Best Colleges for Skiing?

But if you have no friends and can't enjoy yourself, college will suck for you and you will do poorly in class.  If I couldn't ski, I would never be in a good mood and my grades would show that.  College is not all about partying and making friends, but enjoying yourself while keeping up with work will help you do a lot better in class.  Think about it, if you enjoy yourself outside of class, won't you be in a better mood and do better in class.  If you never get to do your favorite activities, then won't you always be in a bad mood and have lower motivation.

snoloco wrote

But if you have no friends and can't enjoy yourself, college will suck for you and you will do poorly in class.  If I couldn't ski, I would never be in a good mood and my grades would show that.  College is not all about partying and making friends, but enjoying yourself while keeping up with work will help you do a lot better in class.  Think about it, if you enjoy yourself outside of class, won't you be in a better mood and do better in class.  If you never get to do your favorite activities, then won't you always be in a bad mood and have lower motivation.

Cute.  First, if you can't make friends without this sport you have issues.  Colleges are essentially set up so you can easily make friends no matter what you are into.    

Second,  If you can't get through life without skiing you really need to take a second look at your life and seriously consider trying to get a job in the ski industry.  Go get a job running a lift and work your way up.  No point in wasting time and money in college if all you want to do is be at a mountain.  If you can't get through college without skiing all the time "because you won't be enjoying yourself" the real world is going to be a big wake up call.  This is a freakishly expensive sport if you want to do it with any regularity.  Take a look around the big ski areas you know.  How many jobs do you see there?  Ask your dad why you have not moved to Breck, Wilmington, North Creek, or Tahoe yet?  I'm sure he would love to live there but his job is in the tri-state.  That is life.  Better at least get your mind adjusted to that fact.  You won't have 50 day plus seasons your entire life.  You will be lucky if you get 10 in.  Travel, lodging, passes, food, and gear are all expensive and can really make skiing a true luxury.... unless of course you just want to cut to the chase run a lift or teach.  

warp daddy wrote

OK , you probably will NOT want to hear this , but ...

+1 WDaddy. However you do have to consider the financials.

But I do think that a kid who is focused on school and wants their recreation to be skiing can do it and there are a few schools which will make it happen, the key is to set those priorities right. Out of state costs at UVM are $48K/yr - a big BOHICA. I never hired or worked with anybody from UVM so I can't comment on the quality they turn out. Dartmouth at $65K/yr, you gotta be kidding me.

Go west - it's the only answer.

snoloco wrote

  It isn't all about the money.

um , it really is kiddo

Pow you need an avatar.

RPI is a lot of things, but it is NOT a ski school. (I'm an alum)

Harvey wrote

Pow you need an avatar.

Is that Snow Ridge ? Wow.

Coach, are you looking for a ski team or access to skiing?

Snowballs wrote

Harvey wrote

Pow you need an avatar.

Is that Snow Ridge ? Wow.

No, it's mountain creek.

Goreskimom's question is the right one: ski school or access?

Like Warp Daddy, I value education far over athletics for everyone other than those who are so talented they shouldn't be going the college route in the first place. Thus, I was thinking instead of good engineering schools with access to reasonably good skiing. (I never suggested that RPI is a skiing school; neither did I suggest that Cornell or Clarkson were skiing schools. I mean, of course RPI isn't a ski school. An R1 wannabe with a president problem, perhaps, but not a ski school. No disrespect, of course!) If one wants to be on a competitive ski team, the only real choices in the east are Dartmouth, Middlebury, and UVM. Only Dartmouth is known at all for engineering, and Thayer is kind of a strange, interdisciplinary school—the kind of school that might inspire the kind of disloyal, haughty engineer that, soon after arrival, immediately looks to escape PeeTex's cubicle farm.

Is the cost of higher education spiraling out of control? Definitely. Are there reasons one might want to go to a more expensive but great school out east instead of Just Past West East Jeesus State? Definitely. Not all engineering schools are equivalent. Anyone who pooh-poohs the value of an MIT education is just a neo-Luddite.

I'm 39 now, I did the hard core skiing thing for almost 20 years. I am over not having money. It pains me to agree with some of you but money does matter. By that I don't mean being obsessed with greed but finding comfort is key. I also agree with the idea of going into school to get a job that makes good money. Don't waste your time if you are going for an art degree. It's sad really but we are just aren't in a place right now for that. It could almost be seen as a decline of our society not valuing the arts as much as we have before and I agree with that but things are what they are.

Trust me, being 39 and going to school with a 7 year old daughter is not ideal.

Still, I don't regret almost all of it. It was my path and I had a shit ton of fun going with it.

But.......You only have one youth to enjoy and doing stuff that you aren't really into or feeling is a waste of time as well. Truth is in a way I'm really happy being a 39 year old college kid. Why get so serious when you are in your 20's? It's not that bad but I do have a kid I want to be able to take care of.

This will be the truest thing I will ever post and I'm going to caps lock this even tho I hate it when people do that. YOU WILL NEVER GET YOUR YOUNG YEARS BACK. YOU BETTER DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU  AND YOUR HEART DESIRES, BECAUSE THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCE. DON'T F THIS UP.

don't blow it but if I could do anything better looking back now it would be to try and balance the education better with the fun.

IMO raisingarizona has added a lot to the forum, and much of what he posted above rings true for me. Especially the part about being young.

When I was in high school I ran with four other guys.  After sophomore year in college three of them decided to take a year off and skibum at Steamboat. I'd never skied (neither had they) and wanted to go but my parents were 100% against it, indicating that I'd might on the hook for my tuition if I went.

My folks were hardcore into education (Phds both) and had done the engineering thing at MIT and RPI. My grandparents were high school educated immigrants who busted their butts to pay for it (there may have been some loans too).

They were sure that if I went to ski bum for a year I'd drop out and my life would be toast.

My buds skied at least 5 days a week and got really good. After the season they came back and went back to school and resumed their lives. One is a principal at a middle school, one is back getting a Phd at 57 after spending years in the restaurant business, one is building boats in Maine.  The fifth guy who also didn't go to Steamboat passed at young age.

I wasn't a kid who really went against his parents so it is what it is. But I can't help think I'd be a true expert skier if I'd started skiing at 20 vs 40.  Still, I love skiing as much as anyone, and oddly none of my old buddies really skied much after they got married. I do feel lucky that my dad took the job at Bell Labs in NJ vs the other option he was looking at in South Carolina.

snoloco wrote

But if you have no friends and can't enjoy yourself, college will suck for you and you will do poorly in class.  If I couldn't ski, I would never be in a good mood and my grades would show that.  College is not all about partying and making friends, but enjoying yourself while keeping up with work will help you do a lot better in class.  Think about it, if you enjoy yourself outside of class, won't you be in a better mood and do better in class.  If you never get to do your favorite activities, then won't you always be in a bad mood and have lower motivation.

How are you supposed to "party" in college since the drinking age is 21. Basically, until you're a senior you can't drink....but if we have a war that needs fighting....then you're old enough to kill people at 18. You can handle getting your leg blow off and watching children/civilians blown to pieces in collateral damage and watching your friends die in agony, but you can't have an adult beverage or go to a pub. 18,19,20 is way past age of childhood innocence and is clearly an adult. I've never seen such a stupid ineffective law.(and this is coming from someone who is a prohibitionist) Oh and why does EVERYONE feel the need to go to college? It used to be a ticket to the middle class. More people going devalues the degree. College should not be a requirement to make a living and be a contributing member to society.

Love the hypocrisy.
-----------------------------------------------------
I have no friends and enjoy myself. :) The only friend I need is snow

warp daddy wrote

OK , you probably will NOT want to hear this , but as a former college president and one who raised an ALL East 3 sport Division I athlete who today is a medical professional in NYC ......your sons future as an ENGINEER , if in fact that is where he ends up is The ONLY thing that really matters .

I couldn't disagree more with this assessment. But I wouldn't expect anything else from a former college president.

During my four years of college, I learned far more outside of the classroom than inside the classroom. Granted, I was a duel social sciences major, so it isn't like I was forming a base for a STEM career. But even those folks that are taking physical science courses and STEM oriented programs of study can still get as much out of their surroundings as their classroom studies.

But to the original post, why the focus on engineering? Why is that even being discussed in this thread? The kid is only 11, right? Let the kid develop and grow and choose his own path. Two years from now, he may go wild for the arts or teaching or social service or what not.

The "best college for skiing" cannot be asked within a vacuum. There are so many other factors... and it would all start with what the student is interested in, something that can't be answered at this point. Size of the institution? Groups and activities? City, small town, rural? Near the ocean or other bodies of water? Even with skiing... racing program? Outing club? Recreational club? Skiing on the weekends because of a heavy daily course load? Or immediate proximity needed for a half hour of skiing between classes. What about campus life? Interested in big D1 schools that have major game days? Or a quiet school that keeps a tight focus on academics and has tight policies against partying. Want to live on campus for all four years or want to have options for off campus living? How is the town/area around the campus?

When I chose a college, skiing was VERY important. I ended up at UMass Lowell (which has a good engineering program, lol) because I wanted to continue racing after high school, but I wasn't good enough for the better ski racing schools (not by a long shot). But I also was into music and wanted a school that offered music programs for non-majors. Turns out, I got really into their music program and never joined the ski team my freshman year. In fact, I went two years without doing ANY skiing (despite having picked that institution specifically for a ski program). Then my Junior year, I decided skiing was more important and made a change (one of many changes that were the result of changes in my environment and friends).

I picked the school because of skiing options but then I didn't ski for two years. You just never know... when we are young, we are having so many new experiences and learning so much about our preferences. Picking a school that has good skiing options is great but I wouldn't pick a school only based on that criteria along with the major. There is so much more to it. The kid could get to college and decide skiing is no longer interesting because something else sparked his interest.

Footer wrote

Hopefully your dad is OK paying for you to have an "enjoyable time" and does NOT check the box to accept students loans on your behalf.  The days of "finding oneself" in college is over... unless you want the cost of finding yourself to be 100k in the hole @ 4.6-6.8%.  College is not about making freinds, partying, and all of that stuff.  If you don't see college as a means to getting a job you should not go.  If you want to go to college to be near a ski area just forget college all together and run a lift at that area.

I just paid off my wife's and I's student loans 6 months ago.  We basically paid a second rent every month for 6 years straight to get that done.  I have friends that will never get out from under them.  

Hopefully your dad is also putting some cash into the kitty to allow you to go to school without loans.  If he does, great, enjoy yourself, if not... consider that full ride school w/ no skiing OR that lift shack.

I see your point, though I think it is a little overstated. Suggesting Sno should consider a full ride in Miami (as in his hypothetical) vs the place he wants to go and ski with loans is crazy. The guy wants to ski, that is important to him. He should incorporate skiing into his decision. And I can't think of a worse job for a skier than running a lift. Waiting tables at a nice restaurant in the evening would be the way to go, I think, if you wanted to do the ski bum thing.

Though the financials really do need to be considered, things truly have changed. I think it is getting close to the tipping point in which it may no longer be worthwhile for a lot of liberal arts social science types without direction to "find themselves" as you say, at college. When total education costs equals the value of a small house just outside the 'burbs... and worse, the monthly loan payments are not attainable for someone living on their own just after college even with a well paying job... one needs to consider immediate and near term vs long term pay off and value. A lot of trades pay very well. Employers that make hiring decisions are much more interested than experience than education (at least in non-STEM fields) and with hard work, commitment, and some smarts... you can work your way up a lot of places without a degree (though you'll probably eventually hit a no-degree ceiling).

But all that said, if someone is going to college, they might as well consider lifestyle choices and maximize their growth and learning and enjoyment outside of the classroom as well as inside the classroom. That financial decision is important, but enjoying your time at college is also important. If you are miserable, that is going to effect grades and learning and perhaps make the whole thing a waste of time and money.

riverc0il wrote

But all that said, if someone is going to college, they might as well consider lifestyle choices and maximize their growth and learning and enjoyment outside of the classroom as well as inside the classroom. That financial decision is important, but enjoying your time at college is also important. If you are miserable, that is going to effect grades and learning and perhaps make the whole thing a waste of time and money.

That is the reason why most universitys choose to build a new university center instead of academic buildings.  Having fun is important but not if it puts you into the poor house.  The student loan default rate is out of control.  Many universitys have eaten into their endowments.  What used to be paid for with grants and such is now being paid for with loans hidden as "financial aid packages".  There are a ton of factors that go into selecting a college... in my view the first should be what debt will be accrued followed by quality of education followed by "happiness factor".  I went to school in the middle of a soybean field in Illinois... we still had tons of fun.  I also still accrued a ton of debt that I just got out from under.  I graduated from school in '08 as the downturn started... let me tell you it was fun to have little job prospects and a massive loan to pay off.      

raisingarizona wrote

don't blow it but if I could do anything better looking back now it would be to try and balance the education better with the fun.

ding ding! winner winner chicken dinner

my son's a year older than snow - a junior. we're starting to look at schools, and sure  he want so ski but I'm stressing to him that education is first so he can live the life to afford the fun long term...

I think back to my college days and started out looking for schools where I could ski a lot. the fact of the matter was that a demanding architecture program wasn't going to afford a lot of days anyway and stepped it back to schools with strong ski clubs. the bottom line for me, and will be for my son - your gonna go where you get best the education for the least $!!! I may not have ski'd a ton of days in college but those trips out of philly are still some of my best ski memories...

Guys

I started thus thread as an effort to stop the tangent in the MC thread.  I said its really more to help Sno than my son at this point.

My son is only in 6th grade so we are 4 to 5 years from this being really relevant to me though I do find it an interesting discussion.  I have my BS from a state school to me the name on the degree that matters more is the masters.  I'm only guessing that Engineering will be his thing because he is good at math and likes technical things.  Personally I think that is a field the U.S. will always have job growth in as well.

He skis 100 days a year now and loves it so I doubt he would want to not ski in College.  By the time he has to make this decision we will know if skiing at the NCAA level or above is realistic or not.  If he is not skiing competitively I would not want him skiing more than once or twice a week.  I do think teaching skiing is a pretty decent college job.  It's also a good way for 20 something's to be able to afford to ski a lot.

Money is not everything but you need enough to be able to say that.  Balance in life is very important imo.

Wow, 100 days, that is more than I ever have gotten.  Hey Coach, when do you think your son is going to open an account on here.  I got mine when I was 14.

Coach Z wrote

 If he is not skiing competitively I would not want him skiing more than once or twice a week.

Yeah, if you can't be "competitive", why bother doing anything? WTF?

Maybe he wants to ski more because he likes skiing. Or maybe you should just let him figure things out for himself when he's in college.

I went to Colby College, which was a little over 1 hour from Sugarloaf. The school had a 4-1-4 schedule, which meant 4 classes in the spring, 4 in the fall, and one during January. So, 1 class, two days a week in January, I skied the other 5 days. You can make it work if you want.

I applied to Colorado College, UVM, Dartmouth, SLU, Middlebury. Didn't get into Dartmouth, waitlisted at Middlebury, so I chose Colby. No idea what I wanted to major in.

Maybe let your kid be a kid and figure it out for himself?