With the first snow falling a few weeks ago, winter is officially upon us here in Madison. While most students are undoubtedly cursing the cold as they lunge to class, curled up in their many layers, there are some who celebrate the advent of winter sports, if not the arrival of winter.
Skiing and snowboarding in particular are popular excuses to play in the snow, but it was not always this way.
Seventy-five years ago, before skiing was really popular with anyone other than recent Scandinavian immigrants, students on the UW-Madison campus were surprised to find Muir Knoll overtaken by a ski jump, put there by the newly formed Wisconsin Hoofers student union outing group.
First formed in 1931, Hoofers has become one of the oldest collegiate outing clubs in the country, accommodating multiple interests and outdoor endeavors.Over the years it has grown to encompass six different teams: mountaineering, outing, riding, sailing, scuba and the ski and snowboard team.
First and foremost, however, it was a skiing club, renting out twenty pairs of skis from the Union and raising funds by charging use on the wooden Muir Knoll ski jump.
'The ski club was the first Hoofers club,' said Ski and Snowboard Club president and UW-Madison senior Justin Dietz. 'We have been involved with the tradition of skiing in the Madison community for over 75 years.'
In time the ski jump was turned into a parking lot, and the Ski and Snowboard Club looked for alternative fundraising opportunities. The solution for them was found in the Ski and Snowboard Resale, now in its 42nd year.
As the largest Ski and Snowboard Resale in the Midwest, the Resale provides an opportunity for community members, as well as corporate vendors from all over Wisconsin and the Midwest, to sell their ski and snowboarding equipment at low prices.
'It's easy to provide someone with everything they need, a complete [snowboarding or skiing] package, for $300,' said Resale director, club member and UW-Madison junior Dylan Heaney,.'That's rather unheard of.'
The Resale, taking place this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 to 4, is a large undertaking for the Ski and Snowboard Club, requiring the use of approximately 80 volunteers and many hours of work from Dietz, Heaney and their assistants.
However, the work pays off in the end, as profits from last year reached a record $20,000. This year the club is hoping for similar results and is implementing a silent auction, with ski packages, lift tickets and lessons up for bid.
'Half [of the profit] goes to the team, and half goes to fund trips, educational programs and free events that the team puts on throughout the year,' Dietz said.
He explained that along with the trip packages the club puts together every winter, they also participate with community programs such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, where they teach Madison community members how to ski and snowboard.
'First and foremost, the fundraiser is extremely important for the success of Hoofer Ski & Snowboard Club,' said Resale assistant and UW-Madison junior Katie Stalland. 'It is the biggest fundraiser that the club has, and the money that we make funds the entire club all year long.'
Along with the beneficial funding, the Resale has become a tradition among the ski and snowboarding community in Madison and a fun event for those on and off campus.
Heaney, who grew up skiing and snowboarding and was able to pursue his passion in college thanks to the Hoofers Ski and Snowboarding Club, spoke about why the Resale was important to him.
'It's a great opportunity to work together as a group to provide opportunities for ski and snowboarding on campus,' he said.
