The journey grew to approximately 30 hours as a blizzard shut down the planned route, but the storm compensated its victims with a fresh blanket of powder to greet them Monday morning as they strapped on their boots and caught the first chairs up into the thick clouds. Breath steaming and lungs wheezing in the thin, cold mountain air, riders carved their way through what was for many of them the deepest powder of their lives. The local weather forecasters called for 2 to 5 feet of snow during the week. They were not wrong.

Leaving Marriuci Arena at 4 p.m. Jan. 8, and returning a week and a few hours later, the bus rides to and from Telluride, Colo., for the 2005 University Ski and Snowboard Club winter trip was a very unforgettable experience. The five days spent on the mountain were impossible to forget.