On behalf of all who enjoyed this weekend's Winter Carnival activities, thanks go to the student and faculty leaders who pulled it all off. Separate from those activities was a special celebration of the Blackwater Ski Area, at which more than a hundred alumni, trustees and friends of Proctor came together for an evening of night skiing, good food and fun.

The causes of the celebration are two. First, in a winter in which we received just a few inches of natural snow, the hill staff provided some of the finest conditions in New Hampshire, not only to our skiers and snowboarders, but to more than a thousand kids and collegians from across the state. In addition, the Trustees have authorized a focused campaign to raise and invest $550,000 in improvements to snowmaking, lighting and the T-bar. The Blackwater, such a key facility over 36 years, is here to stay! Saka Croteau '06 was back from UVM to ski with sister Leah '09.

A prolonged snow squall (Larry Ballin quipped, "The second biggest storm of the season!") forced speeches inside Yarrow's Lodge at 7:00. This crowd is listening as Mike Henriques praised Hill Manager Garry George for his great work.

Meanwhile, across the valley, Winter Carnival was in full swing. In the Wise Center, students danced to Slinky Tim:

Sledding contests, a rail jam and broomball in front of a bonfire on the pond rounded out the activities. On Sunday, Proctor Pond continued to be the center of activity, as students invented some new sports.

The center of the pond featured co-ed pick-up hockey.

But the game was interrupted repeatedly by couches with skis nailed to the legs...pushed by pairs while "couch potatoes" gobbled potato chips in the chair. These were competitive races.

Here's August waving hello to Paul while passing through with sour cream & onion chips.