Colorado State University launches new campus tradition: Snow Days with Ikon Pass

Media contact:
Tiana Kennedy, CSU AVP Communications
Cell: 970-420-3316
[email protected]

Note to reporters: Media are able to use these photos; credit Colorado State University.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State University is forecasting heavy snow and strong excitement this fall with the launch of CSU Snow Days, a new campus celebration taking place November 7–8.

In partnership with the Ikon Pass, which offers 19 year-round destinations including Steamboat, Winter Park Resort, and Arapahoe Basin, Snow Days will bring the best of Colorado’s outdoor industry directly to campus — complete with snow-covered experiences, career connections, and game day energy.

The event will feature interactive opportunities that showcase CSU as Colorado’s College Town and a hub for the outdoor recreation economy. Highlights include career and academic programming, a vendor village, ski movie screenings, and the expanded Rail Jam, where students will strap into skis and snowboards to compete in freestyle tricks on a large-scale rail, surrounded by real snow piled on campus.

“Colorado is home to some of the most passionate skiers and riders in the world, and we are thrilled to partner with Snow Days to offer Ikon Pass and the best of Colorado mountains and beyond with special offers for the upcoming winter season,” said Bob Stinchcomb, senior vice president of global sales for Alterra Mountain Company. “We look forward to reminding everyone that winter is around the corner and invite everyone to the Ikon Pass vendor village for giveaways, ski movie screenings, the Rail Jam, and other weekend activities.”

Snow Days will extend through Saturday, Nov. 8, adding to the excitement of CSU’s home football game against UNLV at Canvas Stadium, televised nationally on Fox Networks.

Student leaders say the tradition is already resonating across campus.

“ASCSU is home to many traditions, however Snow Days definitely tops my list as an event that brings the core of what Colorado is most known for to life here on campus,” said ASCSU President Jakye Nunley, a junior business administration major. “An activity so authentic to the experience of most Coloradans opens the door for out-of-state students to embrace an overwhelming feeling of togetherness.”

The CSU Snowriders Club, founded in 1974, is also playing a key role in the celebration.

“We pride ourselves on being the ski and snowboard social club at CSU, and Snow Days is eliciting a whole new type of energy for the student body,” said Snowriders President Addison Johnson, a senior studying human development and family studies. “The event brings the Rocky Mountain experience right to campus — it’s going to be so lit.”

University leaders emphasized the broader impact of the new tradition.

“As Colorado’s land-grant and the state’s authentic outdoor university, we’re thrilled to partner with Alterra, OEDIT, and vendors across Colorado to launch an annual tradition that celebrates our vibrant outdoor recreation economy,” said Scott Shrake, CSU assistant vice president for strategy. “Snow Days Weekend will bring together students, fans, and community members to share in one of the things that makes Colorado so special — our spectacular natural beauty.”