The Elevation Ski and Snowboard Club is the largest standing club on campus where skiers, snowboards and those looking for a social group can come together. According to their website, the club has “created an incredibly social atmosphere through which members both beginner and expert alike interact and participate in a variety of fun events and trips.”
Eleanor Daniel, a member of the club since her freshman year, is the marketing chair of Elevation and is currently a sophomore here at the University of Arizona, studying both accounting and management information systems.
“We are focused on skiing and snowboarding because that’s our main interest, but really we’re just a social club,” Daniel said. “We like to get together for different events such as parties or our meetings, which are pretty fun.”
The club also hosts seasonal trips to various ski and board locations. Each winter, the club will take one big trip to a ski resort on the West Coast, which is their largest event. While most trip attendees are there with the intention to ski, Daniel mentioned that some people come just to hang out with their friends and enjoy Colorado.
“Our main focus is generally our big trip that we take during the year; we have been going to Colorado and we might slip out to California in the future,” Daniel said. “Usually over each MLK weekend we go to a different ski resort. We all meet there and we generally go for a pretty inexpensive price, like, in comparison to what you might pay to go with your family. This year we did it over winter break … and we went to Breckenridge, which was so dope.”
Nicolette Sciortino is another member of Elevation and is also a sophomore at the UA majoring in pre-business and minoring in global business. Sciortino met Daniel on the Colorado trip during their freshman year.
“I joined as a freshman and I went to the club not knowing anyone really,” Sciortino said. “I am passionate about skiing because it’s just something that I’ve grown up doing and I love to do.”
Sciortino is involved in several activities on campus including Greek Life and the Ambassadors club, but she says that she has never met people like the ones in Elevation.
“Everyone has a similar interest in traveling and we are all kind of adventure seekers,” Sciortino said. “We all have that similar interest in getting out and seeing the world and just being able to experience thrilling activities together.”
Sciortino shared that going on ski trips with Elevation has made her a better skier because the people involved help push her out of her comfort zone.
“[Elevation] lets you meet a different range of people from the school. Our university is so big but the club makes the school feel a bit smaller,” Sciortino said.
Bryce Berkbigler, a senior who is studying international marketing and entrepreneurship, is the current president of Elevation and held the same position as Daniel last year. Berkbigler joined his freshman year and has been an active member since.
Berkbigler said he thinks that over the last four years Elevation has allowed him to find his place on campus and make friendships that will last beyond his college years. He describes his favorite part of Elevation as being able to make those lasting connections with the other members of the organization.
“My freshman year we did Crested Butte, Colorado, and that was probably my favorite trip just because that was the first time I’d ever been on any kind of trip like that,” Berkbigler said. “We rented out condos that were on the slopes so you could just ski from our condo to the lift line, which was super cool.”
Having attended all four trips, Berkbigler said that the first two trips were the best because they were before the pandemic. However, even with COVID-19, Berkbigler and the rest of the Elevation crew have found a way to continually create memories and go on trips that they’ll never forget.
Berkbigler, Sciortino and Daniel encourage anyone considering joining Elevation to do so.
“There’s a lot of really cool individuals and anyone is welcome to come and hang out with us,” Daniel said. “The only requirements are to pay your $10 dues. ”
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