Prepare for winter sport season with USU Snow Club
With the ski and snowboard season about to begin, the USU Snow Club’s goal is to create a community for students to enjoy the season together.
The origin of the club goes back to the 1970s when its focus was on ski racing. After changing over the years to become more recreational and taking a hit from the coronavirus pandemic, the club is back on its feet.
Davis Sineath, senior studying biological engineering, is the club president. Originally from North Carolina, Utah’s outdoor scene is what drew him to USU.
“On the East Coast, there’s not much skiing,” Sineath said. “I knew how to ski, but I moved here and actually started skiing.”
Through connections in the outdoor industry, the club makes snow sports more accessible to students.
“We try to make the passes cheaper, make gear more accessible and provide an outlet for students to swap gear out to make the cost of entry into the sport a lot lower,” Sineath said.
Club members get a discount on the Beaver Mountain student season pass and get access to the discounted rate throughout the season. The club also provides raffles and discount codes for gear.
Sineath said they are specifically working on ways to provide options for first-timers.
“This year, we’re trying to find funding to start a program that would let complete beginners go up and try everything out for free,” Sineath said. “That way, they get into it without having to pay $200 just to try it.”
Caleb Bradbury, sophomore majoring in outdoor product design and development, does marketing and content creation for the club. He became a member after stopping by their booth at Day on the Quad his freshman year.
“I love snow, and I love that culture and wanted to be involved,” Bradbury said.
Providing a community that students can be involved in is a main focus of the club.
“We try to connect people because it’s always easier to be outside when you have friends to go outside with,” Sineath said. “That’s one of the really big emphases we have.”
Through the club, students can join group chats to arrange carpools and find other people to head up to the mountain.
“Before I joined the Snow Club, I didn’t really have any friends that skied,” Sineath said. “Now, I go skiing, and every other person I see, I know. And that’s pretty cool.”
In addition to skiing and boarding together, the club hosts barbecues at Beaver Mountain as well as other events like a wax night scheduled for Dec. 6.
“You can come to the Directive workshop, and we do a demo of how to wax your own gear, maintain it and get it ready for the season,” Bradbury said.
Sineath said while being a member provides advantages, everyone is encouraged to show up and have a good time regardless.
“You don’t have to be a member to hang out,” Sineath said.
Any student that is interested in skiing or snowboarding with the group can expect a welcoming atmosphere.
“The culture is really accepting and fun,” Bradbury said. “There’s no expectations or judgment on your skill level or where you’re from or if you’ve ever skied or snowboarded before. Everybody’s happy and having a good time, and it’s just fun to be around that kind of environment.”
Students interested in the club can go to ususnowclub.com or find them on Instagram @ususnowclub.