It’s a beautiful spring day in the Gunnison Valley, and I can hardly believe the semester is already winding down. Soon, we’ll welcome a new cohort of students into the alumni family, the campus will grow quiet once again, and we’ll begin preparing for another fun-filled Homecoming Weekend. Where does the time go?
Just a few months ago, the campus was buried in snow. Now, I’m looking back fondly on a ski season full of new memories—and even more reasons to call this place home. This past season stands out as one of my best, and surprisingly, it wasn’t because of the snow. It was the shared moments: time spent with family and friends and the joy of making new ones. (Let’s not forget Western Ski Weekend and an even better Mad Jack lookalike contest!)
At the heart of it all is connection. That’s what makes this place special. It’s the people and the memories we create together. This year, my husband and I were lucky enough to be invited into the circle of a group of alumni who, over the past 40 years, have found ways to stay connected, celebrate their shared experiences, and keep their Mountaineer spirit—and their friendship—alive and strong.
We met up with them at the base of Mt. Crested Butte. They were easy to spot—most wore matching jackets and proudly displayed the “Uncle Ted’s Wacko Camp” patch. At the start of the day, my husband and I didn’t quite know what we were getting into. I expected a fun day with good people and a chance to connect with alumni. What I didn’t expect? These guys can SKI. And I mean really ski.
Without hesitation, we headed straight for the Silver Queen lift, then spent the day lapping East River and Paradise Bowl without pause—yes, including the moguls. Every weekend, we ski with our toddler (she’s fast, but not that fast), and we hadn’t logged this many vertical feet in years. We did our best to keep up and had an absolute blast.
But the best part of the day wasn’t just skiing—it was meeting the Wackos. Chairlift rides are perfect for swapping stories and getting to know new people, and I quickly realized that each member of this group is truly unique. They’ve followed different paths and achieved their own kinds of success, but one thing hasn’t changed: once a year, they come together to reminisce, reconnect, and celebrate.
The original Wackos got their start when Ted, Todd, Geoff Bogar and Sean Plumb met in their first year at Western. During a gap year between high school and coming to Western, Sean had bummed in Vail, where he was part of a ski gang called the Wackos. When Sean told his new friends about the group exploits, they agreed that’s just what the Gunnison Valley needed. “When I told the guys about our crazy stuff, we decided to bring that same ethos to our group,” Sean said. “This is the birth of the Wackos at Western.”
The others came later from different places and backgrounds, but their shared sense of adventure—and the draw of Western State College of Colorado—brought them together. Long before today’s ski trips, they dreamed of doing just this. Back when they were undergraduates, they used to talk about someday returning to Gunnison for reunions—maybe during Homecoming or maybe in ski season. As life carried them in different directions, those dreams lingered until, years later, one of them reached out to say, “I miss you guys. We need to make this happen.” And slowly, it did.
As Ted tells it, it was Jim White and Fritz Moyer who truly brought the dream to life. Jim’s leadership and organizational chops pulled the logistics together—where to meet, when to go, how to get everyone there—while Fritz, the group’s mountain and safety honcho, made sure the ski legs came back (for those who needed a refresher). Each year, more members reconnected, following US-50 back to Gunnison County and into the fold of this now-annual tradition. These reunions have become a highlight of their year—and they even try to schedule them during Alumni Ski Weekend to reconnect with past professors and meet the next generation of Mountaineers.
Ted, the group’s unofficial ringleader, explains: “There was a chemistry there that has kept most of us the closest—and most significant—comrades and friends of our lives.”
He went on: “Some of our group have served in the U.S. Armed Forces or law enforcement—small units known to forge deep bonds of camaraderie. But I think it’s safe to say the depth of the Team Wacko relationships runs just as deep. Even though our backgrounds, life experiences, professions, and politics are as varied as the citizens of our country, we happy band of knuckleheads are as close and tight as any group I’ve ever witnessed.”
After a full day on the mountain, Ted and the crew invited us to join them for dinner. When I asked, “What should we wear?” Ted laughed and said, “PJs if you want!” I hadn’t realized they were hosting us at the house they rented for the week—and I’m so glad they did. It was more personal that way. The gathering was warm, welcoming, and meaningful. Everyone pitched in, contributing to a true smorgasbord (yes, even leftovers), and the evening was as colorful and diverse as the people around the table.
They shared stories and laughter, and I listened, realizing just how much Western has changed—and how much has stayed the same. One story that stood out was Fritz’s ingenious way of raising funds for a struggling ski team. All I’ll say is that it involved a bar, exotic dancing, and entry fees… and it was apparently a very successful night.
Yes, Western has evolved, just like the rest of the world. But what hasn’t changed is the spirit of collaboration, community, and friendship. Western’s small class sizes and close-knit environment continue to foster strong connections between students, faculty, staff, and peers. I hope that today’s students find the kind of lasting friendships that the Wackos have built.
Ted summed it up best: “A love and passion for Western and the Gunnison Country is what initially drew the Wackos to this part of the country, forty-plus years ago, but it is the memories and love of their fellow alumni that keeps bringing them back each year.”
