The grand return of Audencia's Semi-Neige - Testimonial from Stella Cellier, event manager

From December 13 to 20, 2025, Audencia's Semi-Neige brought together around sixty students for a week of sports and fun in the Alps. Stella Cellier, manager of this year's event, takes us behind the scenes of this highlight of student life.  

To begin with, can you explain what the Semi-Neige is?  

The Semi-Neige is simply Audencia's ski trip. Historically, it has been offered to first- and second-year students in the Grande Ecole program. It is a highlight of student life, somewhat iconic in business schools.  

This year, I took over responsibility for the trip after the election of the new Sports Committee, Sport'Atlas, with a real challenge: to bring Semi-Neige up to date. Unfortunately, the 2024 edition could not take place, mainly due to the price, the choice of resort, and complications related to justifying absences. We felt that if we didn't react, the event was in danger of disappearing.

How did you organize this new edition to revive momentum?  

I started working on the Semi-Neige in March 2025. Even though I was on my own in this area, I received a lot of support from the Sports Office (BDS): the president, vice-president, secretary general, treasurers, and a member of the school's Events Department.    

We first set the dates, chose the destination, and started working with service providers early on to get the best possible conditions.  

We decided to go to the Alps, a destination that is very popular with students. The trip took place from December 13 to 20, right after exams, which allowed us to enjoy the week to the fullest.  

This edition was open only to second-year students due to scheduling constraints. For many, it was an opportunity to enjoy one last memorable experience together before leaving for exchange programs or gap years.  

What made this trip particularly attractive to students?  

The key factor was the price. We knew that this had been a sensitive issue in the previous edition. We worked hard on this point, in particular by opening a file with the CVEC.  

Thanks to the financial assistance we received, we were able to offer an all-inclusive trip for €490 per person, including transportation, accommodation, ski passes, equipment, insurance, and organized activities. For a ski trip, that's a very attractive price.    

Of the 60 participants, about 15 students had never skied before. This clearly shows that the usual price of skiing is a barrier. The Semi-Neige was a real gateway for them.  

In fact, when reservations opened, all the places were snapped up in less than an hour!  

Beyond skiing, what activities did you plan on site?  

We really wanted to emphasize the sporting and social aspects.  

For students who didn't know how to ski—and even for the others—we set up introductory sessions.  

The idea was to group students by level:

• a snowboarders group,  
• a beginners group,
• an intermediate group,  
• and an advanced group.  

These sessions were optional, but the groups filled up every time. Within the same group of friends, people don't always have the same level. This way, everyone could ski with people who had the same expectations and pace.  

We also organized a Snow Tournament, a big afternoon sports tournament. The teams competed in:  

• a new take on curling (sled version),  
• snow soccer,  
• and snow volleyball.  

The atmosphere was incredible, the students loved it. It was all these extra activities that made the trip even more magical.  

What feedback did you get from the participants?  

The feedback was very positive.  

Seeing the whole trip come together was a huge relief after all the work that went into it. It was a lot of investment.  

Then, during and after the trip, the students told us how much they loved it. For a trip costing nearly €500, even if the price is low for a ski trip, we know that expectations are high. And in this case, they were not disappointed.  

Given this success, how do you see the future of Semi-Neige?  

For me, Semi-Neige must continue. I think there is real potential for it to grow and evolve.  

The big challenge for the next terms of office will be to keep the price affordable. This will require a lot of work on the financing files, and perhaps some thought about the organization of the center. This year, as I was on my own, I used a service provider, which came at a cost. In the future, we will have to see if other options are possible.  

In any case, it's really nice to see that the students turned up and really enjoyed the trip. That's why we get involved in associations: to create memories like these.