Hitting the slopes ASKI's first year

When I started my studies in Turku, I already knew that some student organizations have ski clubs that organize trips and other fun events As a person who’s spent what feels like an immeasurable amount of time enjoying the slopes and all kinds of winter activities, I very much admire this kind of student life culture However amazing Anglica was and most definitely is, it couldn’t fulfill this specific dream of mine, which resulted in the decision to do it myself. Then officially began the story of ASKI as I gathered my dear friends Lotta and Jenna together and started to plan.

It took a while to get the official approval to form a club under Anglica, but when our beloved emeritus chair Veera gave us the green light, we couldn’t have been more ready. First, we started recruiting for our board, with whom I’ve had the pleasure of making my small idea come to life in a better way than I could ever have imagined. So first and foremost, thank you, Jenna, Lotta, Klaara, and Noora - alone, we wouldn’t have made it a year. When we had our organizing members together, we had a small launch evening where we revealed our daring plans for the upcoming academic year.

The highlight of the year followed in January, as I got to live in my fantasy of an academic ski trip abroad Somehow we had managed to get a group together, take care of all logistics and finally make it to HelsinkiVantaa with our heads turned towards Cervinia in the Italian Alps. After the flight and a three-hour taxi drive, we finally arrived at the snowy and beautiful destination You bet all phones were out photographing the scenery during the whole drive. Our first ski day had the best weather we could’ve asked for. The sun was shining as we came down the slopes with our legs burning from fatigue, just in time to be saved by a cold frosty one or a refreshing Aperol spritz The after-ski scene also didn’t fail to impress, and I for sure can’t call my coming down the hill skilled snowboarding after dancing on the tables of Love Cervinia. Coming home, I was so proud of what kind of trip we had managed to put together, even though it contained its ups and downs (literally on the slopes but also figuratively). We all made it back to Finland safe and sound, and the hot topic of the flight back was, of course: “Where to next year?”

What was especially important to me was that ASKI would offer fun activities for everyone at Anglicaincluding people who don’t ski or snowboard All of us on the board also wanted to put a lot of effort into those events, so we started planning our Winter Olympics with high hopes And rewarded we were: on the cold Shrove Tuesday afternoon, Anglicans gathered to battle for the winter’s sporty championship, warmed up by offerings from Jägermeister and other drinks and snacks. After this, everyone got to melt the ice that had formed inside their bones in the warmth of TYY’s Sauna. The evening was fun, and there really isn’t anything better than seeing people enjoy something we at ASKI had created together

Then, to finish the winter off with a blast, we organized a domestic ski trip to Himos, where - granted - we might’ve spent more time in the hot tub than the actual slopes. Miami Boys Choir still circles around my head after the trip, and I think I’ll know the song by heart for the rest of my life (thanks Juuso). Now that it’s time to finally put down my skis and snowboard for a well-deserved rest during the summer, we couldn’t not say goodbye to the spectacular season of 22-23 without a proper celebration By joining forces across faculties, SkimbaLEX, TESKI, and ASKI held a joint funeral for the nousut and laskut of the academic year, as we already have our sights on next year ' s adventures.

This truly has been one of the biggest achievements of my two short academic years, and I hope that ASKI continues to offer these one-of-a-kind experiences for many years to come Thank you to everyone who’s been a part of ASKI so far, and see you again for the foolishness of 23-24 <3.