History-
The California Ski Team is a group of UC Berkeley students committed to snowsports and enjoying the mountains. We are an old and established organization with rich history and tradition, dating back to the dawn of skiing in California. In 1948 the team was founded as one of the nation's first collegiate ski teams by several 10th Mountain Division veterans having served on their skis in the mountains of Italy during WWII, attending Cal on the Montgomery GI Bill. Ever since the team has fostered the personal and athletic development of thousands members, some even going on to become Olympians.
Over the years our organization has had a significant presence on the Berkeley campus, a highlight being the slalom race held in 1958 on Big C Hill on trucked-in snow. The team has been a competitor in the Northern California conference of the USCSA ever since its inception, and was a founding club with the Cal Sports Club program. Since then the team has cycled through periods of various official and non-official affiliations with the university and its sports club office, having little effect on the original vision and functioning of the team through the decades. Competitively, the team has made regular trips to the USCSA National Championships, and currently, living up to its name, is overall the #1 ranked collegiate ski team in California.
Joining and team info-
First off, you may be wondering if you have to compete. The answer is no! We all love to ski, but few of us have competitive race or freestyle experience. That said, learning how, if you choose to do so, will prove invaluable in the development of your skills and ability. The top skiers and snowboarders in every discipline have backgrounds rooted in either race or freestyle training.
You have the desire to get to the mountains; we provide you with the most affordable means to do it, hooking you up with unlimited access to our sweet cabin, a cheap season pass, professional coaching, equipment deals, structured training, racing/comp opportunities, transportation to the mountains, social events, and an awsome group of both skiers and snowboarders- beginners to experts.
The team has the opportunity to participate in about 6-8 official events most years. The competitions, sanctioned by United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA), include the disciplines of slalom and giant slalom, in addition to the new events of boarder giant slalom, skiiercross, boardercross, and skier and boarder slopestyle and halfpipe that have recently been added. Competitors hail from teams organized by schools such as Stanfurd, UC Davis, CSU-Chico, Sierra College, Sierra Nevada College, Southern Oregon, and various other colleges. At Regionals, and at the new freestyle events we will also see teams from southern California including UCLA, USC, UCSD, UCSB, Cal Poly, and others. We can enter up to ten guys and ten girls per event, and it is nearly certain that you will be able to compete if such an interest is presented. In addition to these events, our team has the oppertunity to compete in other races and freestyle comps throughout the season.
Remember, our team is open to anybody who loves the snow (this includes snowboarders who have had quite a presence in past years). All ability levels are welcome; past teams have been quite diverse ranging from beginners to experts, and freshman to graduate students. Those considering joining should contact our president and look for our table at Caltopia, Calapaloza, and on Sproul Plaza early in the fall semester.
