As someone who’s never set foot in a ski resort before, let alone chucked myself down a mountain on two planks of wood, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from The Big Snow Festival. Located in the Andorran resort of Arinsal, the seven day extravaganza promised snow sports, top DJs, fancy dress and a never ending supply of cheap beer - essentially, every student's snow-topped dream.

From the moment we arrived in Arinsal the pace was full-throttle. Waking up after a welcome party from the big dawg himself Tim Westwood, it was straight off up the mountain to grab some rented ski gear and begin our lessons - all available at a rock bottom price as part of the Big Snow package.

The ski instructors were excellent: skilful, patient, fluent in English and, most importantly, completely accepting of any learners who rocked up with a hangover and a habit of throwing themselves in the snow if they reached any speed exceeding 1mph. I even managed to improve by the end of the week, with accomplishments including getting off the chair lift without falling over and going a whole 30cm off-piste.

The music was great too. After Westwood, we were treated to a whole host of world class DJs across the week, including Judge Jules, Kissy Sell Out, Anne Savage and Eddie Temple Meads, all spinning the perfect tunes to accompany a spot of apres-ski boozing. The atmosphere was brilliant, with plenty of opportunity to meet new people and share stories of the slopes or a spot on the dance podium.

One of the highlights of the week came halfway through the festival, when the DJ sets moved from their usual location in various clubs throughout the resort to the mountain stage itself. Nothing can quite compare to dancing your (extra thick) socks off in the middle of a swirling snow storm, and performers Goldie and Devlin looked they were enjoying it just as much as the crowd.

Then there was St Patrick’s Day, a great opportunity for people to get suitably raucous dressed in everything from leprechaun outfits (predictable) to lime green mankinis (brave).The fancy dress theme continued with a ‘Superhero Day’, when teams of caped crusaders could be seen hitting the slopes along with some slightly less obvious 'heroes' (Kenny from South Park anyone?)

One of the biggest acts of the week was Example, who played in the El Cau club on the penultimate night of the festival. The London-based rapper took to the stage with an eclectic set featuring his biggest hits Kickstarts and Won’t Go Quietly, along with more retro elements such as ridiculously catchy remix of the 80s anthem Crush On You by Nero.

Scott Mills delivered a great set for the closing party on Saturday, dishing up a good dose of classic club tunes as the sun set against the mountain stage. The crowd was exuberant, jumping up to dance on tables and squeeze every last ounce of fun out of a fantastic week. It was a great end to a unique and thoroughly enjoyable festival...although admittedly none of us were looking quite so chipper when we woke up for flight transfers the next morning.