Northland College has announced a partnership with Mount Ashwabay to provide free season passes to Northland College students. More than 180 students have already claimed their passes.
Under the agreement, students will have unlimited access to downhill skiing, snowboarding, the terrain park, and over 40k of groomed cross country ski trails.
“In short, I’m pumped!” said Mt. Ashwabay Operations Manager Doug Olson, “I see Ashwabay and Northland College collaborating on many things — recreation opportunities for students, employment opportunities, internships, special projects and the list goes on.”
Nordic Ski Club President Josie Hadway says she’ll be using the hill for both downhill and Nordic skiing. “I was very excited and thankful when I heard that this partnership formed,” she said.
The partnership was a campus-wide effort. Kate Ullman, advisor for the Northland Nordic Ski Club and a member of the Ashwabay Board, led the initiative with support from athletics, student affairs, and the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute. “We’re providing healthy and fun opportunities for outdoor recreation for our students—that’s something everyone wants,” she said.
The Brother Bear Fund contributed financially, continuing its ongoing commitment to promote Nordic skiing for Northland students in memory of Bjorn Norgaard ‘10. The Brother Bear Fund also provides scholarships for two students to ski the American Birkebeiner Ski Marathon each year.
“Bjorn loved to take friends out skiing for the first time, and he would be thrilled to see Northland partnering to make cross country skiing more accessible for Northland students,” said Bjorn’s father, Brett Norgaard.
