The thrill of swishing and zipping down the mountain is unknown to a number of students at Staples.

“Skiing and snowboarding are both sports that require a lot of practice. You have to start when you are little to be good at it,” explained Ben Foster ’16, trying to pinpoint the reason for why many Staples students have never visited the mountaintops.

And Jake Berman ’15 agrees. “Skiing or snowboarding is something you have to do when you are a little kid and grow and interest for.”

Ben Thaw ’16 said he has never gone skiing or snowboarding before because he never went when he was younger, confirming Foster and Berman’s theory. Since Thaw never went skiing or snowboarding when he was a young child, he never acquired the love and passion for the activity.

But there may be another reason. “People usually do not go skiing or snowboarding because they are two really difficult sports to master. It takes a lot of time and practice,” said Lizzie Cooperstone ’15, a member of the Staples ski team.

And on top of that, both skiing and snowboarding are expensive sports. They require either buying or renting boots, a helmet and skis or a snowboard. Besides equipment, purchasing a lift ticket that allows full access to the entire mountain is required.

With this large financial commitment in mind, not only the athlete, but also the parent, need to be dedicated to and enjoy the sport and willing to put in the time.

“Living in Connecticut it’s hard to make the trek up to Vermont where most of the decent mountains on the east coast are located,” said Cooperstone.