This winter’s warmer-than-normal weather has been an obstacle for the Syracuse University Ski Racing Club. Due to the lack of snow, skiers said they are frustrated and are finding it hard to stay motivated through the season, which started in the beginning of January and lasts until Spring Break.

The team practices at Toggenburg Mountain Winter Sports Center in Fabius, N.Y., and although they do a decent job of creating their own snow, it is too powdery and there is not enough of it, said Aaron Gould, the team’s vice president and senior public relations major. Because the snow is not firm and up to par, he said the skiers must go down the mountain several times using the side of their skis to make the snow more compact.

‘Performance-wise it has affected us,’ said Gould, a former staff writer for The Daily Orange.

He said because many skiers are used to the conditions of Colorado and Vermont, the enthusiasm of the team has lessened as well. With the warm temperatures bringing rain and melting snow, it is tough to want to head to the mountain, he said.

Although Gould said he is doing everything he can to help run a successful team, he has often found himself with no choice but to cancel practice because of the lack of snow or issues due to rain, he said.

The morale of the largest ski team at SU to date is low, Gould said, as is his own. As a senior and a third-year member of the team, he said he was excited for a snowy winter and an enthusiastic team.

‘People are absolutely upset,’ Gould said. ‘It is unfortunate because when you are in the Northeast and you do the sport we do, the sun and weather are things we just can’t control.’

Benjamin Kintish, a first-year skier on the team and a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said the rain caused icy conditions. He said although the team has been able to run the course, it has been dangerous and difficult to maneuver.

Kintish said he has overheard many members of the team saying this year is a downgrade from the season the team experienced the previous year.

Even though the weather is warmer, he still tries to go skiing about once a week.

‘I still love it,’ Kintish said. ‘It is just a great way to escape from work and classes.’

Lauren Ward, a sophomore special education major, has been on the team for two years. She said she was really excited to come back to the team this year, but she has been very frustrated because of the lack of snow.

Compared to last season, which had no canceled practices and an abundance of snow, this season has been disappointing, she said.

Said Ward: ‘Unlike most people, we actually like when it snows.’

rebarill@syr.edu 

Published on February 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm