For students looking to hit the slopes this spring, Brown Skiing is establishing a new recreational ski team that will coordinate lodging and transportation for all students who join.
Currently, Brown only has a small competitive racing team of around 15 students, and prospective members must complete a series of tryouts to earn a spot, according to Brown Skiing co-captain Jordan Stornelli ’26.
While the competitive ski team is “very structured” in terms of lifting and training, the recreational team will be focused on having fun and getting students on the mountain, Stornelli said. All students will be eligible for the recreational team.
“We’ve always known that there are a lot of people who want to ski or even snowboard (at Brown), and we don’t have anything to offer them, so it just felt like this might be a thing that people were interested in,” Stornelli said.
Luca Gwathmey ’28, a lifelong snowboarder, said he was previously “underwhelmed” by the snowboarding opportunities at Brown. But as soon as he found out about the upcoming creation of the recreational team, he got involved.
Based on student sign-ups and interest, Brown Skiing co-captain Alexander Ziegler ’27 said he expects about 100 students to join the recreational team. To make running trips easier, the Brown Skiing captains are looking to fill leadership positions specifically for the recreational team, according to co-captain Daniel North ’26.
In establishing the team, Ziegler hopes to grow the skiing community at Brown.
There are “a lot of students at Brown who just don’t have a lot of experience either with skiing or with planning ski trips, and so we want to use our experience and our resources to make that easier for students,” Ziegler said.
The captains of the ski team also hope to “bring winter sports to underrepresented minorities, because there’s kind of a stereotype that it’s not for” those groups, Stornelli said. By encouraging all students to attend trips, the ski team hopes to “demystify the skiing space.”
According to the organization’s interest form, members of the team have to pay annual dues ranging between $200 and $500 to help cover costs associated with the trips. The team is unable to offer financial aid for the dues this year, the form states.
Eashan Iyer ’28, who signed up to be a part of the recreational team, cited community among his main reasons for joining.
Because the recreational team doesn’t race competitively, the team is “more so about going to these different mountains and making friends with the people there and having a good time,” Iyer said.
Especially in a season when many sports are on hiatus, the ski team hopes to “lift the spirits of the people during the cold and gloomy winter times,” North said. “We’re trying to push people to go outside, even when it’s really cold, and have a great time.”
