Instead of heading up to Peek’n Peak on Friday, Feb. 14, as usual for ski club, students from Prep and Villa boarded a bus for the annual trip to Vermont.
Unfortunately, the day we departed was the same day as a Prep-Mcdowell basketball game. A few people aboard the bus streamed the game, however, and everyone was able to watch the Ramblers win.
After more than 10 hours on the bus, cheers erupted as the bus pulled up to the hotel. Sleep was a welcome relief as everybody prepared for a fantastic day of skiing the next day.
The next day all the skiers and snowboarders headed to Stowe. At 4,395 feet to the summit and 485 acres of skiable terrain across 40 miles of trails, Stowe is much bigger than Peek’n Peak. Although the highest elevation that a lift goes up is 3,625 feet, it is possible to hike up to the summit.
The first day on the slopes was fantastic. Mid-20-degree temperatures and fresh powder are a skier’s dream, and those were exactly the conditions on Saturday. What looked to be a perfect weekend of skiing was cut short for sophomore Joe Spiegel, however, as he injured his shoulder early in the day.
When it came time to eat there was a wide variety of options, both on and off the slopes. The main lodge offered normal meals, like hamburgers, fries, onion rings, and mac and cheese. If taking off the skiing gear was too much of a hassle, there was a waffle cabin right on the trail that cooked up fresh waffles with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar.
Sunday was a lot colder than Saturday. The temperatures dropped down to near single digits, but that didn’t stop anybody from enjoying the slopes. Despite the frigid temperatures, some of the seniors undertook the mighty task of hiking up to the summit.
Eventually, though, the fun came to an end as all the Prep and Villa students headed back to the bus. The ride back to Erie was long, especially after a day of skiing, but nearly everybody slept for most of the ride back. We finally pilled back into Prep at around three in the morning on Monday. Luckily, there was no school that day.
Whether it is the double-black diamond runs, the fresh powder, the trails through the woods, the awesome terrain park, or just the great skiing, there is no doubt everybody on the Vermont trip this year had a blast!
Check out the photo gallery below: