Photo by: Joel Portman

Last Saturday, 48 DU students hit the mountains to participate in the annual Winter Carnival, sponsored by the DU Programs Board (DUPB).

Differing from the overnight carnival of winters’ past, this year’s festivities lasted only one day at Breckenridge.

“We thought we would try something new,” said DUPB traditions co-director Angie McDermid. “We wanted to try to get a new appeal to the student body.”

For $10, students were provided with a bus ride to and from Breckenridge along with a free beanie hat to commemorate the event.

This year, the carnival hosted a free sleigh ride and ice skating for participants along with a meal voucher and numerous raffle prizes. Prizes included video iPods, iPod shuffles and iHomes, according to McDermid.

“It was a fun activity and a great way to get out of Denver for a day,” said McDermid. “We wanted to get as many students as possible up on the mountain.”

The weather provided a bit of a challenge for attendees, as the weekend snow and cold made travel to Breckenridge strenuous.

“The weather caused quite an issue, but it went well otherwise,” said McDermid, who started organizing the event last spring. The planning intensified at the end of fall quarter with the help of seven or eight other DUPB committee members.

The festivities were funded by DUPB and cost the organization approximately $8,000-$10,000. The raffle prizes alone cost around $3,000, according to McDermid. However, this year’s carnival was under budget in comparison to previous years. The money, said McDermid, will roll over to May Days, another seasonal event sponsored by DUPB. Planned for the spring, May Days will take on a country fair theme, complete with a barbeque and a potential concert series.

Prior to the day on the mountain, DUPB hosted the Polar Bear Run on Sunday, Jan. 28 at Washington Park and offered a viewing of Warren Miller’s “Off the Grid” on Thursday, Feb. 1 in Sturm Auditorium.