A year ago Alex Scull and John Bellamente organized their first group ski trip up to Canada, appropriately named Snowjam.

Snowjam ’10 took place the last weekend of January, bringing a congregation of snowbound BC students that was double the size of last year’s group.

Once word spread of a ski-by-day, party-all-night trip across the border, it was not hard for Scull and Bellamente to recruit adventurous BC students willing to brave the subzero Canadian temperatures for great skiing conditions.

The weekend trip includes a night in Montreal and two nights in Tremblant village.

Snowjam’s rate is an allinclusive $339 Canadian for bus transportation, three nights in a hotel, two lift tickets, and VIP access to four different clubs in Tremblant.

Campus Vacations is the company that draws groups of college students from at least fifteen locations, including BC, and runs Snowjam. BC students join hundreds of other college students from all over the east coast, resulting in a wild weekend.

The weekend getaway starts early as the buses leave on Thursday, arriving in Montreal in time to enjoy a club rented out privately for the group. Friday is an optional ski day, costing only an extra $30 Canadian for another lift ticket.

Snow conditions were great, but could only be enjoyed in plenty of layers as the temperature remained in single digits for the weekend with a -15 degree wind chill at the summit of the ski resort.

BC students get their money’s worth staying at a four-star, ski-in, ski-out hotel in Tremblant.

Having such easy access to the mountain is a nice perk when it is seven degrees outside. The ski resort itself has three peaks and three different terrain parks all covered in a fresh base of powder.

“The atmosphere of the village is great,” says Bellamente.

There are plenty of restaurants and shops to explore, as well as numerous ski shops to get everything you need once you are there, including tuning your skis.

The locals are welcoming to Americans, making the trip all the more enjoyable.

If you are an avid skier and missed out on Snowjam, there is a ski trip to Quebec City in March called Crashed Ice. Scull and Bellamente also organize a surf trip when the weather warms up.