The Sacramento State Ski and Snowboard Club is known for being the longest-running club on campus and is consistently mistaken for focusing only on skiing and snowboarding.

Despite what people believe, the club participates in weekly activities and fundraising events, said club president Mike Nerby.

“A lot of people get confused when they come up to the tent,” Nerby said. “They think snowboarding is all we do but we’re pretty active.”

The Ski and Snowboard Club meets at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday in the University Union’s Hinde Auditorium. Following each meeting, the club has themed social events around town.

The events include skating, bowling and going to the indoor training center, Rush, to ski and snowboard. The members also attend sporting events, have barbecues and carpool up to Tahoe to hit the slopes, said club member Lauren Robinson, junior recreation, parks and tourism administration major.

Junior business major Dan Crippen, another club member, said the club now has 75 members. In the fall semester it had about 200 members, but membership dwindled during the spring semester. Crippen, Nerby and Robinson all said a decrease in membership is normal and expect the membership to jump back up next semester.

“In the spring, our numbers are usually down because people are out snowboarding. They don’t want to be at a meeting when they can be out on the mountain,” Nerby said. “The fall semester is bigger.”

The club is open to Sac State students and costs members $20 per semester.

Knowing how to ski and snowboard is not a requirement for joining because the members are willing to teach. Nerby said the club accepts everyone and all levels.

“Anybody who has a good attitude and likes to have fun,” Crippen said. “They don’t have to know how to ski or snowboard as long as they enjoy good people. We like to have any and everybody.”

Within the club, there is a set team to participate in competitions. To be part of the competition team, members have to pay additional fees to cover the costs of competitions, and be part of the Skiing Association, Robinson said.

Two weeks ago, the Ski and Snowboard Club competition team participated in Nationals. Robinson said the team did very well. One member received second place in the women’s slope style, three members received top 10 rankings in men’s slope style, two members received top five rankings in men’s border cross, one member received a top five ranking in women’s slope style, and another member received a top 10 ranking in women’s slope style.

The skiers and snowboarders also participate in social events and charity work such as:a kickball game, a Sacramento Kings’ game later this week, and a cake walk.

The Cake Walk is a fundraiser to raise money to be able to throw out prizes during meetings and to be able to buy and give away snowboards to those who need them, Robinson said.

Another event the club participates in every fall is the Ski and Snowboard Swap. Crippen said the swap is the largest collegiate fundraiser in California. The swap takes place every October and the members collaborate with a lot of ski and snowboard shops of the Greater Sacramento area. Nerby said the shops come in and sell all the old gear from the previous year at up to 60 percent off.

“We have people come in and families buy gear for their kids. People get good deals on gear,” Nerby said. “It’s a big fundraiser for the club and it helps out the community.”

Crippen, Nerby and Robinson all said the club is more like a social network for them.

“I’ve always been a social person,” Crippen said. “But (the club) gets me more involved on campus because I’m always talking to people and meeting people. I am a lot more involved.”

For Robinson, it has been a social network as well as a learning experience.

“A lot of my friends are in the club,” Robinson said. “They have taught me a lot with skiing and they have helped me with learning how to plan and budget my time.”

Each said that through the club, they want to meet new friends, have new experiences and make a difference. Nerby said the club allows him to be in a good community of people who share his interests and want to hang out and do what he loves &- snowboarding. Robinson said she just wants everyone to enjoy outdoors and have fun with the club.

“I really want to effect change and make (the club) into this out-of-control, awesome thing that everybody wants to come to,” Crippen said.

You can reach Stacey Adams at [email protected]