Giaccone noted that three arrests for unlawful possession were made during the weekend, which, according to Giaccone, is "less than usual for a big weekend." Although few of the annual Winter Carnival fraternity parties saw any incidents, Giaccone told The Dartmouth that an altercation occurred at Psi Upsilon fraternity involving two individuals, at 5 a.m. Saturday morning. Only one participant was apprehended and was subsequently charged with resisting arrest, criminal trespassing and possession of marijuana following his arrest and search.
But the criminal incidents -- a staple of nearly every big weekend -- offset a Winter Carnival that saw widespread student participation in many scheduled events.
"We had a really good turnout on a lot of our events this year," Lizzie Teague '09, a co-chair of the Winter Carnival committee said. "It was really successful."
Sam Lloyd '11 spent his weekend attending events such as the Human Dogsled Races, the Polar Bear Swim, 99 cent ski day at the Dartmouth Skiway, the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble's "Big Band Funk" concert and the Lone Pine All-Star concert. He also helped to set up the Lunar New Year Celebration and made a snow globe with an under-the-sea theme.
"I love to get involved in things on campus, and with all the things available I just couldn't resist," he said. "Even though I had a lot of homework this weekend, I decided that if there's a year to do Winter Carnival, this would be it."
Teague said several traditional events were well-attended, citing the Human Dogsled Race, which she said had "lots of energy," as well as the annual Polar Bear Swim. Thursday's warmer temperatures and the surface thickness of the ice on Occom Pond threatened to derail the Swim, she said, but weather conditions ended up being favorable enough for the event to take place.
According to Teague, around 315-400 people turned up for the event.
"Some people waited in line for an hour just to jump," she said.
Lloyd, who is a member of The Dartmouth Staff, said that he had never experienced Hanover-level temperatures before and described the jump as a "vivid experience."
"It kind of makes every nerve in your body turn on," he said. "It's not a pleasant sensation when you're in the water, but 10 seconds after getting out you just have this feeling of 'That was awesome!'"
Teague said the Dartmouth Carnival, an intercollegiate ski competition hosted at the Skiway, was a positive feature of the weekend.
"For the [Nordic] ski team, this was literally their first Winter Carnival in Hanover," she said.
The weekend ended with a victory for the team, as they finished first overall in the competition.
Amateurs as well as experts turned out on Friday to take advantage of discounted lift tickets at the Skiway. TJ Cameron '11, who went snowboarding for the first time, said his experience was both injurious and enjoyable.
"I fell a lot, but didn't get too badly hurt. I still want to do it again, though, because it was a lot of fun," he said.
This weekend also included several new indoor activities, including showings of the Disney movies "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Finding Nemo," as well as an event where students could make their own snow globes.
Lloyd said he thought these activities were very specific to this year's theme, but added that showing movies or making crafts could easily become traditions if adapted to each Carnival.
Teague said that planning a Winter Carnival involves mixing decade-old traditions with new ideas.
"Obviously, a lot of Winter Carnival is about experiencing and enjoying tradition, but we really try to create new traditions and expand on the old ones," Teague said.
One of the classic Carnival rituals fitting in with this year's nautical theme was the snow sculpture on the Green, which depicted a partially submerged submarine being attacked by a giant squid.
"The sculpture turned out phenomenally, especially with the lights" Teague said, referring to the red and green lights that illuminate both the submarine's hull and the eyes of the squid. "I think it was definitely more imaginative than some in years past."
Benjy Meigs '10, co-chair of the snow sculpture committee, said he was happy with the results.
"I've had a ton of people come up to me and tell me that it looks really great and that they love it," he said. "That kind of response makes all the long hours we put into it totally worth it."
Teague said this year's snowfall was also an asset to the overall spirit of the Carnival.
"The fact that the weather finally cooperated made it a lot of fun for everyone," she said.
Ben Nunnery contributed to the reporting of this article
