Besides the academics and Harwood Halloween, there is only one other thing that is consistently mentioned in every college guide’s description of Pomona College. That thing is Ski and Beach Day, an event that has quickly become a tradition. This year’s Ski and Beach ay is happening tomorrow.

To even a freshman who has managed to ignore all the fliers and e-mails in the Digester about this event, the event is virtually self-explanatory. In the early morning, a big busload of Pomona students head to the mountains and spend the afternoon skiing. Later that same afternoon, the bus takes students to a nearby beach, where they remain until the early evening.

For the past several years, the ASPC Senate has supported the event and appointed a Ski and Beach Day coordinator. This year’s organizer, Michio Brunner ’02, has helped to organize the event in the past. Although the Senate allocated funding for the event in the ASPC Budget last year, the amount of money is not enough to cover the entire amount of the day trip.

Dean of Students Ann Quinley has made it a point to allocate money from her funds to Ski and Beach Day. "A long time ago, once the first snowfall hit the mountains, the entire college would have a snow day. When that wasn’t possible anymore, Ski and Beach day seemed like a fun event for the students," said Quinley. She also echoed the feelings of many other students who participate in the event, saying that "we’re lucky to live in California, one of the very few places where you could go skiing and swimming in the same day."

Even with Quinley’s large contribution, there still is not enough money to cover the entire cost of the trip. Although events at Pomona are generally not as expensive as Ski and Beach Day, ASPC can only subsidize a percentage of the total cost. Prices vary greatly depending on what people are interested in doing at the ski resort. If people only need a ticket, the cost is only $20. A beginner ski package is $30, and snowboard rentals are $10.

Even though there are lots of people who are enthusiastic about this being a Pomona tradition, other students feel it’s overrated. Adam Levine ’03 attended last year and had some complaints about the activity. "I feel like it wasn’t necessarily planned as well as it could have been. We went skiing when it was really hot, and then we went to the beach when it was really cold. So, it was mostly just a ski day, which meant we spent almost all of the time skiing, and Mountain High was too small to spend five hours there and not get bored." Because of these reasons, Levine doesn’t plan to attend the event again.

Others feel like the event is a nice way to ease homesickness. Shana Sklar ’03 hasn’t attended the event due to scheduling conflicts, but says she is "looking forward to going someday. I’m from the East Coast, and although I love the beautiful weather, I miss the snow a lot when I’m at Pomona. So going to this event is a cool way to enjoy both. And it’s great way to make your friends who don’t go to school in California jealous."

This year’s event is taking place at Big Bear instead of Mountain High, and will be followed by a barbeque dinner sponsored by Sodexho-Marriott at Newport Beach, and will end with a bonfire. The ski resort had to be changed because Mountain High was expecting a large turnout, and couldn’t guarantee enough equipment for Pomona students. Brunner explained that "although Big Bear is smaller, the slopes are supposed to be much better than Mountain High’s, and the event should still be a lot of fun."