With ski season in full swing, Whitman will continue to offer free bus trips to Bluewood Ski Resort every Saturday morning throughout the month of February. So many students signed up for multiple trips last year that the Outdoor Program, which helps coordinate seating, decided to offer sign-ups on a per-trip basis.
The bus service, which is entirely funded by ASWC, was inaugurated in 2009 by junior Carson Burns after he discovered that many Whitties were unable to pursue their interest in skiing and snowboarding because they had no transportation to local ski areas.
“When I came to Whitman I was shocked to hear that a place like Whitman didn’t have a ski bus, especially since so many Whitties I knew skied. So when I was elected as a sophomore Senator, I took charge with Mike Scigliano in starting up and coordinating the ski bus program.”
“Spring semester 2009, the ski bus was a resounding success, and it was filled almost every time,” said Burns, adding that students were often too enthusiastic when scheduling their ski trips.
“Our only problem was that students who signed up a month in advance sometime wouldn’t show up. Last year, the OP helped minimize that issue by encouraging students to just show up in the morning to hop on the bus.”
Students can begin signing up for a spot on the bus, which seats 14 people, starting on the Monday of the preceding week before each Saturday’s departure. The bus begins its one-hour journey to Bluewood at 9 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m.
Senior Allie Rood, who co-heads the Whitman Backcountry Ski Club, drove the ski bus on Jan. 30 and hopes the college will sponsor more events at the Dayton, Wash. ski resort in the future. She commented that the resort offers slopes for skiers and snowboarders of all skills levels.
“Bluewood is an amazing mountain to learn how to ski [on].” Rood said. “I myself switched over to Telemark skiing last year and had a great time with the transition. It is a small and intimate ski area. There are never lines and there is plenty of opportunity to get better fast.”
Rood noted that the Jan. 30 bus was mostly attended by first-years, and hopes upperclassmen will take advantage of the service as well. She stresses it is not necessary that students sign up in groups, as it is usually easy to find someone else on the trip who shares the same interests.
“There was a girl in the bus who was getting some extra practice in for her Telemark ski class; there were people on the bus from Colorado and people who were renting equipment from the rental shop at the mountain,” Rood said. “There were groups of friends and others who were alone. Someone mentioned, ‘Are there always that many Whitman kids at the mountain?’ and I said, ‘Yes. There is a great community of Whitman kids up there that even if you are alone, you will be sure to find someone to ski with once there.'”
If students are unable to ski on Saturdays, Rood added, e-mailing the listserv is a good way to team up with people carpooling to the mountain on other days of the week.
Burns hopes the ski bus will continue to operate after he graduates, and plans to pass on his management duties to another Senator. Though many skiers have cut back on ski trips due to the poor economy, Burns hopes the ski bus will make it possible for Whitman students to continue skiing.
“I understand the poor economy might deter some potential new skiers from hitting the slopes this winter, but I hope the ski bus might just be their answer,” Burns said. “They could save money by borrowing a friend’s skis, hopping on the free ski bus, and just paying the student ski ticket price. They’d have to remember their Whitman ID!”
“I haven’t ridden it before, but I think it is a great idea and I definitely plan on using it this semester!” said senior Allison Armstrong. “It’s so nice that students without cars have a way to get to the mountain.”
