Recently I had a “brilliant” idea in which the NBW cross-country team would partake in a team bonding, cross-country skiing adventure. Although it was a ton of fun, it was completely insane. Thus, before you take your cross-country team skiing, consider these warnings.

5 The ski supply shop at Lapham Peak (or your desired location) may not have enough skis. Due to the large size of your team accompanied by their large feet, you may run into an issue. Although the man working the shop may seem completely flustered, running around like a chicken with his head cut off in search of skis, he’s probably enjoying the rush. After plenty of digging in the back room and a lot of “sure, those fit” the man will have completed his task and your team will have some skis (whether or not they are the correct size depends on your luck that day). Unfortunately, for the families who planned a quaint skiing trip with their children, they waited in a long line to find that your team has hoarded all of the skis.

4 You may run into a lost boy who broke his skis and could not find his family. He could end up stumbling across you and ask for your help. Due to your team’s inability to give directions, you may lead him further into the woods. (It’s okay though, we reported his situation to the station after we returned and we are almost positive that they found him…)

3 While embarking on the expert trail, one of your teammates may fall down a hill. Before you are able to ask if she is okay, another skier may come barreling down the same hill, screaming vulgarities at your fallen teammate and telling her that she must “scamper” out of the way. The sole satisfaction that you will receive out of this event may be seeing the man later fall on his own while he is simply skiing on flat ground. Oh, by the way, your teammate did survive, no thanks to other cranky skiers.

2 Your team’s lack of directional sense mixed with a tinge of stubbornness may also have you walking down the side of a winding, snowy road, while carrying your skis. Although the skiing path is literally 10 feet to the left of you and follows the road directly back to the camp, your team will insist that the road is faster. No worries though, the stares from the people on the trail will provide you with a sense of comfort-knowing that somebody cares and will hopefully call for help if you get hit by a car.

1 Just because the activity has the word “cross-country” in it, do not be fooled. Running and skiing are two completely different skills, and skiing may be a challenge for those members who have never attempted it before (aka all of the team members besides you). This inexperience may lead to various falls, some painful-others playful, as well as a few near death experiences. In fact, your team may have a fall count to keep track of the number of mishaps that occur. Do not be alarmed if many of your teammates stop counting after their fall count reaches 15. The fact that your teammate has lost track of the number of times that he/she has fallen is certainly a sign that they are having fun!

Overall, if your team does decide to go skiing, stay on the path (or at least try to), avoid trees, look at a map, plan ahead, practice on the easy trails before trying the medium/expert trails, keep an eye out for lost children, steer clear of cranky men, and have fun!