UoB Ski trip cancelled amid closures due to coronavirus

By Maddy Russell, News Editor

The resort where the trip was supposed to be taking place has closed for the rest of the season

University of Bristol Snowports Club (UBSC) has announced that the annual University ski trip to Les Deux Alpes has been cancelled amid the outbreak of Covid-19.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the society announced ‘with a heavy heart’ that the trip had been cancelled.

This comes following the news that France has closed all ‘non-essential’ public spaces, in an attempt to try and reduce the transition of the virus.

UBSC has said that it is working with the trip’s provider Wasteland Ski to determine its next steps.

It is not yet clear whether students will be eligible for compensation.

In response to the news, one Bristol student who was due to be going on the trip said: 'It’s such a shame that the ski trip has been cancelled. As most students know it some of the biggest most exciting trips Bristol has to offer. It’s such a shame it has to be cancelled but understandably, student health should be first.'

Speaking to Epigram a spokesperson for the UBSC committee said: 'Words literally cannot describe how devastated we all are. It has been 12 months of hard work and excitement that we will now not get to share with the UBSC community and Bristol students.Unfortunately the situation has been taken completely out of ours and Wasteland Ski’s hands, and it is just another in a long list of disruptions that we will all experience over the coming weeks and months due to the Covid-19 outbreak. '

'Cancelling this year’s trip is not something that any of us anticipated or wanted, but there was really no other option.All that we’re asking right now from our trippers is that they are patient with us. This is an unprecedented situation and we will work through it but we do not have the man power to be answering thousands of questions. '

'At the end of the day we are students too. We also ask that students wait to hear from Wasteland Ski, who will be contacting them with information regarding next steps such as refund procedures. In the mean time, sit tight and try to stay safe and healthy - it’s all any of us can do!'

The ski trip is among a number of student events which have been recently cancelled due to the outbreak of Covid-19. Last night the University of Bristol Law Club also announced that it was cancelling its Spring Ball, which was due to take place Monday 16 March.

Featured image: Epigram / Georgiana Scott

Where you planning to go on the ski trip? Let us know.