Hat? Check. Gloves? Check. Scarf? Check. Students bundle up for trip to the Beech
Posted by The Skyliner on January 28th, 2009Kaelyn Pfenning
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Over 30 students signed up for the trip to Ski Beech which extended from 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22 to around 2:15 a.m. early Friday morning.
“It was very spontaneous, a few friends mentioned it as we were walking by the sign up sheet and thought it would be fun,” Michael Anderson, business alumni, said.
Setting off in two buses and a couple of cars, the journey began with excited chatter. The car that student body president Josh Putnam was driving broke down about an hour into the trip. Diane Turner, Director of Student Activities, had to turn around and pick up Putnam and the others who were in the car.
Kately Wilson and Joanna Ward with varying degrees of experience, enjoyed the trip to Ski Beech. Check out the Student Services calendar as they are sponsoring events for each week until the end of the semester. They are planning to host more ski trips in the upcoming winter months. (Photo by Kaelyn Pfenning / The Skyliner).
“The worst part was one of the [campus secutiry] cars broke down on the way, so some of the people got there later,” said Marty Height, senior psychology. “Apparently, the car was possessed and just started turning off and then the windshield wipers went crazy.”
Despite the delay for some students, everyone remained safe on the trip to Ski Beech and back. While everyone returned safely, a number of students became well acquainted with the snow through numerous falls due to ice, challenges and other factors.
“I fell one time, and it was to help Joanna. She fell ahead of me, and I tried to stop to see if she was okay but couldn’t stop the way I wanted to because I was going too fast, and the snow was really slick,” said Katelyn Wilson, sophomore early childhood education.
“I hit an ice patch that flipped me over and that was the only time I fell,” said Wayne Hope, sophomore mathematics/business.
“I would get going fast, and a few times I fell to stop myself,” said Hope Cagle, elementary education.
“I fell twice attempting jumps, but those are the only times I fell,” said Nick Everett, [2008 English alumni].
Many students with previous experience joined the adventure, but a few students observed snow for the first time ever.
“My friends from South Africa came with us on the trip,” said Jessica Bradburn, freshman. “It was the first time they’d ever seen snow, so my favorite part was watching them get used to everything and being able to hang out with them.”
Several students participated in the trip primarily to fellowship with friends; others primarily looked forward to skiing or snowboarding.
“It is a huge rush to ride the ski lift to the top and then get off and just fly down the mountain,” said Emily Gillespie, sophomore elementary education.
Various students skied down the mountain as others snowboarded to the bottom of the slope. Each student chose equipment based on past experience and preference.
“I like skiing better. Two feet strapped to one board equals death for me,” said Kyle Phillips, broadcast media.
“I like snowboarding better because I extremely dislike ski boots with a passion,” said Hope.
Whether skiing or snowboarding, most students particularly enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with friends.
“My favorite part of the ski trip was bonding with the students from North Greenville and being able to have fun while skiing,” said Kristina Rabon, junior early childhood education.