FARMINGTON – It was the first time on skis and snowboards Thursday for many of the eighth-graders gliding down or skiing around Titcomb Mountain. It was about 10 degrees, and the only sounds that could be heard were the crunching of the snow and occasional laughter and chatter.

The Mt. Blue Middle School teenagers didn’t even mind hitting the hard, snow-covered ground when they fell. Some even thought the temperature was too hot for what they were doing.

They had the mountain and trails to themselves this day as a reward for good academic and behavioral performance during the first half of the school year.

Teachers brought the snowshoes and cross-country skis from school, and those who wanted to try snowboarding and downhill skiing were able to rent them at the ski area.

“They didn’t get lessons, but they’ve been teaching each other,” teacher Betsy Brady said. “It’s great cooperation … It’s a lifelong activity and some of these kids have never experienced it.”

Dustin Gammon, 14, of Farmington said he knew how to snowboard, he just didn’t know how to stop all the time.

“They should do this again,” Gammon said, of the reward activity.

It was the first time on skis for Lillian Dunham.

“I went down Main, the big hill,” the 14-year-old said.

Katie Nile, 13, and Reid Rogers, 13, both tried snowboarding for the first time as well and found it to be fun, they said as they rested on the snow-covered ground.

Roger’s father, Bill, of Weld, said he had tried to encourage his son to get involved in snowboarding before, but he shied away from it. “But what I see is friends encouraging him here,” Rogers said. “He doesn’t even have on the same gear he came with.”

The activity offers kids who may have never tried it before, an opportunity to learn how to do it, he said,

Danielle Neal, 13, and Kylie Schramm, 13, were warming themselves in front of the fireplace inside the clubhouse.

“We always come to Titcomb every year,” Schramm said. “I was learning how to snowboard. I did OK. I fell a lot. It’s hard. You have to have balance in order to be able to snowboard and stay up.”

Neal had gone cross-country skiing around the mountain.

“It’s pretty good exercise for your legs,” she said, “but it’s fun at the same time. It’s the first trail that I’ve gone on, but I do it around the house.”

The trail was decent length and not too long, Neal said.

“I think it’s a really good thing that we’re doing. Kids get to learn new things and get to go at it and have fun,” Aleena Malik, 14, said.

It’s wonderful. You get to see kids mixing with kids who don’t get to see each other during the day, teacher Denise Mochamer said.

Teacher Anne Trefethen said the activity helps a lot of kids who don’t normally spend time outside see that there are things that they can do outside.

“The fresh air makes everybody happy,” Mochamer said. “It’s great team bonding.”