There is a common saying among Wisconsinites, “Wisconsin has two seasons: Construction and winter.” Although the months of freezing and slippery walks to class aren’t typically favored by anyone—student, faculty, and staff alike—there are various winter activities in La Crosse to look forward to. 

Paige Florek, a first-year student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, hasn’t experienced a winter in La Crosse yet, but says that she’s really looking forward to sledding. 

“There’s a hill right off campus that a few of my friends want to go sledding down” she says. 

Another first-year student, Eric Ostrowski, was asked about what he’s excited to do as well. He said, “There a light show at Riverside Park! It looks cool and it’s something to do.”  

Ren Orth, a sophomore at UWL says that they enjoy going to the Rotary Lights but for a different reason.  

“I like to ice skate at the Rotary Lights. I just think it’s a fun winter activity, like I can go to a coffee shop whenever but I can’t ice skate all the time” says Orth. They also mentioned that their parents took them when they toured UWL for the first time and so it gives them a nostalgic feeling. 

Florek also mentioned that she has already been skating with friends in La Crosse and says, “It’s super fun for us to do together so I’m looking forward to doing that more this winter.” 

Another UWL student, Brad Quinlan, had a different opinion about coffee shops during the winter time. He says, “I like to go to the Root Note during the winter, like going to open mic nights and watching the snow fall from inside.”  

Quinlan may prefer watching snowflakes from a coffee shop, but Student Joey Prekop doesn’t mind being in the snow as long as it includes a furry friend. “I haven’t done it in a year but I like dog walking in the winter,” he says.  

Sometimes the bitterness of the winter air can be represented by student’s attitudes, especially with final exams on the horizon. But there are always silver linings as expressed by these student’s favorite things to do this season—whether it be as simple as watching snow fall from behind a window or finding a dog to take on a walk in the snow.