During the extended President’s Day weekend, a group of 15 Jr. Bills from SLUH’s Outdoor Adventure Club embarked on their annual voyage to the Rocky Mountains. Being able to go gliding down the slopes of Vail, Keystone, and Breckinridge in a full “Tour de Colorado,'' the boys had an eventful, and exhausting, three and a half days at altitudes that sometimes reached 10,000 feet high. Navigating icy slopes and plane difficulties, this motley crew of skiers and snowboarders was led by history teacher Bob O’Connell, ASC volunteer Chris Stahl, and PE teacher Patrick Zarrick, the faculty leader of SLUH OAC. 

The group's journey kicked off early Friday morning when they boarded a Southwest Airlines flight from Saint Louis to Denver. There, the group split accordingly into three vans and headed straight to Keystone to hit the slopes to make the most of their time together. After obtaining their gear and setting it down in their two condos, the Jr. Bills spent the rest of the afternoon and evening skiing under the mountain lights, something that sets Keystone apart from the other ski resorts in the state. Blessed with short lift lines, the boys were able to enjoy multiple rides at altitudes unknown to many St. Louisans. 

“The runs weren’t too icy and you could see the snow powder in the trees along the run,” said senior Flynn O’Connell. “It was a different experience skiing in the dark; the shadows made it a lot harder to judge the snow, so it would have probably been a bit easier, and more beautiful, to ski during the day.”

One worry that Zarrick had before taking off for Colorado was the sheer change in elevation that the group would experience after leaving from St. Louis. Most travelers to the Centennial State experience symptoms of altitude sickness after difficulty acclimating to the change in elevation. Zarrick feared that the SLUH students would be no exception. 

“It was definitely one of my biggest concerns going into the trip,” said Zarrick. “A rapid rise from basically 600 feet in St. Louis to 10,000 up on the mountains can cause some issues. Surprisingly, the guys did a good job hydrating before the trip and we didn’t have any major issues.”

The following morning, the caravan departed west from their condo headquarters in Keystone for an hour-long road trip to the nationally famous slopes at Vail. Though dressed for the bone-chilling Colorado winter, the students found themselves unzipping their coats and taking off some layers as the temperature at the summit reached almost 50 degrees. These surprising temperatures, combined with short lift lines once again, created an enjoyable day in Vail for the group. 

“The temperatures were in the high forties when we got there,” said senior Nico Schmidt. “Even though I had a rough time skiing with some of the more advanced skiers in the group, the weather definitely made up for it.”

After their experience at Vail, the boys once again packed into the vans Sunday morning and headed out to Breckridge, a 20-minute drive from their condos in Keystone. There, they put on their ski boots only to be met with the cold Colorado wind hitting their face and new crowds of skiers and snowboarders that they, up to that point, had not had to experience yet.

“It was a holiday weekend, so it was generally expected to be crowded,” said Zarrick. “We thought there would be big crowds at all the resorts, but they were quieter than expected. At Breckenridge, however, I’d say we had to wait 15 to 20 minutes to get up onto the mountain from the lift at ground level.”

Despite dealing with some flight cancellations Sunday night due to inclement weather conditions, the group was able to enjoy their last day in Colorado on the slopes at Keystone near their condos. After saying goodbye to the heights of the rolling Rocky Mountains, the boys were forced to stay grounded in the Denver airport as their flights were late coming in. Losing some luggage along the way, the group finally made it home at around 1a.m. Monday was definitely the longest day for the company. 

“I was extremely exhausted from skiing all weekend; my legs were sore and that, mixed with all the rushing around, left me very jet lagged and tired,” said senior John West. “I was just ready to sleep in my own bed.”

Throughout the expedition, the snow Bills were forced to come out of their comfort zones to face the daunting slopes of Colorado. Several members of the group, including senior Tad Gray, were new to skiing and were baptized by fire out on the rides. After taking some lessons, and some falls, he and the other new skiers were confident in going down black diamonds with the rest of the conditioned skiers. 

“I had no clue what I was doing that first Friday night,” said Gray. “So I found myself plowing my face into the snow a lot. But I feel like it helped me learn what it was like to fall when I took lessons the next day.”

A proper ski trip could not go without some failures and wipeouts out on the rides. O’Connell, a new skier who was performing flawlessly throughout the weekend, injured his shoulder when he fell on the last day of the expedition.  Zarrick, however, attained his injury not on the slopes but rather in the group’s seemingly safe condo when he jammed his big toe on a rogue ski boot. 

“I also dinged up my right shoulder, but I was distracted by my toe pain from my shoulder pain, so it all worked out in the end,” said Zarrick. 

All in all, the OAC ski trip succeeded in achieving the original goal of the club: getting SLUH students to go outside and smell the roses, or, in this case, shred the pow together. Through the literal low and high points of the weekend, this special group of Jr. Bills were able to grow a closer bond with their fellow classmates and faculty members on a trip that bore some scars that will force them never to forget it. 

“So many of us spend so much time in front of screens and it makes us get disconnected from the outdoors and nature,” said Zarrick. “Taking part in these experiences gives the students an opportunity to do an athletic and recreational endeavor in just some gorgeous scenery with a group of friends and classmates.” 

The SLUH Outdoor Adventure Club will be doing some local outings during the spring, but is planning to go on another hiking and camping trip this summer. Keep a lookout in your inbox for more information in weeks to come.