BAILEY LANGBO
STAFF WRITER
Students of Alma College will have the opportunity to travel to Caberfae Peaks on Friday, Feb. 15, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Caberfae Peaks is a prominent golf and ski resort located in Cadillac, Michigan.
The ski trip is sponsored by Adventure Rec, an organization started in the Bruske basement back in 2014 by Garrett Thelen (’13), who aimed to give active students on campus options to explore both the area around Alma College and the state of Michigan.
Today, thanks to the efforts of President Jeff Abernathy and student congress, an Adventure Rec fund was created and allows students to rent things like bicycles, kayaks, canoes, tents, fishing poles, and ice skates.
The upcoming ski trip is open to any student that wants to go, regardless of past experience. “We want students to try new things or have experiences that they may not have had before,” says Trae Pitts, the assistant director of recreation and conferences.
Trips are currently chosen based on things that have happened in the past, but Pitts says, “Moving forward, I would like to do some new trips that have not been done before and would love to have student input on things or trips they think would be fun to do.”
Planning these trips isn’t always that easy.
“I plan the trips and try to market them through the campus calendar/ campus-wide emails. Facilities provides us with the transportation and because we only have a limited number of vans, this is where we usually run into speed bumps, due to athletics and other clubs requesting van use as well.”
Anyone who is interested in going on the trip can sign up at the front desk of the Rec Center.
While taking ski trips to most places can be expensive, this trip is more than fair. Ski and snowboard rentals are $9, and students are asked to bring their health insurance information in order to complete any necessary paperwork.
Adventure Rec will cover the cost of lift tickets and helmets, and transportation will be provided.
There will be a meeting closer to the date regarding more specific details, provided that there is enough student interest.
For any additional questions, concerns, or trip ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact the Assistant Director of Recreation and Conferences, Trae Pitts, at pittstk@alma.edu.
“I encourage people to ask questions and make suggestions for trips or ways we can spread the word about Adventure Rec. I think it’s a great way to get off campus and have unique experiences, so if there is anything I can do to make things happen for the students, I’m more than willing to do so.”
Pitts can also be reached through his office hours at the Stone Recreation Center, which are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays.
