Transitioning back to the routine of school after a long winter break can be rough. You dream in class about the “good ol’ days” of living every day like it was the weekend, and you’re even starting to miss the snow (that is, if you’ve forgotten how you nearly got cabin fever from being stranded at home for weeks during the December snowstorm).

Sounds like you need to remedy your back-to-school blues with a long weekend of friends, fun and snow. You’re certain to find all that and more this Martin Luther King weekend, Jan. 17-19, in Whistler, B.C.

“I haven’t gone snowboarding with this many people at once, so it’ll be fun,” said Taylor Butler, a sophomore at the UW.

Whistler Blackcomb may be the largest ski area in North America with 8,171 acres, and the highest with a lift elevation of 7,349 feet. However, it offers more than just runs, with additional amenities such as the Terrain Park and Whistler Mountain.

“Whistler has one of the best runs, and everyone’s going to be up there,” said Kevin Lam, a sophomore at the UW. “Snowboarding is nice, but you’re also able to party with a bunch of friends.”

Although Lam has snowboarded for seven years, he’s not going to Whistler just to be surrounded by snow, but to have a good time as well.

Other students had similar feelings about Whistler, the official location for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

“Last year I went, I boarded for one day, and the next day I watched a football game at a bar,” said Samantha Loomis, a junior at the UW. “It’s a good time to snowboard and a chance for everyone to go collectively and hangout.”

During Whistler College Weekend, many who don’t even participate in snow sports still go to enjoy the social aspect. It may even be safe to assume that more students are going this weekend to party and meet new people than to actually ski or snowboard.

“From what I heard, [Whistler] is a really fun experience even if you don’t snowboard, so I thought I would go and give it a try,” said Vivian Lee, a freshman at the UW.

College Weekend is known to be one of the busiest times of the season for Whistler as thousands of college-age people from the Northwest, and even Oregon and California, travel north to enjoy the snow and have fun.

If all this excitement and snow is beginning to convince you to head north for the weekend, you may be a little too late. Even for those who booked their hotels or cabins almost a month and a half ago, places were already filling up.

Many are staying around the Village because actual lodging in the Village is pricier, but everything is close enough to be within walking distance. You can always go at another time, like Spring Break, but your Whistler experience will be very different from the rowdiness of College Weekend.

Addison Hampton, a senior at the UW, went to Whistler last year and is going again this weekend.

“I loved it because it was great times with your friends,” he said. “You get to meet new people in a social, college-like atmosphere.”

Whistler presents more than 90 restaurants, bars and lounges located in areas like Blackcomb Mountain, Village North and Whistler Village. The nightlife is alive with many clubs and parties in hotels, condos and cabins.

Hampton recommends Earl’s, a restaurant where you can watch hockey at the bar and enjoy a margarita, and Black’s Pub, which has a wide selection of international beer on tap.

“We’re going to represent the U.S.A. as well as we can,” Hampton said. “We will not let any Canadians out-drink us. Going to Whistler is the greatest way to spend January.”

Reach reporter Carolyn Yuen at features@dailyuw.com.