Stress-Free Sundays Mean Riding Rails, Raising Money

Snow has yet to fall in Cambridge, but at the weekly meeting of Harvard University Snowboarding Club (HUSC), members are concerned with something other than the weather.

"This one is experimental," says Al Engelhart, referring not to a dazzling new trick but to a homemade fruit salad mixed with orange juice and Hershey's kisses.

Thursday nights in Loker 031 are a far cry from your typical Model Congress or French Club meeting. But it's obvious that HUSC is a far cry from your typical extra-curricular.

"[The club] is certainly about snowboarding, but it's also about hanging out with people," says Lynsay B. Skiba '00, one of the club's officers.

While watching a video of professional riders alternately pulling off spectacular moves and crashing into trees, the HUSC members talk lifts, trails and weather predictions. Along with questions like "Is sliding on rails really bad for your board?" members finalize plans for a trip to the annual Board-a-thon for Breast Cancer, which took place at Stratton Mountain yesterday.

After the discussion, Engelhart presents his weekly mini-lecture on aspects of the sport. Today's lesson: How to build a mountain.

"Bill Gates gave us a billion dollars--we're making a mountain from scratch." he says as he steps to the chalkboard.

After 20 minutes, the sketch on the chalkboard is a full-blown blueprint of the club's ideal boarding venue, complete with solar-powered lifts, a snowboarding park, Unix terminals (to check snow conditions, of course) and hot chocolate stands every 10 feet.

"Everybody's happy at Mt. HUSC," Engelhart says, satisfied.

HUSC members say the goal of the club is just that--making everyone happy by offering a warm environment for snowboarding enthusiasts and an outlet for stressed-out students.

There is no attendance policy for the Thursday night meetings or Sunday trips, and the only requirements are weekly dues for those who attend meetings and a $10 deposit to reserve space on a trip.

"I realized that it was a very good way to deal with the stress of

school," says Arvin T. Chang '00, the club's current president. "To physically and mentally get away from it all once a week, no problem sets, no essays, just fun in the snow."

As soon as the mountains open, HUSC begins organizing trips every Sunday to New England ski areas. The club also runs a popular intersession trip that attracted 80 people last year.

The club's trip to the Board-a-thon yesterday was about more than fun in the snow. Pledges collected by event participants will go to various charities that support breast cancer research.

This is the first organized charity event HUSC has taken part in, and members already have big plans on how to double their pledge money for next year.

"We're really excited to be getting involved in this," Skiba says. "We're all about having fun, and it's great that we're able to extend that to community service."

The prospect of putting one's life in the hands of a plastic board--not to mention the pictures on HUSC's Web site of members flying through the air--can be daunting to prospective members. But current members say inclusiveness is the name of the game.

"It's open to everybody--pretty much anyone who walks in off the street," says Engelhart. The club boasts a membership in the area of 130 dues-paying snowboarders ranging from first-years to alumni.

Beginners are especially encouraged to come to meetings and Sunday trips.

"You get to learn with people you're comfortable with," says Terrence J. Boylan '99.

The prohibitive costs of the sport are another barrier for novices and experts alike. HUSC tries its best to lower the price, mostly through deals with the Cambridge store Concepts.

Lift-ticket prices have skyrocketed this year, and a Sunday pass will run a snowboarder somewhere between $35 and $59. At the beginning of the season, HUSC offered members a three-mountain season pass for a drastically reduced rate. The club also offers loans of boards and boots so riders without equipment can avoid costly rental fees.

Weekly dues ($10), gas money and other expenses can still add up. But for most enthusiasts, a season of snowboarding for a reduced price is an attractive prospect.