Sisterhood on Copper Mountain

Emma Likens
Alpha Xi Delta

Alpha Xi Delta House to Copper Mountain, 560 miles.  On the mountain, 16 lifts, 69 trails, and 24 Alpha Xis for the duration of one week.  It all adds up to countless memories never to be forgotten of snow, skiing, and snowboarding, with a lot of sisterhood bonding thrown in the mix. 

Freshmen Rebecca Ramm and Lucy Kneifl had their first snowboarding experiences on the mountain, with a little help from their instructor Donnie, who as Rebecca said had crazy hair and referred to snowboarding as “shredding the nard.”  For her, the best part of the lesson was reaching the bottom of her first run.  She stuck with snowboarding on green slopes, except for when “one time I took a wrong turn and ended up going down a blue on my butt,” she added with a laugh.

Copper Mountain is a hot spot for college students over winter break, home to a variety of shops and resorts.  Alpha Xis enjoyed hot tubbing after a long day of skiing and boarding, and the local bars with DJs and dancing, where they met other Greeks and non-Greeks from all over the country.  Among the other skiiers and snowboarders were Sig Eps from Illinois and non-Greeks from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.  Lucy and Rebecca also ran into an Alpha Xi Delta alumnae from Wisconsin on a bus ride back to their condo while sporting their Alpha Xi Ski Trip T-shirts. 

For some, the carefree fun of the mountain ended on the ride back to Lincoln.  Outside of Denver one of the cars, driven by Elise Tunakan, was involved in a rollover accident, totaling the car.  Only Elise was able to climb out unassisted, as the car landed on the passenger side.  All passengers had been wearing seatbelts, and were taken to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver and treated for minor injuries. 

Elise said the greatest thing was all the other travelers who immediately stopped to help, and the love other sisters showed.  After hearing about the accident, other Alpha Xis turned around to come visit the girls in the hospital.  “We definitely had God on our side.  The accident could have been a lot worse.  I can’t imagine how it would be today if something had happened to one of the girls…For the people in the wreck, there will always be a spot in my heart for them.  We survived together.”

Emma is a freshman studying agricultural journalism and agricultural education. You may contact her at emma.likens@huskers.unl.edu.