WV's ski and snowboard club hits the slopes

The newly formed West Valley Ski and Snowboard Club gives students the chance to get out of their environment, go up to the mountain and push their athletic skills (not to mention courage) with friends from their school.

Teachers Chelsy Stoufer and Anne Janc headed up the efforts to form the club, but said it was really all about the students.

"They've been very responsible and supportive, so for the most part it's them," Stoufer said. "We just push paper, and do the teacher thing."

The club made its first trip to Mt. Shasta on Saturday, Jan. 31. The founding teachers and club members said it was a success all around.

"I never ever would have thought it would have been that great of an experience," Stoufer said. "The other advisor, Anne, and I called each other the night after and we were just glowing. I was glowing all weekend. It was so fun," she said.

West Valley senior Travis Gerfen went snowboarding for the first time with the club. He's now signed up to go on the next trip Feb. 14.

"The experience was great. It was exciting because I'd never done it before," Gerfen said. "But you learn quick that if you keep with the sport you get better as you go on."

Gerfen said his favorite part of the day was going on his first run, "just the excitement and getting off the lift," he said.

Before exiting the first ski lift, Gerfen said his friend and fellow snowboarder Michael Thomsen warned him not to touch him.

"But we both grabbed each other, and we slid all the way down and fell over," Gerfen laughed.

Thomsen said he couldn't pick a favorite part of the trip. He said he enjoyed everything. He has only one disappointment about the snowboard club.

"I'm kind of disappointed that we only have it during my senior year. I wish we would have had it last year," he said.

He and senior Megan Hinote said they really appreciate their teachers efforts getting the ski and snowboard club off the ground.

"We tried to do it last year, but we couldn't find a teacher to help us," Hinote said.

Stoufer said the club makes it more convenient for many students (and their parents) to be able to enjoy the sport of skiing and snowboarding.

Both Stoufer and Janc take a truckload of students up to the mountain, as well as parents who are willing to help carpool. The students get a $10 group discount at the mountain as well.

"It's another way to get up to the mountain and go snowboarding more," said sophomore Seth Raehsler.

Some future ideas for the club include purchasing walkie-talkies and taking a trip to Tahoe.

But Stoufer's main goal for the club is to form an Alpine racing team.

"Basically we are trying to get to the point next year to where we can have an Alpine team, get racing jerseys, and do some fundraising to where we can get them into competitions," Stoufer said.

"We've got some riders that are overly capable to compete," she said.