DHS gets a change of scenery with the Ski and Snowboard Club

More by Annabel Schneider - 12/11

Winter is coming and it is getting colder. Fall sports are ending. Homework is piling up as midterms approach. It seems like students are always cooped up inside. Then something catches your eye. There is a change in poster advertising.  These seasonal posters announce trips to great mountains such as Okemo, Snow, Stratton and Bromley. But do students actually participate in these activities?

The posters are put up by the Ski and Snowboard Club. The club is run by Mr. Chris Buckley, a history teacher, and Mr. Jeromy Nelson, a tech ed teacher. There are four trips every winter, each of which is open to the entire Darien High School community. The club was started by Mr. Buckley seven years ago.

I grew up in Vermont. I grew up skiing and snowboarding in college and I was part of the ski and snowboard club there. I had kids come and talk to me about creating a club and said sure,” Mr. Buckley said.

In the past, around 40 kids came on the trips. Recently, the numbers have decreased to around 25 to 30.

Three of the ski trips are day trips. Students must be on the bus by 4:50 a.m. and the bus departs from the DHS oval at 5:00 a.m. Each student must ski with a buddy, but each group can ski as long as it wants. Each buddy group must check in with a teacher at some point during the day. If they don’t check in, their tickets will be pulled and they will not be able to continue skiing.  The ski day comes to an end around 6:00 so students will return home around 9:00 p.m. The first day trip this year is December 17th to Okemo Mountain, the second is on January 21st to Bromley, and the third is February 4th to Mount Snow. The cost for day trips is $125 and includes transportation, lift ticket, and snacks/food.

“It’s nice to ski with friends, ski all day, and usually the snow is pretty good” Mr. Buckley said.

In 2009, when the club had larger numbers, students went to Utah to ski Park City over February break. The kids had a great time and got to ski all day. They also got to do activities in the night including racing go carts, which was the favorite, as well as going tubing. The club is hoping to get a higher number of participants so it can go on a similar trip to Utah.

Senior Addison Thalhamer has attended multiple trips and said, “The club is a lot of fun. But the best part of the club is being able to ski with your friends”

The only prerequisite asks that all participants must supply their own equipment and have experience in either skiing or snowboarding. However, this year a beginner trip is offered. The trip will take place at Bromley Mountain in Vermont on January 21st. Classes will be available for students who want to learn how to ski/snowboard. Classes will have an additional charge of around $35. Every other trip requires that you have experience.
This year’s overnight trip is to Stratton from March 2nd to March 4th. Students will leave Friday night and get to the mountain later that evening. Students stay three or four to a room, and can choose who they room with. The group normally stays either on the mountain or in a hotel near the mountain. In the past, the club has had around 15 to 20 students participate in the overnight trips. Mr. Buckley and Mr. Nelson try to liven up the trip by doing activities at night. These activities can include tubing, ice skating, and possibly a trip to a waterpark, depending on the location of the hotel.
The posters appear to have been successful in advertising the trips. Junior Stephanie Hurn is planning on attending multiple trips this year.” I wanted to join the ski club for ski trips because I enjoy skiing, but often don’t make time to go. This gives me a chance to go with some friends and get some fun exercise.”

The maximum number of students for a trip is 40 and it is first-come first-served. The trips are open to parents as well but students get first priority over parents.

Some people may wonder why the club goes all the way up to Vermont when there are mountains like Mohawk, which are much closer. This is because the club organizes everything through the travel agency Ski 93 Inc. which is based in New Hampshire. The agency doesn’t work with any of the smaller mountains in Connecticut, and instead, organizes everything in Vermont while keeping the prices low. Ski 93 organizes busses and lift tickets all together, requiring Mr. Buckley to only have to go to one company. If the club were to go to closer mountains, there would be more need for organization as well as more expensive prices.  Also, it’s fun to be able to ski at bigger mountains that aren’t easy to get to for day trips on your own. “I've been skiing since I was 7, and as most would agree one can usually only go on a ski trip with his/her family. However, the ski and snowboard club provides an ideal opportunity to get a group together and go skiing, without the hassle of organization,” Thalhamer said.

The club is easy with no commitment need. There is very little students have to do. There are no meetings. The only things needed from students are filled-out permission slips, which you can turn in to either Mr. Buckley or Mr. Nelson.

Permission slips and health forms can be found on Mr. Buckley’s website or with Mr. Buckley in the history department offices. Permission slips must be handed in prior to the trip. Due dates are on Mr. Buckley’s website. For more information contact Mr. Buckley or Mr. Nelson or visit Mr. Buckley’s website.

Whether you are daredevil skier who likes to carve down black diamond slopes, or you like to take it easy on a nice green run, the ski and snowboard club is a great excuse to get out and spend time with friends.

Links:

Check out the Ski and Snowboard Club Page: http://www.darienps.org/teachers/cbuckley/ski_snowboard/ssc_index.html

Check out some of the mountains:

Okemo: http://www.okemo.com/okemowinter/
Stratton: http://www.stratton.com/index.htm
Bromley: http://www.bromley.com/
Mount Snow: http://mountsnow.com/