Hi readers,
Have you ever gone skiing before? The Amherst College Ski Club offers FREE ski trips in the winter! So, if you’re a skiing enthusiast or have never gone before (like me), this is the perfect opportunity for you!
The Ski Club pays for transportation, equipment rental (boots, skis, helmets), a skiing pass, and lessons! If you would like warm gloves and goggles for skiing, you can borrow gear from the Amherst College Gear Locker. The ski club does have limited spots for these trips, but most people get to go on at least one of the four seasonal trips.
If you’re coming to college in New England, you must try skiing at least once! Even though I live in Massachusetts and have no excuse for having never been skiing, I admit that the prospect always terrified me. However, taking ski lessons with Berkshire East (the ski resort) helped me grow more comfortable with the frosty, exhilarating environment. I also felt safe knowing that my peers and Ski Patrol would rescue me if anything happened. I became so confident in my skiing abilities after my first day of lessons that I decided to ski on one of the greatest mountains known to skiers worldwide: the bunny hill. Don’t let the name fool you. The bunny hill may be advertised for beginners, but I assure you it takes great skill to navigate the course. When I went on the bunny hill course, I may have overestimated my abilities–specifically, my ability to use the “pizza” maneuver to stop my skis. And so, when I went down the hill (at a super high speed, mind you), I hit the fence. I had the wind literally knocked out of me. But, I took that embarrassment as an opportunity to redeem myself. So, the next couple of times I went down the bunny hill, I perfected my stopping and slowing maneuvers. I did not ever make contact with that fence again!
When you come to Amherst College and inevitably go on one of the highly coveted ski trips, I have you grow from the opportunity. Maybe you’ll find your passion for the invigorating winter sport, make new friends there, or hit a fence and never want to ski again. Either way, you learn something new about yourself and add to your college experience.
If you have any questions about ski trips at Amherst or anything at all, reach out to me at ipatel28@amherst.edu.