Chapman snow club: where students experience winter activities, even in California
Chapman snow club is a place where students can find winter activities to do within and outside of California. Photos courtesy of Quinn Cho
For those looking to get involved with club sports on campus, winter sports might fly under the radar because California is typically sunny year round. But, Chapman Snow Club is one of the most attended clubs on campus where students can get their winter fix.
Club president and senior business administration major Quinn Cho is from Vancouver, Canada, and growing up he’d go to the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest to ski and snowboard in the Whistler and Cyprus mountains.
Cho joined the snow club freshman year, which he felt was the perfect community for him given that locations for winter sports are limited in California.
Although the snow in California isn’t ideal, the snow club still finds a way to enjoy winter activities.
“I never even knew you could ski when I first got (to California). Meeting other people that ski and snowboard can be hard in California where it’s much more (spring and summer sports) oriented,” Cho said. “And we really try to foster a warm community where everyone can just be themselves, and make friends, and do cool things together.”
One of the memorable trips that Cho had with the club was back in 2020 during the pandemic. He drove with his two friends from Chapman Grand to Washington and spent a week skiing at Crystal Mountain.
The lengths that him and his friends took to embark on this trip is how Cho describes members of the club.
“COVID was happening and all of us (were) feeling demotivated, and I didn’t know what I was going to do for the break,” Cho said. “But the fact that there was three of us who were just so willing to drive that far, and we hit San Francisco and we hit national parks, we were willing to do all of that together. We didn’t even know one of the guys (well), he’s my current really good friend now. I think that speaks volumes to the type of people that come together (for snow club).”
Sophomore broadcast journalism and documentary major Will Swan said that he started winter sports when he was five years old, snowboarding and skiing at Mount Hood in Oregon.
Swan said he joined the club last year as a bridge between California and his love for snow sports back home. He talked about the turnout of freshmen at this year’s snow club meetings and is open to sharing his passion for snow with others.
“(Snow club is) really looking forward to meet new people,” Swan said. “(The) freshman class this year is enormous; we had over 400 people sign up at club fair. So it’s really just seeing people and getting excited to introduce them to what I fell in love with, and that’s snow club.”
Swan recalled going on a trip to Mammoth Lakes, California as a memorable trip from his freshman year experience.
“We (went) to hot springs that sit about 30 minutes from where we (stayed) in Mammoth,” Swan said. “One of my friends has a Jeep, and so we all piled in (the vehicle) in swimsuits. It was 20 degrees out and (we) trucked all the way out in the middle of nowhere to these hot springs… We’re in a pretty high residential area (in Orange) and going to a place where there’s just nothing was pretty special.”
California is typically sunny year round, but there are places up north and down south where snow enthusiasts can take on winter sport activities. Compared to back home, Cho said that while California isn’t a top place for snow sports, it does offer a wide range of outdoor activities.
“I would consider California a pretty good place for snow activities. Considering that you can surf, skate and snowboard all in one day is pretty cool,” Cho said. “It’s known as a trifecta among the board sports. I do think there are much better places to pursue snow sports, (but) it’s nice that California has it all.”
Similarly, Swan said the quality of snow in California is not ideal, but he has taken time to adjust to these conditions.
“The snow out here is pretty garbage,” Swan said. “It’s mainly park or it’s factory-made, so they have these big blowers that inject water into mist that turns into snow. So it can be pretty crusty from time to time, but it only has forced me to work on more skills that I haven’t really worked on… You can’t really beat the snow up in Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon (or) Washington; it’s just so plentiful compared to here.”
With regards to events this semester, Cho said the club plans on focusing on group hikes, bonfires and surf sessions as they anticipate the winter season.
Cho describes members of the snow club as friendly and relaxed.
“Whenever I go to various places (at Chapman), I’ll always see members of the club, and it’s always easy to connect with them because everyone is so warm and open with each other,” Cho said.