The Snow Bowl hosted its third annual Middlebury College Student Ski Day on Friday, March 7, a new tradition designed to promote local snow sports. First held in 2023 as an opportunity to provide the student body with easy access to skiing and snowboarding, on Student Ski Day the Snow Bowl provides students with lift tickets, waiving the cost of a day pass so they can ski for free.
In addition to ticket-free skiing, this year’s lineup featured a live band and free Snow Bowl merchandise giveaways. Though the variable weather conditions led to relatively low overall turnout, those who did attend enjoyed the atmosphere.
Julia Roth ’25 was one of the participants in the day's events who felt a deep connection to the college’s ski mountain.
“The Snow Bowl is such a special place… I feel like you're always bound to see other students,” she said.
Snow Bowl General Manager Kim Essensa was pleased with the day, noting that its crossover with a ski patrol alumni event generated a great sense of community.
“It’s really special, you know, the alumni that you see come back here year after year,” she said in an interview with The Campus.
To Essensa, the Snow Bowl and the college share a notable link. “It’s a unique, tight-knit community… and its foundation is the college.”
As the sun set on the Green Mountains, live music kicked off in the lodge. Amid the backdrop of a roaring fire, a crowd huddled around the local guitarist and singer Bob Recupero, enjoying the ambience.
Community is at the heart of the Middlebury College Snowbowl. A close link between student life and the Snow Bowl is fostered by a number of activities; from J-Term ski lessons to Feb graduation and the Winter Carnival, the Snow Bowl provides a second home for some students. Essensa said she has seen this connection firsthand every winter.
“It’s really nice just to see how many students come up and ski all the time,” she said.
Roth shared a similar sentiment, expressing her gratitude for the mountain’s proximity to campus and offerings for students.
“I love that Middlebury has this infrastructure in place so that more students can access outdoor recreation during the winter,” Roth said.
While overall student turnout to the Snow Bowl that day was low, Essensa noted that this was mostly due to inclement weather. Undeterred, Essensa said that the Snow Bowl team is looking forward to how it can enhance next year’s festivities.
“I think what it really does is give you some ideas for next year on how to make it bigger and more fun,” Essensa said. As the Snow Bowl continues to develop its annual celebration of skiing in the coming years, Essensa said students can expect even more opportunities to gather, ski and share their love of winter sports.
