This weekend, some students will travel south in search of winter.
Over 50 students purchased tickets for a Saturday trip to Mad River Mountain, a ski resort in Zanesfield, Ohio.
While tickets to travel on the University bus are sold out, Mad River Mountain is open to the public, meaning students who make the drive are welcome to attend as well.
University Activities Organization, the group responsible for campus events such as BG Gospel Fest and Red Carpet Premiers, is sponsoring the trip for the second straight year.
The first trip to the resort UAO hosted sold 115 tickets, filling two buses with students. But this year, only 56 tickets were sold due to lower demand.
Sales picked up as the date of the trip approached, leaving UAO little time to book a second bus, said Rhea Vulgamore, co-director of special events for UAO.
The UAO bus is leaving the University at 4:30 p.m. Saturday night and will return at about 11:00 p.m., Vulgamore said.
Usually, Mad River Mountain charges guests between $20 and $30 per visit, but UAO obtained a discounted rate of $10 per student, thanks to the large group coming from the University, Vulgamore said.
Last year, UAO wanted sponsor a trip for students to have fun, said Anthony DeChellis, UAO member.
“I suggested Mad River Mountain,” DeChillis said. “It was very successful last year, so we decided to go again this year.”
Students who attend spend about four hours snow tubing and eating at Mad River Mountain’s dining center, said Erica Blackman, a University senior.
While Mad River Mountain offers other activities such as skiing and snowboarding, UAO decided students would only be allowed to snow tube.
“We picked snow tubing because skiing is a higher risk [activity], and snow tubing appeals to a wider audience,” Vulgamore said.
This limitation doesn’t discourage some students, since snow tubing is the easiest activity for beginners, Vulgamore said.
“I had a blast last time,” Blackman said.
The UAO hopes some students take advantage of the trip by creating memories with friends, DeChellis said.
Tickets for students looking to join the UAO trip by heading there themselves are $25 per person for a three-hour session of snow tubing, according to the pricing guide on their website.
Mad River Mountain, located 90 minutes south of the University, opened in 1962 and boasts 24 trails divided between skiing, snow boarding and snow tubing.
In case it doesn’t snow, the ski resort has 133 fan guns with the ability to cover the entire property with artificial snow in 72 hours, according to their website.
