Cornellians marveled at the white sheet of snow that blanketed nearly all 2,000 acres of the Ithaca campus on Tuesday and forced the University to cancel classes and halt non-essential operations at noon.
“Jumping off this gap is something I’ve actually always wanted to do,” said Mike Buldo Licciardi ’17, who sailed over a Uris Hall window on his snowboard in a lime green jacket.
Other students formed makeshift sleds out of flattened cardboard boxes, baking trays and storage bin lids, many of which doubled as shields during impromptu snowball fights.
The storm — dubbed Winter Storm Stella — slammed Ithaca with about 10 inches of snow, leading to Tompkins County closing roads and many city agencies shutting their doors. Some Cornell professors have already cancelled Wednesday afternoon classes.
The last full snow day at Cornell was exactly 24 years ago, on Sunday, March 14, 1993, when 30 inches of snow over the weekend forced the University to halt operations for an entire day. The next day, the University reopened at 3 p.m.
Tuesday’s closing was similar to the Valentine’s Day blizzard of 2007, when Cornell canceled afternoon classes after remaining open in the morning.
Dana Daniels / Sun Staff Photographer
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Students crash toward the bottom of Libe Slope as they sled down the hill on Tuesday.
Katie Sims / Sun Staff Photographer
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Mike Buldo Licciardi ’17 jumps over a Uris Hall window on a snowboard during the snow day on Tuesday. (Katie Sims/Sun Staff Photographer)
Michael Suguitan / Sun Staff Photographer
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Aleah Kennedy ’18 prepares to sled down Libe Slope after classes were cancelled during Winter Storm Stella.
Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor
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Wyatt Buchalter ’18 completes a flip as he skis down Libe Slope during Winter Storm Stella on Tuesday.
Michael Suguitan / Sun Staff Photographer
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Dozens of students skied, sledded and rolled down Libe Slope during a rare Cornell snow day on March 14, 2017.
Katie Sims / Sun Staff Photographer
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Catching some air, a student glides down Libe Slope during the snow day celebrations on Tuesday.
Michael Suguitan / Sun Staff Photographer
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Michelle Xiong ’18 looks up from the snow at the top of Libe Slope on Tuesday.
Michael Suguitan / Sun Staff Photographer
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Cornell closed at noon on Tuesday — canceling classes, midterms and prelims — and expects to reopen at noon on Wednesday.
Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor
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Sliding down Libe Slope, Alex Ciampaglia ’20 tries to hang on to his makeshift cardboard sled.
Katie Sims / Sun Staff Photographer
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A snowman with Big Red spirit next to Uris Hall at Cornell on Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
Dana Daniels / Sun Staff Photographer
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Snowball fights broke out across campus on Tuesday as some students used sleds for shields.
Dana Daniels / Sun Staff Photographer
Students crash toward the bottom of Libe Slope as they sled down the hill on Tuesday.
Katie Sims / Sun Staff Photographer
Mike Buldo Licciardi ’17 jumps over a Uris Hall window on a snowboard during the snow day on Tuesday.
Michael Suguitan / Sun Staff Photographer
Michelle Xiong ’18 looks up from the snow at the top of Libe Slope on Tuesday.
Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor
Wyatt Buchalter ’18 completes a flip as he skis down Libe Slope during Winter Storm Stella on Tuesday.
Michael Suguitan / Sun Staff Photographer
Dozens of students skied, sledded and rolled down Libe Slope during a rare Cornell snow day.
Michael Suguitan / Sun Staff Photographer
Cornell closed at noon on Tuesday — canceling classes, midterms and prelims — and expects to reopen at noon on Wednesday.
Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor
Sliding down Libe Slope, Alex Ciampaglia ’20 tries to hang on to his makeshift cardboard sled.
Dana Daniels / Sun Staff Photographer
Snowball fights broke out across campus on Tuesday as some students used sleds for shields.
Michael Suguitan / Sun Staff Photographer
Aleah Kennedy ’18 prepares to sled down Libe Slope on Tuesday. The University last closed because of snow on Valentine’s Day in 2007, when afternoon classes were cancelled.
Katie Sims / Sun Staff Photographer
Catching some air, a student glides down Libe Slope during the snow day celebrations on Tuesday.
Katie Sims / Sun Staff Photographer
A snowman with Big Red spirit next to Uris Hall at Cornell on Tuesday.