The Winter Carnival tradition gets bigger and better this year as a larger budget, longer mountain stay and new location add appeal to an old Pioneer event, organizers say.

Changes to the week-long carnival, which will begin this Sunday and end in Steamboat Springs on Feb. 3, were implemented after host DUPB started a change committee at the end of last year.

We wanted to “bring back campus spirit and participation by focusing our resources on fewer events, but bigger and better events,” said Shelby Flora, director of Winter Carnival.

The carnival, along with Homecoming and May Days, has become the focal point of DUPB. With additional money and almost a year to plan the event as opposed to only one quarter in previous years, this year’s Winter Carnival promises to be better planned and more about what the students want.

This year, DUPB will take Winter Carnival back to its origins in Steamboat Springs. The on-mountain weekend, which is part of every year’s carnival, will be held in Steamboat Feb. 1-3.

The two-night stay is the latest addition to the carnival tradition, as previous years had only spent one evening in the mountains.

The On Mountain at Steamboat two-day event includes ice skating, snowshoeing, a visit to the hot springs, a welcome dinner by the gondolas, transportation discounts for tubing and reduced price lift tickets – only $40 per day.

It’s “a mini-vacation for pretty good prices,” said Flora, adding, it’s “a fun weekend to get away to a ski resort people don’t normally go to.”

Registration is required for the Steamboat trip. Registration forms can be picked up in the Student Life office or on Driscoll Bridge and must be turned in to Student Life by this Friday.

Winter Carnival features free events for students who don’t want to head up to the mountains for the weekend. The carnival kicks off this Sunday with the ninth annual Polar Bear Run, a 5K charity run. The carnival will also include an afternoon barbecue on Driscoll Lawn next Monday, featuring music by KVDU and an ice sculptor demonstration.

Next Tuesday, the Figure Skating club is providing a free skate in Joy Burns Arena following a club figure skating show. A broomball tournament will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 30. Teams, all co-ed, must register in Student Life by this Wednesday. The last event before the big mountain escape is the basketball double header on Thursday, Jan. 31.

With all the changes being made this year, Winter Carnival 2008 is set to be the new face of an old Pioneer tradition, organizers believe.