With the fresh snowfall and the start of the Winter Carnival, students were greeted with running chair lifts, as well as free ski tickets and rentals. 150 Bates students got on buses running every 30 minutes from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. to go ski at the Lost Valley Takeover. 

The Lost Valley Takeover event was created by Campus Life in 2017, with the intent to hold a large-scale winter event that would allow students to participate in winter activities such as skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing, said Senior Associate Dean of Students for Campus Life Kim Trauceniek. The event was not originally a part of the Winter Carnival, but more recently it was grouped into the other winter festivities offered during the week.

“The event was designed to have something for everyone. Campus Life engaged a number of student clubs and organizations with the idea and there was a tremendous amount of interest and excitement,” said Trauceniek.

The event was originally organized as a one-time affair, but students requested that it became an annual event. With the help of Interim Coordinator of Campus Life Aml Mohamed and other groups such as the Bates Outing Club, Campus Activities and Traditions as well as the staff at Lost Valley, it has now become a beloved tradition, said Trauceniek. 

“It is truly wonderful to see so many students in the community together having fun. Embracing winter in Maine is important,” Trauceniek said. “We hope that the event brings students together, even those that may not consider themselves winter enthusiasts. I personally love snow tubing and the conversations I have with students as we wait for the tow up the hill and the laughter that I hear as we make our way down the run.”

Frieda Kickliter ’23 said, “It was super cold! But tubing was super fun and it was nice to see people!” 

The mountain also provided free pizza, chicken nuggets and hot chocolate for students as they left the mountain. One downside was that all containers had to be emptied prior to boarding the buses; for students partaking in the physical winter activities, it was difficult not to have water.

“I like that they provided us with food on the mountain but it was a little annoying that they made us pour out water bottles in the cold weather right before the bus,” said Goggy Parksuwan ’25.

One important consideration was that the Lost Valley Takeover was one of the first campus events offered since some of the stricter COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. The event really brought the community together, Saya Shamdasani ’25 said. 

“I really enjoyed the Lost Valley Takeover. It was so exciting to gather in one place as a community, and see familiar faces on the slopes and in the lodge. This was definitely one of my highlights of the second semester, so far!”