As the temperatures drop, downhill skiing begins to attract athletes of all abilities. New England is a place which normally receives a great deal of snow, but as skiers began preparing for the ski season this year, they were surprised by the unusual lack of snowfall.

Despite limited time on the mountain, the ski team ended their season on a high note.

According to team coach and physics teacher Adam Wolf, six individuals from the team went to the state championships, and the team placed 15th overall in the state.

“This is one of our best seasons. I’ve been coaching for seven years now. We’re building a really good program, which I’m excited about,” Wolf said.

Wolf attributes the team’s improvement to this year’s emphasis on training and agility.

“We started practices the first Monday after Thanksgiving and began doing dryland training, which involves a lot of running and fitness. We did some weight training in the gym, agility and other activities like that to really increase our balance and our strength overall.”

Junior Sam Weinhouse said that he thought Wolf’s strong coaching skills helped them to get better.

“My freshman year, Mr. Wolf was on the China exchange trip,” Weinhouse said. “The team was just very disorganized and we only practiced about twice a week. And then when he came back, everything started coming together.”

Sophomore Isabel Lobon said that having an assistant coach, health and fitness teacher Anya Eckhardt, has been helpful.

“Now we have two people on the mountain directing us instead of one person trying to talk and help all of us at once,” Lobon said. “It’s much more efficient.”

Wolf said that the season has presented its challenges.

“There’s been no snow, and that really affected the JV team in particular,” Wolf said. “They only had one race and missed out on a lot of practices, which was unfortunate for them. Normally, we have 12 races scheduled for varsity. We only got seven of them in this year. Practices were cancelled because of the rain as well, so it was a tough winter.”

Lobon said that a lack of time on the mountain can be frustrating for team members.

“It really brings down the morale of the team because we all really want to race. It’s what we’re here to do,” Lobon said. “We did a lot of fitness, but it made us stronger for when we did get to race. Once we got on the mountain, it was a lot more fun.”

According to Weinhouse, students on the ski team understand that no one has control over whether or not races or practices get cancelled.

“The weather was bad this year, and that’s unfortunate,” Weinhouse said. “But we made do with the time we were given and still had a great time.”

As the season comes to a close, Wolf remains optimistic for next year.  

“Getting out on the mountain with kids is my passion; that’s my joy,” Wolf said. “So much of my effort, money and time goes into sharing those moments with the kids. Hopefully the weather cooperates with us in the future!”