By Kelli Urry
In between hitting the books this winter, many students will be hitting the ski slopes.
Utah?s ski season has finally arrived with the help of winter storms over Thanksgiving break. Alta resort has a base depth of 42?? of snow and The Canyons has 49??. Eight of Utah?s 13 ski resorts are open, and the remaining five are scheduled to open in mid-December.
In anticipation of the season, some BYU students have been adjusting class schedules or saving money for ski passes.
Many serious skiers have already purchased season passes, which allow skiers and snowboarders access to a specific resort almost every day it is open.
One student skier, Chris Leavitt, a freshman from Seattle, Wash., bought a season pass at Sundance, and is planning to purchase another at either The Canyons or Snowbird.
Leavitt planned his Winter 2006 class schedule to leave him plenty of time on his skis. Leavitt?s first class doesn?t start until 2 p.m. and he?ll have ten credits. Leavitt expects to be skiing at least three to four times a week, leaving him little time to study.
Leavitt said he thinks BYU shouldn?t have classes on Friday so students can have more time for winter sports.
However, Leavitt knows he is still faced with the realities of student life.
?In all honesty, I have to do homework at some point,? Leavitt said.
Even though resorts offer discounts on season passes if they are purchased before the season starts, some resorts still have passes available to students at a slightly higher price.
Snowbird, Park City Mountain and The Canyons have season passes for college students under $500.
Resorts also offer day passes to skiers. Day passes present options to students with limited time looking for resort variety, or for those who are beginning skiers.
With 17.5 credits and a part-time job during winter semester, Marcus Anderson, an experienced skier from Salt Lake City, to buy several day passes over a season pass. He said he plans on skiing one day a week.
?I wanted the freedom of being able to ski where I wanted to on the day that I wanted to,? Anderson said. ?I know the benefit of being able to go to several resorts and not just being tied down to one.?
While Anderson has time planned to study he said he is willing to miss school for a good day on the mountain.
?The best thing to do is skip a class,? Anderson said. ?Instead of doing calculus you?re carving turns.?
Jobs, classes and a tight budget make it difficult for students to make it up to resorts during the day, so another option is night skiing.
Andria Bryan, a junior from Kaysville, said she plans on snowboarding after the sun goes down by getting night passes to Brighton resort.
Night skiing is popular with students because they don?t have to pay the full price of a day pass. Jane Boyle, a representative from Brighton said the majority of their night skiing crowd is students. The resort has the most extensive night skiing in Utah with 22 runs open in the evening. A night pass at Brighton is under $30 and lasts from 4-9 p.m.
For more information about Utah ski resorts and pass sales visit www.utah.com/ski/resorts/.
