Snowmageddon struck this past weekend, burying the east coast in over 20 inches of snow. Winter Storm Jonas sent New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Georgia and five other states into a state of emergency. Thousands of flights were cancelled and hospitals were on standby in fear that the storm could be deadly. The storm shut down numerous schools, universities and cities. People everywhere were blessed with snow days. Some spent time in bed, others played in the snow–but the students of West Virginia University took the opportunity to prove that not even a blizzard can stop the party.
10. Street Skiing
WVU students finally reaped the benefits of those mountainous hills of Morgantown, turning Third Street and Spruce Street into ski slopes. “A group of skiers and snowboarders built a pretty good jump on Spruce Street. Someone even landed a flip going off it,” said sophomore Paige Mackey.
9. Street Sledding
Cardboard, trashcan lids, mattresses, couch cushions–you name it, WVU kids were sledding with it down every street in Morgantown. “Since not everyone had sleds, we found other things to use such as mattresses and even kayaks,” said sophomore Nikki Peduzzi. Some kids even used pickups to ride canoes around town.
8. Igloo Building
Between runs down the slopes, WVU students hid out in neighborhoods of igloos. “As a street we came together to build an igloo and other fun snow structures, we soaked everything in water so it would freeze and stay sturdy. All of our neighbors were hanging out in it, it fit at least 7 people easily,” said senior Brandon Vorous.
7. Beer Pong
Instead of digging their pong tables out from under the snow, WVU kids just built their own. Everyone’s favorite party game, beer-pong, wasn’t given up for a weekend in the snow.
6. Caroling
Not the Christmas kind. WVU students could be heard chanting their fight song spreading their Mountaineer pride. “All weekend long you could hear students singing ‘Country Roads.’ I heard a ton of people say they felt like a little kid again,” said sophomore Tyler Courtnage.
5. Snow Zorbing
Zorbing (v.): a sport in which a participant is secured inside an inner capsule in a large, transparent ball that’s then rolled along the ground or down hills. And when there’s no fear of breaking a bone on the soft snow ground, why not try some extreme Zorbing?
4. Roof Jumping
Using air mattresses and the two feet of snow below as a cushion, some of the more daring kids were found jumping from the rooftops. Maybe not the smartest way to spend a snow day, but surely an activity every adrenaline junkie was ready to take on with enthusiasm.
3. Snow Swimming
Just because it’s not summer doesn’t mean you can’t swim. Students made their own “pools” with snow mounds and chairs for diving boards. Some even dared to dive in in their bathing suits.
2. Snowball Fights
Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned snowball fight? Kids made forts and barricades to win their snowball wars but unfortunately they didn’t keep everyone safe. “A lot of snow balls were thrown I even got hit in the face with one,” said sophomore Maddy Kelly.
1. Campfires
Students had to work with the resources they had in order to stay warm in the storm. When firewood is scarce, WVU students burn their mattress sleds. Kids huddled around their mattress campfires all weekend long.
“Basically, the whole entire weekend was crazy. People were skiing, sledding, snowboarding, kayaking and canoeing down every street in Morgantown. It was just good vibes the whole weekend, we all got to forget about our responsibilities for a few days and enjoy the snow,” said sophomore Dylan Paluzzi.
