Ski, snowboard club hits the slopes

The beginning of December  means a lot of things are happening on and off campus.

There is a myriad of holidays that people prepare for. Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa and the New Year are days ahead, while many other sacred holidays are celebrated around this special time.

Basketball is starting to hit its stride, football is winding down and just as the stores are flooded with holiday shoppers the slopes of Bogus Basin are flooded by skiers and snowboarders.

This is the time of year when the Boise State Student Recreation Center Ski/Snowboard Club really gets going. While some people are stampeding through store crowds to get their hands on the PlayStation 3, the members of the ski club are gliding down mountain slopes just for the pure, simple rush they get from traversing the mountainside. 

All they need is the wind in their faces, the fresh powder flying up and the whoosh of the air as they hit their jumps. Oh yeah, a pair of skis or a snowboard is nice too.

Nobody has to be an expert to participate in this club, however. According to the Boise State Recreation Center website, this club is about boosting morale and teaching about the various opportunities available during the winter season.

There are even sessions to teach people with less experience who don’t want to hit the slopes too hard.

“They’re really a social group,” long-time Ski/Snowboard Club Advisor Geoff Harrison said about the club members. “They get people together and hang out.”

Although competing is definitely not the main focus of this club, it has its place.

For those athletes not satisfied by a leisurely day on the hill building camaraderie with others, more-skilled members have the opportunity to display their abilities against others.

“Competition is part of it but it’s not solely a competitive club,” Harrison said.

“We do some ski racing; some members do (things) like the border cross or the half-pipe – more modern type of competitions.”

Skiing and snowboarding are great ways to get outside, have fun and relieve some stress as the school semester winds down and tensions run high. Everyone is encouraged to join the club.

“The club meets on an annual basis,” Harrison said. “They meet more often in the wintertime.

“To join, each year, contact the club president, attend the meeting and I think it’s a $25 fee. They get a T-shirt, they get discounted rides and they do social rides together.”

To get involved and learn more about the Ski/Snowboard Club you can find contact information at the Boise State Rec Center Club Sports Web site:

http://rec.boisestate.edu/clubsports/snowboard.asp.

Adam Ader
Sports Writer

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