Many of the fixtures associated with present-day Winter Carnival celebrations including a capella concerts, fraternity parties and the snow sculpture were absent from the first Carnival in 1911.
The precursor to Winter Carnival started as a one-day Dartmouth intramural field day, suggested by Dartmouth Outing Club founder Fred Harris '11. On Feb. 26, 1910, over 300 students, faculty members and Upper Valley residents gathered to watch and participate in winter sports and celebrate the season, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine reported at the time.
Participants competed in snowshoeing races, cross-country skiing events and ski jumping competitions that were judged on style and distance, The Dartmouth previously reported. Downhill ski races were held on the golf course.
No entrance fee was required, and events were open to anyone who wished to join the contests.
This collection of sporting events led to the first Winter Carnival, held from Feb. 10 to Feb. 11, 1911.
The event was well received by students, who predicted that it would become a lasting fixture at the College.
"The Winter Carnival of the Outing Club won a deserved success, and will undoubtedly remain a permanent feature of Hanover winter life," a 1911 issue of The Dartmouth said. "This is as it should be."
That year, Dartmouth hosted 50 female visitors from outside of Hanover, marking the beginning of the weekend's reputation as a prime social event.
Friday morning festivities featured preliminary competitions in skiing and snowshoeing, including cross-country races, an obstacle snowshoe race, a ski jump event and 100 and 200-yard dashes on skis and snowshoes. A snowshoe race between classes resulted in a tie for first place between the freshmen and sophomore classes, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Later that day, Dartmouth defeated Massachusetts Agricultural College in a hockey game played on Occom Pond.
The Dramatic Club performed the comic play "David Garrick" that Friday night in Webster Hall. Following the show, the DOC hosted a ball, where the Dartmouth Orchestra played waltzes and foxtrots, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Final skiing and snowshoeing events were held Saturday, and winners were awarded trophies. During the afternoon, Harris and A. T. Cobb '12 held a ski jumping exhibition.
Saturday night, the varsity basketball team defeated a team comprised of Dartmouth alumni.
Students and visitors described the first annual Winter Carnival as a success, while Intercollegiate Magazine reported in March 1911 that "the carnival assumed the nature of a midwinter prom."
Dartmouth Alumni Magazine noted that "the closely-contested outdoor events, ideal weather conditions, and an excellent dramatic performance all went to make the first winter carnival an unquestioned success."
