The season has arrived; where the mountains are blanketed with snow, boards and skis freshly waxed and the chairlifts turned on. Stevens Pass, a very popular ski resort in Washington, opened on Nov. 20, with Crystal Mountain opening the day after. Snoqualmie Pass partially opened on Dec. 8, and officials have predicted that the next week it will be time to open everything.
As the season is moving into full swing, many Bellevue College students and also faculty are gearing up for the long winter.
BC has had a ski and board club in the past, the most recent titled Ski and Ride Club. The faculty advisor, Chris Stoynov, has been a skier for 40 years. However, the Ski and Ride club wasn’t re-chartered for the 2013 winter. Not being chartered means, “The club doesn’t exist, as far as the college and Student Programs is concerned,” explained Stoynov. The club disbanded due to the low number of active members, not due to lack of interest. Another big hamper was the lack of any real leadership within the club; nobody took charge to organize meetings.
While many people were interested in the club, their daily schedules conflicted and they weren’t able to participate. According to Stoynov, there were only two members of the club last winter, and both were semi-active. Because the club isn’t active right now, students will have to get friends and classmates together and take steps to get the club up and running once more.
If you’re interested, contacting Chris Stoynov should be your first step. If the club is ever reestablished, members must commit to it otherwise the same fate will await the Ski and Ride club.
BC students who do ski or board know that Snoqualmie Pass is an easy drive of 45 minutes to an hour if you’re in the Bellevue/Renton area, with decent ticket prices for what the mountain has to offer.
The mountain is divided into three main areas: West, Central and East. Central is the main hub of the mountain as it has Central Express, the high speed quad chair that fits up to four people per lift. Central Park is another high attraction point for all those interested in the freestyle aspect of the snow sport. The park has a plethora of features such as jumps, rails and a half pipe.
Snoqualmie is relatively small however, compared to other giants, such as Crystal and Stevens Pass. Varuna Bridgers, a BC student is second year and also a skier, commented on the opening of the pass. “As far as I’m concerned there are only two seasons. Beach season and ski season.” Bridgers has skied about 15 years and is a regular at Snoqualmie Pass, buying a season pass almost every year.
Bellevue College student Tiffany Nguyen goes snowboarding at Snoqualmie Pass every winter. This year, she is snowboarding with her brother and friends. Nguyen has been snowboarding since she was in the sixth grade. “I choose to snowboard instead of skiing because it’s smoother when you go downhill,” said Nguyen. “For students who do not own snowboarding or skiing gears, renting is an option,” added Nguyen.