HOW TO JOIN
Joining is easy - members become official after paying team dues and signing a few waivers for our school and our conference. Registration occurs once a year in person during the fall semester in late September.
Registration for the current season is closed!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us by email at ryly@wharton.upenn.edu.
ABOUT US
We are a club team of undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania who love to ski, snowboard, and have a blast on the slopes! If you enjoy being on the mountain, you'll love being a part of our group.
While there's a lot of team interaction regardless of the time of year, our season centers on five to six weekend trips typically beginning in early January and culminating in mid to late February (see the race schedule). We leave on Friday afternoons and return to Penn on Sunday evenings. Our weekends are spent racing and free skiing with other East coast schools at mountains in NY, NJ, and PA as a part of the USCSA Atlantic Highlands Conference.
As a competitive team we race and participate in slopestyle events with passion, but we do not require our team members to have prior racing experience. As long as you know how to ski or snowboard, you're good to go! That said, we require that each team member to give competing a shot at least once, and we consistently find that our new members have a lot of fun doing it.
If you have any questions, please check the FAQ below, send us an email, or reach out to one of our officers. Hope to find you where the snow is!
Recruitment for the 2023-24 season is CLOSED
Check back next year if you're still interested in joining!
I've never raced before. Can I be on the team?
Absolutely. Our team accepts all ability levels, provided that you have basic skiing or snowboarding experience and are able to navigate the mountain on your own. Most team members have little to no competitive race experience, while some are veterans from their high school team or USSA / FIS racing.
What does being on the team include?
Being a team member entitles you to attend all team events on campus for free and gives you access to all race weekend signups. Team dues also go towards USCSA NJ Conference dues and USCSA AHC Conference dues. On weekends you attend, the team covers:
Round trip transportation (gas and toll costs)
Lift tickets
Racer registration fees
Lodging for the weekend
Most importantly, being on the team means interacting with a welcoming group of like-minded but diverse students looking to share an amazing athletic and social experience.
Is this a big commitment?
The commitment level is entirely up to you! Some of our members are super committed and attend every weekend and event on campus. Others love to ski too, but only have time to come occasionally. You are not required to attend anything after joining the team.
How do we get to the mountain, and where do we stay?
Carpools, typically of 4-5 people, leave from campus on Friday afternoons (evening if necessary) for the mountain. Details are sent out beforehand, and then cars leave at various times to accommodate team members' schedules. Some students drive their own cars, while others drive rental vans after completing the University driving safety course.
After arrival, the team stays together at a hotel or motel near the mountain on Friday and Saturday nights.
Cars leave directly from the mountain on Sunday afternoons to return to Penn as soon as possible, typically arriving in the early evening.
Can snowboarders race?
Yes. Snowboarders may race in giant slalom (GS) or compete in slopestyle based on their preference, against other snowboarders in both cases. Only skiers compete in slalom races (SL).
Where does the team go to ski and ride?
In 2023, we will be skiing and riding at:
NWAC/Mountain Creek, NJ
Blue Mountain, PA
Windham Mountain, NY
Belleayre Ski Center, NY
Camelback Mountain, PA
Regionals: Wintergreen Resort, VA
Nationals: Lake Placid, NY
See our competition schedule for more details.
What other schools do you compete against?
The other schools in the USCSA Atlantic Highlands Conference are:
Columbia University
Drexel University
Fairfield University
Kean University
La Salle University
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Moravian College
Princeton University
Rutgers University
Stevens Institute of Technology
United States Military Academy
Is there team gear?
At various times throughout the year, team members may receive an order form via the listserv for team items ranging from tank tops to hats to jackets, usually at a very discounted price. We encourage you to order some swag and represent your team on and off campus!
Are there any other team policies I should know about?
Being a dues-paying member of the team entitles you to attend all team events on campus (team socials, extreme skiing movie screenings, etc.) for free. However, race weekend signups and other off campus events are limited to a certain number of people based on capacity (usually around 30 for weekends), and as a result there is a possibility of being waitlisted. If you are unable to attend a weekend due to overcapacity, you will be given priority on the next weekend for which you sign up. In reality, team members seldom are waitlisted or unable to come on a weekend.
Once paid, team dues are not refundable.
The team does not supply skiing equipment, but we are happy to inform you about the best rental options if you don't own ski gear.