By Adam Floujeh
A group of Ryerson students are bringing their passion for the slopes to the university by forming the Ryerson Ski and Snowboarding Club (RSSC).
“I was talking to my family around half a year ago, I was telling them I wish I could snowboard all across the world and everything started from there,” said Ali Douplik, RSSC president and fourth-year biology student.
Douplik, who has skied for most of her life, started the process of putting the club together in May.
“I talked to some friends of mine and they showed interest, so I registered for a website, I registered for a club,” she said. “Honestly, I didn’t think that anything would happen when I started, the club existed for months without much interest.”
According to Douplik, the RSSC has close to 50 members.
“I sat down and realized I have to put some work into this club, so I started to see who I could reach out to,” said Douplik.
“We just want to have fun, it’s meant for all levels”
To date, the club has scheduled two trips. The first is on Dec. 20 at Ontario’s Blue Mountain Resort while the second is an overnight trip to Mont-Tremblant in Quebec during winter reading week.
Douplik said once the club had its core members established, more and more people started to reach out and join. The club is also looking at other ways to engage with its members off the slopes.
On Nov. 4, the RSSC and the University of Toronto Ski and Snowboard Club (UTSSC) held what Douplik said would be the first of many social events. “The University of Toronto showed interest in collaborating with us for future trips and events, it grows the community, we want members to meet each other and form that bond,” said Douplik.
Ikon is the only sponsor the RSSC currently has at this time—a service where pass holders can access slopes across North America. Ikon is offering students a discounted rate of $589 for its Base Pass and $799 for the Ikon Pass until Dec. 1.
“If you make every ski trip that we’re planning to host and maybe go once or twice by yourself, you’ll save some money,” said Adam Nunez, a third-year finance student and the RSSC’s treasurer and trip director.
However, the pass only covers access to the slopes. Students will have to pay out of pocket for lodging, equipment and food.
According to Douplik, the club is self-funded. She added that they are currently working on getting more sponsors and potentially working with the Ryerson Students’ Union so they can offer financial assistance to students who may require it in the future.
Even though the club itself is free to join and doesn’t require members to purchase an Ikon Pass, students will be paying out of pocket for most of their trips.
Despite the cost of the Ikon Pass, RSSC club executives want students to know at the end of the day it’s still a recreational organization.
“When I started, the club existed for months without much interest”
“If somebody was worried they’re not a good enough skier or rider for the club, I’d say ‘Hey, I’m not a good snowboarder either,'” said the RSSC’s outreach and recruitment director Patrick Malas, a third-year law and business major. “This is a social club too, to meet people and have fun.”
Nunez echoed Malas’ statement and emphasized the importance of the club’s social aspect.
“You don’t have to get an Ikon Pass. We want people to give it a try,” said Nunez.
“We’re not instructors or anything like that. We just want to have fun, it’s meant for all levels,” added Nunez.
Douplik said students who are on the fence about joining the RSSC should also consider the social aspect the club offers. While skiing and snowboarding are big aspects of the club, like all athletics at the university, it’s also about the moments off the slopes.
“I always say in the face of adversity you bring people together, because when I say adversity, it’s the cold, it’s so cold, your feet are in pain,” said Douplik. “You’ve fallen 100 times by this point and you’re just sitting downstairs drinking tea, your coffee and you’re sitting with your friends and it feels like the most amazing moment ever.”
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