When the slopes beckon and skis sit abandoned in a corner, Bluewood Ski Resort is an excellent place to be, and the new Whitman ski bus is the perfect way to get there.

This winter, the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) are sponsoring a ski bus to Bluewood, the first time such a service has been offered.   The ski bus now runs every Saturday until Feb 28.

“Last year I would always see fellow Whitman students up at Bluewood on the weekends, and I would often hear about epic powder days when I couldn’t make it up to the mountain,” said sophomore ASWC senator Carson Burns.   “This year, as ASWC senators, Mike Scigliano and I thought we could provide a great service to Whitman students by creating an ASWC-funded Ski Bus.

The service is made possible by the ASWC Student Development fund, which is set in place specifically for student initiatives.

The bus has space for only 12 students, and spots are filling up quickly. Students can sign up for a space in the Outdoor Program rental shop. There is a waitlist option, so even if all students do not show up, the bus will still be taken full advantage of by those on the waitlist.

“We would love to make the ski bus available for more students. It’s all about balancing supply and demand really, so if more and more students continue to sign up, then ASWC would love to fund more buses to go up to Bluewood. This is our first time trying it, so we are essentially feeling it out as we go,” said Burns.

“This is a great service being offered by ASWC to Whitties, and I hope it gets taken advantage of to the fullest extent, meaning people will actually show up when they sign up,” said Lish Riley, OP rental shop manager.

“This is a great way to get Whitties out on the slopes and save fuel by carpooling. I know I wouldn’t be going skiing this weekend if it weren’t for the bus even though I have my own car,” said sophomore Anastasia Andreas.

Getting the wheels on the bus to go…

The bus traveling up to Bluewood for the first time last weekend had difficulties starting, but Whitman students were still optimistic about the experience.

“The bus wouldn’t start, so we got stuck at Bluewood, and then Dayton, for a long time. That sucked. I had to buy a deck of cards and bad coffee to pass the time, the bus is still a good idea,” said sophomore Bridger Root.

“Last weekend the bus broke down up at Bluewood, so the Physical Plant had to send another bus to pick up the stranded Whitties. But hey, how can we plan for that?

Despite that inconvenience and any unforeseeable disasters in the future, I’d like to say the ski bus should continue to be a success,” said Burns.