Reminiscing about the snow-covered mountains and freshly groomed ski slopes, Carly Stremlau, sophomore, is eager to get back out to Colorado and into her skis, ready to shred down the mountain.

Stremlau was first introduced to the sport of skiing in March 2019 when she and her family went on a ski trip to Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado.

A little hesitant at first, Stremlau said it wasn’t what she expected at all, but that skiing turned out to be better than she would have ever thought.

“It’s literally my favorite sport now,” Stremlau said. “It’s just downright fun.”

Stremlau said she instantly fell in love with skiing and with the environment of being in the mountains surrounded by the stunning scenery and the sheer excitement that comes with gliding down the green, blue and black slope runs.

“Some parts I like to do more relaxed skiing, then other times I have an adrenaline rush when I’m going down a harder level slope,” Stremlau said. “I love the fresh feeling, especially when it’s snowing while I’m skiing. It looks super cool.”

Stremlau said she also values the accessibility of skiing for different skill levels as it is an activity her whole family can participate in.

She has since then traveled with her family to Colorado during spring break in 2021 and is planning to head with her family out to Colorado again to ski at Steamboat Resort this upcoming spring break.

Along with Stremlau, many other families in Missouri head out of state to ski and snowboard during the seasonal winter breaks.

Dylan Schoonover, sophomore, originally started out skiing, however, a year later, he went on a trip to Colorado during spring break and decided to try snowboarding.

After his first experience with snowboarding, now two years later, Schoonover still loves to snowboard whenever possible at Missouri’s Hidden Valley Ski Resort or in Colorado.

“Snowboarding keeps me active and it is fun to do with friends,” Schoonover said. “There’s definitely an adrenaline rush during jumps and rails and it’s really fun getting to try new things.”

Over Martin Luther King Day weekend, Kevin Schultz, language arts teacher, went to Cascade Mountain, Wisconsin, to take his three kids skiing for the first time.

Schultz said he was shocked at how fast his kids fell in love with skiing as they picked up the sport quickly and were flying down the blue runs by the end of the day.

“Once they started to get the hang of it, they were not afraid to move onto the next level,” Schultz said. “To watch them overcome that fear as quickly as they overcame it and take risks throughout the day was so fun to watch.”

As Schultz has talked with his wife, Laurie Schultz, language arts teacher, their family hopes to go on a ski trip at least once every year to continue their love of the sport as a family.

“If I could, I would go twice a year. I love it, I absolutely love it,” Schultz said. “My daughter is in seventh grade so in five years she will be out of the house. We are trying to do as many things together as we can right now while we have everybody together because it’s short lived, no doubt about it.”