<p>I don’t know about skiing opportunities near Pittsburgh, however Carnegie Mellon is also outstanding for engineering.</p>
<p>True on Season passes, they are precious…all of my boys put an “x” on the calendar when they have paid for their pass in ski time. (I don’t buy them, they work and pay for their own). S2 texted my H because he had “paid for his pass” by Thanksgiving this year…it becomes abit of a contest among them who can get the most days in. Poor S3 is still in high school and is at the mercy of that schedule and only has weekends. He’s got two good friends that are already pro and constantly going here and there to real mountains on weekends and the midwest is not exactly ski mecca so mountains is a must for college for all of mine.</p>
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<p>OK–I didn’t grow up in New England (I grew up in the midwest) so I’m not an expert a skier, but I’ve lived in the Boston/Worcester area for thirty years now. I’ve got lots of friends (as well as my kids) who are avid skiers. From what I gather–the places posters mentioned here in MA and CT and PA–would NOT be in the category of “real mountains” for high-level skiers. The serious skiers here go to VT and NH and Maine (if they can’t get out West). I have two sets of friends who rent a house in VT for the winter season and go up to ski nearly every weekend. It’s a good 2.5 to 3 hours from the Boston area to the ski places in VT, NH, and ME (depending on traffic and where you are in Boston and how far north you’re going.) So–if having access to a real mountain is a “must” then I would have your S look at the top engineering school in Vermont, Maine, or New Hampshire (some of which posters have already mentioned).</p>
<p>Alfred University is known for engineering and there is a good ski area about 45 miles west in Ellicottville, NY. Hamilton is at the lower edge of the Adirondack Park and they have an outdoors department that lends skis and other equipment to students (but your S probably has his own). I don’t know if they have engineering. </p>
<p>For the earlier Baltimore suggestion, the closest ski area would be Ski Liberty near Gettysburg, PA. It would do, but your S would probably get bored quickly. WV areas would be quite a haul. What about CMU? Pittsburgh is close enough to the western PA ski areas, and also close enough to Canaan Valley, WV, and Wisp in MD. Probably not 1/2 hour though.</p>
<p>His two brothers are in Colorado. We are visiting Colby and the University of Vermont (his top two). They are both “match” schools for him I believe. But it’s always hard to tell how NE schools look at high schools that don’t weight GPA…ours does not. So the 3.8 is an unweighted GPA. Dartmouth is the only one I’m hesitant about pointing out to him because it’s such a fishing pool with so many kids trying to get in. He’s instate for Michigan so that is a very real contender. I want to look at two smaller schools and any I haven’t turned up. Colby he likes, but no engineering.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a smaller school, what about Union College in Schenectady, NY? It has engineering and it is not too far from Southern VT major ski areas.</p>
<p>I also would still consider Tufts. I went to Tufts as did my husband who is a VERY avid skier. There are ski areas in NH that can be done as day ski trips.</p>
<p>Not sure if it was mentioned but also check into University of Rochester.</p>
<p>There is Syracuse University which is not small but there is skiing in upstate NY.</p>
<p>What about BU and Northeastern? I know there are bus trips to the mts in NH and Vt every weekend in the winter that leave from several locations in Boston. We live south of Boston and make day ski trips to NH. I will advise you that he probably won’t have a lot of time to go skiing as an engineering major though. :)</p>
<p>If you are considering Colby, a great school in Maine that does not have engineering as a major, you should consider Middlebury. They have their own ski mountain and run shuttles to and from the mountain daily. They also have a January term where you take one class. Everyone goes skiing all the time when not in class. My son is a freshman and loves it. He has also gone skiing at Sugarbush which is close by. They don’t have engineering as a major though.</p>
<p>S studied engineering at Northeastern, during his first couple of yrs there he belonged to a club called NUHOC (Northeastern University Huskiers and Outdoors Club) which did outdoor activities all yr round. The school owns a lodge somewhere in VT or NH? and the NUHOC club often went there for winter activities including skiing at the nearby resorts so there are definitely opportunities even from Boston…I remember his call home during his first yr: “Mom can you ship my skis right away? I am going skiing next weekend…” :)</p>
<p>If no engineering is an option (e.g. Colby) then there are several other NE LACs with good academics and good skiing. Middlebury was already mentioned; I’d also add Williams, Colgate and Hamilton. Maybe Bowdoin though I’m not sure about the skiing part. He seems to have a good profile for all of these schools. They like academically accomplished active kids.</p>
<p>“You’ve got to consider Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)” - If Clarkson is too geeky, not sure he’d like RPI.</p>
<p>Note - Many engineering students find that they simply don’t have time or the money to do a lot of skiing. It requires a full day away from the books.</p>
<p>colorado_mom - have you ever been to either RPI or Clarkson??? If not, you might not want to make comments like ^^^</p>
<p>My d graduated from University of Rochester, but not in engineering. I graduated many moons ago from SUNY Cortland. Other than Greek Peak, that area of upstate NY is not known for skiing. My older d went to Brandeis outside Boston and she and her friends did go skiing, both to NH and Maine…as far as engineering both Rochester and Cornell are difficult admits, would be reach schools, not matches and Cornell engineering is brutal. Actually SUNY Buffalo has a well-regarded engineering program. Union is a good suggestion along with RPI.</p>
<p>If Lafayette is on your radar you probably have found this: [Lafayette</a> Ski Team | A club sport for ski and snowboard racing](<a href=“http://sites.lafayette.edu/skiandsnowboard/]Lafayette”>Lafayette Ski & Snowboard Team | A club sport team for ski and snowboard racing and freestyle)
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<p>Lafayette is top 35 LAC with excellent ABET accredited engineering. Sounds like a match.</p>
<p>BTW, I am a civil engineering grad from Lafayette.</p>
<p>Dartmouth!! It has its own ski slopes. [Dartmouth</a> Skiway](<a href=“http://www.dartmouth.edu/~skiway/]Dartmouth”>Dartmouth Skiway)</p>
<p>Jym I’m thinking that in addition to Lafayette, Bucknell and Vermont the one to add to the trip is Dartmouth…maybe the strategy is if he falls in love with it and his act looks good this spring he aplies ED and then when he gets rejected he can pick one of the others. It’s a strategy right and lightening can strike. Is this kid difficult because he is the last?</p>
<p>Also going to vote for Dartmouth. My kid had the sameish GPA, very advanced math and science courses and got in ed. It was a reach for him but some people do get into their reaches. If he likes it after a visit, I say go for it.</p>
<p>Dartmouth does not seem to offer civil engineering: [Sample</a> A.B./B.E. Programs | Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth](<a href=“http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/academics/undergraduate/be/samples/]Sample”>Dartmouth Engineering | Program Examples)</p>