The snow is on the ground, and the skis are out of the closet. Because of this, students often find themselves in a predicament: Go to school or hit the slopes? A lot of students choose to go skiing instead of school, and suffer the consequences later.

How often do students skip? Junior, Sebastian Mitchell says that he skips “school at least once a week” Sophomore, Jonah Stubbs hasn’t skipped yet, but says he’s “planning on it.” Junior, Emmett Hansen says he only skips “about 7 times a year.” Junior, Koa Heftel says he skips about “5 [days] total, but I’ll often leave early.” So it’s clear that a lot of students skip school to go skiing, but does this have an effect on their grades?

Teachers will tell you that skipping school will hurt your grades, but generally I found this to be false. In cases such as Junior, Koa Heftel, who has had a 4.0 GPA despite the fact that he sometimes skips school to go skiing. He says that he is able to keep up with grades because of  “Parental motivation, I will get beat if I don’t get a 4.0 so I stay locked.” Junior, Emmett Hansen has also been able to keep up a 4.0 GPA, in his words, he says that “I am able to do the work on my own at my house.” But not all students are able to stay up academically. Junior, Sebastian Mitchell is not able to keep up on his grades; he has “all D’s and a couple F’s.” 

So skiing probably has an impact on grades, but this may just be the price to pay. It seems that students tend to think that it is worth it. With students such as Junior, Sebastian Mitchell says it is “1000% worth it.” But Sophomore, Jonah Stubbs warns “don’t do it too often.” 

It’s possible to ski too much, and it’s definitely possible to spend too much time in school. So make sure to manage your ski/life balance responsibly.