As fall winds down and the days get colder, many have begun to dread the long and biting Bethesda winter ahead. While the chilly weather takes away beloved outdoor activities, it provides a perfect opportunity to visit a local ski resort. 

Whitetail Mountain Resort, Roundtop Mountain Resort and Liberty Mountain Resort — the three closest resorts to the Bethesda area — have been long-time favorites among Whitman students. Whitetail has 23 trails and eight lifts, Roundtop has 22 and nine and Liberty has 21 and seven. Each caters to a wide range of skill levels, offering a variety of terrains for skiers. Whitetail, Roundtop and Liberty usually open for the season in mid-December and stay open until early March if weather conditions allow.

While resorts on the East Coast typically offer less land and icier snow than most Western ski destinations, the local mountains still provide plenty of enjoyment. Throughout the winter, many Whitman students will spend their Friday nights and weekends getting runs in at one of these three mountains — conveniently located about an hour and 15 minutes away. 

A perfect example of the strength of the local skiing community is Whitman’s Snow Club. Seniors Alec Boshnick, Levi Edelstein, Sydney Merlo and Louis Macpherson run the club with over 220 members. They took on the role of leading the club because they wanted to build a community of Whitman students outside of the classroom and on the mountain, Macpherson said. He noted that many students, especially underclassmen, have difficulty getting transportation to the local ski resorts — an obstacle that inspired him to lead the club.

“Our goal is to get a big group of students up to one of the three local mountains — Whitetail, Liberty or Roundtop — where they can learn to ski and just have fun together,” Macpherson said.

Yet despite all the perks that come with skiing, one factor often turns people away: the price. Ski resorts have become increasingly expensive, along with the price of gear. A quality set of boots and skis can easily cost over $1,000, and a lift ticket alone at Liberty or Whitetail costs $79, which isn’t feasible for many who wish to ski often. That $79 does not include dining expenses or gear rentals that many newcomers often need.

As a solution, the resorts have adopted an “Epic Pass,” which allows skiers to pay a fee before the season for unlimited skiing at certain East Coast resorts — including Liberty, Roundtop and Whitetail. Passholders also get discounts on meals and lodging.

Junior Mason Yankowski has been skiing for the past 13 years and has owned an Epic Pass for the past three. Yankowski uses the pass during the winter to ski locally every week, along with some of the larger resorts in Vermont, he said. He noted that while the pass is expensive, it is more than worth the splurge in the long run.

“The pass makes skiing fun, and it is absolutely worth purchasing for the season, especially if you are an avid skier who goes to the mountain often,” Yankowski said. “It is a much better deal to buy a $400 to $500 pass that lasts you a whole season rather than the $100-plus dollars that many resorts often charge every time you want to go skiing.”

Last year, the East Coast experienced some of the worst conditions for skiing in the past few decades. The warmer winter produced hardly any natural snowfall, meaning that resorts struggled to put snow on their slopes and stay open throughout the winter. Neither Liberty nor Whitetail could open all of its terrain at any point in the season, and none of the three resorts managed to hold their opening day until late December.

“I’ve been skiing locally for around a decade, and [last] season was by far the worst one I’ve ever seen,” Edelstein said. “The temperatures were high the entire winter, and nature wasn’t cooperating at all.”

There’s hope the upcoming season will produce more favorable conditions. As winter approaches, every resort will work hard to put the past season behind them — whether through producing more snow than years prior, handling the large crowds that resorts often see or both. Employees like Michael Yocum fuel business at every resort, working tirelessly to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Yocum is the ski school manager for Liberty Mountain Resort, where he has taught lessons for 24 years. He organizes ski lessons for new and intermediate skiers, popular among first-time visitors to Liberty Mountain. Skiing is much more challenging than it looks, which makes taking a lesson before hitting the slopes is critical, Yocum said.

“During an average day at the resort, we are running lessons for all age groups five to six times a day,” Yocum said. “Before assigned instructors go out we go through training scenarios with them and have them identify basic observations which they can help clients to improve with.”

As winter rolls around, students can become susceptible to seasonal depression. However, skiing or snowboarding could change their outlook on the often dreaded season. Boshnick, Edelstein and Macpherson said that skiing and snowboarding replace the monotony of winter with something more fun, and that hitting the slopes is a great way to hang out with old friends while making new ones. The Snow Club’s founders added that skiing can mean even more than that; it is an excellent way for anyone to get away from everyday angst, share the outdoors with the people they love and make lifelong memories.

“Being outdoors and on the mountain is one of the best de-stressors for school, home or family and friend-related issues,” Macpherson said. “You truly won’t know the feeling until you try it for yourself.”