Ski, get fit, and make a difference

    When the cold of the winter months come around, we instinctively become less willing to venture outdoors.  Because of this, staying in shape becomes a matter of going to the gym; however, there are still plenty of great ways to spend your winter days other than watching television on the couch in a vegetation state.

A very common activity that might not even come to mind when thinking about staying fit in the winter is skiing or snowboarding.  Skiing or snowboarding can burn upwards of 500-600 calories per hour.  Not to mention taking advantage of some of the deals that ski resorts such as Pat’s Peak offer like March specials with full day lift tickets for $25-$35 with a high percentage of the funds going towards the Childhood Cancer Lifeline, Concord SPCA, and melanoma research.  When asked why he snowboards in the winter, Ryan LeCours, ‘14, said without hesitation, “I snowboard because it’s fun and there are no rules…you just do whatever seems the most fun to you…snowboarding keeps you fit, its a quad burner for sure.”  What better way to spend the day than experiencing nature’s scenery at it’s finest, spending time with your closest family and friends, getting your winter workout in, and contributing to causes benefiting others all in a matter of hours.