Love, Aprés Ski
Racing down her first run on Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks, Sarah Kistner ’14 injured her leg. With no more stability, she was unable to continue down the mountain. But, luckily, John McCoy Jr. ’14 was there.
The sun was shining bright that day, with the light reflecting off the snow. And although her leg was sore and her ski day was thrown off, Sarah smiled. A friend snapped a picture of the duo, Sarah on John’s back as he skied her down the mountain. It’s their first picture together, taken in 2011. One of their most recent was taken in 2021, on their wedding day.
Both members of Colgate’s Ski Team, Sarah was immediately interested in John for his charisma. “[He] was so full of energy,” she remembers. “He lights up a room.” Meanwhile, John couldn’t figure her out at first: “[I thought,] she’s a little bit quieter. Like, is she mysterious or what?”
After that encounter atop Whiteface Mountain, John asked Sarah on a Valentine’s Day date to Colgate’s Seven Oaks Clubhouse. But while their first date took place indoors, their fondest memories together are of being out on the slopes.
As seniors, they led the ski team as co- captains with Tira Hastings ’14. “John [was] the best skier, and Tira and I were good at the morale [aspect] and keeping everyone organized,” Sarah says. While studying abroad in Spain — John in Barcelona and Sarah in Granada — they met in Zermatt, Switzerland, for a weekend of skiing. “[Skiing] was a natural bonding thing that we always had, [as well as] just being active in life.”
It was during a trip to the mountains in Breckenridge, Colo., that John proposed with his grandmother’s ring. The couple was hiking, an activity that Sarah enjoys more than John, so she was immediately suspicious. Only, her phone kept blowing up with texts from work, distracting her enough to be surprised when he got down on one knee. They married last August. “We have this natural chemistry, and we clicked really early on,” Sarah says. “Sarah [is] perfect in regards to balancing me out, keeping me down to earth,” John adds.
On Their Wedding Day
When: Aug. 7, 2021
Where: The Woodstock Inn (Woodstock, Vt.)
Attire: Semi-formal
Hashtag: #MCKISTHEBRIDE
Throwback: The cocktail hour location was a nod to the couple’s origin. Guests gathered at the Suicide Six Ski Area in the Green Mountains.
Ceremony: The wedding took place outdoors on the lawn, so guests could enjoy the summer sunshine.
Reception: The head table was nicknamed Toggenburg after the mountain they skied while students at Colgate.
Dance floor: The duo performed a choreographed dance that they learned in ballroom dancing lessons.
Honeymoon: John and Sarah retreated to Collective Vail, a glamping resort in Colorado.