It is that time of year again; winter is in the air, the new semester has set in and students are ready to get away for the weekend at the annual X Games. If you are one of the many students preparing for this upcoming event in Aspen, you should know that few things ever go according to plan. Some insightful X Game veterans have given us a look at what you need to know before taking off on your adventure.

1. Large groups may run into issues

Accommodations can be pricey, so it is smart to fit as many people in a hotel room as possible, right? Wrong. Most hotels give out wristbands to the number of people on the hotel reservation so without a wristband, you will not be able to enter the hotel. “When I went last year, eight of us planned on staying together in one room but because of the wristbands, four of us couldn’t get into the hotel,” said Kaylee Keener, senior business major at Colorado State University and two-time X Games-goer.

2. Traffic could set your journey hours back

If you plan on heading to Aspen on Friday or plan on heading back home Sunday, add a large amount of travel time to your agenda. “[Traffic] added an extra four hours to the trip. Tow trucks were driving up and down I-70 towing cars that were getting stuck…it was a nightmare,” said Bailey Ortelli, a senior finance major at CSU and a past X Game attendee. To avoid any further travel delays, it is suggested that you take a reliable car with snow tires.

3. Bring your own food

Aspen, like most other mountain towns, tends to be expensive. If you do not want to spend a good chunk of money on food during your trip, make a stop at the grocery store before heading out. “Not only can the restaurants there be expensive, but food and drinks anywhere in town seemed to be pricey…Take a lot of snack foods,” Keener said.

4. The X Games competitions are free

Yes, as crazy as that sounds, the X Games themselves do not have an entrance fee. You can watch events and walk around the grounds without spending a dime. “The reason going to the X Games can get so expensive actually doesn’t have that much to do with the Games…it’s the hotels, food and extra events like concerts,” Ortelli said.

5. Layer everything

And by everything, we mean everything. Even if it is a fairly nice day, standing around in the snow can get extremely chilly. The nights can be especially cold, so layer everything from shirts and pants to socks, and any other piece of clothing on your body. “We expected it to be cold, but we didn’t think about how our feet would freeze from standing on the ice and snow. I would recommend hand and foot warmers along with just wearing a lot of warm clothes,” Keener said.

Now that the X Games experts have spoken, go pack and prepare for your winter adventure in Aspen.