Some alumni said the elimination of events like the construction of numerous snow sculptures and Psi Upsilon fraternity's keg jump serve as evidence of a less spirited campus.
"There is a feeling today, and when I was in college, that people were less enthusiastic about the weekend than they were in the '80s when I was a kid," said Helena Shanahan '99, who lived in Hanover from 1981 to 1991 while her father, Edward Shanahan, served as Dean of the College.
The keg jump, now absent from Carnival weekend, remains a memorable tradition for past Dartmouth graduates. The event, in which participants clad in ice skates jumped over a row of beer kegs, was discontinued in 2001 due to injuries and Psi U's inability to pay for the required insurance. Despite the potential for injury, the event was an important part of the weekend for many alumni.
"There were some accidents, but I just think it's a shame. These things were iconic Dartmouth events," Shanahan said. "When I heard the keg jump was gone, I was shocked."
The ski jump, traditionally held on the golf course, was discontinued due to similar safety considerations. Winter Carnival films made in the 1930s show students standing along the sides of the ski slope holding bamboo poles to mark the skier's distance after his jump, said Charles Sherman '66.
"It was a really nice tradition, everyone would go on the golf course and crowd around," David Marder '85 said.
The event was discontinued, Marder said, when an inebriated student injured himself after attempting the jump in the middle of the night on a non-Carnival weekend.
Walker Weed '40, a member of the Dartmouth Outing Club, recalled spraying water on the grass of the golf course to create a frozen pond where the Outing Club hosted a skating exhibition. Weed also remembered men racing on skis that were pulled behind horses and sleigh rides around the Green.
While the Green's snow sculpture has always been the centerpiece of Carnival weekend, in the past, residence halls and fraternities also erected sculptures in front of their buildings, several alumni said.
Henry Malin '82 remembered constructing a cowboy boot outside of New Hampshire residence hall to correspond with one Carnival's Wild West theme. That year, the weekend's main sculpture depicted a giant gold digger.
An award was given to the best of these individual sculptures, which fostered some competition among rival builders. Margaret Marder '85 said that she once spent the night on a pirate ship sculpture that she and nine friends built on the Gold Coast in order to protect their work from competing groups.
Some students, however, were not as loyal to the Carnival theme.
"On Webster Avenue, there was a range of how much effort was put into the sculptures," Malin said. "The ones made the night before the competition tended to be a little less on theme and a little more vulgar."
Some alumni said that they believe the Carnival has lost much of its spirit of student participation.
"The world is more competitive now," Malin said. "My assumption is there's some impact in terms of what percentage of the students actually get involved with a Carnival event of any kind."
Despite the bevy of outdoor events at past Carnivals, fraternity parties were cited as a major component of the weekend by alumni of all ages, who particularly recalled the weekend's themed parties.
"There were very few women on campus, and there was no Collis," Pamela Schlobohm '75 said. "The social scene very much revolved around what was going on in the fraternities."
Although lamenting the loss of some Carnival activities, alumni praised recent snow sculptures and the inclusion of more cultural events during the weekend.
"For Winter Carnival, you just get into the moment and the excitement," Margaret Marder said. "Everyone's out walking around. You don't care that it's 10 below zero."
