Williams Nordic Carnival Schedule 2024

 

Carnival Race Schedule announced! Come out and support your Williams Ephs this Winter! 

Meet the Class of 2027 SKEEPHS

 Drum roll please... We would like to formally welcome our class of 2027! 

Soon the Williams Nordic Ski Team will be welcoming 5 new members, so we thought it was about time to introduce them. Hailing from five, that's right FIVE states, please give a round of applause for our additions from the beginning of the alphabet, Ann, Bailey, Ben, Chip, and Chloe. 

First up, we've got Ann Rightmire: 

Where you call home: Hanover, New Hampshire

Favorite ski memory: Norpining in Fort Kent, Maine

Favorite ski venue: Green Woodlands in Dorchester, New Hampshire

Interests outside of skiing: I love my dog, adventures with friends, and trying new recipes.

Academic interests/intended major: I'm not sure what I want to major in yet, but I'm interested in geosciences, biology, and public health.

Favorite cereal: Rice Crispies

Go-to post-workout snack: Chocolate milk!

Couldn't be stuck on a desert island without: Chapstick

Next in the alphabet, we've got Bailey Carmack: 

Where you call home: Park City, UT

Favorite ski memory: First time on snow in West Yellowstone every Thanksgiving!

Favorite ski venue: Lake Creek in Sun Valley Idaho

Interests outside of skiing: Anything to do with water - swimming, paddle boarding, cliff jumping

Academic interests/intended major: Biology and Spanish

Favorite cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios

Go-to post-workout snack: Chocolate milk and peanut butter & honey tortilla

Movie you wish you were an extra in: Dead Poets Society

Couldn't be stuck on a desert island without: CHUBBY CHAP!

Highlight of the summer: 50-mile backpacking trip in the Wind Rivers

Next up, we've got Ben Condit:

Where you call home: I'm a proud resident of Auburn, Maine, about 45 minutes north of Portland

Favorite ski memory: It's hard to choose, but probably this past Christmas training camp at Fort Kent with the Quarry Road Ski Team and the various adventures we had during that week.

Favorite ski venue: Although it may be my home course, Quarry Road and the journey it's taken me on will always have a special place in my heart. There are so many memories that I have made there and I will never appreciate (or probably ski) a downhill like the one that comes down off South Loop. 

Interests outside of skiing: I like mountain biking, hiking/trail running, and, more generally, various escapades through the outdoors with cool people. 

Academic interests/intended major: I'm currently considering either physics, economics, architecture, or potentially psychology. 

Favorite cereal: Raisin Bran Crunch for sure. The more crunch the better.

Go-to post-workout snack: I always have some Black Forest gummy bears out of my six-pound bag that I always keep in my car followed by a Clif Builder Bar and some water.

Movie you wish you were an extra in: The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings because every scene in the movie takes place in a gorgeous place that I would be thrilled to visit.

Couldn't be stuck on a desert island without: A pocket knife so that you can make everything you need to survive without having to bang rocks together and go through the stone age again.

Highlight of the summer: It would have to be skiing Tuckerman's Ravine the day after graduation, getting by on an hour and a half of sleep, while trying to make it down on Nordic skis with Ellis Slover, the only other person dumb enough to go with me. 

Into our letter Cs, we welcome Chip Freeman: 

Where you call home: Peru and Landgrove, VT

Favorite ski venue: Wild Wings XC, Peru VT

Interests outside of skiing: Mountain biking, backcountry skiing, pond hockey

Academic interests/intended major: Computer science

Favorite cereal: Granola

Go-to post-workout snack: Nachos

Highlight of the summer: Flipping burgers at Honeypie

Last but not least (because they're still ahead of the rest of the team in the alphabet): Chloe Koch

P.S. If you're a fan of Williams skiing, you may be familiar with another Koch, of the Janne variety, but this one is different (and pronounced different too!). 

Where you call home: St. Paul, MN

Favorite ski memory: Winning the Minnesota Nordic state meet with my team!

Favorite ski venue: Battle Creek in St Paul

Interests outside of skiing: I like hiking, playing the violin, and reading!

Academic interests/intended major: I am undecided currently, but am interested in English or something science-y!

Go-to post-workout snack: Pickles

Movie you wish you were an extra in: The Princess Bride

Couldn't be stuck on a desert island without: A good book

Highlight of the summer: Hiking in Colorado with my family

Welcome to Williams, Class of 2027

Linden's Summah 2023

 

a little here and a little there!

Howdy ho! Hello my dear ephs, 

Reporting live from the passenger seat on a cross-country mission, this cow has been on the moo-ve since we’ve parted ways in May. 

I’ve done some dabbling around New England, some lemon-harvesting and playing in the waves in Carpenteria CA, then visiting some buds in Juneau AK. Here are some highlights:

Loading up on some home-grown lemons in California. 

A sea-kayaking picnic. More daylight = more time for activities!

 

A jump for joy on Juneau ridge/being blown off by wind gusts...either way, a good shot.

 The past month I settled down in the great metropolis of Burlington and spent the month living easy in the greenery of VT. My weeks consisted of working in the agroforestry office for a few hours here and there, exploring new running and rollerskiing routes, quality time with Keelan in our lovely house, visits with other carnival circuit pals, and (obviously) frequent stops for ice cream — which has unveiled to me a great rainbow vs. chocolate sprinkle divide (feel free to reach out with your thoughts on that).

Some rock trolls I came across. Stinky, but fun! They responded positively to sour gummy worms. 

  

An exploratory voyage at Bolton Valley Ski Area. Not pictured is the trail, because I don't think the one I was looking for exists. Good place for a nap in the ferns though ;) 

Apart from my brief appearances in the office, I’ve really been putting the ‘remote’ in remote work. Through my masterful logistics of travel and adventures, I’ve had the pleasure of working for the National Agroforesty Center doing some editing work on one of their current projects. To my absolute delight, I've been conducting some thorough research on peach trees and their potential contributions in agroforestry practices in the US. I won’t dive into the specifics of the trees, but rest assured, peaches will always have a special place in our economy (and more importantly, in my heart). 

Which brings me back to my current office view: unrelenting rows of corn on corn — there are many scents and scenes yet to be discovered as we traverse the midwest towards the highlands of home! My sister and I are keeping one another entertained amid the excitement of the landscape. 

I am psyched to spend some time at home after a while away and get on some good adventures. The best added bonus is that we will roll in just in time for Colorado peach season before I  head down to Chile for the semester. 

Here are the cliff notes for those who don’t like reading (I get it): moving (+shaking and grooving), running, sweating, peaches. 

 Very excited to see you all on skis! 

Joyfully, 

Molly

a stratton summer

 Hey hey, fellow cows!

Since Mondays are my rest days and I literally live in the middle of nowhere, I thought, what better thing to do than "excitingly" write a blog post! Just kidding, I'll quit with the attitude since I'm certain that everyone has been patiently waiting to hear what I have been up to. Spoiler Alert: no more quite as exhilarating adventures as the everesting, but no worries, the spirit is still alive! 

The Homestead

Stratton has been treating me quite well, besides the exceptionally wet weather that seemed to have no end in sight up until a week ago. The flooding definitely caught us off guard, but besides the occasional road damage and a route complication to my favorite coffee shop, the Stratton area is up and running again. Now that the sun has finally decided to make an appearance, I have been cherishing every minute, and I mean that, in an attempt to look, tanner than I did at the end of ski season. With that in mind, I have been spending a lot of time outside, rolling and strolling on all types of wheels (and shoes). The roads have witnessed plentiful sweat and laughter as I have been enjoying training with friends and even with a couple members of the herd. 

It has unfortunately come to my attention that I don't have any roller skiing content (lack of fenders might be to blame)

Fin showing off 

A look of agony as a result of all of this rain 

Mandatory coffee stops (don't worry I definitely stopped my watch ;)

A friend along the way 

Getting dropped by Lilly 

On a more exciting note, I tried my hand at some swimming cross-training. Although I don't have any photo evidence, I was convinced by Lilly and Brad to do a one-mile crossing of Dublin Lake, an incredible feat in my book (I have never swam anywhere near that far). Thankfully I survived the feat, although it took me a couple of days to recover!  

Since I have no swimming pics, here is Loofer and I 

At home, I have been getting spoiled with some delicious food by my mom and sisters. Although certain members of my family have me beat at becoming a chef, I have put together some meals myself! 

Who doesn't like a pie?

Poke bowl!

I only ate the things in this pic

Chef Quinn plus sous chef Janne

Although July is coming to an end, there is still plenty on my agenda, before we shall convene back in Billsville! But until then training and life are keeping me busy. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate too, so I can keep my Vitamin D levels satisfied :) 

See yall soon!

-Janne 

Adventures in the Pacific

Given I’ve been meaning to post a study-abroad update for months now (I know, I’ve been procrastinating pretty badly), this summer update will be more of a life update of everything that’s happened since February, so buckle your seatbelts and prepare for a bit of a whirlwind of a post.

I left the US for Dunedin just halfway through the carnival season last winter feeling extremely unsure of whether I had made the right decision, and feeling sad to leave my teammates and the beautiful snowy conditions we had finally gotten on the east coast. Though springing into the beautiful NZ summer was a wonderful start to what would be a fantastic semester.

A side note: If any of you have an interest in mining, learning how to mine, getting rich from mining, or finding mineable economically-viable resources, I’m your girl. This semester has been a somewhat-hilarious at times dabble in some pretty hard-core geology. A truly fascinating experience in a country that’s so proud of its mines and resources. As the townies describe it, “a very practical field of study” - an interesting change from the liberal arts.

However, talking more about my classes would misrepresent how a I spent my time this semester. When I didn’t have class (or even sometimes when I did (shhhh…)), I often found myself driving west towards the beautiful NZ southern alps. The weekends in the mountains meant I probably slept in a tent or hut equally as much as in my own bed on Friday nights. During the week, I spent lots of time rediscovering reading for fun, learning how to cook, and exploring the wonderful running trails around Dunedin and along the ocean.

mt. Cook, mt. Earnslaw, mt. Ben Lomond, Queen Charlotte sound

Queenstown hike, the Kepler track, Jakin and I at mt. Cook, chefing it up in the tent, Arthurs pass and a kea parrot, and a beautiful campsite.

After a tearful farewell to Dunedin, I left New Zealand to spend the next three weeks in Japan. I would be remiss to not mention the generosity of the Interess family. I have been completing my project “An Exploration of Southern Japan Volcanism and its Impact on Culture” under the Lauren Interess Fellowship over the last few weeks. Instead of boring you with the details, I’ll share some photos of the beautiful hiking I did and you can imagine the rest.

Unzen Volcano, hiking around an old volcanic crater, Kaimondake Volcano, demonstrating proper tea drinking technique, Takachiho gorge, and the spectacular rainy-season views.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to unpacking all my suitcases in the comfort of my Currier dorm room this week as I move back to campus and start my thesis in the Geoscience department. And I’m even more excited to reconnect with my friends and teammates this summer/fall who I have missed dearly over the past six months.

My boss said "welcome to the boonies"

Heyo from the northeast kingdom of vt!!

For the past 4 weeks I’ve been living it up in the rural country learning how to “homestead” and actually read when the power goes out (which happens way too often. I ask you: what about a sunny day would obstruct a power line?).

Quincy soakin up the golden hour rays in a wholesome post dinner moment.

A sunset flick from an off-roading adventure on July 4th when the power went out.

I’ve been exploring the world of press this summer working as a reporter for the local newspaper. I'm learning that not everyone likes nosy journalists! but it’s been a fun opportunity to explore the area and be more in touch with what’s going on/know the ins and outs of local life. A few highlights have been interviewing the Vermont State Senator and Rep, covering the big Antiques & Uniques anniversary event, and driving/walking around trying to find the worst destruction from the floods this week for photojournalism. That last one was more me being like: “Yes!! Me!! I can totally do that!” and then me and Quincy got to go on detours and rubber neck the wreckage.

I drove to do an interview at someone's business and ended up at a homestead (vermont for ya). peep the ducks in the background.

Checking out our coach's road. Guess he's not driving to practice (yikes).

I have never seen asphalt crumble before (this is at the bottom of our hill).

We lost power for a full day after the first storm and had no running water (and not very much food!) but Jack's Big Truck Borris got us through the river roads and to the Genny.

Borris

Last weekend, the eastern ephs united for a Burly get together and run/hike at Mt. Mansfield. It was so fun to get with the squad again after 2 long months apart and explore some caves (?!) while we were at it!

The look on Lilly's face when she descends into cave #1 (photo: Rikz).

Mountainside shenanigans ft Keelan and Tzevi (photo: Henry).

Back in the Craftsbury area, I’ve been training with the Craftsbury U23 group (with Tzevi) and doing work hours at the Outdoor Center. I’m becoming buddies with the kitchen staff and have found the best places around the Center to pick black raspberries (which I didn't know was an actual fruit...).

Getting a post ski shooting lesson from Emma.

I’m living in Rikz’s house in Greensboro with her sister Quincy and Q’s Midd nordie teammate Jack. It’s been lots of fun getting to know them and learning how to cook (there have been a few epic fails which they were nice enough about), tend an actual garden, and make the trek to the library to pick out our next movie.

Exploring mediterranean cuisine with Jack. I can say that I contributed the tzatziki!

Garden + sunset in the backyard.

And that’s a wrap on where I’m at, see you nerds in another 2 :-)

- Fran