Much like the last five years, this year, students who enrolled in the advanced snow skiing class have had the opportunity to visit Winter Park, Colorado, and put to use the skills they’ve learned over the course of several weeks.

Dr. Odies Wright, associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition, is teaching the class and leading the trip.

“I’m hoping they have a great time and learn some things that they didn’t know before,” Wright said.

Wright said the trip “goes back for years,” but the longstanding tradition came to a halt a few years ago until Wright opted to bring it back.

“I restarted it,” he said. “There have been many people that have asked about it”.

Whether seasoned or beginning skiers, the trip is open to all levels of expertise.

“One caveat though: beginners, if you have never been skiing before, you are required to take a lesson at Winter Park,” Wright said. “But you don’t have to be superhuman.”

Laurel Drain, senior multimedia major from Fort Worth, has been on the ski trip twice.

“I would recommend the ACU ski trip to every student that can go,” Drain said.  “Don’t doubt yourself. Just because you’ve never skied before doesn’t mean you can’t be good at it.”

Students interested in taking advanced snow skiing can register with the option of counting it credit or non-credit. The class meets on Thursday afternoons.

“It’s four weeks until we go, so we will do some strength training and cardio,” Wright said.

The trip, three days long, will culminate all the class learns for the first two months of the semester.

“People don’t realize it, but it’s a great deal,” Wright said.