This winter break, nearly 200 Stevens students headed north to snow-covered Carrabassett Valley, Maine, home to Sugarloaf Mountain, for some fun on the slopes. This is the 12th year that the Stevens Ski and Snowboard Club has hosted the annual trip to Sugarloaf Mountain.
Sugarloaf Mountain is pretty tall for starters. At 4,237 feet tall, Sugarloaf is a perfect winter destination for snow-lovers, especially skiers and snowboarders.
“Welcome to Sugarloaf” was one of the first things heard once we all got off the bus, which we had all been riding for over eight hours. We hopped onto shuttles heading to our respective condos. The condos were all near the mountain, either a short walk or shuttle ride away. There were also free ski/snowboard lessons for the week, and they were completely worth it. Many of the instructors had decades of experience and were passionate about the beautiful sport. As an advanced skier who gets on the slopes about once a year, I found that the lessons provided the technical expertise needed to brush up on form and to improve as a skier.
Billy Harris, the President of the Ski and Snowboard Club, has organized the annual trip for the past few years. He has skied with the club for all five years of his tenure at Stevens and, according to him, it is “hands down one of the best things we have on campus.” Through the years, he has come to realize that Sugarloaf isn’t so great because of good or bad conditions but because of the people that go. He explains, “It’s a time for students to have fun with their friends over winter break, not worry about school at all, and show off their skills or learn a new one. There’s no better deal for a week of room and board with five day lift tickets and there’s no cheaper way to learn for the first time. Cooking and living in a condo with your best buddies is unmatched and no other Stevens event allows students these opportunities. For this reason, Stevens students love Sugarloaf. And to be honest, Sugarloaf loves us. Plus, Sugarloaf is a great mountain to send it on.”
For new skiers, these lessons were indispensable. Fourth-year Justin DeTone learned to ski for the first time on the trip this year. He described the trip as an enjoyable experience and rewarding in the sense that he went from knowing nothing about skiing to being able to hold his own on a green and blue trail. For him, being in a colder climate where there’s actually snow (yay!) and skiing with friends made the trip memorable. Fourth-year Abe Edens learned to ski on the Sugarloaf trip a year ago. All his skiing experience has taken place at Sugarloaf, which is a testament to their amazing ski/snowboarding instruction. At first, it was a little tough, he concedes. Abe describes doing “pizza” all the way down a blue (intermediate) trail, Tote Road. “Pizza didn’t work,” he said with a laugh. Nevertheless, Abe persevered and was going down black diamonds and glades just a year later.
Veteran skiers like Jimmy Sweeney, a fifth year, just finished his fourth and final Sugarloaf trip with Stevens this winter, His only regret is not coming his freshman year. He says, “It seems like the great conditions come with us every year, and fresh powder has dropped for us the last two.” He adds, “There’s something awesome about coming to a mountain with 200 people from the same [school], and realizing as you go who you know under the masks and goggles. Whether you’d rather chill in your condo, goof around with some friends on the slopes, or really challenge yourself on the tougher trails or in the glades, there’s something for everyone. I’ve had some of my best skiing here and [have] been happy to be a part of a GNARly Stevens tradition.”
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