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Waking up to a clear sky in Alpe d’Huez where the sun’s radiance shimmered off the ice and illuminated the mountains was truly breath taking. I felt a flutter inside. I was about to take a leap into the unknown… gliding through this beautifully barren landscape, twisting, turning, flying - oh and of course falling! It was not only my first visit to the French Alps, but my debut at speeding uncontrollably on two planks of wood, down what I considered the significant gradient of a green slope. I was on my university ski trip and my more experienced friends told me all I needed to do was ‘Let go’ - not dissimilar to Elsa from ‘Frozen’. However, unlike the Disney character, my powers did not extend to the realm of magic. With my fellow students taking to the tougher trails, the “snow plough” was my new best friend. I would inch down the slope, one daunting stage at a time. Eventually I came to realise this was unsustainable and after an icy third day skiing the parallel turn was becoming my pal. Lesson one – the whole point of skiing is to actually ski! The days whizzed by and the sunsets burned bright, setting the peaks’ celestial shimmer alight. Time was already eating away at my fun. The trip had been a balancing act between skiing and receiving an unhealthy dose of chocolat chaud. But there was still one experience I was yet to try… Après. Thus, my friends and I began the ascent to 'Follie Douce' the mountain top bar where the party was brewing. It was a rather surreal experience being at the summit of a mountain, with techno music making the snow rumble, the aroma of mulled wine mixing with cigarette smoke, the students dressed in sequined clothes, the occasional trumpet solo blasting across the valley and of course the dancing upon table-tops in ski boots! Lesson two – make sure you’re ready for a sensual overload. We danced and danced, not leaving a square of the table-top free as we touched the sky. But my time was up, I needed to get the last lift back down. Reluctantly, I said goodbye and put my skis back on, shuffling my way to the lift. However, when I approached the lift marshal said one word: "Non". My friends had been wrong, I could not go back down in skis! I suddenly had horrific visions of myself getting stuck on the blue slope, with the dark closing in on me, turning the pleasant resort into something more sinister. Cold would creep in, hollowing me out as the wind’s icy touch would breeze across the wasteland, thinning out any calls for help I would make. Snapping out of the nightmare, my next decision was one of pure desperation and potentially one of the most dramatic things I have ever done… and no, I did not ski down the blue slope, I hopped on the lift leaving my skis and poles at the top of the mountain! The lift back down to the bottom felt twice as long as the way up and the realisation of my situation grew on me. I had just had a week’s skiing lessons, by now a blue slope with my friends would have been manageable and so my rash actions now meant that all my expensive equipment was separated from me! I panic rang multiple friends who were still at Après and to my relief they came through. The heroes that they are, my friends were able to find my skis and were experienced enough so that one of them skied down while holding my skis in his arms while the other carried all the poles (six in total) down the slope. Lesson three – do not leave your skis at the top of the mountain. The next day with a change of the wind and a blizzard blowing in, it was our time to leave this ethereal land. It was my first week skiing, but I don’t think it will be my last. Life is about learning, but when taking a leap into the unknown travel with the best company – they’ll always be there for you.