mesa legend - FEATURES - Students trade in sand for snow during break

March 7 ,2006
FEATURES
Students trade in sand for snow during break

Sandra Altamirano
Mesa Legend

With Spring Break around the corner, many students are looking for places to go.
Many of Arizona’s local ski spots are closed this year but places like Big Bear, California, Telluride or Durango, Colorado are just a few places that are open with plenty of snow.
Big Bear and Snow Summit are just two of the mountains located in Big Bear, just north of San Bernardino, California about a five-hour drive from Phoenix.
Since Feb. 14 both mountains have seen about six to eight inches of snow. These are considered to be the best conditions of the season according to Big Bears official website. March is considered “peak” season so prices increase from the regular season. A whole day at the mountains costs $62 and a half day $50 for adults 22 years or older. For ages 13-21 a whole day costs $51 and a half day $40. There are also whole week passes starting at $349.
Big Bear is more then just a great place to ski or snowboard, it is a place to party. “Almost everyone from southern California and all over the west coast go to Big Bear for Spring Break. There is always blue skies, lots of girls, it’s just an overall huge party,” said Brandt Stone, a snowboarder and an employee at Ski Pro.
Most students can barely afford lift tickets or season passes so they lodge away from the mountain. “The resort at the mountain is too expensive so all my friends and me stay away in town to save money,” Stone said.
One place many students go to is “The Block” a local hotel owned by professional snowboarders. “Each room has a different ski/snowboarding brand theme to it, it is a really cool place to hang out and it isn’t too expensive,” Stone said.
For a more relaxed snow getaway, Telluride or Durango, Colorado would be a great place. “Telluride always has great snow and it’s very relaxing. It’s just a typical ski town,” said Miguel Carrazco, 23, a student at MCC.
Telluride and Durango are a bit more expensive, but they are less crowded. Lift tickets start at $64 for a half day and $76 for a full day. There are college season passes that start at $599.
So no matter if it is a laid back or party filled Spring Break, there are many ski and snowboarding mountains to go to right outside Arizona that could be fun.
Spring Break memories:

Kelsi Wieler, 18 “Last year my friend and I went to Mammoth Lakes in California to snowboard. We took a lift all the way up at a huge mountain and by the time we were at the top ready to board down, my friend got scared. We stayed up there forever until we spotted a cute guy who was nice enough to help her down. We were so embarrassed!”

David Giorge, 19 “Last year my friends and I went camping in Payson during Spring Break. The first night we were there, it got really cold and we were all miserable. All eight of us ended up sleeping in one tent so we could use each other’s body heat. The next morning finally came around and we noticed that all of our food and water were frozen solid. All we had left to eat were s’mores which we lived on for the rest of our trip which lasted only two days!”

Sean Miller, 19 “During my junior year in high school, my rugby team and I traveled to Ireland. At one point in the trip we took a tour around a stallions stud farm. We actually were able to see a video of them mating. That was quite interesting. We also toured a beer factory, visited many Irish pubs and ate fish and chips. Overall, I had a great time in Ireland!”

Courtesy of Applevacations.com

Courtesy of Vacations California

Stuck at home during Spring Break?
Top 10 things to do:

1. Have a Monopoly tournament – this can apply to many different board games.

2. Take up a new hobby – flower arranging, knitting, bread making, scrap booking, the list is of course endless!

3. Rearrange the furniture in a room in your house – or maybe all of them.

4. Eat pancakes for dinner and ice cream for breakfast.

5. Revamp your myspace – stop saying that you do not have one. By the end of Spring Break, you will have the coolest page and the most interesting blogs!

6. Spring Cleaning - enough said.

7. Create your own music video – the possibilities are endless, and you can involve your friends!

8. Relax and treat yourself to something – be nice to yourself, you’ve had a tough semester.

9. Movie night – only on this movie night, watch only movies that have sequels, and watch them all in a row. Examples: All the Batman, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings movies.

10. Change your voicemail greeting on your cell phone and/or home number – remember, get creative!

Kelsi Wieler, 18	“Last year my friend and I went to Mammoth Lakes in California to snowboard. We took a lift all the way up at a huge mountain and by the time we were at the top ready to board down, my friend got scared. We stayed up there forever until we spotted a cute guy who was nice enough to help her down. We were so embarrassed!”
David Giorge, 19	“Last year my friends and I went camping in Payson during Spring Break. The first night we were there, it got really cold and we were all miserable. All eight of us ended up sleeping in one tent so we could use each other’s body heat. The next morning finally came around and we noticed that all of our food and water were frozen solid. All we had left to eat were s’mores which we lived on for the rest of our trip which lasted only two days!”
Sean Miller, 19	“During my junior year in high school, my rugby team and I traveled to Ireland. At one point in the trip we took a tour around a stallions stud farm. We actually were able to see a video of them mating. That was quite interesting. We also toured a beer factory, visited many Irish pubs and ate fish and chips. Overall, I had a great time in Ireland!”