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 Carson Heath | The Communicator |
| Downhill from here |
| Heather Martin & Char Smith | The Communicator Slopes for students As Spokane gets colder by the day, it is only a matter of time until SFCC students hit the slopes once more. From blue-circle riders to black-diamond pros, the students who take part in snow sports are almost as diverse as the variety of local resorts. Brittni Miller, 17, is no stranger to winter sports. While enrolled as a Running Start student pursuing her A.A., she makes time to suit up and ski down the mountain. “It’s a rush when you get going really fast. I’ve definitely hit my head a couple times doing it, but it’s still one of the most fun things you can do,” Brittni said. “I’m excited to have a season pass this year.” For many, the luxury and size of North Idaho’s Schweitzer Mountain is the big attraction. But for Brittni, Mount Spokane’s homey environment is ideal. The resort plans to expand and modernize, even suggesting the possibility of another lodge being added to the existing complex, according to their Web site, www.mtspokane.com On most Saturdays, Brittni begins her skiing rituals en route to Mount Spokane. “I always listen to the Beatles on the way up to the mountain, but then I turn on Rage Against the Machine for the actual snowboarding,” Brittni said. From the experts all the way to those just starting out, students will be heading to the mountains by the dozen as long as there is snow on the slope. Snow deity finds following among students Spokane is not without bizarre customs and traditions in relation to winter sports. There are some in Spokane who claim to hold stake in “Ular,” a snow-bringing deity belonging to no particular pantheon. Students and locals have various forms of worship or deification; some disregard pollution laws by burning old skis or snowboards, some by personal ritual, and a scant few have even been known to run around naked in an attempt at appeasement, according to the British Web site www.goneboarding.uk. Kameron Smith, a culinary student at SCC, is one of the former. “It sounds crazy, but if you burn your old skis at the start of of December, Ular is pleased and sends.... snowfall our way,” Smith said. But while some partake in these sacrifices with mild now attending Seattle Central Community College in Seattle, insists that Ular’s existence and power is more law than legend. “Ular blesses (Spokane) with the most fantastic of snows,” Jensen said. “Our prayers and sacrifices never go unanswered and because of this, we continue to pay it tribute.” Almost a greater indicator of the impending season is the eagerness to get back to the slopes made apparent by skiers and snowboarders. “The snowboarding and mountain shenanigans are what get me pumped for winter.” Whether from precipitation or a benevolent snow god, the Inland Northwest finds itself blanketed year after year. |