Making the most of the snow onslaught

It's winter once again and the Wellesley Winter Wonderland has turned into piles of brown snow and sheets of ice.  It is easy to think "I'm so sick of snow," and "When will spring get here?"  As someone who has experienced two Massachusetts winters I can tell you this: you are in for a bit of a wait. So as long as we're stuck with it why not make the most of the weather?  

There are many challenges to face when dealing with winter, including the sand that is used to reduce the slipperiness of ice.  Upside: all of my bones are currently intact. Downside: I'm finding little pebbles everywhere in my room. I've vacuumed twice this week and still they manage to find their way inside.  And while sand and salt help give the ground some traction, there are still many slippery patches of ice.  Perhaps the biggest danger of walking outside—especially at night—is losing footing on black ice.  

There's a lot more to a Wellesley winter than the age-old "woe is me" spiel. For the psychrophobics out there—those with abnormal sensitivity to cold—be sure to exploit blankets, tea and the dining halls' hot chocolate machines. Catch up on Hulu favorites, cut out paper snowflakes and fantasize about how awesome summer is.

And for those students who are more adventurous—or slightly insane—there's always plenty to do outside. One favorite wintertime activity is sledding or "traying" down Severance Hill, where the height and steep slope are sure to give students a fun time and quick adrenaline fix. Just let me give some advice—learned, unfortunately, from personal experience—to tackle Severance Hill after a snowstorm, when the snow is light and fluffy.  Don't attempt a sledding romp at night when some of the snow has turned to ice because the ground is almost certain to be hard and unforgiving.  And if hurtling down hills isn't your "thing," another classic adventure is building snowmen (and snow-women!). Snow angels, snowballs and snow forts will never lose their appeal, no matter how old we get. Meanwhile students can rent snowshoes and skis at the KSC, while Babson has a cheap skating rink. Just remember the advice from the movie "Snow Day"—beware of yellow snow.  

In any case, the snow will be here a while—why not make the most of it?  I propose the creation of new college-wide tradition: Snow Day. I come from the desert, so I've never experienced an official snow day, and when I decided to come to the East Coast I was exited to experience blizzards and cancelled school.  Sadly Wellesley is not known for cancelling classes—ever.  On Snow Day, everyone can start out the day with a campus-wide snowball fight, then continue on through a series of winter-themed activities to create the winter equivalent of Lake Day.  Is this a good idea? Who knows—but we should at least attempt a trial run and then let future generations decide.

There is no escaping this weather. For those of you who have never experienced a New England winter before, let me be the most recent person to happily inform you that we still have a long month or two ahead of us (no matter what the groundhog sees!). So for as long as you're surrounded by several feet of snow, you might as well go outside and enjoy it—bundle up, brace yourself and then release your inner kid and dive into all that cold white stuff. Try not to have so much fun that you forget to study!