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hen I was a student
at St. Lawrence, I never went on a
“real” Spring Break. I never boarded an
airplane, waded in salty water or enjoyed
cocktails while lounging near a pool.
But 10 years later, I had another chance.
And as alumni, aren’t we all looking
for that ticket back?
In March 2014, when Phil Royce, direc-
tor of the Outdoor Program, offered me a
spot on the annual La Grave, France, ski
trip, I was thrilled. When I was a student
guide for Phil, we skied in Quebec’s Chic
Chocs, canoed Long Lake and hiked the
High Peaks. The “OP” continues to offer
students the unique opportunity to learn
about themselves and the world in ways
that reach far beyond the classroom. Their
website elaborates, “The OP … empowers
students through outdoor and wilderness
exploration and experiences.”
La Grave was my chance to go back
to all this, just for a week, and I happily
joined the roster. I would meet four
undergraduate students: one guide, two
in training, and one fanatic skier with
the skills and confidence to tackle a ski
trip in the Alps.
La Grave is a tiny
mountain town.
Its heartbeat is the Téléphériques, a cable
car system that uses clusters of gondolas
to speed skiers over 6,000 feet up to the
glaciers. An exhibition of engineering and
recreation brought together, the gondolas
boast the rainbow colors of the 1970s,
fading from red to yellow over five cars.
The doors often take a good shove to close
completely. Crammed inside with other
skiers, you get a taste of the mountain
culture that permeates the town. Ac-
companied by Mont Blanc pinned on the
horizon, you can’t help but feel elated.
With no trail signs, grooming or
patrollers, La Grave releases you to the
mountains at your own risk. It’s a place
to relish in the steeps, the views, and the
snows, but also to take responsibility for
your skiing. Each morning, we buckle
our harnesses and take turns checking to
make sure that our avalanche beacons are
transmitting before starting our first run.
La Grave is a Spring Break destination
thanks to Bob Zock ’90. He and his
business partner, Eric Olsen ’89, donate
lodging to the program each year.
“I loved driving up that valley with a
van full of friends,” Zock said, “and I
wanted to pass that feeling along.” Over
the phone, his voice filled with humor
and energy, I could almost hear him
smiling as he talked about La Grave’s
gritty, unpolished character. Having ex-
perienced it now myself, I can celebrate
the rough edges in the same way he has:
the weathered faces of the locals, the tiny
meat-and-cheese shop, the ever-present
zip of the Téléphériques. He added, “I
have always thought it was a special place
and one whose simplicity SLU students
could relate to and appreciate. We do
like to make our own fun and education,
given the raw material.”
The undergraduates
—Brady Hueber,
Matt Dier, James Chandler and Will
Madison, pictured left to right with
Outdoor Program Director Phil Royce
at far left—have a contagious excitement
about everything we see and ski, and I am
quickly swept back into that feeling that
anything is possible. In the clear sunshine
of the La Grave morning, the boys stack
neatly against the mountain. Together,
we balance our edges and stare down the
steep shot of the slope. Dark rocks outline
the edges of the couloir. The boys dance
one after the other across the rock-stud-
ded traverse, careful to manage their speed
and line up above the guide.
Our breath pulses in the mountain air
as we assess our next section. We ski one
at a time and watch each other intently,
both for safety and to know what the
mountains have in store for us. Often we
freeze the scene with snapshots, trying to
catch that special carve of edge and spray
of snow. We hope to capture the impos-
sible combination of steep slope, wide
smile and jagged alpine horizon, as if the
right timing could show the meaning of
being together in such a place.
We stare down the gullets of classic
couloir runs like Trifide, La Rama, Patou
and Couloir de Freax. In the tiny curls
of sweaty hair that slip from the boys’
helmets, they wear their experience. In
the evening they brandish local cheese
and wine and invite me to hang out in
their room, the windows thrown open
to the mountains, their tired ski clothes
spread to the waning sunshine outside.
material
the
raw
A Spring Break ski trip in the French Alps pushes Laurentians’ abilities.
By Catherine Doucette ’04
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We hope to capture the
impossible combination of
steep slope, wide smile and
jagged alpine horizon.
W
James says, “It’s awesome that SLU offers
opportunities to engage in these intense
activities outside of the classroom. It’s
a challenging experience that definitely
pushes our abilities.” Matt adds,
“La Grave is a place that cannot be
explained with words.”
Someday, years from now, these young
men will be sitting around talking about
spring breaks. Someone will say, “I went
to Miami,” and they will say, “We skied
in La Grave.” It’s that sort of thing that
builds a whole person.
What I will remember most
is not just
the massive glaciers and enormous, steep,
alpine lines. I will think of the ancient
stone church built into the mountain’s
side, of showing Will how to stretch skins
on his skis, of listening to mountain
music at the top of the Téléphériques,
and eating fresh cheese from nearby
valleys. I will conjure the fabulous view
of the infinite ridges of the Alps and
remember eating lunch with fellow
Laurentians before skiing perfect corn.
The lessons I learned at St. Lawrence
continue to help me lead a life that
enthralls me. How fortunate I was to be
reacquainted with the magic that reminds
me what a special place St. Lawrence con-
tinues to be, both on and off campus.
n
Cate Doucette is an essayist and freelance
writer who recently moved to Denver, Colo.
photos by james chandler ’15