!
This trip provided a much-needed period of relaxation leading into my finals this Trinity term and I am incredibly grateful for the support from the Old Member鈥檚 Trust to help me get there.
Published: 10 July 2026