Waterville's February Lineup

Winter is in full swing. As is apparent by the mile-high snow banks and armies of plow trucks. On Wed., February 11, students at Plymouth State University will get to make use of all this snow by carving it up on the slopes of Waterville Valley Ski Resort for free. 

Waterville Valley Resort was the PSU student’s mountain of choice when they were asked to vote last semester on which of the four local mountains would host Ski Day during Winter Carnival Week. Waterville Valley normally charges $7 to PSU students for lift tickets, but this upcoming week, any student or faculty member that arrives at the mountain with a PSU ID will get a free lift tickets, a free group lesson, a $10 lunch voucher. All of this is included with free transportation to and from the mountain, as well as live entertainment in the afternoon from 2-5pm and a special rail jam on the mountain’s trail, Exhibition. 

Ski Day is something that is looked forward to every year by students who love winter sports, but it is not the only thing Waterville Valley is offering in the near future as it wraps of the last two months of the season. 

The mountain will also be hosting several other exciting events in the month of February, one of them being the Vans Hi-Standard Snow Series World Tour. Coming to Waterville Valley on Sat., February 7, this international contest series invites snowboarders from around the world to show off their skills by exhibiting style and creativity in an exciting jam format. The Hi-Standard Series tours across the US, Canada, China and Austria and features an original big air format where riders are judged by individual style only, with no rotation over 720 degrees allowed. 

"It’s very unique, said Waterville Valley’s Marketing Communications Coordinator, Peter Sununu. “It’s a different style of judging. It’ll be really cool to see that done here." During the event, Vans will be providing free lunch vouchers and lift tickets for the day. 

Many of these upcoming events at Waterville Valley Resort have been popular for years. And this years annual “Starry Nights” promises to be no different. During this event, guests pay for tickets to ride up the lift at night after the trails close, and then either ski or ride down a torch-lit trail to the mountain’s Sunnyside Timberlodge, where they can enjoy a gourmet meal, live entertainment, music, and an appearance from local opera singer, Vlad. “Starry Nights has been great. It’s one of our most popular events,” said Sununu. Tickets for Starry Nights run at $125 per person. 

Other upcoming events include Nordic Nights; a spinoff of Starry Nights in which guests get a guided tour by ski or snowshoe of the mountains Nordic trails, followed by a gourmet buffet. Nordic Nights will take place on Sat., February 14. The following day, Sun., February 15, the Waterville Valley Conference Center will be presenting comedian Bob Marley. Marley comes to Waterville Valley Resort every year and it is always a sold out show. 

Waterville Valley has a lot to offer this season, and whether the guest is a new rider, or an expert, there is always something fun for them to enjoy. 

“We’ve been trying to get more and more people here to see the experience that we have to provide,” said Sununu. “We feel like the experience we provide here can speak for itself. The more people who can come here and experience it the better.”

For PSU students especially, this means that they can enjoy more than just the occasional ride down the slopes. “For a group of people who are located so conveniently to us and who we expect to be a part of the community for years to come, we just want them to be here and see everything we have to offer,” said Sununu. 

With so much to offer, Waterville Valley Resort has really become one of the most popular go-to places in the winter season for PSU students.