Dalton students hit the slopes, have fun in Ski Club

Some people hate the snow and cold weather. But the Dalton Ski Club embraces it.

This winter hasn’t been great for the club’s weekly trip on Tuesday nights to Snow Trails, as they’ve only been able to go two out of the last five weeks due to warmer temperatures and rain.

The Dalton Ski Club is for students in the district from fifth grade up to seniors. Currently, the club has around 50 members.

For about 15 years, Lisa Gwin, who teaches in the Southeast Local District, has been leading the club. Gwin started it when her boys, who attended Dalton, were interested in skiing and has continued to do it now that her kids are out of high school.

“It’s challenging because I used to have connections to kids, but now I just have to learn who they are,” Gwin said. “The best part is always the kids — watching them do something they’re not sure they can do, then having them come back year after year and having that relationship with them. It’s just fun.”

Lane Barnhouse, a freshman at Dalton who has done Ski Club for several years, started snowboarding when he was about 8, going with his cousins.

“In sixth or seventh grade, my friends were talking about Ski Club, but I’d always just gone on my own,” he said. “So I talked to my parents, and we all decided that I could try it. And it’s awesome. I like the environment (of Ski Club) and the people I get to be with. I love hanging out with my friends and playing in the snow. I’ve just always had a good time.”

Snowboarding and skiing are the two options kids can get lessons for. Besides hills to go down, Alpine Park takes you through trees while Progression Park has railings, wooden platforms to vault over and other technical features.

Eli Mast, a fifth-grader who got lessons to ski the first time, decided to try snowboarding the second time he went with the club.

He said the most challenging part for boarding was the turning. After doing lessons, he switched back to skis for the rest of the night so he could have more fun.

“I like the jumps. I fell one or two times,” he said. “People should do Ski Club because it’s fun. Skiing in general is fun.”

Samantha Kerby, an eighth-grader at Dalton, signed up for Ski Club because her friend encouraged her to.

“I always thought Ski Club was (for boys) and it wasn’t fun until I got the chance to step in and do it,” she said. “It was hard at first and kind of boring because I had to do lessons. But then when I did it today, I thought it was a blast. I had fun, even though I fell a lot. The people around me kept pushing me to do it, and I just like meeting new people and making new friends.”

Over Presidents Day weekend, Feb. 15-18, the Ski Club will once again have its annual trip offered to Peek’n Peak Resort in Clymer, New York.

Last year was Sammi Lehman’s first time going to Peek’n Peak. “It’s just so big. There’s so many things you can explore, and it’s really an adventure, something that I would definitely go back to,” she said.

Julia Tressell, another eighth-grader, also is trying Ski Club for the first time this year and now has two weeks under her belt.

“To be honest with you, when I first started, it was really hard for me to walk in skis,” she said. “I was so happy because this was my second time skiing and the instructor that was helping me down was so good and so sweet. I was going down, and she said, ‘OK, turn,’ because I started going really fast, but I got a hold of myself, and she was like, ‘Julia, look up.’ I looked up, and she said, ‘Look, I’m not holding you. You’re doing it by yourself.’ And I was like, ‘No way. That’s crazy.’”

Gwin said Ski Club used to go to Boston Mills, but a few years ago, a much bigger company bought them and everything changed. When a lady quit at Boston Mills that had been in charge of school clubs for years, there was a disconnect there, so Gwin switched to Snow Trails.

“The kids had always been pushing to go to Snow Trails. I’m glad that we switched because I think the kids are happier,” Gwin said. “They like the trees at Snow Trails. It’s like a mini-version of Peek’n Peak.”

Gwin compared skiing to other school sports and said it’s a lifelong sport for kids to learn. Community members help chaperone the club and get some time on the slopes themselves.

“It’s just awesome,” Barnhouse said. “The people who run it are awesome. It’s a great environment, great people. It’s just a great community that all comes together to have fun.”

“It’s a good thing to try out,” Lehman said, “because you’re gonna end up loving it.”