Winter activities leave no room for boredom

Looking for fun activities for the cold Minnesota winter, Stillwater is the place to be. There are an abundance of things to keep stay busy while waiting for summer to arrive.

Students are notorious for finding cool things to do to keep themselves busy. Some of these activities include skiing or snowboarding, exploring new places and ice skating.

Afton Alps Ski Area is a known favorite among students. Besides being a great place to ski or snowboard with a total of about 300 skiable acres,  Afton has turned into a community for many. Afton is about 20 minutes outside of Stillwater and it is open from 9:30a.m. to 9:30p.m. daily.

Sophomore Joe Blomquist loves Afton Alps, Blomquist explained, “Afton is a great place because not only do you get to participate in a physical activity, but it’s a really fun social setting too.”

Lift tickets at Afton Alps range from $43 to $53 for a single day ticket. There is also the option to purchase a season pass which provides the buyer with unlimited passes not only to  Afton, but to all Vail owned resorts including Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Mt. Brighton and various other resorts nationwide, all for a single payment ranging from $379 to $729, according to Afton Alps.

Blomquist said, “The season pass is expensive, but it is definitely worth it since you get to go enjoy any time you want and as many times as you want.”

The Epic Pass has proven itself to be the most convenient method for a lot of skier and snowboarders.

Downtown Stillwater has added a new attraction, ice castles. The ice castle exhibit is a place where people can explore the man made castles. It is set up like a maze with lights and other festive decorations. There are even slides made out of ice to play on.

Junior Jane Hubbard has visited the ice castles and loved them. Hubbard said, “The ice castles are most fun at night because of the lights. It makes you feel like you’re in a fairy tail.”

People are hoping that Stillwater decides to bring the ice castles back next year.

Ice skating has always been a classic winter activity for all ages. The best place to skate this year is the Wells Fargo WinterSkate, which is a free, outdoor skating rink in St. Paul. The WinterSkate even has free mini classes for skaters of all abilities.

Sophomore Michelle Burton said, “Ice skating always has been and always will be a classic winter activity that everyone loves to do. Minnesotans are practically born on the ice so skating is a super fun thing to do in the winter.”

Afton Alps, the ice castles and ice skating are only a few of the many activities to do this winter. However, skiing or snowboarding seems to be the biggest hit among students. Blomquist said, “If you haven’t tried skiing or snowboarding, go try it. It’s something you can do at any time in your life.”