As heaps of snow engulfed Hoboken, walking down Wittpenn Walk suddenly felt like being transported onto an ice skating rink, using sneakers instead of skates on a slippery slope. Although the day off was reminiscent of the good old Zoom days and staying at home, that did not stop Stevens students from venturing outside into a little bit of… okay, more like 10 plus inches of snow. What started as a snow day quickly turned into the Stevens Snow Olympics.
We make it over to Schaeffer Lawn for our competitive skiing and snowboarding slope. Who can glide gleefully across the slanted, powdery snow the fastest? We see students gearing up to embrace the snowy slope, making their way down, face-planting into the soft, cushioning pillow of snow, or successfully coming to a stop at the end of the lawn. And why stop at Schaeffer when our wonderful campus sits on a hill with a pretty steep slope?
After all the hard work we put into walking up to Howe every morning, I think it’s worthwhile to take advantage of this hill and turn it into a sledding slope. As a commuter, I have no idea why people have sleds in their dorms, but it worked out perfectly for this occasion, where people got on their bellies on their sleds and made their way down from Howe to Babbio or UCC. Unfortunately, I missed out on that fun, but what a perfect way to make use of the icy hill.
Next, we have Stevens students’ specialty, making igloos! Igloos are a labor of love and time, and how someone makes the lovely, tall igloo that sits next to the Torch Bearer statue every year (I’ve only been here for two years), I will never know. Given that the snowstorm gave us powdery snow, we know it took true grit to stand in the cold for that long and compact powdery ice with freezing hands to make a perfect igloo. So, to whoever made that igloo, just know that your igloo is being well appreciated. Students stop to take pictures by it, and the sheer height of that thing is impressive.
Now, I would like to introduce you to our favorite made-up sport: biking through the snow. The snow never stopped students from trying it. I have no idea how it works, but balancing a bike on a slippery, thick surface must have been a struggle, yet these bikers persevered while holding sleds in their hands. They made it to their destination, I hope, and back to campus in impressive timing.
Next, let’s bring it over to frat/sorority row, where frat brothers and sorority sisters were having a snowball fight with each other. Who will land the most snowballs? And also, how did they even form a snowball in the first place with this non-sticky snow? Who knows? All I know is that a bunch of snowballs were launched and successfully hit their targets. I’m sure those trees made great covers and firing positions for the snowballs. If a snowball fight is not your thing, I’m sure Stevens students had plenty of fun making tiny snowmen.
Given the amount of snow we have on campus, it would be perfect for a who-can-make-the-best-snowman competition. I made a snowman using a bucket of water to hold the snow together. Unfortunately, she has melted at this point, but the process of making her was both arduous and fun. No matter how you enjoy the snow or what your favorite winter sport is, bundle up, and most importantly, have so much fun.
