Ski and Snowboard Club empowers students

Matthew Burkhart Staff Writer

NC State’s Ski and Snowboard Club provides students of all experience levels an opportunity to travel and bond with a group of thrill-seeking students from all backgrounds.

Ben Palmer, a second-year studying industrial design and an officer of the club, said Ski and Snowboard Club is a non-competitive ski club that is purely organized for the fun of skiing. Palmer said the club’s year consists of multiple trips to popular ski locations. This school year, the club traveled to Boone in October, Killington, Vermont during the first week of January, Snowshoe, West Virginia over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend and Boone again for the last weekend of January.

Anna Beasley, a third-year studying social work and an officer of the club, said one of the priorities of the club’s leadership is to make all trips affordable for students.

“We really tried to make it as affordable as we can for college students, because we’re on a budget,” Beasley said. “It’s a great community, and it’s also a great way to [make skiing accessible to] people that want to ski or at least want to try it.”

Every year, the club takes a trip to a western ski resort during spring break. This year, the club is going to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which Beasley said is covered under a student season pass discount, contributing to the accessibility the club officers aim for.

Palmer said the club dues primarily cover Airbnb reservations for the season. He said the Airbnbs provide a fun experience for the club to live together and bond closely while on their trips.

“[Getting] big houses to sleep a lot of people so that you split up a bunch of ways makes it pretty cheap to do so,” Palmer said.

“[It’s] pretty nice, having a kitchen and everything. It’s always just like cooking and helping each other out in the kitchen. It’s a super community. It’s like a mega hostel, basically.”

Ski Club has a total of 163 members with all degrees of skiing experience, this year holding the largest membership the club has ever had in its six years of operation. Jackson Vaughan, a second-year studying agribusiness said the club’s inviting nature to beginners attracted him to the club.

“[We] have skiers of all skill levels, whether you’ve been skiing since you were five years old, or whether you’re just starting, there’s a spot in the club for you,” Vaughan said. “It’s very inviting, and everybody’s willing to help you and give you tips. It’s like a giant family, honestly.”

In terms of balancing time between classes and skiing, Palmer said it comes easier than most think.

“It’s not like you’re an athlete, where you have a two-hour practice every day,” Palmer said. “It’s just every other weekend, I need to kind of clear my schedule. It’s pretty easy to manage, you know, get everything done for the week, so you can have your weekend off. … That’s something you got to consciously plan, but it’s very doable.”

Vaughan said ski trips often encourage him to stay closely on top of his schoolwork.

“You don’t want to be the kid in the house with his laptop out writing an essay on the first night,” Vaughan said.

Chloe Jonas, a third-year studying biology, said the club’s ski trips greatly improve her mental health.

“I know my due dates for all my assignments and the weekends that I’m off, I work extra hard,” Jonas said. “Next week, I could just relax and ski. Seasonal depression doesn’t exist for me anymore.”

Now being one of the more established clubs on campus, Palmer said he is proud of Ski Club’s enduring culture.

“We have been for a while, but [we’re] really starting to see that we’ve really created a culture around it and to see that come together, that’s my favorite thing,” Palmer said. “There’s like a vibe and an attitude that unintentionally gets handed down from the older kids to the younger kids and to see that continue to develop is the coolest.”

Ski Club’s officers have high hopes for the future. Beasley said the club is considering booking two Airbnbs on some trips in coming seasons as an effort to let more members go on ski trips.

Palmer said the club hopes to collaborate with other clubs on campus as well as other ski and snowboard clubs at other universities.