Going on a ski trip without actually skiing
A ski trip is all about skiing and enjoying good food, right? Wrong! At Strand, it’s so much more than that.
In February, we went on a corporate ski trip in Austria to enjoy a break in the mountains with a bunch of our Strand colleagues. While a big part of the group enjoyed the ski slopes with or without ski lessons, the rest of us had an amazing three days filled with non-skiing activities. The trip was so awesome that we would like to share with you why we’re already looking forward to the next one.
First day: relaxing at the spa
After a fun but exhausting bus trip to Austria (party included), we started the weekend relaxing in a nice and cozy thermal center, with a beautiful panorama of the sun shining its light on the mountains. The day was spent getting to know each other better, already discussing our excitement for future Strand events and leaving job thoughts at home.
In the evening, completely relaxed, we joined the others for an après-ski and afterwards enjoyed a delicious dinner.
Second day: Off-road snowshoe walk
The second day, we put on snowshoes for an off-road walk to fully enjoy the beauty of the snowy mountains and get a vitamin D refill. During the walk, we shared a picnic lunch in the snow and thanks to some awesome team members, the lunch included Belgian beers and cherry tomatoes. This activity really increased our team cohesion, even though there were a few (friendly) snowball fights involved.
After such an active day and before discovering the second restaurant, we played games and enjoyed a little aperitif.
Third day: Crazy Hiking & cheese fondue
On the third and last day of the trip, we started with 3 km of sledding before grabbing the opportunity to surpass ourselves on an off-road hike led by our CEO, Gael Terroir. This hike filled us with adrenaline and emotion. Being ‘in the middle of nowhere’ let us discover a lot of animal footprints in the snow and the beauty of the untouched mountains.
Once more, there was a lot of collaboration and cohesion in the group, partly because of our CEO. This experience showed us what a great leader he is, stimulating the group to surpass itself, promoting group members to help each other and providing his own help whenever needed.
Finally, after a more than welcome hot shower, we went to the third restaurant for a cheese fondue with the Strand rule that each person who drops a piece of bread or fruit into the cheese, needs to sing a song aloud. That causes funny moments, trust us.
With those unique experiences, we had the opportunity to increase the bond between colleagues and, even better, to create value together.
The end of the weekend arrived too fast, but the trip back by bus gave us the possibility to discuss and remember the great moments we had together.
Thank you very much Strand for the amazing weekend you organized for us and thank you Gael, to show us once more what a great leader you are.
Mathilde de Bast and Cathy Jean
Project Consultants Pharmaceutical Affairs at Strand
