Skiing in Boone has strengthened within the last year due to increased interest in the App State Alpine Ski Team. The club interest meeting in 2023 doubled this year, jumping from 35 to 70 students.
Daniel Jones was a member of the App State ski club from 2013-17. After graduating, he returned in 2018 as the head coach and has been in the position ever since.
“It meant a lot to me while I was a student on the team,” Jones said. “I wanted to make sure the team had the resources, guidance and advising that I kind of wished we would’ve had when I was a student, and I felt like I had a good means to provide that kind of resource for the team.”
App State races with an organization called the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association. They race in the southeast division, competing against teams like Virginia Tech, James Madison, Duke, NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill.
The team does not have a win and loss record like other sports. Instead, they accumulate points during each meet which can qualify them to compete in regionals.
Individual skiers compete in the conference and have the opportunity to qualify for regionals and nationals.
“Pretty typically, year after year, we usually qualify for regionals and then there’s a few individuals who qualify for nationals,” Jones said.
Grace Houle is vice president of the ski club and this will be her third season as a member of the club.
“After my first year on the team I started to really realize the quality of the connections we were making,” Houle said. “There’s this vibe of, we want there to be lasting connections afterwards.”
The ski club builds on their sense of community by participating in activities spread out throughout the year.
“We have our drylands where we’ll do campfires, we’ll do picnics, we’ll do hikes out on the Blue Ridge,” Houle said.
The club goes to travel races throughout the season.
“Once the ski season does come around, we’re basically living in a house together for several weeks in a row,” Houle said. “So, it’s nice to be able to know who you’re going to be living with.”
Aspiring members can reach out through the clubs website, email or Instagram.
“People interested in joining should contact us as soon as possible,” Houle said.
Fees are due for new members before Nov. 23.
“There’s significantly more people that join the team now that are really serious about competition,” Jones said.
While the club invites members to bring this high level of competition, people who lean closer to recreational skiing are also welcome.
“We would rather people are safe and having a good time, instead of being overly stressed out and really worried about how they’re doing,” Houle said.
Although official dates are not yet announced, the team intends to start practice mid- January, and meets will begin shortly after. The team holds private practices at Sugar Mountain on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
