The brisk air and bare trees mark a new winter and the start of a rigorous competition season for the Loomis Chaffee ski team. The winter season kicked off with a difficult start for the ski team as the lack of snow and undesirable weather conditions initially halted the season. However, the ski team has still managed to find ways to create a competitive and positive environment.

“We started this season with dryland training and are currently working on fully adjusting to the mountain,” Captain Neil Grover ’23 said.

While substituting in-person skiing for dryland training practices is far from ideal for the group, the skiers have made the most of their imperfect situation, ready to improve last year’s season.

As weather conditions become more conducive to the ski team’s art of racing, the members have made their way back to the mountains. 

“While the lack of snow definitely slowed us down early in the season, it is cold enough right now for races to make synthetic snow so we can ski,” Anna Lee Geoghan ’24 said. 

The ski team ventures daily by bus to Ski Sundown, a mountain located in New Hartford, Connecticut. They depart right after classes at 3:45 p.m. and usually return to campus at around 7 p.m. While the practice schedule may prove inconvenient to some, the ski team members cherish their time at the mountain. 

“Each day is a new opportunity for the members of our team,” Grover said. “We are all a very talented group of people, and the progress our team has made to this point in the season is astounding.” 

The Loomis Chaffee ski team comprises skiers with varying levels of experience and, thus, a wide range in technical abilities. The upperclassmen of the team have collectively taken on the role of mentors for the new and younger skiers who will continue the team’s legacy moving forward.

“[Ski racing] was definitely more of a challenge than I originally thought it would be. Many of the returning racers on the team really tried to help us out and just let us know that it’s okay if we did not perform as well as we’d hoped,” Eli Somberg ’26 said.

Ultimately, the ski team seeks to dedicate this season to improving in their weekly competitions, laying a foundation of success, and instilling a strong and cohesive team culture for future Loomis skiers. 

Despite the slow start to the season due to weather, the skiers have remained keen on achieving their goals for the season.

Senior veteran Alex Fuller ’23 said, “The ski team has a lot of potential. All of us have been working really hard to improve this season, and I can see us doing our best this season compared to past years.”