The Iowa State Ski and Snowboard Club has been providing students opportunities to hit the slopes for more than 25 years.

John Chambers, club president, said he joined the club in spring of 1997 to meet people who share an interest in skiing and snowboarding.

“We are trying to get out to ski and ride and have fun doing it,” Chambers said.

Chambers said the 100-member group is very close-knit. He credits the meetings and long ski trips with keeping enthusiasm for the club high.

“The trips are probably one of the most important things that keeps everybody with the club,” he said.

Chambers said the club takes two extended ski trips every year. He said for spring break, about 40 members are heading to Jackson, Wyo., to hit the slopes. Over Christmas break, the club skied in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

The club meets biweekly, and its members often practice at Seven Oaks in Boone.

Chambers said the members of the group range from extremely experienced skiers to beginners. Due to the increasing coverage of snowboarding on television, he said the sport’s popularity has surged and there is now “about an even split” between club members who snowboard and those who ski.

“We’ve got a pretty wide range of people,” he said.

The club isn’t exclusive — it includes both experts and novices. Its activities aren’t limited to ISU students, either.

“We’ve got a lot of good boarders and skiers,” Chambers said.

Members of the Ames community also are invited to join the club.

“The Ski and Snowboard club serves the entire community,” he said.

The trips are partially funded by the Government of the Student Body and from membership fees, he said.

Steve Hanser, club vice president, said those interested in skiing with the club on its trips must first become a member.

The club meets Friday after classes to discuss the sports, upcoming trips and weather conditions, among other topics.

Safety on the slopes also is a key issue for the club.

“People are pretty good about not trying to ski outside of their capabilities,” he said, adding that helmets and safety gear is stressed.

Those interested in becoming members are encouraged to attend meetings or browse the club’s Web page at www.scc.iastate.edu/ski/.

The membership fee is $15 for a semester or $20 for a year.