Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Caramilk secret? Does Bigfoot really exist? Do these jeans make me look fat? None of those answers and so much more can be discovered through a quick perusal of our frequently asked questions archive. If you can’t find your answer here, you at least deserve a cookie for exhibiting an uncommon talent for originality.

Questions, so many questions…
01. Do I need to be a student at Western?
02. Do you accept snowboarders, snowbladers, telemarkers?
03. Does joining the Western Snowboard Federation preclude me from joining the Ski Club?
04. Does the ski club race/compete?
05. What about cross-country skiing?
06. Do I need my own equipment?
07. Do I need to be good?
08. Is instruction provided?
09. Will I end up skiing alone?
10. When does Boler Mountain open?
11. Do I need to go on all/any of the trips?

Answers

01. Do I need to be a student at Western to join the club?

Although we prefer that all club members be students at Western, Campus Recreation will allow us to include individuals from the “outside world” if they pay an ancillary fee of $35 to that organization. Please note that the club reserves the right to prioritize enrolled students in limited space situations, such as trips, should the need arise.

02. Do you accept snowboarders? Snowbladers? Telemarkers?

There’s no snobbery with us - if they’ll let you up the lift with it, you can use it with our club. In fact, we’ve been accompanied by snowbladers on all of our trips last year and a snowblader or two in the past. Our first telemarker, however, has remained elusive; perhaps they’re too cool for school? Snowboarders should be advised that a separate snowboard club (Western Snowboard Federation) does exist.

03. Does joining the Western Snowboard Federation preclude me from joining the Ski Club?

No. With so many people “switch-hitting” between skiing and snowboarding nowadays, it’s not uncommon for someone to join both clubs. The benefit of joining both is that the two clubs’ trip times and locations rarely overlap, giving you a greater number of opportunities to hit the slopes.

04. Does the ski club race/compete?

No, the UWO Ski Club is purely recreational.

05. What about cross-country skiing?

The UWO Ski Club is all about skiing of the downhill variety, and unfortunately, there are no cross-country skiing clubs at Western.

06. Do I need my own equipment?

Although having your own equipment is recommended, it is not required since rental equipment will be available anywhere we go. Rentals typically cost $20 at Boler, and between $25-$40 / day at places such as Blue Mountain or Mont-Sainte-Anne.

07. Do I need to be good?

That’s a difficult question to answer, especially when people tend to exaggerate how “bad they are” at skiing while assuming everyone around them are CSIA-level 4 instructors who do 1080°s off of cliffs between World Cup events. In all honesty, as long as you can comfortably handle a blue/intermediate run at a reasonably decent ski hill, you should be “good enough” to enjoy your time with the club (by comfortably, we mean without anxiety or abject terror). However, if you’re just beginning, or rarely venture beyond the greens, we’d recommend against participating in our club trips and instead pursuing lessons individually at Boler. You simply won’t get your money’s worth on trips to Blue or MSA if you’re limited to only 10% of their terrain.

08. Is instruction provided?

No. There are generally numerous instructors and other nice people among our membership who would gladly provide you with some pointers if you need some help. However, nothing is offered on a formal basis. Similar to equipment rentals, group or private lessons from professional instructors are offered at all the ski places we frequent.

Update: We’re in the process of arranging some beginner nights at Boler. We can’t guarantee anything at this point, but you should keep an eye on our site this fall for the establishment of such a program.

09. Will I end up skiing alone?

This seems to be a surprisingly common fear among potential new members. In my years with the club, there has never been a situation where someone was forced to ski by themselves if that wasn’t what they wanted. Unless you’re an incredibly disagreeable person, you’ll almost always find yourself in a group of at least 3-8 people. This is important from both a social and safety standpoint.

10. When does Boler Mountain open?

Boler Mountain, like most other ski hills in Ontario, typically won’t open for skiing until the Christmas break period.

11. Do I need to go on all/any of the trips?

Participation in any trip is purely optional, although very highly recommended. The trips are the “raison d’être” for the UWO Ski Club, and those who participate in trips make the most friends, have the most fun, and are the most likely to stick with the club throughout their university years.