During the winter, while many hibernate and spend cold nights dreaming of beaches, sunny skies and warm weather, members of the White Plains Alpine Ski Team take to the icy slopes of southern New York mountains to race.

For us, skiing is more than just a leisurely pastime: It is a passion, a way of living and a high-speed, adrenaline-packed way of competing. As the founding member and captain of the Alpine Ski Team at White Plains High School, I can confirm all those things are true, and there is nothing I love more than the feeling of carving a perfectly laid turn into a freshly groomed run or finishing a race when you’re competing for something more than pride. It’s a feeling I live for, and something I wish everyone could experience.

Now, students at White Plains High School can experience the thrill of competing in skiing. For the first time in recent history, White Plains had a full team of boys eligible for the Section One Team Championship, along with a girl representing the Tigers in races. The team sent all eligible members — myself and freshman Wyatt Gonzalez — to the Section One Championship at Hunter Mountain. I also represented White Plains at the New York Alpine Skiing State Championships and the Eastern Region High School Championships. The team’s success is expected to continue as it grows.

In Section One races, competitors run either slalom or giant slalom, the two main technical events in alpine skiing. Slalom consists of shorter, faster-paced turns around gates. This season, all three regular-season slalom races were held at Thunder Ridge Ski Area, where the team also trained multiple times.

Giant slalom, or GS, is more focused on speed, with longer, wider turns around panel gates. GS races this year were held at Holiday Mountain. Regular-season races consist of two runs in bib order, with each racer’s fastest time used to calculate results. At sectionals and states, however, the combined times from both runs determine final results, with the top 11 at sectionals earning a bid to states.

All regular-season races took place at either Thunder Ridge, roughly 45 minutes away, or Holiday Mountain, located at the edge of the Catskills, about 90 minutes away. The season is demanding: Athletes frequently leave class early to compete and often return home around 10 p.m. But it is worth it.