WWU Ranks in List of Top 10 Best Schools for Skiing

After rating highly on national lists of excellent academics, numbers of Peace Corps volunteers and producers of Fulbright winners, Western Washington University has been named in a top 10 national ranking for best skiing.

The list, posted by Freeskier Magazine, evaluates colleges based on 16 factors, including distance to winter resorts, average annual snowfall, number of resorts within 100 miles and number of courses related to snow. Academics were also factors that helped determine the list, such as professor-to-student ratio and graduation rate.

Western ranked ninth on the list, just below University of Nevada Reno. Freeskier noted the university’s closeness to Mt. Baker, home to the highest average annual snowfall in the lower 48.

“It’s no surprise to me,” said Fred Collins, manager of Western’s Outdoor Center. “We have one of the best mountains in the world right in our neighborhood. We take advantage of every opportunity we can to train our employees to take people up on the mountain.”

The full list of the top 10 colleges for skiers:

1.      University of Utah

2.      Sierra Nevada College

3.      University of Colorado at Boulder

4.      Westminster College

5.      University of Alaska Anchorage

6.      Montana State University

7.      Gonzaga University

8.      University of Nevada Reno

9.      Western Washington University

10.     University of Denver

For more information, contact Western Washington University Office of Communications and Marketing at (360) 650-3350.