This weekend marks the tenth annual “Interstellar Evolutionary Great Mount Titus North Country Global Countdown Bombastic Wicked Weekend Ski Event…” as quoted by the Outing Club as its official name.
It’s the weekend where SLU students venture out of their hibernation and swap parkas and blundstones for retro ski jackets and moonboots, bond over the shared fact that we are indeed in an isolated tundra, and reconnect with fellow peers, old and new.
It’s essentially one of those weekends where almost a majority of the student body comes together to celebrate and perhaps toast their love for St. Lawrence, and better yet, skiing.
It all started ten years ago when a group of students in the Outing Club decided to revamp the well known annual Snowbowl Winterfest weekend and rent out the entire upper mountain of Titus, including four trails, a chairlift, and lodge.
So when students realized they could ski as vintage skiers from the 80s, and have a whole mountain to themselves with all their closest friends, Titus weekend took off. So much so that back in 2009, the OC only rented out eleven buses. This year it has gone up to twenty-five for about 1200 students. You may have even noticed the epic line out the door in the student center on Monday, making for 600 tickets to sell by noon.
Lucy Stillman ’19 happened to get to the student center just in time, stating “the line started at 9:25 a.m. and I waited just about 45 minutes to finally purchase my ticket.” Students began to panic, realizing they only had a few minutes to spare until class, or looked into their wallets to find out the ticker may have eaten the last of their ten bucks, then racing to the ATM or calling up a friend to spot them. But, in the end, all the chaos is worth it. The OC has been planning this wild weekend for some time now: picking out a date in November, renting out buses in the beginning of January, and then from there assigning OC members to each bus to serve as a chaperone. But now that everything is squared away, Outing Club seniors, Garrett Sopko and Clark Macomber, are ready to take on their final hurrah head on (helmet and all).
When asked to describe Titus, Macomber defined the weekend as full on “stoke” and Sopko admitting that it may even be better than Christmas and your birthday…You heard it here first folks! However, I was also curious what it was that they hoped for students to get out of this weekend: “I mean, it’s awesome to run into new people and ski all day, and maybe even make the news!” Sopko says, and Macomber simply put it as, “a sense of adventure.”
But, forewarning, adventure with caution…Macomber recalls finding a student at the top of the mountain strapped in a snowboard in Ugg boots! And for first time “Titusers” he suggests, “stay in control! It’s not a sprint. Keep in mind by being respectful, it’ll ensure everyone to have a good time.” And lastly, if you’re planning your Titus outfit last minute like me this year, both Clark and Garrett admitted that the ideal look is a retro ski onesie, fast shades and a helmet of course! And, if you’re feeling that skiing spirit, perhaps a mullet?!
So, embrace the shenanigans, suit up no matter how cold you think it may be, and share the excitement SLU has to offer. I mean, it’s the only time of the year where you’ll be saying “Happy Titus” all day long.