Snowteam rides to success on campus and in competition despite lack of local snow

In a city where snow is as rare as Atlantis, and on a campus with a legacy of greatness in athletics, one of UCLA’s largest club teams is also perhaps one of its more unlikely: the UCLA Snowteam.

Faced with the challenge of existing in a region in which temperatures seldom enter the low 40s ““ much less the low 30s ““ UCLA’s Ski and Snowboard Team, better known as the Snowteam, has not only survived but thrived.

The Snowteam has a membership limit of 90, and annually hovers at or near that number. Many members of the team find their way to the slopes nearly every weekend, either on the six competition weekends throughout winter quarter or simply with a group of teammates.

Apparently, rather than being a burden, Los Angeles’ lack of snow is a motivator to get people to the mountains.

“People are really excited to get out of L.A.,” team vice president and fourth-year marine biology student Nicole Gormley said. “Going to Mammoth is a good way to be outdoors and to be on the mountain with a bunch of people you like to hang out with and snowboard with.”

Mammoth Mountain is a ski resort situated in the High Sierras, about five hours north of Los Angeles. Though some might see the long drive as a deterrent, the Snowteam has few options because of Southern California’s weather.

Undeclared first-year student and Maryland native Mitch Bechtold, however, does not find the drive to be a problem.

“The drive’s not really bad,” Bechtold said. “Back in Maryland, you’re going to drive three or four hours for really bad hills that are all icy, just no good riding. So a five-hour drive to a mountain like Mammoth is just really unbelievable”.

On weekends when the team is competing, UCLA joins the other member schools of the Southern California Collegiate Snowsport Conference in both individual and team competition. The SCCSC offers a wide variety of competitions, including slalom, giant slalom, boarder/skier cross, halfpipe and slopestyle. UCLA fields a strong team; in 2010, UCLA placed second in the overall standings in the SCCSC and placed first overall in 2009. Beyond team success, the UCLA squad has enjoyed individual accomplishments, with members advancing to both regional and national finals.

With the success of the team in mind, it seems odd, then, that UCLA has no coach. After paying expensive dues, gear and lift passes, there is not much money left for a paid coach. Instead, the team must find coaches within its own membership. Team captains and experienced members are relied upon to provide instruction to both newer members and veterans alike.

“We just get a bunch of good people together who will push each other to improve, to hit that rail or land that jump,” team president and fourth-year economics student Sarah Van Cleve said.

With the team open to riders of all skill levels, this self-coaching is of crucial importance as many, if not most, of UCLA’s team members never raced or competed before joining the team. Though the SCCSC does offer a bit of coaching, it is almost entirely up to the captains and veterans to prepare the team for competition.

“The captains are really just spot-on with it all,” Bechtold said. “They explain the rules to you, they run the courses with you ““ whatever you need.”

With the success UCLA has enjoyed on the slopes, one might imagine that the team is all business.

“We’re serious about the competition in that when we’re competing, we want to win,” Gormley said. “There’s no doubt about that.”

But that was not the main goal, she said, and the others agreed.

“It’s definitely about fun, even the competition. … Our main goal is to have fun and enjoy a good group of people,” Van Cleve added.

It is that attitude that keeps the UCLA Snowteam going strong. However unlikely that snow ever becomes a common sight in Los Angeles, it seems as if this dedicated group of people is here to stay.