By Zoe Dixon
For Lewis & Clark students who love skiing and snowboarding, Ski Club provides the perfect opportunity to hit the slopes, meet fellow enthusiasts and enjoy the beauty of Mount Hood. Led by President Whistle Leach ’27, the club fosters a strong sense of community while making skiing more accessible for students.
Though the Ski Club has been around for years, its current iteration gained traction when Leach discovered it at the annual SEE Fair during his first year. At the time, the club was run by Max Frisbie ’22, the former president, who became Leach’s main ski partner. When Frisbie stepped down, he offered Leach the leadership role and Leach enthusiastically took on the responsibility Now, alongside his roommate, Everett Holbrook ’27, who serves as the club’s co-president, the two organize the club’s activities and ensure members have the chance to enjoy the mountain.
At its core, the club functions mainly as a ride-sharing group that connects students looking for transportation to Mount Hood. “What the club does mainly is rideshare,” Leach remarks. “We have a group chat on WhatsApp. We text whenever we’re going up to the mountain, and how many seats we have in our car. We don’t really have a shuttle per se as people’s personal vehicles. So we go up once or twice a week, usually, and we’ll text how many spaces we have.”
For students wondering where to ski, Leach recommends Mount Hood Meadows. As one of the three major resorts on Mount Hood — the other two being Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood Ski Bowl — Meadows offers the most diverse terrain. “Meadows has definitely the widest array of terrain,” Leach says, “and there’s a mix of some super off piste, difficult stuff to do out in Heather’s Canyon. And then there’s also a lot of super beginner trails, bunny routes, but Mount Hood Meadows is definitely the one that I would recommend going to if it’s your first time.” Those looking to purchase a season pass for next year should plan ahead, as the best deals tend to sell out quickly.
Leach learned how to ski at age three in Vermont, where his uncle owned a house in the mountains. His passion deepened in high school where he spent four years on a freestyle ski team specializing in park skiing, which consists mainly of tricks on rails and jumps. Now that he is out West, his interests have shifted more toward backcountry and off-piste skiing, taking advantage of Mount Hood’s natural features and expansive terrain.
While the club is primarily focused on getting skiers and snowboarders to the mountain, Leach hopes to expand its activities. One of his goals is to organize ski movie nights, showcasing films from famous skiers as they release new projects throughout the season. Although no full-length movies have dropped yet this year, he is keeping an eye out for longer films that would be worth gathering the club to watch. Additionally, when snow falls on campus, members have taken advantage of the conditions by building a jump near the graduate campus during the last snowfall, enjoying an impromptu ski day right at LC.
Students interested in joining the Ski Club can reach out to Leach directly via email (wleach@lclark.edu) to get added to the group chat and email list. With the informal, welcoming nature of the club, new members can jump in at any time and find a supportive community ready to hit the slopes together. Whether you are a seasoned skier or a complete beginner, Ski Club offers a fun and inclusive way to enjoy the Pacific Northwest’s incredible winter sports scene.
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