While Carnival is traditionally a celebration of the season, parties and Greek house events have always dominated the social calendar at Dartmouth.
Dudley Kay '69, a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, which dissolved in 1971, said Winter Carnival was not only a time for snow sports and games, but also an opportunity for a weekend of good times.
"As a Florida boy, Winter Carnival to me was shiver fest, bad date misadventures, awe over ice sculptures and a whole lot of beer and toxic mixtures in the frat basement," Kay said.
Kay, who helped build a gigantic sculpture of a German clad in lederhosen and clutching a gigantic mug of beer during one Carnival weekend, also remembered shivering on the golf course, waiting to watch the ski jump.
Bill Murphy '78, a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity, said he remembers flying off the same ski jump on cafeteria trays during Winter Carnival weekend and attending a higher-than-usual number of frat parties.
"There were more events, more parties at that time than on a normal weekend," Murphy said. "There was just an increased level of activity and bustle."
This characteristic "bustle" has remained an integral part of Carnival since its inception and according to more recent alumni, has even grown in scale and intensity with each successive year.
Dave Anderson '04, who is now the camp director of the DREAM program in Vermont, witnessed two naked students having a snowball fight when he was visiting campus as a prospective student. He said that the tamer human dogsled race, however, was the highlight of the Carnival experience.
"The human dogsled race was probably my favorite memory: dressing crazy and getting together with a bunch of semi-inebriated friends in leotards and spandex suits and running around like crazy," Anderson said.
Anderson looked back on the Carnival as an important statement that flies in the face of the cold.
"I think Winter Carnival is a way to make the cold ours instead of letting it conquer us. It's a way to not let the fact that our pant legs are never dry get us down. It's a glorious thing," Anderson said.
Dartmouth fraternities have been readying for an array of events including theme parties and the perpetuation of long-standing Greek traditions at the College.
But one popular tradition has been discontinued for several years. Psi U's keg jump, a ritual celebrated at 19 Carnivals, consisted of fraternity members jumping over as many empty beer kegs as possible on Psi U's ice-coated front lawn. Since 2001, however, the fraternity has not been able to secure insurance coverage for the festivities. While no one has ever been seriously injured at the keg jump, administrators have opposed the event on grounds of inebriation and safety issues.
Psi U Social Chair Brian Martin '06 said the keg jump was an important aspect of Carnival weekend.
"We all miss the keg jump," Martin said. "The whole College and community misses the keg jump. More than 600 spectators enjoyed the most recent keg jump [in 2000]. The keg jump has had a long and storied history as an integral component of Winter Carnival."
Martin said there is potential for a clandestine keg jump this year.
"Psi U representatives have been engaged with College and Hanover leaders to see what sort of solutions can be found," Martin said. "The current situation is deeply disappointing."
Several other fraternities have confirmed the continuation of their traditional Carnival weekend parties. On Friday, Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity will hold its 31st annual Original Beach Party and Sigma Nu fraternity will host its Early '80s party. On Saturday the Tabard coed fraternity host its Disco Inferno.
Alpha Chi social chair James Gumpper '06 said that the house's beach party would feature several tons of sand, a festive atmosphere and music by local rock cover band Lazyeye.
"Despite this winter's mild temperatures, Alpha Chi will be the only truly tropical setting on campus for this year's Winter Carnival," Gumpper said.
The Alpha Chi Beach Party was written up in Playboy Magazine during the early nineties as one of their Top Ten College Parties.
Sig Nu's Early '80s party and the Tabard's Disco Inferno are popular dance parties that the fraternities hold on Friday and Saturday of the big weekend each term, respectively. Both parties are celebrated for the retro outfits and funky music they inspire.
