"Congratulations! If you are receiving this email, you were accepted to the 2024 Harvard Ski Club trip! Additionally, you requested financial aid, and we are pleased to present an aid package of $... to you. This reduces your cost to $... " read the email I received from a Harvard Ski Club Board member confirming my acceptance into the January 2024 ski trip!

Every winter break, the Harvard Ski Club organizes a ski trip for Harvard-affiliated students. This past January, around 33 attendees participated, including students from Harvard College and the 12 graduate and professional schools. I was fortunate to be among them and one of the few who were offered financial aid, making it possible for me to attend the trip.

The application to join the trip opened in early November last year. I learned about it after receiving an email from a club board member. The email was very welcoming and included comprehensive details about the trip plan. The trip included a 5-day lift ticket to the resort's peak, round-trip charter bus transportation from Harvard Square, 5 nights of lodging in newly-constructed cottages (with full kitchens and many other amenities), daily breakfast, dinner, snacks and beverages, and generous discounts on other resort activities like shops, arcades, a climbing gym, and an indoor water park, all within walking distance from the resort.

The application itself was brief, just asking for our basic information and affirmation that we would commit to attending the trip when given the chance. It is in the "Any additional comments/questions?" section where I spent a few extra minutes drafting something fun to indicate my deep interest in this new adventure and mentioned that attending the trip would not be possible without financial aid, which I was requesting. A few days after the board reviewed the applications and ran the lottery, we were notified of the outcomes. I was excited and grateful, especially for the financial aid without which attending the trip would not have been possible for me.

Fast forward to January 2024, just a week before our spring semester was set to begin. The trip was already upon us. For me, since I had spent the winter break on campus while working as a Teaching Fellow for a J-term course at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, I was already around here, just waiting for the trip week. It was on a Sunday morning when we embarked on our journey to the Jay Peak Resort, up in Vermont and just about 5 miles (8 km) south of the Canada–US border. Our chartered bus was already waiting for us at Harvard Square, and we began to lead our luggage. The board members were also kind enough to do the shopping for all the supplies that we would need throughout the trip, and when they arrived, we all took part in loading the supplies on the bus. It was a nice initial bonding activity as we all met new people there and had our first conversations. We then hit the road at around 2 pm for a road trip that took about 4 hours of chit-chat and naps.

We arrived at the resort later in the evening and went directly to the check-in office. There, we had our cabin leaders (one for each of the 6 cabins we booked, each with 5 or 6 of us) represent us in terms of signing the stay agreements and picking the keys/card to our cabin. In my cabin, I only knew one other person from before, so it was exciting to meet the ones I didn't know before! The resort then offered us shuttles to our cabins, where we all unloaded our luggage and supplies (which we split equally among the 6 cabins) into our cabins, ready to take a rest and await our first day of skiing!

Not long enough, it was the morning of our first day of skiing – we woke up early enough to catch the early morning powder snow. When we arrived at the mountain, we first had to board the shuttles, heading to the shopping and rental center, where we got our ski equipment. We then split into groups based on the level of slopes we wanted to begin with. On my part, since I had never skied before, I joined the Green Circle, the easiest one, while others went on to the Blue Square and Black Diamond, which are more and the most difficult, respectively.

Despite having watched some videos and tutorials that I had found online, I must admit that skiing for the first time was more difficult than I thought. I found the first day to be particularly challenging, given that I had not received proper training. This then called for the need to sign up for lessons that the resort offered, and I signed up for group lessons on the following. To me, that turned out to be a really good decision because, with proper instructions from one of the trainers, I was able to master the basics, and all that was left was for me to keep practicing and have fun! Once I knew what I was doing, skiing became way more fun than earlier!

After our day-long skiing adventures, we would return to our cabins later in the evening. Out evenings were a time for relaxation and socializing. Our dinners were communal affairs, with everyone pitching in to prepare and enjoy the meals together. These dinners were another highlight of the trip, as they provided opportunities to bond over delicious food and shared experiences. After dinner, we often gathered in the common areas of our cabins for games, trivia nights, and storytelling sessions. The laughter and conversations continued late into the night, forging friendships that would last well beyond the trip.

Of course, a time had to come for the trip to end. Returning to campus, we were ready to tackle the spring semester, which was to begin just the following Monday, with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Reflecting on the trip, I am truly grateful for the opportunity I was offered to try the adventure for the first time and, importantly, the financial aid that made it possible for me to attend. If given a chance, it is without a doubt that I will make the trip again and again, not just for the skiing itself, but for the wonderful people I met and the friends I made along the way and with whom I kept in touch even after the trip. For anyone considering joining future trips, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It's an experience you won't want to miss!