VandalSNOW club deems Red Bull ski film fundraiser a success
Climbing up ice for eight hours, plummeting through vertical rock chutes and flying through bluebird skies unusual pastimes for VandalSNOW skiers and snowboarders.
At the Moscow premiere of the Red Bull-sponsored film, “Days of My Youth,” however, all of the winter-friendly attendees were able to experience these daring feats in the snow from the comfort of a warm auditorium.
Jackson Flynn | Argonaut
Sophomore Taylor Dixon shows off his Red Bull winnings at the ski premiere last Friday night in the Administration building. The University of Idaho ski and snowboard team showed the Red Bull ski film Days of My Youth to help raise money for the club.
The film premiere was this year’s annual fundraiser for the University of Idaho winter sports club, VandalSNOW. The event included a raffle of ski and snowboard gear and day passes to Schweitzer.
Alex Fairbanks, vice president of VandalSNOW, said he thought the event was successful and had a better turnout than in years past — with an estimated 110 attendees. He said the film for the event is usually released by Red Bull Media and VandalSNOW provides an outlet for its viewing.
The film contributed to the event’s success, Fairbanks said.
“I loved it — I thought it was great,” he said. “I thought it was really playful and I definitely loved how they showed their kids skiing. It was awesome.”
Fairbanks said the fundraiser is a good way to promote VandalSNOW and connect with other students on campus. The money raised through the event funds competitions and various opportunities for club members, according to Fairbanks.
“One thing that makes VandalSNOW different is we have a lot of options,” Fairbanks said. “For people who are interested in winter sports and want to take them to the next level, we offer a competition component of the club, which is the freestyle ski and snowboard, and we also have people who are more involved in the ASUI student club aspect and don’t compete, so that combination kind of makes it dynamic.”
Ray Mosman, UI student representative for Red Bull, said he agrees the event was successful and works as a collaborative effort between Red Bull and VandalSNOW.
Jackson Flynn | Argonaut
The event included a raffle of ski and snowboard gear.
“This was a chance to support student activity on campus, so we supported the VandalSNOW club and we were also just trying to get something for students to do,” Mosman said.
Mosman, who handed out free Red Bull drinks at the event, said he received a lot of positive feedback from people who attended.
“I spoke with students at the event and a couple days after, and everyone was pretty stoked about it,” Mosman said. “The response was really positive, and I even talked to people who wanted to watch the movie again.”
Mosman said the event benefited UI students because it was a good match and good timing for an event and film like this, giving students a place to vent in the weeks leading up to finals and reaching out to students with similar interests.
“I think there are a lot of outdoorsy-type students at the University of Idaho,” Mosman said. “I think a ski film was a good way to connect some of those students together and give them something to do. I think it was a good alternative to other events on campus that maybe aren’t geared towards outdoor activities.”
Fairbanks said VandalSNOW plans to hold a similar event next winter and encourages students who are interested in the outdoors and winter sports to look up the club.
“Look us up on Facebook,” Fairbanks said. “And don’t stop drinking Red Bull.”
Cara Pantone can be reached at [email protected]