Ely, MN – Amid much apprehension in the freshmen class over this year’s upcoming Winter Trip, Minnesotans Sven Favorittsen and Lena Vognmaker are putting on a “Pre-Winter-Trip Winter Trip” for their concerned classmates.

Favorittsen and Vognmaker have been inundated over the holiday break with messages from their classmates who are getting cold feet about the upcoming expedition. Many Southerners are concerned that this break may be the last time they see their families. “We’ve tried telling them that they won’t die on Winter Trip because clearly there are many upperclassmen who have made it through before them, but, well… let’s just say we’ve heard some pretty ridiculous conspiracy theories in response to that,” Sven said.

‘Given Minnesota’s reputation for having “miserable” winters, Sven and I decided to invite our whole class up north to quell any fears they’re having,’ Lena said. “Over the course of three days, we’ll not only prove to them that Minnesota winters are completely survivable and actually quite fun, but also that Winter Trip is nothing to worry about!”

Day 1, Lena’s brothers Hans and Franz, future WCC students, will present on the rules of snowball fighting, what whitewashing is, and sledding techniques. Attendees will learn traditional sledding posture, as well as the Run ‘n Jump, Snow Surfer, 5-Men-In-A-Canoe, and Double Decker. The remainder of the day will be spent at a ski resort in Ely, MN.

Day 2 will bring the group to the shoreline of Lake Superior in Duluth for an early morning Polar Bear Plunge. “Ice-cold water’s the best alarm clock!” Sven snickered. For lunch, students will be treated to a smorgasbord of traditional Minnesotan cuisine: tater tot hotdish, Norwegian lefse and lutefisk, and smoked salmon “straight from the lake they jumped into that morning!” Lena added. “Good food is a Minnesota-must. Sven and I would be bad Minnesotans if we didn’t show some of our Minnesota Nice hospitality by sharing it!”

Attendees will then receive a lesson from COR staff member and WCC alum Joel Samec (’20) on Minnesotan pronunciations and sayings. ‘We’ll cover the “Minnesota ‘O'”, “Ope, sorry”, “Oofda”, “God bless yer soul”, “You betcha”, “Darn tootin”, and more,’ he said. “They’re technical terms that will be essential for students to know on Winter Trip.”

Day 3, attendees will wake up early to commute to the Twin Cities during rush hour, “hopefully in a blizzard if the weather cooperates,” Sven snickered again. “Students gain immense amounts of confidence, patience, and attention to detail after driving on iced roads in bumper-to-bumper traffic in extremely low visibility, virtues that we hope they will bring with them into other parts of their lives.” After catching their flight out of the MSP airport, the freshmen will have a few hours to sleep before being sent out on Winter Trip, “fully equipped to survive even the harshest, most frigid Minnesota winter — making Winter Trip a breeze!” Lena concluded.