As the heart of ski season approaches, many Coginchaug students bundle up to take on the tundras of the Northeast. Every Tuesday, Coginchaug health teacher Mr. Robert Bajoros takes the CRHS Alpine Club to the local mountain that just reopened its doors last year. The students are at Powder Ridge from 3-7 p.m. and are free to go wherever they please. Also, the club has an annual trip to Mount Snow Jan. 18, for which the students wake up early and ride up to Vermont. There they ski all day and come back home in the evening.

“I have been running the club since 2010,” Mr. Bajoros said. “There are currently around 50 members.”

This ski season has been a struggle up until recently when the temperatures dropped below freezing so that mountains in New England could make snow. This winter has been very rainy, and the problem with this is when it rains, the snow, the hard work at the mountains, and all of the money washes away. They have to start the snowmaking process all over and hope that it doesn’t rain again. Many skiers and snowboarders are praising this cold weather, while others are complaining about it.

“The long lines this season will be worth it,” senior Alpine Club member Brendan Murray stated. “There is nothing like the view at the top of the mountain.”

The ski season has about 2 months left, and the best conditions seem to be at Mount Snow. They currently have the best base (packed snow on the trails) with 18”-26” laid down.

While many people think that snowboarding is just a leisurely activity, it actually is a great workout. Many people do not know that snowboarding can actually burn up to 600 calories an hour. So for people that want to stay in shape, skiing or snowboarding is a worthwhile exercise.

The Coginchaug Alpine Club is looking to finish off the season with successful weekly trips to Powder Ridge.