For many Dartmouth students, the word "winter" sends icy shivers running down their spines and convinces them to take off terms in the Southern Hemisphere. There is a select group, though, that relishes the thought of towering snow banks and frozen nostrils, as it means ski season has returned.
With Hanover conveniently situated in the middle of the Green and White Mountains, Dartmouth skiers and snowboarders find plenty of terrain to conquer. The Dartmouth Skiway is the mountain of choice for students learning how to ski or those who just want a quick trip off campus. But for a bigger challenge, students seek out some of the area's other peaks.
Located only 45 minutes away in Vermont, Killington is the closest mountain for students looking for a major ski resort. Killington is an attractive option due to its wide variety of terrain, but its popularity attracts long lift lines, according to Chris Ward '07.
Ward, a longtime Eastern skier and member of the Dartmouth men's developmental ski team, suggested Mount Sunapee, 30 minutes from campus, as a nearby ski area with "big mountain feel." For a longer trip, he said Stowe was "some of the best terrain in the East." Ward also recommended Cannon Mountain in Franconia.
"It is a great mountain that no one seems to know about," Ward said. "It is one of the cheaper mountains in the state, probably has some of the best terrain in New Hampshire, and you will never stand in a lift line midweek ever."
Price can be a major inhibitor to students skiing on college budgets, but discounted lift tickets are a thrifty option. A popular choice is the All East College Pass, which allows students to ski all season at Killington as well as Attitash, Mount Snow, Pico, Sugarloaf and Sunday River. Many students find season passes the most cost-efficient way to ski.
"If you're planning on skiing a lot, a season's pass is the way to go because paying $60 plus on a one-day lift ticket for limited, skied-off terrain is often not worth it," Elan Guterman '07 said.
Finding time to get to the mountain can be one of the biggest difficulties. Packed schedules and a condensed term do not provide for many full free days to go skiing. Distance to farther mountains, such as the acclaimed Jay Peak in Vermont, also hinders students from finding time to ski. A lack of skiing partners can be a factor as well.
"Not only do you not need school obligations, you have to have friends who don't have obligations as well," Guterman said. "Unless skiing/snowboarding is a priority for your winter, trips to local mountains can easily become part of the ever-coming but never-quite-happening events of Winter term."
For those who never make to the slopes this term, skiing later in the year is always an option. Killington makes snow far into the spring for those with a lift ticket and an extra weekend to enjoy.
"It's nice to just go out there and rip it up when it's 50 degrees out and you're just wearing a fleece and sunglasses all day long on the hill," Ward said.
