Something was in the air this past week: the snow was extra crisp and the cold Canton air didn’t seem to nip as hard. Saucer Boy fell down the stairs of the Student Center. This past week was the culmination of dozens of individual efforts and actions: this past week was Titus!

I could go on about how Titus is the greatest party on the East Coast (it is). I could go on about how the Rail Jam paints a truer picture of the triumph of the human spirit than any piece of cinema or literature (it does). I could even write something about how, between the weather, vomit and risk of life and/or limb, Titus isn’t for everybody (it’s not). But to write all that would be dumb, because you’ve heard it, and I respect squids too much to waste that ink. Let’s make the Boot ‘N’ Paddle informative this week: what goes into a Titus?

Titus is more than just a day at the mountain: for the members of the Outing Club (OC), Titus is the culmination of months of work.

This year, OC president Ruben Castren ’19 began his work for the event in November: “I called the mountain to talk to [owner] Bruce and he said ‘when do you want to have it?’ I said March 1?” Castren said.

As the fall semester continued into December and winter break, Castren continued negotiations with Titus Mountain as well as began talks with First Student, the company responsible for providing the yellow-gold fleet of 25 buses that brings 1000 SLU students to the mountain. Until the day after the event, Castren worked as the liaison between the University and the Mountain, to ensure that contracts are shared and signed and that both parties are on the same page.

Once the spring semester begins in earnest, other members of the club begin prepping for the event as well. Students apply their Java skills to book bands for the event. This year, Lydia Morin ’19 arranged for Steve Yardly to bring his Jammbulance and musical acts the Pyros and 99 Neighbors along with it. Those who are artistically gifted design logos for the famous Titus t-shirts.

Still, others take out their carpentry tools to craft new features for the Rail Jam, or reach out to companies like Pit Viper or Yerba Mate for event sponsorships. The Final First Ever Annual Interstellar Evolutionary Great Mount Titus North Country Global Cooldown Wicked Weekend Bombastic Ski Event begins to take shape.

This is all the prep work, as it is the week preceding Titus in which house members really need to hustle. Sunday night brings a down-to-the-dirty-details house meeting further explaining responsibilities, crafting crowd-control plans and giving each house member a bus to handle. Trips are made to Titus Mountain and Great Northern Screenprinting and Embroidery to pick up tickets and shirts.

Early in the week, house members table in the Student Center to sell tickets and t-shirts, and hope for a spot of brightness in the frigidity. Stickers and gear arrive in the mail to distribute and ensure continued stock.

Having been in communication with facilities staff to move snow, preppers on the Rail Jam Committee grab shovels to craft approaches, kickers and landings for the coming Friday.

Finally, the day comes. G.N.A.R. has been shown, hot dogs have been grilled and rails have been jammed. It is time to load buses and send it to the Mountain. “This is the most challenging part of Titus,” says Castren, citing rowdy crowds, a driving need for portable piss receptacles and the new-this-year challenge of spotting fake ticket holders who would steal spots from those with legitimate ones.

Even once vehicles are loaded, there is still opportunity for considerable chaos. Buses get lost, students throw up and skiers tumble down ski slopes and accidentally spill drinks on each other in the lodge. And every year, everyone has a blast.

Titus may be a lot of things, but easy isn’t one of them. It is only through the efforts of a unique group of intelligent outdoorspeople, good-natured slackers and passionate athletes that Party Mountain is possible.

When asked for comment on the personal nature of leading his final Titus, Castren quipped, “I’m in this class about the Old Testament, and a lot of it leads up to what we celebrate at Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ.

I think Titus should be included in the New Testament, because in many ways, it is better than Christmas.”

Interested in getting on the OC email listserv? Email pceckh16@stlawu.edu for more details.