A Northeast Ski Trip

At business school, most folks participate in two major clubs and two minor clubs. There are over 40 student led clubs providing both professional and social opportunities for students at Yale SOM. My only major club was the Finance Club because I was recruiting for investment banking during the Fall terms. I finished recruiting in early January during Superweek. I can now enjoy activities in my two minor clubs, the Ski and Snowboard Club and the Food and Wine Club. The Ski and Snowboard Club did a fantastic job in organizing the trip to the Killington Ski Resort; it is one of the best-attended trips by first and second years. One of the advantages of going to school in the Northeast is that we have access to mountains, oceans and big cities! For me, the ski trip was a chance to spend time with my first-year friends in different cohorts. I am in the Gold Cohort; we complete our core classes with our cohort. I roomed in a cabin with two of the closest friends I made during the investment banking recruiting process, Vera and Heather. After spending so much time together recruiting in NYC, it is nice to spend time together skiing the slopes.

While at Killington, I decided to take a ski lesson on the first day we were there. It was a lot scarier than I thought. Who would have known that you can get so much speed while skiing? My biggest fear was falling so I was trying to avoid that at all costs. The second day, my boyfriend helped me to conquer the “learn to ski” slopes. I struggled trying to physically execute the “pizza wedge” and the “french fries” tactics with my skis. It felt a lot easier not to lift my feet off the ground. After a couple of hours, I got the hang of it! In the afternoon, my friend and I got a little more adventurous. We decided to try some of the “Green” trails – the easiest ski trails on the mountain. However, it wasn’t until I was already at the top of the mountain that I realized I would have to ski my way down. My first few Greens were easy, but I may have gotten a little too adventurous trying the “Great Eastern” trail. It is a four-mile-long trail, which was a little more adventure than I bargained for.

Most people would have finished the trail relatively fast, but it took my friend and I about two hours. The first part was easy. However, we hit a very steep part which was very icy. I fell on the incline which made me terrified to stand up and slide down the hill. My friend’s most comforting words at that moment were “I can’t come up to get you! Shimmy down the hill if you have to.” I waited for a while… Suddenly a snowboarder came close to where I was sitting. I looked at him and said “I don’t think I’ll be able to make it down the hill.” He replied “Sure you can!” I laughed while I said, “I can’t get up, I’m scared to slide down the hill. It’s my first day skiing.” Immediately, he helped me get back up on my feet again. It’s a little bit of a blur how I managed to make it down the rest of the hill, but I made it!

All and all, I had an amazing time! In addition to skiing my classmates hosted two theme parties at the resort – an MBA school staple. I can’t wait for my next skiing adventure next year! I hope it will go a little more smoothly. For now I’ll look forward to travelling to Sao Paulo in March as part of the Global Social Enterprise class. I am working with a social impact firm, Avante, which provides microfinance to residents of the Favelas. Stay tuned for my next big travel adventure!