It’s that time of year again; Houghton’s campus is blanketed in snow (well except for the rain earlier this week) and the air has a harsh winter chill.
Many would consider this weather to be a nuisance, but as an avid skier I would encourage you to embrace the exciting sports that this season has to offer. After all, you wouldn’t have as much appreciation for the gentle melting into springtime and the bulbs stubbornly pushing through the snow without the ice and cold beforehand.
There are plenty of activities available to the adventurous Houghton student during the winter. To name a few, you can build an igloo or a snowman, have a snowball fight with friends, make snow angels on the quad, or go sledding down the Roth hill, sans cafeteria trays of course.
If you have a little more time on your hands, try renting snowshoes or cross-country skis from the gym; you can trek through the Houghton woods in a whole new way. If you’ve never been cross-country skiing before, find a friend who has taken a class and get a few tips. It is definitely a great form of cardiovascular exercise, and it is more exciting than going for a jog in the PEC.
Though downhill skiing and snowboarding don’t burn as many calories as, say, cross-country skiing, it can be thrilling to carve down the slopes and feel the wind on your face. If you have never gone before, Houghton is the perfect place to learn to ski or board; we have our very own ski hill, complete with a rope tow and ski shack.
The ski hill is open from 3 to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 12:50 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Ski and snowboard rentals are $5 at the ski shack; you can’t get much cheaper than that!
After taking a few turns on the bunny slopes here, you may want to try out the big-leagues. Swain Resort is about a forty minute drive east of Houghton, and offers approximately 100 skiable acres. Wednesdays at Swain are college days, with a $25 pass and $20 rentals available to anyone with a valid student ID.
At a comparable distance of 60 minutes from Houghton in Ellicottville, NY, Holiday Valley offers about 282 skiable acres, and college students can get night passes for $28. For the more experienced skier or boarder, I would definitely recommend a trip to Holiday Valley; in fact, the Houghton College Ski Club takes a trip there every Sunday, and transportation is free in the college vans.
So however you feel about the cold weather and snow that Western New York winters bring, try to make the best of the conditions by getting involved in winter sports and activities. You will have much more fun, I promise!
