In selecting a college, Merrily McAuliffe had two prerequisites -- one typical, another more unusual.

Understandably, she sought a school with her planned major, broadcasting. And her other request? How about a nearby snow-capped mountain?

"I didn't tell my dad, but I wanted to go somewhere I could snowboard," she said with a laugh.

From Mills Godwin High, the 19-year-old triplet daughter of Betty and Gary McAuliffe chose Concord University in Athens, W.Va.

Not only does Concord offer a curriculum in communications, it's just down the snowy trail from WinterPlace Ski Resort in Big Top.

"Just 25 minutes away," she said.

McAuliffe has used the class-to-slope proximity to upgrade her snowboard status -- and even pick up some spending money as an instructor.

Rocky Mountain High: Through a series of qualifiers, she earned a trip March 29-April 4 to the U.S.A. Snowboarding Association Nationals at Copper Mountain, deep in Colorado's Rockies.

Despite a serious case of the nerves, triggered by stepping up in class, McAuliffe -- aboard her beloved board, "Waldo," -- held her own against girls who were mostly from snow-friendly climes.

"Most were from Utah, Colorado . . . places like that," she said. "I didn't like hearing them talk, because I could tell they'd been doing it much longer."

Her jitters quickly were soothed.

Competing against a national field in the Jam Division (age 18-22), she took ninth in slope style and 10th in border cross. McAuliffe was among the few Virginians or athletes from her Mason-Dixon [Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland] Division to qualify.

"I got lots of firsts in the qualifiers," she said. "But the Mason-Dixon is probably the weakest -- definitely. I just went out and did what I knew I could do."

Western bound: The snowboarding might have been the easy part. Getting there was another story. McAuliffe drove 28 hours with three friends to the competition.

"It was pretty extreme," she said. "We only stopped for gas."

Turning points: McAuliffe says two factors led to her love affair with a snowboard.

The first came when she was cut from Godwin's soccer team. "Devastating at the time," she said.

And the other reason?

"I was horrible at skiing," she said.

At Godwin, she juggled several activities. Along with being captain of the field hockey squad and serving as sideline reporter for Henrico Sports Wire, she began making regular visits to Wintergreen with friends Alex Davidson, Drew Burke and Andy Lewis.

"I'd even go by myself to get as much practice as I could," she said.

While snowboarding season has been warmed out in the east, she vows to continue training in spring and summer on a "rip stick" -- a combination skateboard/snowboard/wakeboard.

"I'm going to work out, watch a lot of DVD's, anything to get better," she said.

You might say she has a mountain of enthusiasm that just won't melt.