Ski and snowboard club looking for more members
Zach Schaeffer (Sophomore, Nursing), Tim Vickrey (Sophomore Accounting), Jason Pepe (Pharmacy, P2), Ben Amaya (Pre-Pharmacy, Freshman), Nick D’Andrea (Pharmacy, P2), Zach Niemiec (Pharmacy, P3). Photo taken by bystander.
The ski and snowboard club went on a trip to Jay Peak Resort in Jay, Vt. from Jan. 2 through 7, and members are already planning to return next year.
“Vermont skiing is 10 times better than anything we have in Pennsylvania,” said Nicholas D’Andrea, P2 pharmacy major and co-treasurer. “The mountains there make Montage, Camelback and Jack Frost look like bumps. The conditions are consistently better due to the colder temperatures and snow accumulation.
“I’ll never forget standing at the peak of the mountain and looking directly into Canada. Overall, it was a really good experience that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
As of October 2021, the ski and snowboard club has been brought back as a recognized club of the university. The club organizes group ski and snowboarding trips at discounted rates for students on campus.
For next year, members of the ski and snowboard club will be starting off with a Krispy Kreme fundraiser and whatever money each member raises goes directly toward their trip. There are no fees to be a part of this club, members only have to pay for their lift tickets.
“The club is also very low-commitment,” said Richard Fabri, first-year accounting major, and co-vice president. “If you are a skier or snowboarder, joining this club is a must for the discounts alone. Even if you are just starting out, this is still a great club to be a part of.”
Students do not need to be a member of the ski and snowboard club in order to go on the trips. They can even receive discounted tickets from Montage Mountain by emailing Zach Niemiec, P3 pharmacy major and president, for the link.
There are 106 students signed up for the club. However, meeting attendance has only been a small fraction of the total number of members.
“I hope to see a bump in meeting attendance as we delve into local trips,” said Niemiec. “Considering we got started up as a club so late, being officially recognized at the tail end of October, organizing Jay Peak was rather last minute. We had nine members attend the Jay Peak trip and hope to have many more on future trips.”
Anyone interested in signing up for the ski and snowboard club can email Niemiec directly at [email protected] or visit @wilkesu_ski on Instagram to sign up.