By Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado … Sunny smiles and slushy snow made for epic spring-skiing conditions for the 18 students on Campion’s annual trip to Copper Mountain.

The students spent three days skiing and snowboarding together during the four-day trip based out of Leadville. “With COVID disrupting a big part of the year, it was refreshing to get off campus and enjoy God’s creation,” Kylie Wehling, Campion junior reflected.

Coming from Kansas, Jared Marcenaro was one student who experienced skiing in Colorado for the first time. “What made the trip great for me was being able to learn and fail around friends,” Marcenaro remarked. “They always helped me back up and told me what I could do better. They also pushed me to do more difficult runs and tricks.”

The students were in agreement that the relationships formed from time spent together were the highlight of the trip. “The people who were there made the trip fun,” said Love Pickle, Campion junior. “On the slopes, we were cheering for each other, which was so ‘sick,’” she explained.

Reflecting on the adventure, Campion junior Karson Lee said, “I think the relationships between friends and even people that didn’t hang out before grew so much on the trip. I had a great time with my friends, but I also had an amazing time hanging out, laughing, and getting to know people who I hadn’t known very well before.”

Aside from skiing and snowboarding, the students spent Sabbath together in an intimate setting worshipping and studying the Bible. After church, they took in the mountain views while tubing down the local sledding hill.

The evenings were spent catching up on homework and enjoying some rowdy ping pong tournaments.

The ski trip had been rescheduled due to COVID quarantine restrictions after spring break, but even in April, Copper still had sufficient snow to keep all of the runs open, and the students appreciated the warmer-than-usual temperatures. Pickle commented, “Honestly, the fact that the weather wasn’t freezing cold was the finishing touch.”

–Jill Harlow is Campion Academy’s communication director; photos supplied