Watt is Snowsports?
At university, skiing and snowboarding offer exhilarating winter sports experiences that are sure to captivate both beginners and seasoned enthusiasts. Picture gliding down snow-covered slopes, carving graceful turns, and feeling the rush of adrenaline as you explore snowy landscapes. Whether you prefer the smooth elegance of skiing or the thrilling manoeuvres of snowboarding, these activities provide a fantastic way to stay active, connect with nature, and create unforgettable memories with friends. So, if you haven’t tried skiing or snowboarding yet, it’s an adventure waiting for you on the snowy slopes.
We offer lessons for beginners to competitions for the more advanced. We also run regular social events throughout the year and membership is open to anyone from just £25. The club is run by a committee of students who are all mad about skiing, snowboarding and everything that goes with it. We cater for everyone from total beginners to those who are just in it for the après, and even those who want to compete at a national level in skiing and snowboarding.
About our club
Delve into our top-notch training sessions held at the renowned Hillend dry slopes every week. Here, you’ll have the incredible opportunity to opt for lessons tailored to your needs or even embrace the thrill of team spirit by joining our prestigious race or freestyle team. The excitement doesn’t stop there; our committee boasts a perfect blend of old and new, as we proudly welcome back our esteemed former vice president, Tilda, now leading the charge as our exceptional president. Embrace the magic of snowsports with us, where unforgettable adventures and remarkable camaraderie await your university experience!
Competitions
We have race and freestyle teams, open to good skiers & snowboarders, but no prior experience is necessary! The competitive team take part in national university-level events throughout the academic year, including BUCS competitions. There are many major competitions each year and lots of smaller ones during both semesters and these range from dry slope and indoor to on-snow competitions.
The team trains once a week mixing up dry slope training locally and on-snow wherever possible. We run training for both race and freestyle skiing and can facilitate advanced practice for good snowboarders too. As long as you can confidently link turns and use a drag lift independently – no previous race or freestyle experience is necessary – you’re welcome to come along and try out!
Team members have also attended summer training camps on European glaciers in the past, including Saas Fee, Switzerland in August.
Team members will find the following handbook useful with information about membership benefits and policies: Team Handbook.docx
Coaches
All our lessons are instructed by qualified individuals from Midlothian Snowsports Centre.
Former President and current club Chairperson Calum Shepherd is our lead race team coach, providing his guidance and expertise at Hillend and sessions away from home. Calum is also the Head Coach of Scottish Ski Club Racing.
Blair Fraser and Rory Deasy are our expert freestyle coaches, both of whom work with all levels of the sport including national team level athletes. When not taking air or getting carpet burns at Hillend, Blair is the lead U14 coach for Team Evolution race academy, and Rory spends his winters instructing in Zermatt, Switzerland.
Trip
We run a club holiday to a different resort in the Alps each year in January. This year we are partnering with Wasteland for one of our biggest trips yet. Anyone is welcome, whether you can ski or snowboard or not, HWU student or not. You can even book on to lessons on the trip, so you’ll get a chance to learn on real snow! The trips are a lot of fun, with great events alongside the skiing and snowboarding, including themed nights out, club meals in mountain restaurants and workshops for freestyle and backcountry.
Trip information coming soon…
Member Benefits
As a club member, you’ll get access to our lessons, rec sessions and day & weekend trips to Scottish snow, and to join the team for training and competitions. This is all heavily subsidised or included in your membership and we provide transport for all members for free to all of our events in the UK.
Additionally, we are partnered with a number of brands who very generously offer a discount to members on clothing, accessories and snowsports equipment. Discounts codes or cards are available from the club – please get in touch before you buy!
You will also get to book onto our Trip one day earlier than the general public, effectively guaranteeing you a place (they sell out very quickly otherwise!).
Equipment
Almost all our club activity takes place at venues where you can hire all the equipment you need at no extra cost. If it doesn’t and you want to be organised ahead of the session, or you want something a little more tailored, we have several sets of skis, snowboards, poles and gloves available for club members to borrow – this can be arranged so please get in touch.
Our equipment inventory also includes three full ski touring setups (avalanche safety packs & touring skis compatible with all alpine boots) which can be borrowed by members.
Keep up with us!
If you’re interested, click the links to find out more on our social media. You will find the most up-to-date information on our Instagram page @HWSSC.
Club members are automatically subscribed to our mailing list and invited to our Spond group where all activity is organised. If you’re a club member and you don’t have access, get in touch and we will add you in!