Howell High School has a combined ski/snowboard club with Fowlerville High School that offers a discount to ski and snowboard for students looking to enjoy the hills this winter without breaking the bank. Howell High School’s ski and snowboard club offers an affordable way to enjoy Mount Brighton every Friday night.
Skiing and snowboarding is an activity that can be appreciated by many students at Howell High School. Students who sign up on Wednesday before will have a discounted ski pass and rental equipment rate. The ski/snowboard club ran every Friday from 3-5 p.m. through January and February.
“It definitely provides us, you know, a sizable discount for the ski pass, which enables more people to ski. And the rentals are cheaper as well. You know, people can go and have fun hangouts,” senior Bence Mate said.
Joining a ski or snowboard team is also an option at Howell High, but they require more time during the week, so it can be a larger commitment. The club can also be a great option if students missed the deadline to buy a season “Epic Pass” from Mount Brighton, which allows skiers and snowboarders to hit the slopes any day of the week.
“I really did not have any free time for a team. Also, Mount Brighton stopped selling the Epic Pass in the beginning of December, so you can’t even buy a season pass after. So this is the only option if you didn’t buy the season pass,” Mate said.
This club allows students to meet new people in their hobbies and grow their skiing/snowboarding community and skills. The club aims to offer more variety in the outdoor winter sports options for Howell and Fowlerville High School students.
“I would love for it to be a club where students get to know others, ski together, and learn how to snowboard if they ski and vice versa. I would like it to be a club where people feel welcome, and they come weekly and invite others,” first-grade Hutchings teacher and ski/snowboard club supervisor Mrs. Jana Wolfe said.
To grow awareness and participation of this club, it has been included in the weekly HHS Activities email to the HHS population. There have been 35 students who have signed up and participated in the ski/snowboard club already, but there is room for more.
“I wish for it to get bigger and just gain more and more nights than just Friday,” freshman Berklee Wofle said.
As the ski/snowboard club gains momentum, the supervisors hope to expand the club to meet on more nights than Fridays. While the club already offers a space for students to connect, there can be potential for even greater participation in the future.
“My goal is to have enough participation each week. I would like to see this grow. In the long run, I would like us to meet and get to know each other, but this year, just get the word out to all schools about this as most people have no idea there is or was a club,” Mrs. Wolfe said.
For many members, the weekly trip provides an opportunity to bond with classmates outside the classroom and connect over a shared passion for skiing.
“I’ve met so many people I wouldn’t have met just during school. I really like skiing, and me and my friends get to go skiing on Friday nights, so it’s perfect,” Wolfe said.
