Human biology sophomore Carolyn Bussineau stands on the north peak of Keystone Mountain. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Bussineau.
Finance junior Nick Bonaccini, a second year member of the Spartan Ski Club, was one of almost 500 MSU students to pack into seven buses and travel cross country to Keystone, Colorado, during winter break.
Little did Bonaccini know he would be returning home with a broken femur.
On the last day of the Keystone trip, Bonaccini and his friends ventured to the backside of the mountain for their first run of the day.
Heading down the hill at around 35 mph, one of Bonaccini’s skis fell off because of the bindings he had loosened the day before. He attempted to stop himself on one foot, but was unable to because of his fast speed.
After screaming to his friends for help and pleading for them to call the ski patrol, he glanced down at his pants to see two points on his thigh. Because of the indescribable pain, Bonaccini was certain that this was his bone coming out of his skin.
The ski patrol finally arrived and the process of carrying him down the hill and to an ambulance began.
“I was in such shock at that point, I couldn’t even feel my leg, I thought I was dreaming,” Bonaccini said.
His recovery process will involve three months before he can walk without assistance.
“When it first happened I was so drugged up. … I remember just trying to tell my mom that we needed to get plane tickets because I needed to go back and start CSE on Wednesday,” Bonaccini said.
After realizing the severity of the injury, he decided to take a semester off.
Bonaccini will return to MSU after his recovery and said that he originally joined Spartan Ski Club to meet people, because it’s one of the biggest clubs on campus.
Human biology sophomore Carolyn Bussineau also made the trip to Keystone during winter break.
“It was actually a little terrifying going without much practice,” Bussineau said. “And a lot of times I had to go alone because most of my friends were faster than I was, but it kind of added to the experience … because it was like a personal growing experience.”
Having joined the club a year ago, Bussineau said she has also gotten to experience what the club has to offer in the fall.
The club hosts tailgates every other weekend, themed parties, a hayride and various other events, the club’s president, supply chain management senior Michael Cass said.
Cass estimates that about half of the Spartan Ski Club doesn’t ski or snowboard, they just come to the social events and utilize the club for meeting new people and making friends.
A big contributor to why the club has become one of the largest on campus is it allows anyone to join, Cass said.
The club president said the Spartan Ski Club is purposed to provide a fun and relaxed welcoming environment for members.
Cass said the e-board also strives to give members the most of their money and membership.
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The main goal is for members to have a positive experience and to make friends, Cass said.
With new events coming up this semester, Cass said he hopes to leave the club in a better position for his successor to build and improve on.
