A community of chill

    Some students come to Southern California for surf and sunshine, but this winter, those shredders will move from the waves to the mountains.

    Junior business administration majors Bryce Miller and Corey Sammon founded the Snow Club on campus earlier this semester. The club's first trip was to Big Bear, Calif. Nov. 18.

    Members enjoy the athletic practice of skiing or snowboarding down the mountain or the reflective time of being alone in the wilderness. Miller said that the club is a valuable social experience and a unique community of students.

    "It's co-ed and guys and girls aren't intimidated by each other," Sammon said. "It's a good community, like one big family."

    The Snow Club is open to students of all skill levels, but Miller said he hopes the club will be eligible to compete in events in the Southern California Collegiate Snowsports Conference.

    Junior business administration major Lucas Fields said he loves snowboarding for the adrenaline rush, that comes with the feeling of accomplishment after landing a trick or the thrill of speeding down the hill. He said he also enjoys the sense of serenity in the mountains.

    "You can just get lost in the mountains," he said. "You don't have to worry about anything."

    Fields said he went up to the mountains 39 times last season, with friends or by himself.

    "Trips are always awesome," Fields said. "At the beginning of the weekend you can know one person, but you're best buds with everyone by the end."

    Snowboarders have their own language, he said, including the terms pow-pow for powder, shred the gnar for snowboarding in difficult terrain, goofy for riders who place their right foot at the front of the board and bloody butt to describe the experience of first-time snowboarders.

    "Don't judge it by your first day," Fields said. "Everyone falls a bunch, so don't get discouraged. The more you go, the better you get."

    Carve, the original ski and snowboard club on campus, specializes in local, one-day trips. The Snow Club is planning overnight trips to more expensive resorts, such as Lake Tahoe and Mammoth. The resorts offer discounted tickets to large groups, providing a more affordable alternative for students on a tight budget.

    For the Snow Club, members do not pay dues, but must pay to go on trips. A college student season pass to Mammoth Mountain costs $300 and a one-day ticket to Mountain High costs $28 with the group rate, junior Austin Huffman said.

    Madeline Raynolds, president of Carve, said she is not worried about losing members to the new club because the two have different goals.

    "I wouldn't be able to stay overnight anywhere because I have a job and I have to budget and I'm too busy to go on weekend trips," Raynolds said.

    Freshman undeclared major Jenn Main has been snowboarding for 10 years.

    "If I can snowboard at all, I'm happy," Main said. "If it's just for a day, that's fine, but if it's for the whole weekend, that's even better."

    The Snow Club hosted a screening of the extreme snowboarding film "The Art of FLIGHT" Nov. 18 in Irvine Lecture Hall, the first screening of the film on a college campus.

    "It was infectious," said freshman film production major Carly Lambert. "It made me really want to go snowboarding."

    Lambert said she has never been skiing or snowboarding before, but is excited to try it out after watching the film and learning more about the Snow Club.

    Miller and Sammon went to a screening of the film in Newport Beach Nov. 5. The film stars Travis Rice, named by sportswriters and peers as the best  snowboarder in the world.

    "You learn a lot about yourself, putting yourself in uncomfortable situations," Rice said. "Putting yourself out there and learning a new sport, something like snowboarding, is great for you."

Check out Katie Metzger's Q&A with Travis Rice at the link below.

http://www.thepantheronline.com/a-e/q-a-with-travis-rice-1.2724851