Finally Hit the Slopes on Ski Trip

Posted May 21, 2025
in How to Caltech, Student Life
by

This year’s Mammoth ski trip with Page House was extra special. It was my third time going but the first time I finally tried snowboarding. My friend and I signed up for a lesson on the first day, and it turned into one of the most chaotic, hilarious, and wholesome weekends of my time at Caltech. Here’s a little photo journal to take you along with me:

We started off strong with the six-hour road trip. Somewhere around hour three, my friends defaulted into full-on iPad kid mode. It was beautiful.

We pulled over in Mojave for some Thai food. Nothing hits like hot noodles and rice when you’re hours away from snow.

We got to the cabins pretty late (I had a wet lab that afternoon—science waits for no ski trip), so I plopped down by the fireplace with friends and immediately passed out. We had to be up at 7 AM anyway…

There’s truly nothing like opening the door and seeing snow-capped mountains outside your cabin. Peak winter wonderland vibes to wake up to!

We drove out to the rental shop and got our gear.

Here’s my friend getting fitted for her board. We were very scared at this point, but also so excited!

Before hitting the slopes, we got some eggs and had a life-saving pot of coffee. A 7 AM start demands caffeine.

Unloading the truck and gearing up for our first real boarding day!

We kicked things off with our lesson. I spent a lot of time like this—sitting in the snow, questioning my life choices.

After many, many falls and learning how to stand without flailing, we finally made it onto the ski lift. A core memory.

My friend Gabbie and I, post-lift, just happy to be alive and have no broken bones. Small wins.

We earned this. Hot chocolate tastes better when you’ve eaten snow half the day.

After our break, we squeezed in one last run before the lifts closed. It was chaotic and full of laughter and absolutely worth it.

After snowboarding all day, we made a quick pit stop at Vons to stock up on snacks. I immediately passed out when we got back to the cabin.

I woke up from my nap and made my way to the hot tub with friends. Our snowboarding instructor had strongly recommended this. He was so right.

The best part of the night? Looking up and seeing the stars with no city lights in sight. We just floated and looked up at the stars for a while. Kinda perfect.

We woke up to even more snow and got ready for another day on the mountain—this time without instructors. Just vibes (and mild chaos).

Fourth lift of the day. Four Pageboys on it together. We all obviously fell off the lift into each other. I tweaked my knee from the fall, unfortunately, and had to take a little break, but I smiled through the pain. Mostly.

Lunch break in the village = much needed. This pesto chicken panini might’ve saved my life.

We headed back out after lunch. Here’s me and my friend Michelle amidst the snowstorm that suddenly rolled in.

Later that day, I took the lift up to a higher mountain and met up with friends for some après-ski fun. Music, snacks, and good energy.

A little ski party on the slopes before we headed back to the cabins. The rest of the night was just hanging with Pageboys and soaking up the weekend.

The next morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland. The cars were totally buried, and the trees were dusted in snow. It felt surreal.

On the way back to Caltech, we stopped again at our Mojave Thai food spot. Tradition = preserved.

The drive back was beautiful but honestly terrifying. Lots of snow and ice on the roads, but we made it home safe (and very sleepy).

This was hands-down one of my favorite ski trips. I’ll never forget finally learning how to snowboard, wiping out together, hot tub stargazing, and just getting to spend time with people I love. If you’re ever on the fence about trying something new on these house trips, just do it. You’ll come back sore and bruised, but with way more fun memories.

Ria Patel '26

Hi! I’m Ria, a junior in Page House from Gainesville, Florida. I am majoring in Computation and Neural Systems & Business, Economics, and Management. On campus, I am part of the Society of Women Engineers, Poker Club, Caltech Data Science Organization, and am in training to be a Health Advocate. In my free time, I love hanging out with friends, hiking, photography, exploring LA and Pasadena, and trying out new food spots!
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