Ski team prepares for national event

In 1927, Princeton formed a ski team.

Today, that team has developed into the successful Princeton Ski and Snowboard Team, a group of snow-loving men and women who crave glittery white slopes and high speeds.

About eight male and eight female skiers and 10 female and 20 male snowboarders compete in league races throughout the season, which lasts from the first week in January until the middle of February. Post-season races last until mid-March. In addition, roughly twenty others join the team on its yearly training trip to Canada and in other activities held on campus.

The eight regular season league races take place a two-hour drive away, at Mountain Creek in Vernon, New Jersey. The ten schools participating in the New Jersey Conference include Columbia, Lafayette, Lehigh, Montclair State and Rutgers.

Regional competition takes place anywhere from Snowshoe, West Virginia, where Regionals were held last year, to upstate New York, where they recently took place on the 24th and 25th of this month. For Nationals last year, the women's team traveled all the way to Idaho. This year, they will head to Waterville Valley in New Hampshire.

Skiers and snowboarders alike participate in two events: the Giant Slalom (GS) and the Slalom (SL). To train for these events, the team holds about three one-hour, dry-land practices a week, combining endurance and strength training, between fall break and Christmas. For the snowboard team, practices are optional, so the only real time commitment is Saturday and Sunday races throughout the season.

This year, both the men's and women's ski teams have done exceedingly well. The women placed first in their league, and the men placed fourth. Both teams qualified for Regionals, where they competed against other east-coast schools such as Syracuse, Cornell and Penn State. At Regionals, the women won the Slalom and came in second overall in the Giant Slalom and Slalom combined, qualifying them for the National competition in two weeks.

Despite the fact that — as this season's results indicate — the Ski and Snowboard Team is composed of some very talented racers, its members are not involved based on skill alone. The one requirement to join the team is a passion for the sport.

"I really believe that Princeton can field an excellent snowboarding team," senior snowboarder Sam Ault said. "I know there are a bunch of snowboarders on campus, male and female, and I hope that next year they look into racing. I'm kicking myself for not starting sooner – it was a blast, and snowboarding has become my new passion."

"Anyone can race," senior Sarah Apgar, captain of the women's ski team, said. "Even if you haven't before. There's a JV-type league to accommodate everyone. It's tons of fun."

The team's yearly training trip over Intersession, open to all Princeton students whether or not they decide to join the competition, is especially popular. A record 57 skiers traveled to Mont St. Anne, Canada last year, where they not only received excellent coaching and free skiing but also the chance to enjoy the village atmosphere of the small Canadian community that was their home for a week. In 2002, the team travelled to Mont Tremblant, also in Canada.

To senior Sam Ault, who is one of the five snowboarders on Princeton's year-old snowboarding squad, improvement is what the team is all about. Ault placed 10th out of 20 male boarders in his first Giant Slalom race. By the end of the season, he finished second in both the Slalom and Giant Slalom events.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"I hope the word gets out, especially to freshmen and sophomore snowboarders who will have an excellent opportunity to gain experience and training," Ault said.