Perfect North Slopes will host College Nights on Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4.

The lodge is widely renowned as a popular spot to ski, snowboard and snow tube. College Night will make the experience more accessible for students who are often on a tight budget. 

Upon showing a student ID at College Night, students will receive a discount on activities and equipment.

“Perfect North Slopes is a ski area in Southeast Indiana offering Skiing, Snowboarding, and Snow Tubing,” Perfect North Slope’s website said. “We offer ski and snowboard lessons, equipment rental, delicious food options and a ski lodge where you can swap stories about your day on the snow.”

A little over an hour and a half drive from UK, it is the closest skiing resort to campus. 

Kameron Mullins, a UK sophomore majoring in marketing with a minor in media arts studies, has been attending Perfect North Slopes for the past five years.

Mullins has been to Paoli Peaks in Indiana as well but, when comparing the two, he said Perfect North Slopes provides more variety.

“Paoli is a lot smaller, I think it’s better to learn there, but Perfect North it’s got more of a variety. It’s got more terrain parks, the center stage, a bunch of bunny hills and stuff like that,” Mullins said. “(Perfect North Slopes) is very friendly to all levels of learning … If we had to relate it to schools, that’s a private school and Paoli is a public school.”

According to Perfect North Slope’s calendar of events, a 4 p.m.-midnight lift ticket will be $50, an 8 p.m.-midnight lift ticket will be $40, ski/snowboard rentals are reduced to $24, and snow tubing is $25 after 4 p.m. for up to two hours. 

Compared to regular pricing, the general admission price for an eight-hour lift ticket is $72. A night of savings puts money back in students’ pockets that they can spend on necessities or other extracurriculars back in their college towns.

While the facility is accommodating for those invested in spending their day on the slopes, Perfect North Slopes also provides an environment for a casual day with friends. This environment can predominantly be seen on College Nights.

Steven Benson, a 29-year-old student at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis has been to the slopes for the past five seasons and participated in the College Nights.

“Sometimes the rental fees can be a lot if you can only make it out here for a few hours, but with the reduced price it allows a lot more friends to come out here in bigger groups,” Benson said. “Overall I’d say it’s a really fun time and a great opportunity for new people to experience the slopes.”

Perfect North is home to both experienced skiers and snowboarders as well as beginners. 

According to Perfect North’s snow report, there are a variety of trails categorized as easiest, more difficult, adv. intermediate, most difficult and experts only. This allows for a separation of skillset and a more enjoyable time at the slopes for all participants.

Maxwell Ricks, a 20-year-old student at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, has been to Perfect North for several years but has recently started snowboarding.

“I like learning new tricks, adventuring off the path, finding new jumps and places to snowboard,” Ricks said.

Many slope participants use their time to develop their skills to become serious about skiing and snowboarding. 

“You can be a little discouraged by your first couple days. Don’t be afraid to fail,” Benson said. “Practice might not make perfect, but practice definitely makes improvement … before you know it, you’ll be riding like you’ve been riding for forever.”