Scrolling through my Instagram feed over Martin Luther King Day weekend, I was overcome with jealousy, seeing many students my age from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) on their annual ski trip to Quebec, Canada. As I looked at my peer’s pictures, I wished CESJDS would offer a similar trip.
According to Statista, 18.46 million Americans went skiing in 2023. Skiing is a popular sport that many members of the JDS community enjoy every winter, myself included. In Montgomery County, we are lucky enough to have three ski resorts nearby–Whitetail, Liberty and Roundtop mountains.
There are many skiers in the JDS community, and a ski trip would be a great way for JDS students to bond and connect outside of school. This could serve as a continuation of the experiential learning that JDS promotes with field trips and shabbatons.
An issue that arises is the cost, as skiing is an infamously expensive hobby. A day ski pass to each of these three local ski resorts would cost upwards of $100 per student, which is no small price.
Because of this, it is understandable that JDS would be hesitant to fund a community ski trip. However, they will not necessarily have to. There are two possible ways that JDS could run this trip. We could either organize a small local trip or join the same program that MCPS run their trips through.
While an overnight ski trip to Canada may seem extravagant, each of the aforementioned mountains are under two hours away from JDS and would serve as great locations for a community ski trip.
One solution is to choose a Sunday in the winter to be an unofficial meet-up on the slopes. This way, JDS would not have to spend their own money on passes and transportation, but could still gather the community to ski.
Another solution is for JDS to participate in the same program that MCPS uses, Ski Travel: Snow Escape. The company runs three-day Canada ski trips for private schools in the DMV as well. JDS could sign up for Snow Escape and go on the same weekend as other local private schools.
While I am unsure how this program would necessarily work with Shabbat and kashrut, I am sure that enough JDS skiers would be happy to work together to find solutions to any possible issues that may arise.
Snow Escape is a more expensive program, with pricing per student ranging from $600-$800. However, this fee covers lodging, ski passes and more making it easier for JDS to arrange.
With a ski trip, JDS students could strengthen existing bonds and grow new ones between grades and with other private schools in the area based on their common internet in skiing.
Whether a ski day at a nearby resort or a bigger trip to Canada, a ski trip could become a fun new tradition for JDS, bringing students together in a unique and exciting way.