Hey Cale, Why is the Side of the Mountain So Steep?

KDA, we miss you

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Ava Fields, Staff Writer

Many times on these cold Pennsylvania winter days, I find myself wishing I was absolutely hurling myself down the Northside of seven springs with windburn on the sides of my face and the snow slapping me on my glutes.  Sadly, skiing traditions at Knoch have shifted these past few years.

“I miss everything about it and every second of it,” said senior Nick Kristoff.

For those who don’t know, KDA was a club (not affiliated with Knoch High School) that students were able to participate in if they were interested in skiing, snowboarding, or outdoor winter activities in general.  Most of the trips consisted of after school or weekend trips to different ski resorts like Holiday Valley, Hidden Valley, Peak and Peak, Seven Springs, and more.

“It is a fun and good way to meet people with similar hobbies,” said senior Grant West.

Many students who had never learned or had the opportunity to ski were able to try out the sport alongside all of their peers.  As a high school student, being able to have a little release from the school stress by having a ski trip to look forward to was something many students miss.

“My favorite memory was the last Holiday Valley trip that we were able to squeeze in right before the COVID lockdown hit,” said Kristoff.

As someone who has been ski partners with Nick for the past 3 years, our group always has a blast.  The people that I’ve met and the memories I have made are some of my favorites to look back on.

“My favorite memory to look back on was going to Seven Springs with my brother,” said West.

KDA has been a tradition among students for many years.  Having to see it go was not fun for anyone who was involved.

“I know it wasn’t a huge ordeal of anything, but it made us happy.  It gave us something to look forward to during the winter,” said senior Samantha Moody.

 

List of fun things and a compilation of my favorite things from KDA:

  • Being late for the bus and having to bomb a black diamond to get back to the bus on time my first trip to seven springs
  • Cale Patten dragged us to the wrong side of the mountain and us having to go down a hill completely blinded by the snow machines blowing down onto us.
  • THE WAFFLES FROM HOLIDAY VALLEY
  • THE CHICKEN TENDERS FROM SEVEN SPRINGS
  • All the Sheetz runs after the long rides home on those buses
  • Laughing whenever someone fell while attempting a stupidly dangerous jump
  • The way the lights from the ski lodge look from the top of a slope at night
  • Getting home from Holiday Valley at midnight and coming to school the next morning.