Royal Purple

Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Submitted photo Jennifer Wampole, Stephanie Wampole, Allie Soetenga, Ben Zusan, Kyle Whitlow, Emily Dunne, Kyle Leix, and Matt Ingram?(back row) are on top of Telluride Mountain's Sea Forever, which is 12,255 ft. above sea level.

Sixty-four students from UW-Whitewater's ski club traveled to Telluride, Colo., over the winter break for a week full of events.

The club goes out to a different location every winter, and the group chose to enjoy the cold season in Telluride from Jan. 5-13 for a skiing, snowboarding and socializing event with students from other schools.

"We travel to a different place in the West each year," said Emily Dunne, the club's former president. "We went to Telluride this year, and it was a fun, social experience. There's more than a thousand college students out there, and we all ski or snowboard."

Students from other schools who came out to ski in Colorado included UW-Milwaukee, UW-Stevens Point, UW-La Crosse, and Marquette University, as well as several colleges from Texas, Indiana and Iowa.

"The entire trip was great," said ski club President Brian Dillon. "There was a lot of snow and over a 30-hour bus drive, which is frustrating. But every year, we have no complaints. The club's trips get better each year."

Dillon said that UW-Whitewater, being one of the smaller schools at the event, had the advantage over other schools there. Since they didn't have as many students as the bigger universities, the club stayed in a resort on the mountain.

"We had a spa, a nice kitchen, a lot more things that larger Division I schools didn't have during their stay," Dillon said.

Other activities included hockey, spa treatment, indoor swimming, mountain riding, daily happy hours, ski lessons, sponsor giveaways and live music performances from the Ying Yang Twins and other artists.

"The Ying Yang Twins was a big thing," Dunne said. "There's always a big name at these events, and there's always something to do. Last year they had Bubba Sparxxx, and Nappy Roots another year."

The ski club finds a location to travel to each year with the help of a company called Lifestylez, which focuses on youth, music, culture and physical stimulation.

Lifestylez, formed to, "satisfy the need to live life to its fullest," provided discounts on activities and equipment for the ski club in Telluride, as well as its stay at Telluride Mountain Side Inn Hotel.

According to the Lifestylez Web site, the mountains in Telluride receive 30 inches of annual snow fall, and its tallest run, the Palmyra Peak, stands at 13,320 feet.

Although the trip's price was $599 per person, there is no price for joining UW-Whitewater's ski program. Students can join by attending the annual Student Organizational Fair, or by contacting Dillon.

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