The ski club is a renowned club at Haldane, both due to its vast membership and long history. Ski club coordinator, Steve Graff, has held this position for 49 years and is well known for his curation and success.
This year, from Febuary 19 to 21, the club lodged in the Baymont, a hotel nestled off the highway in Queensbury, New York. After two years solely at Gore Mountain, the ski club managed to receive a grant from New York State, which funded a trip up to Whiteface Mountain for a day, in addition to Gore.
Ski trip travellers spent a decent amount of time on the bus, and the combination of waking up early, extensive exercise, and 3 days surrounded by high school students made for a very sleepy bus environment. Grabbing seats and putting away gear was pure chaos, but once they got on the highway, everything turned to a soft hum.
Gore Mountain has the feel of a Western resort, with its lifts expanding across multiple peaks, offering the skier a variety of terrain. Haldane students dispersed across the mountain. Over the course of the day, students found their ski groups, whether lapping the park or sessioning the summit lifts. The cold temperatures mixed with the sunny bluebird skies gifted students crisp snow, which was a solid break from the icy conditions skiers are accustomed to out east.
Once Ski club students arrived at the Baymont after skiing, they filled the place with Haldane charm: from card games to swimming, the halls of the hotel resonated with a steady chatter.
This year, the Baymont was livened up by a fun post-slopes clothes-layering competition. In past years, non-skiing fun has included horse race betting or bingo, but this year Graff promised a surprise. Students were given fifteen minutes to return to their assigned rooms and dress one person from a group in as many layers as possible. The group with the most layers would win.
Students pushed and shoved, eager to get to their rooms and destroy their neatly packed bags. After some time, each group emerged, escorting a particularly bulkily dressed teenager. They returned to the main room, and the chaperones judged the “delayering.”
In the end, sophomore Nadine Alayon’s room and junior Diego DiGiglio’s room were the last two standing. After some debate and protest, ultimately, Alayon’s room, with over 35 layers, received the prize: a SKI3 “Dabbing Unicorn” pin.
On the second day of the trip, ski club students headed up to Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, New York. The bus ride was wonderfully scenic, with great weather. Whiteface is famous for hosting the 1980 Winter Olympics, for its huge vertical drop, its backcountry terrain called “The Slides,” and its sheer beauty.
Ski club members pushed themselves at Whiteface, trying many new things, from skiing harder trails to landing tricks in the terrain park. The snow was perfect, allowing for this progression.
Back at the Baymont, the night ended quite early. The mix of early wake-up and two consecutive days of skiing provided for an easy curfew.
The last day at Gore was calmer because of the higher winds and lower temperatures.
Students returned home on February 22 with tired eyes, sore legs, and happy hearts. The Haldane ski club would not be possible without the great support from Haldane staff, parents, and chaperones, and the club looks forward to many more trips dedicated to the love for snow.
