Milligan University’s Campus Activity Board (CAB) invited students to ski or snowboard at Beech Mountain Ski Resort on Feb. 4. More than 30 students participated in the school trip, and although levels of experience varied amongst the group, the event was a fun way to start the semester.
Dakota Topp, a junior and member of Milligan’s cycling team, had her first snowboarding experience with her teammates at the event.
“I had an amazing time. We did the bunny slopes for about two minutes and then we just went for it. It was a little scary going down the first time but once you got the hang of it it was fine,” she said. “Only three of us had gone snowboarding before and the other 10 of us had never been. All of us have bruises but it was so worth it.”
Topp was grateful for the opportunity to enjoy an off campus activity with her peers.
“I try to do the stuff that’s on campus, but I don’t do a lot of the stuff that’s off campus just because it’s hard to get in a group to go,” Topp said.
Junior Max Garbe also enjoyed the off campus opportunity.
“When I got the email, all my friends were sitting in a room and all of us were really into the idea and thought, ‘Hey this is cheap and the school is paying for some of it,’” he said.
CAB offered to pay for the first 20 students’ lift tickets, and luckily Garbe and his friends made the cut.
Several students pushed their limits on the slopes, but were ultimately rewarded.
“My favorite run was the one right after my bad crash. I was kind of nervous after that but I was able to go all the way down. It was exhilarating because of the speed,” Garbe said. Another student, Marcus Wymer, reveled in the thrills of snowboarding.
“My warm up was the black diamond. I’m not crazy good at snowboarding, but I thought ‘Let’s push ourselves and go down the hardest one first, and starting off the semester with a near death experience is exactly what I needed,’” he said. “You have to numb your mind to fear.”
A common theme among this Milligan crew was their enjoyment in the comradery.
“I would have to say wrecking yourself down a mountain is a wonderful way to get to know somebody. Meeting new people was probably my favorite part,” Wymer said.
Some students even mingled with a group of Milligan graduates who were separate from the school trip.
“Some of our friends were going over us on the ski lift and yelled out ‘Sko Buffs!’. And we found and met about seven graduates from a ‘Sko Buffs,’” Topp said.
CAB’s Beech Mountain ski trip was a success and a great way to start off the semester.
Headline photo: From the top of the lift, Beech gave students a perfect view of the sunset.