next issue template

The Alps – Birthplace of the Winter Olympics
SKIING THE ALPS
Advertisement
SKIING THE ALPS
Advertisement
By Helga Brenner
The French Alps beckon to the best.
idol of his era. Killy won the Triple Crown of Alpine Skiing. He had
trained in Val-d’Isere, which boasts high altitude, powder snow,
over 185 miles of slopes and plenty of off-piste free-ride opportunities. Small wonder that the skiing area is called Espace Killy.
Innsbruck was chosen for the 1976 Winter Olympics. The Austrian
Franz Klammer won gold in the downhill race. Karl Schnabl, a ski
jumper, garnered the gold medal for Austria on Bergisel, which today
has the world’s most stunning ski jump tower. Germany’s Rosi
Mittermaier won gold in the downhill and slalom races.
The next Olympiad to take place in the Alps was celebrated in
Turin in 2006, where 80 National Olympic Committees competed.
For the first time, snowboard cross was included and Tanja Frieden
of Switzerland won gold in this new Olympic discipline. Claudia
Pechstein of Germany, a speed skater, won a gold medal.
World-class Ski Jump - Gravity-defying Landmark in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Olympic History made in the Alps
Chamonix was the venue of the first “International Winter Sports
Week” in 1924. Nearly 300 athletes represented 17 nations. The ice
stadium offered two adjacent ice hockey fields and a 400-meter
track. Herma Szabo, the Austrian figure skater, was the 1924
Olympic champion. Alfred Neveu, a Swiss bobsledder, won the
gold medal. His hometown, Leysin, Vaud, is a winter sport paradise
with superb runs. In 1925, the IOC designated the 1924
International Winter Sports Weeks in Chamonix retroactively as the
first Winter Olympics.
St. Moritz, then and now arguably the world’s most famous
resort, was eminently suited to host the Winter Olympics. The
International Olympic Committee chose it as the venue for the second Olympic Winter Games in 1928. One hour after the colorful
opening ceremony, hockey players were competing on the ice.
Amid high-octane action and pomp and circumstance, history was
being made. St. Moritz already then was famous for its Cresta Run,
a natural tobogganing run. Skeleton was included in the Olympic
program. Figure skating took place at the legendary Klum Hotel.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen was the venue of the 1936 Winter
Olympics, the last Games before World War II. The year 1936 was
the last year that Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics were held
in the same country. Alpine skiing, whose cradle stands in Austria’s
Tirol, made its debut as an Olympic sport in Germany. Christl
Page 20
Cranz, a German skier, won the Alpine skiing combined competition. Skiing instructors, being professionals, were barred. This
caused the Swiss and Austrian skiers to boycott the 1936 Olympics.
The Olympic idea survived the war years and was rekindled as the
greatest international sports event in 1948.
St. Moritz hosted the world’s best athletes and an enthusiastic
public in 1948. The Frenchman Henri Oreiller won the downhill
gold medal. Slalom races for men and women had been added as
Olympic competitions, thus bringing Alpine disciplines on par with
Nordic events. A demonstration competition in Military Patrol, in
later years known as Biathlon, took place as well.
Cortina d’Ampezzo was the venue of the 1956 Winter Olympics.
The triumphant career of the Austrian ski ace Toni Sailer – nicknamed “The Blitz from Kitz” – swung into full gear. His hometown
Kitzbühel continues to offer superb conditions for world-class skiing.
Innsbruck’s Winter Olympics in 1964 were witnessed by almost
one million spectators. Among the athletes from Alpine countries
competing in the Tirolean town was the Austrian Egon
Zimmermann who garnered gold in the men’s downhill Alpine skiing on the Patscherkofel descent. The French sisters Christine and
Marielle Goitschel won gold and silver in the slalom and the giant
slalom events. Luge was introduced as an Olympic sport, and the
German Thomas Köhler won gold.
In Grenoble 1968, France’s Jean Claude Killy was the Olympic
For More information please visit www.alpseurope.com.
May-June 2010
from Schwarzach, David Kreiner, a Kitzbühel native, Mario
Stecher, from Eisenerz, and Felix Gottwald, who lives in Hallein -all earned gold in Nordic Combined Large Team Hill.
France’s Vincent Jay won the Biathlon 10km race. He makes his
home in Saint Martin de Belleville, in Les Trois Vallees -- the
world’s biggest ski area. Jason Lamy Chappuis, who lives in the
Jura Mountains, garnered gold in Olympic Nordic Combined.
Germany’s Biathlon star, Magdalena Neuner, won gold and silver. Her Bavarian birthplace, Wallgau, nestles in the scenic region
near Munich. Her countryman Felix Loch, the youngest-ever Men's
Olympic Luge champion, trained in Schönau, Lake Königsee.
Tatjana Huefner, excelled in the Women’s Singles Luge. Maria
Riesch won gold in Women’s Super Combined event. Maria’s
hometown, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, offers fantastic training conditions. Claudia Nystad sprinted to gold in Women’s Cross-Country.
Bobsledder Andre Lange earned gold together with his teammate
Kevin Kuske. Gold medalists are also Victoria Rebensburg (Alpine
Skiing), Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle (Cross-Country Women’s Team
Sprint) and Stephanie Beckert (Speed Skating).
Switzerland’s six gold medalists: Michael Schmid won the first
Olympic Ski Cross competition. Carlo Janka succeeded in Men’s
Giant Slalom. Simon Ammann, from St. Gallen, made history with
two gold medals in Ski Jumping. Didier Defago won Alpine Skiing
Men’s Downhill. Dario Cologna, who trained in Val Mustair, succeeded in Cross-Country Men’s 15km individual.
Munich bids for the 2018 Olympics.
The New Cream of the Alpine Crop
The Alpine countries are home to 25 gold medalists who participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. All of these winners were able to train on the wide runs of the Alps and avail themselves of the superb facilities and infrastructure of the European
mountains. Many others brought home silver or bronze medals.
Austria’s Andreas and Wolfgang Linger, from Hall (Tirol),
brought home Olympic gold in Doubles Luge. Their compatriot,
Andrea Fischbacher earned gold in Alpine Skiing Ladies’ Super-G.
Ski jumper Gregor Schlierenzauer achieved an amazing 146.5meter jump. He trained on Innsbruck’s Bergisel. Bernard Gruber,
The magic of Austria's wide runs.
Effervescent Engadine: Skiing in sunny St. Moritz
May-June 2010
The offerings in and around Bavaria’s capital can hardly be surpassed in variety and quality. The city of contrasts, where most
Germans would like to live, will spare no efforts to make Olympic
athletes and their fans feel at home. Visitors will have much to
choose from: accommodation in quaint, picture-book villages or
luxurious hotels in Munich, the “city with a heart,” and other alpine
towns. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany’s winter sports capital is
at Munich’s doorsteps. King Ludwig’s castles, Neuschwanstein,
Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee, and his hunting lodge, Schachen, are
only a hop, skip, and jump away. In addition to thrilling Olympic
events, visitors can avail themselves of world-class cultural offerings and enjoy the best of all worlds!
For more information, see www.alpseurope.com.
For More information please visit www.alpseurope.com.
Page 21
SKI CLUB NEWS
Trip Leaders and Participants Know What to Expect
By Jeff Meyer, Vice President, Suffolk Skidaddlers
From Their Newsletter
All ski club members should be aware
of both their and the trip leaders’s responsibility on club trips -- something that is
often overlooked, but that applies to all
club activities.
Trip Leaders: It is the responsibility of
your trip leader to collect money for the
trip, arrange for payment to vendors, to
hold a trip meeting to disseminate information about the trip, answer questions
received by telephone or e-mail within a
reasonable time, to be available at club
meetings, to ensure that trip participants
receive their lift tickets, meal coupons,
etc., purchase food, beverages, etc. for the
club party and or bus ride and usually a
number of other tasks as well. It is not the
responsibility of the trip leader to arrange
car pools, wake you up in the morning,
find your lost luggage, pack your bags, put
your lift ticket on your jacket or “be your
mother” on the trip.
Trip Participants: It is the responsibility of participants to make payments on
time, attend scheduled trip meetings, or tell
the trip leader that you will not be attending so he or she doesn’t wait for you,
advise the trip leader ahead of time of any
specific requirements you may have (i.e.,
vegetarian meals) so that arrangements
may be made. Tell the trip leader if you
will not be coming to a scheduled activity
on the trip, be aware of bus departure times
and be on time, be prompt to scheduled
activities such as a group meal, so that
everyone does not have to wait because you
decided to go to the hot tub, have another
beer at the bar, etc. With regard to this last
item, a restaurant will usually not begin
serving until everyone is present. So arriving late holds everyone up, possibly
throws off the restaurant’s evening schedule, and potentially jeopardizes the club
returning to the restaurant in the future.
Expectations: If a trip leader asks you
to bring something on the trip -- a case of
soda, a small cooler, some snacks, etc. -please say “yes”. It’s not an easy task to
buy everything and transport it to a camp
site, ski lodge, bus, etc., and your help contributes to the success of an activity. After
all, these are club activities where everyone
-- including the trip leader -- is supposed to
have fun, as opposed to a packaged deal
that you paid a lot of money for and should
be catered to by the group’s escort.
Always bring your ID and medical card
as well as a credit card since first aid stations and medical clinics don’t always take
medical insurance. It’s better to be prepared.
Remember that you’re sharing your room
-- which means splitting the dresser drawers,
dividing the hangers, and not taking all of
the room’s amenities for yourself. If you
bring something like a DVD, it should be
used for everyone’s enjoyment.
Page 22
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
May-June 2010
SKI CLUB NEWS
Ideas to Improve Club Membership
From the Space City Ski Clubʼs Published Notes
on a Meeting About How To Improve the Club
Outer Mongolia, find some friends and
let’s set up the trip.
12. Consider lower priced trips that
younger people can afford.
13. End of the season ski trips to take
advantage of lower end of season prices.
14. Try themed trips. All singles, all
families, boarders only.
Marketing
1. Direct mail to local skiers using lists
from local retailers, ski magazines.
2. Improve Web site -- search penetration.
3. Club brochures at more store locations.
4. Advertise in retail stores as well as
local magazines and newspapers.
5. Market through local large employers.
6. Form a standing marketing committee.
7. Increase the club’s presence on social
networks such as Facebook and MySpace.
Ski Trips
1. Ski trips are not time-efficient. Try more
short trips and Friday through Sunday trips.
2. Make snowboarding as central to the
club as skiing.
3. Arrange for mountain guides to offer
cheaper ski and snowboard lessons.
4. Arrange more non-ski trips in winter.
5. Consider more family-friendly trips.
6. How to make sleeping arrangements
work with kids? Allow higher occupancy.
7. Incentivize trips for younger members.
8. Use skilled members as ski instructors.
9..Change models on trips to allow
micro trips with smaller numbers (4-20
people) to allow trips to be added as wanted and perhaps lower airfare.
10. More annual trips to a single resort
to create better relationships with resort
vendors for better prices.
11. Encourage ski trips to be created
from membership up. You want to ski
Ski Club Operations
1. Offer more value to our members,
perhaps discounts from local merchants or
better priced trips and activities.
2. Free beer?
3. Set up a subgroup for boarders.
4. Happy hour every week at the same bar.
5. Allow children to attend all trips.
6. Compare club model with other clubs.
7. Make it more fun to volunteer.
8. Try a happy hour for younger members.
9. More frequent reminders of membership renewal.
Declining membership is a problem for
many clubs and we suggest that you look at
these ideas to see if any of them could be
applied in your club -- Editor.
May-June 2010
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
Page 23
Facing a steady decline in membership,
Houston’s Space City Ski Club held a special meeting to discuss what the club could
do to reverse the trend. About 50 members
attended and most of the comments were
constructive. These are some of the suggestions that were made which were compiled by by the club president, Gary Butler,
and which were sent via e-mail to the
members of the club.
The Texas Ski Councilʼs Expedition to Aosta, Italy
The restored amphitheaters of Aosta. The two buildings in the background were constructed with stones from the Roman walls.
Photo: NSCN.
The Texas Ski Council’s annual overseas ski trip Expedition saw 155 Texans
travel to Italy’s Aosta Valley -- the highest
mountains in Europe -- in January.
NSCN editor Bob Wilbanks skiing Monterosa.
Photo: NSCN.
Skiing
They skied Pila, a local area with a gondola rising right out of town, and several ski
areas in Italy, France, and Switzerland -- all
of which could be skied on the Aosta Valley
ski pass but accessed via charter buses.
Other areas skied by the council members
were La Thuile in Italy -- which is lift-linked
with France’s Rosiere and located near
Courmayeur; Cervinia -- on the Italian side
of the Matterhorn (known as Mount Cervino
in Italy) where some of the participants paid
a small additional fee to ski Switzerland’s
Zermatt which is lift connected to Cervinia;
Courmayeur, on the Italian side of Mont
Blanc; and Monterosa just west of Cervinia
and accessed by a long, winding, and very
narrow road -- with its mostly advanced
intermediate (red) runs, really neat mountain
huts for lunch, and three little villages -- and
which proved to be many of the Texans’
favorite ski area of the week.
Members of the Texas Union of Firefighters Ski Club line up for a group photo at the farewell dinner. Photo: NSCN.
Two costumed local girls pose before Sundayʼs parade in Aosta.
Photo: NSCN.
Day Trips
Like post- and pre-trips, day-trips during the week for sightseeing, culture, and
shopping have always one of the main
attractions of Texas Ski Council European
ski trips so the council offered optional
non-ski trips every day.
Their first day-trip was to the Bard
Fortress, a huge ominous-looking multilevel structure sitting atop a large rock outcropping that has guarded the entrance of the
strategic Aosta Valley for centuries. The current fort was originally built in the 11th century, has been remodeled almost continually
since the 1300s, was destroyed by Napoleon
in 1800, rebuilt in 1830, and then used by the
Italian military until the 1970s. In addition to
seeing the fortress and its adjacent village,
there was also a museum of Italian life and a
wildlife exhibit within its walls. The village
with its stone houses and steep, narrow
streets, seems to cling to the mountainside
just below the Fortress, dates back to the
14th century, and is still occupied.
Monday, some of the participants experienced nearby Fenis and Il Melograno castles, two of scores of castles, fortified hous-
Issogneʼs Il Melograno Castle. Photo: NSCN.
Il Melograno Castle in Issogne. Photo: NSCN
The ski area of Monterosa..
Photo: Courtesy of Monterosa
es, fortresses, and stone defense and watch
towers still in the valley -- which is the
main route from Italy to both Switzerland in
the north and France to the west. Il
Melograno Castle, really a large square fortified house with a famous wrought iron
fountain in its front courtyard and a really
interesting interior, was built on an ancient
Roman site in the 15th century while the
Fenis Castle is a very picturesque 14th century castle with double stone walls that contains the Aosta Valley Furniture Museum.
There were also day trips offered to
Chamonix, France, a guided tour of Turin,
Italy, and a day at the Spa Pre-St-Didier in
Courmayeur -- which was particularly popular with the ladies -- as well as a night
excursion to a casino in nearby St. Vincent.
The Texans also enjoyed a guided walking tour of Aosta’s center, which was originally a walled Roman city, and still contains
much of the city walls as well as the Roman
city gate and the ruins of two amphitheaters
-- all right in the middle of downtown!
Many local buildings constructed in the 13th
to 16th centuries were built from the stones
and marble taken from the original Roman
Texans approaching the Fenis Castle.
By Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
buildings and walls, and there are still architectural dig sites throughout downtown,
including beneath two churches.
During the week of January that the
council was in Aosta, the city was hopping
with events that also provided the participants with some impromptu activities.
These included a food festival, showing
locally grown meats, cheeses, breads, pastries, and wine; an annual wood carving
and homemade furniture exhibit; and a carnival parade downtown that featured elaborately-costumed locals from the surrounding mountain villages.
The farewell party featured an hors d’
oeuvres buffet, drinks, dancing, awards,
and group photos of each club. But everything has to come to an end so, early on the
last morning, it was off to Milan for a
cross-Atlantic flight -- or, for some of us, a
train ride to Rome.
NSCN Editor, Bob Wilbanks, was invited to join the Texas Ski Council in Aosta by
SkiEurope, who organized and sold the trip
to the Texas Ski Council. Our thanks to
Richard Davidson and Dorthea Rasner of
SkiEurope for inviting us to participate.
photo: NSCN.
Dancing at the farewell party on Friday night.
Mitch Wombel of the Dallas Ski Club listening to the guide at the Fenis Castle.
Photo: NSCN.
Even the chef (center) got into the dance at the farewell party.
Photo: NSCN.
Photo: NSCN.
Texas Ski Council Post-trip to Rome and Pompeii
By Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
The Roman Collessium is the most famous landmark of the city.
The councilʼs guide (shown at the Sistine Chapel) kept his sign
held high so that the group stayed together.
Photo: NSCN.
On Saturday, 54 of the 155 Texans on the council’s
Aosta trip took off for Rome at the end of their ski trip,
starting with a very early bus ride from Aosta to Milan,
then a two-hour train ride to Rome. Upon arrival, we
boarded two buses for a quick orientation tour of the city,
including a stop at the Trevi Fountain, then on to the
Universo Hotel -- just four blocks from the city’s main
train station and a twenty minute walk to the Coliseum,
Via del Corso, Via XX Settembre (major shopping
streets), the Constantine Arch, and San Angelo Castle.
Sunday started with a tour of the Vatican and, while
normal summer traffic here can be up to 14,000 visitors a
day here, in winter the number drops to 2,000 to 2,500 a
day, so the pace was more leisurely and the atmosphere
much quieter than we had expected. While almost every
huge room in the Vatican seems decorated with paintings
and sculpture, it also has rooms literally as long as a football field and half as wide that are crammed with thousands of marble sculptures of animals, people, and a lot of
angels. There are paintings and frescos on both the walls
and ceilings, some of which we had seen in art and travel
books but had not seen firsthand before. You could easily
spend several days here and not see all the art!
That afternoon, many of the Texans checked out the
Coliseum, the adjacent Palatine Hill, and the Spanish
Steps. In the evening many folks tried out Rome’s night
life, which was reported to be quite lively.
On their last day a third of the group opted for an all-day
bus trip to Pompeii, which on a dull, cloudy day, seemed
especially eery under the ominous Mount Vesuvius. As we
were leaving, it begin to rain -- but it was water, not ash!
Photo: NSCN.
SKI COUNCIL NEWS
NWSCC Presentation on Basics of Ski Law
Presented by Richard Rizk, Vice President of the NWSCC
at a Northwest Ski Club Council meeting
The main points of his presentation are
explained below.
1. The “Inherent Risk Rule”: (ORS) 30.975.
Under Oregon law an individual who
engages in the sport of skiing, alpine or
nordic, accepts and assumes the inherent
risks of skiing insofar as they are reasonably obvious, expected or necessary.”
ORS 30.970.
Inherent risks include...
• Conditions which are an integral part of
the sport.
• Changing weather.
• Variations in terrain and
• Failure to ski within ability.
2. Inherent Risk rule protects defendant ski
areas from suit, not bad skiers, riders, or
bad manufacturers.
• Stiles v. Nidecker Enterprises Or App
(2002) a snowboarder sued a board manufacturer and the court disallowed the use of
the inherent risk rule as defense.
3. Give Notice to Ski Area after ski accident.
• If injured.
• Before leaving the ski area if possible.
AND
• Notify by certified mail within 180 days
(or claim against ski area may be disallowed).
• File suit within 2 years ORS 30.985.
4. Skiers & Riders Must Act Reasonably
• Riders assume risks of out-of-bound skiing.
•.Reasonable “control of speed and course”.
• Judge of own skill.
• Abide by ski area operator directions.
• Familiarize with posted information.
• Not cross the uphill track (unless marked).
• Yield to downhill skier & as entering slope.
• Use ski runaway prevent devices.
Failure to ride or act reasonably could
result in civil liability.
Note: Most such laws are similar throughout U.S. ski country.
Are all your eligible officers receiving
the National Ski Club Newsletter?
Itʼs free and itʼs another perk of being an
officer of an American ski club.
We publish four issues of The National Ski Club
Newsletter and 12 monthly issues of Americaʼs
Ski Club Officers Newsflash via e-mail free of
charge to all of the officers of
any ski club council and to the president,
vice president, trips officer, and editor of any and
all ski clubs who request us to do so.
If you wish to add another officer to our
mailing list or to change the name or
address of an officer, just send an e-mail to
[email protected]
NSCNʼs Internet Newsflash keeps ski
club officers informed year-round!
Ski Club officers who receive our monthly
e-mail Newsflash have been staying
informed about the ski and travel
industries throughout the summer and fall.
If you donʼt receive the Newsflash and wish
to do so, please send an e-mail to request
to be added to the Newsflash
distribution list.
[email protected]
SO EASY TO GET TO–
GREAT DEALS
–AND OH, THE SNOW!
7-Night
Inclusive
packages from
795
$
One of thousands of larger-than-life marble sculptures on display in the Vatican
Photo: NSCN.
Your 2011 ski package to Snowbird includes…
7 nights lodging at the Cliff Lodge, 5-day Snowbird “Tram & Chairs” lift pass (with bonus sixth day free),
airport transfers, discount coupon book, “Meet ’n’ Greet” breakfast, all taxes, fees and more.
May-June 2010
The ruins of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius looming in the background
per person
double occupancy
Photo: NSCN.
Sample per person rates based on double occupancy for 7 nights, Saturday to Saturday:
$910 January 22 - 29 • $910 January 29 - February 5 • $910 March 5 - 12 • $795 April 2 - 9
Great rates for other dates are available, as are 4- and 5-night options; condo or hotel rooms.
Group rates from 5 rooms for selected dates!
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
Page 27
SKI COUNCIL NEWS
What Else Is Happening Among the Ski Councils?
The Far West Ski Association has
announced its first annual dive trip to
Cozumel, Mexico, September 4-11, 2010.
The cost for the land package is $899 for
divers and $599 for non-divers, including
round trip transfers from the Cozumel
Airport, seven nights at the Wyndham Reef
Club, all meals and beverages (including
alcohol), all non-motorized watersports
and activities, hotel taxes, and tips!
The Far West Ski Association has also
begun a “historic ski club” designation for
its member clubs that have been in existence since 1960 -- the date of the Squaw
Valley Olympics.
The Ohio Valley Ski Council’s planned
trip to Ski in Argentina, then travel to Machu
Picchu and the Galapagos Islands is on hold
due to recent weather problems around
Machu Picchu where a series of deadly mudslides in late January blocked and heavily
damaged both the railway line and the hiking
path to Machu Picchu from Cusco.
Page 28
By Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
Juli Brace, President of Ohio Valley Ski Council.
The Ohio Valley Ski Council’s trip to
Cortina included not only skiing in Cortina
but bus trips to ski nearby Kronplatz and
the Sella Ronda (at the west end of the
Dolomite Superski), as well as sightseeing
trips to Innsbruck, Venice, and Bolzano.
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
The Northwest Ski Club Council has
expanded into Alaska with the addition of
Mat-su Ski and Snowboard Club of Palmer
Alaska. The council is a member of the
Far West Ski Association.
The Cleveland Metropolitan Ski
Council’s Web site’s recent headline was
“Cross train your social life. Join a ski club
-- a Cleveland Metro Ski Council ski
club.” It continues, “In sports, cross training has been shown to dramatically
improve performance. So, join a ski club
and think of it as a refreshing way to “cross
train” your social life. At the very least,
you’ll have a lot of fun and meet some
good people. If you like to ski and snowboard, are active or enjoy being around
active people, the Cleveland Metro Ski
Council has a ski club for you.”
New England’s Eastern Inter-Club Ski
League held its EICSL Championship
Race Shawnee Peak, Maine on Saturday,
March 6, 2010.
May-June 2010
FAM TRIP REPORT
Quebec City Fam Trip: Fresh Powder, Ice Hotel, and French Culture
By Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
Since itʼs a long walk from the parking lot to the gondola, Mount Ste. Anne offers horse-drawn sleigh rides
to make it easier on their guests.
Photo: NSCN.
A few of the participants on the Quebec City ski familiarization trip.
`
Photo: NSCN.
At a time when almost every ski resort in North America needed more snow, a huge
storm dropped 30” of the stuff in two days -- just as a group of ski club officers headed
for Quebec City to check out Stoneham, Le Massif, and Mount Ste. Anne on February
25. Due to the storm, only four of us arrived in time to tour the city Thursday evening,
but almost everybody managed to get there by the next morning in time to ski Stoneham,
where the storm’s wind allowed us to ski only the beginners’ area. Le Massif and Mt.
Ste. Anne were another matter, though. There we skied through 30” of fresh powder
while enjoying unbelievable views of the St. Lawrence River and surrounding country.
We also toured one of only two ice hotels in the world, stayed in the Fairmont
Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, on the St. Lawrence River and famous for its whale
watching, and checked out some of Quebec City’s nightlife and hotels;
Look for information about this and other FAM trips in our e-mail Newsflashes and look
for more information about Quebec City and its ski areas in our January 2011 issue.
Three sperate FAM trips to Quebec City were offered free of charge to ski club officers
in our January e-mail Newsflash and 17 ski club officers, tour operators, and the NSCN
editor chose to ski Quebec on one of them from February 25 to March 1 -- Editor.
Skiing Le Massif with a view of the St. Lawrence River.
May-June 2010
Photo: NSCN.
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
Yes, the Ice Hotel actually has beds and you can spend the
night if you are brave enough. We did not do so. Photo: NSCN.
Mount Ste. Anneʼs sugar shack makes a sticky candy from
maple syrup -- and they do it slopeside!
Photo: NSCN.
Page 29
Reno/Tahoe: The Adventure Place!
Opening winter 2009/10, the new Slide Lodge
SKI INDUSTRY NEWS
Italyʼs Sella Ronda is Way More Than Just an All-Day Ski Run
by Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
members through the years, but most of us
didn’t realize just how big the Sella Ronda
really is. It goes through the four Dolomiti
Superski regions of Alta Badia, Arabba/
Marmolada, Val di Fassa/Carezza, and Val
Gardena/Alpe di Siusi. Those areas are
spread over roughly 12.4 miles by 18.6 miles
and contain 232 square miles, or 150,000
acres of skiing. If the Sella Ronda were marketed as a lift connected ski area instead of
just part of the Dolomite Superski, it would
have ranked third in our list of mega resorts
in the March-April 2010 issue.
There are 310 miles of trails in the Sella
Ronda areas that may be accessed by the
Dolomiti Superski pass, which is also valid
at eight more separated regions of Alta
Pusteria, Civetta, Cortina d' Ampezzo,
Plan de Corones, San Martino di
Castrozza/ Passo Rolle, Tre Valli, Val di
Fiemme/ Obereggen, and Valle Isarco.
These eight areas contain an additional 435
miles of trails and there are 750 miles of
trails served by 450 lifts that can be
accessed by the Dolomite Superski pass.
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
Page 31
Tahoe’s GatewayResort
Only 25 minutes from Reno
Your group deserves an effortless
experience while getting some of the
best value in Lake Tahoe.
Skiing Alta Badia in Italyʼs Sella Ronda region.
Italy’s famous Sella Ronda run has been
skied by thousands of American ski club
Call Krista Haggott, Sales Manager at ext 217
SkiRose.com
1-800-SKI-ROSE
866-743-ROSE Reno Shuttles
Photo by Freddy Planinschek and courtesy of Alta Badia.
Get way more time on the slopes and way more
comforts off, with ski packages from Grand Sierra
Resort. You can choose from 11 world-class Tahoe
resorts including Northstar, Squaw Valley USA and
Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe. After a day of deep snow and
downhills, warm up in one of our luxurious guest
rooms or start a hot streak in Reno’s hottest casino.
Our ten restaurants, including Charlie Palmer Steak
and Briscola will satisfy any ski-induced appetite.
And if you still haven’t found your fill of fun, you will
once you discover the 50-lane bowling alley, the
movie cinema and Reno’s best après-ski scene in
our bars, clubs and lounges like Xtreme Sports Bar
and Mustangs Dance Hall.
More of everything…way more.
While we can’t promise way more snow, we can
promise way more everything else.
Ski packages start at just $79
For details visit grandsierraresort.com/a/ski1
or call 800-501-2651
May-June 2010
SKI INDUSTRY NEWS
Spring Skiing in Squaw Valley Means
Partying at High Camp Lagoon
Each spring, California’s Squaw Valley
USA opens its High Camp Lagoon and Spa.
Located at 8,200 feet -- 700 feet from the
summit and 2,000 feet from the resort’s
base -- the free-form lagoon-shaped pool
with 25-meter lap lanes (if you haven’t had
enough exercize from a morning of skiing),
two islands with waterfalls, and a 25-foot
hot tub surrounded by decks, a bar, and lots
of good-looking skiers in swim suits.
If you plan a club pool party with a fantastic view here, just bring a swim suit as
the Bath and Tennis Club provides lockers,
showers, shampoo, changing rooms, sunscreen, hair dryers, and towels for $12 per
person from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. weather
S ki C l u b
B e s t De a l s !
MORE OF WHAT
CLUB IS LOOKING FOR.
WE OFFER
YOUR
High Camp Lagoon with the hot tub in the foreground.
Photo: Courtesy of Squaw Valley USA.
Vancouver Olympic Recap
Along with being Utah’s largest resort with over 3,700 acres of skiable terrain, The Canyons® Resort offers a wide variety of
mountainside lodging options just steps from the Flight of The Canyons gondola and the shops and restaurants in our Resort
Village. All of this is located just 35 minutes from the Salt Lake Airport and minutes from historic Main Street in Park City.
By Patrick Thorne, AKA the Snowhunter
Austria
Andorra
France
Germany
Italy
Switzerland
Canada
Bulgaria
Summer Trips
and more!
CONTACT US:
Since, 1985 SkiEurope has guaranteed satisfaction with customized
European winter vacations, and now with Alpine Adventures,
summer and active vacations around the world. Five times named by
Condé Nast Traveler magazine as the Top Travel Specialist for Europe
winter vacations. For more information, or a proposal for your group’s
requirements and preferences, contact:
Dorothea Rasser
800-333-5533
[email protected]
Page 32
permitting -- although the area is accessible only with a lift ticket, which could be
an issue for your non-skiers.
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter
Games have published some numbers from
the 17 days of the Games in February.
A total of 2,632 registered athletes from
82 participating National Olympic Committees competed in 15 sport disciplines at nine
venues and 615 medals were awarded.
There were 50,000 workforce members
for the Games, including paid staff, contractors and 18,500 volunteers (including
6,500 volunteers at the Paralympic Winter
Games) and 96,409 spectators got tickets
for the Games while an estimated a 3.5 billion worldwide watched it on television.
There were 7,000 rights-holding broadcasters; 2,800 press reporters, photographers and non-rights holding broadcasters;
as well as 1,000 host Olympic broadcast
services personnel.
Olympic rights-holding broadcasters
showed the 2010 Olympic Winter Games
on over 300 TV stations and more than 100
web sites worldwide -- 47 percent more
television coverage of the Games than for
the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games -representing 24,000 hours of coverage;
More than 3,600 meters of elastic, 4,100
pairs of shoes, 18 kilograms of glitter,
10,000 green sequins, 200 giant spheres
and balloons were used in the opening and
closing ceremonies.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ULTIMATE SKI CLUB DESTINATION,
CALL OR VISIT US ONLINE.
May-June 2010
THE ULTIMATE WINTER PLAYLAND
THECANYONS.COM | (888) CANYONS
SKI INDUSTRY NEWS
Tell a Buddy to D.R.I.N.K.!
Used With Permission from Bridger Bowlʼs Web site
Most skiers are inadequately hydrating.
Did you know that ...
On cold days you lose most of your fluids
through respiration?
Altitude is a thirst suppressant as well as an
appetite suppressant?
Elevations above 6,000 feet cause you
exhale and perspire twice as much moisture
as you do at sea level?
You can lose between a half to one quart of
fluid per hour of skiing lift-served terrain?
After just 2.5 hours of skiing without taking in fluids, you will likely be irrecoverably dehydrated for the remainder of the
day? Not even after drinking 32 ounces of
fluids consumed at lunch.
After two hours of not replenishing lost fluids while skiing, your energy output will
begin to significantly decrease, even if you
started your day adequately hydrated?
Beverages containing alcohol and caffeine
actually rob the body of water?
Cold weather causes diuresis – increased
need to urinate?
Sport drinks help you absorb and retain
more water than drinking plain water alone
and you will need to urinate less?
Tell a Buddy To D.R.I.N.K.!
Don’t ski without a water bottle.
Rehydrate a few ounces on each lift ride.
Intake 24 fl. ounces every 3 hours of skiing.
Never wait to drink until you feel thirsty.
Know and avoid diuretics.
If you’re dehydrated ...
You can’t drink a lot of water and become
rehydrated in a short amount of time!
Your metabolism will slow down up to 3%.
You will get colder easier and you’ll be
more susceptible to frost bite.
Water can act like a diuretic if you wait to
rehydrate during lunch on a ski day.
You will experience increased fatigue and
you are more susceptible to injury.
You will have significantly more muscle
stress compared to your skiing partner who
has been hydrating with a sport drink.
Recommendations for proper hydration:
Avoid hydrating with just diuretics in the
morning. Drink at least 20 ounces of fluids
before coffee and limit your coffee or tea on
ski day mornings.
Sport drinks provide the best source of
hydration while on the slopes. A sport drink
will replace electrolytes, sodium (salt) and
some have carbohydrates and proteins for
more energy. Sport drinks help you absorb
more water and you will need to urinate less
than when drinking water.
Try to consume at least 24 ounces of
water or sport drink (a few sips at a time)
for every three hours of skiing/riding.
Refrain from consuming caffeine and
alcohol during your ski day. Wait until the
end of the day and after you have properly
hydrated with non-diuretics.
The National Ski Club
Newsletter
Subscription Information
We send The National Ski Club Newsletter free
to the president, ski trips officer, and summer
trips officer of each club. To receive The
National Ski Club Newsletter, please fill out the
following information. If you send us your
newsletter and give permission to reprint the
articles, we will also send The National Ski
Club Newsletter to your editor free of charge.
Club Name:
_________________________________
Club’s permanent address:
_________________________________
City:
_________________________________
State:____ Zip code:________
Please circle the month you elect officers.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
President’s name:
_________________________________
Mailing address:
_________________________________
City:_________ State:____ Zip:_______
SKI INDUSTRY NEWS
The Ski Channel
Excerpted from The Pentagon Ski Clubʼs
The Liftline
More Ski Apps for Your Cell Phone
By Patrick Thorne, AKA The Snow Hunter
The Ski Channel TV network reaches
approximately 25 million U.S. TV homes
with distribution by nine large television
distributors, including Time Warner Cable,
DirecTV, Cablevision, Dish Network, Cox
Communications, Verizon FiOS, AT&T UVerse, Brighthouse and RCN -- but it does
not include Comcast.
Launched in 2008, the Ski Channel
offers programming from Warren Miller
Enter-tainment, Greg Stump Productions,
Nimbus Entertainment, XTerra, Universal
First Secenr, Marmot, World Freeski
Champion-ships, Primal Quest, the Teva
Mountain Games, the Ride Guide, Skiers
World, World Heli Challenge, and Storm
Show Productions -- in addition to programming about ski resorts, the world’s
greatest skiers, documentaries, instructional, ski competition tours, and incredible
journeys. For more information, see
www.theskichannel.com.
Skiers who own the iPhone 3GS, can try
out an “augmented reality” that allows them
to navigate ski trails and on-mountain features at selected U.S. ski resorts. Called
REALSKI, the program allows riders to
view their surroundings while the app overlays digital graphics showing nearby lifts,
runs, restaurants, and other resort facilities
in real-time. Users move their iPhone up,
down, and around to scan their surroundings. Digital overlays will change in real
time to match what the camera sees.
The 3GS’ camera, GPS, compass and an
accelerometer combination enables users
to augment the reality provided by the
camera with digital graphics and layers the
information on top of the visuals picked up
by the camera using current location and
elevation detected by the GPS, the compass heading, and device accelerometer.
The free trial version of the application
for Killington, Copper Mountain, Deer
Valley, Northstar-at-Tahoe, and Stevens
Pass is available via iTunes while a pay-touse version will be available offering maps
for 80 North American resorts.
There’s also a virtual visit mode for
those who aren’t going to ski near one of
the five initial resorts which allows users
to sample the AR view from any location.
The virtual visit mode “transports” the user
to a predefined location at one of the initial
resorts to see what’s nearby as if they were
there. Augmented reality apps are new, and
this is the first available for mountain resorts.
Patents and trademarks are pending.
iSki Austria
The Austrian Tourist office has a free iSki
Austria app which provides the up-to-date
snow and weather reports, and many ski
resort maps. The application can be downloaded directly from the iTunes Store: iSki
Austria for the iPhone or, for other mobile
devices with in-built browsers, the program
can be download from iSki Austria.
May-June 2010
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
Page 35
E-mail: _________________
Ski trip officer’s name:
_________________________________
Mailing address:
_________________________________
City:________ State:____ Zip :_______
E-mail:_________________
Vice President or Summer trip officer:
_________________________________
Mailing address:
_________________________________
City:________ State:____ Zip:_______
E-mail:_________________
Editor’s name:
_________________________________
Mailing address:
_________________________________
City:________ State:____ Zip:_______
E-mail:_________________
Page 34
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
To receive The National Ski Club Newsletter, please fill
out and mail this form to P.O. Box 4704, Englewood,
CO 80155 or e-mail the information to [email protected]. Thanks. Bob Wilbanks, editor.
May-June 2010
SKI INDUSTRY NEWS
What Else Is Happening at North Americaʼs Resorts?
By Patrick Thorne, AKA The Snow Hunter and Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains at night.
Photo: Courtesy of Intrawest.
Fortress Investment Group, owner of Intrawest ULC (who,
in turn, own Whistler-Blackcomb, Steamboat, Tremblant, and several other resorts) is reported by several news sources to have
reached an agreement in principle with creditors to restructure its
debt and avoid an auction of the company’s properties. The new
deal will allow Fortress to inject an additional $150 million or
equity to pay down debt and retain control of the resort company.
A new $1.2 billon loan package will extend debt up to four years
at a higher interest rate than the current existing debt. Meanwhile,
Intrawest has sold their Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in
Florida to the Becnel Company, a family company based near
Destin, Florida.
Vail Resort is renaming its “International” trail to “Lindsey’s”
to honor Lindsey Vonn, the winner of a gold medal in the ladies
downhill as well as a bronze medal in the ladies Super G during
the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. The renamed black diamond trail was used for the women’s speed events during the 1989
and 1999 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships, and Vonn trained
for the Olympics at Vail.
Ski Rio, about 40 miles north of Taos, New Mexico, has been
reborn as Endless Blue Resort offering 900 acres of snowcat skiing. They call it backcountry skiing with frontside amenities -groomed beginner and intermediate trails, ski instruction, midmountain dining, and base facilities. Endless Blue, LLC, took
over ownership of the resort in 2008 and decided it was better to
sell the chairlifts rather than bring them up to code, so they fitted
a snowcat with a caboose to carry six skiers for the 20-minute ride
to the top of the mountain at 11,250 feet which then deposits skiers
onto runs of all levels -- all with long, 1,000-foot vertical drops.
Lodging is available on the mountain or it can be experienced as a
day trip out of Taos. The price for half-day, or five runs, is $150
and a full day, or 10 runs, is $250. Call 888-971-6881 or see endlessblueresorts.com/special.php for more information.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada,
not only has the biggest lift-served vertical in North America, but
is also one of only two resorts to offer lift-served, cat- or heli-ski
operations from a single resort base. This winter the resort
launched the new Revelstoke Outdoors Centre which offers avalanche skills courses, guided backcountry trips, and cat or heliski
preparation sessions.
May-June 2010
Arapahoe Basin, in Colorado, announced it will be replacing
its Exhibition chairlift this summer with a high-speed quad that
will get guests to mid mountain in just under three minutes -- half
the time of the current ride.
Winter Trails, held on January 9, 2010, attracted approximately 10,700 participants, according to program organizers. Some of
the largest events took place at the Weston Ski Track near Boston,
Ft. Snelling in Minneapolis, and Estes Park, Colorado. Organizers
at the three locations all reported topping 1,000 participants.
Ninety venues hosted Winter Trails events in 2010, ten more than
the previous year. Winter Trials, the free learn-to-snowshoe and
cross-country ski program, was positioned as the Nordic component of Learn-a-Snow-Sport Month.
Montana’s Red Lodge Mountain Resort is celebrating its 50th
birthday this season. The resort was founded by the local Silver
Run Ski Club in 1960.
Tim Cohee, the former president of Kirkwood, has signed an
agreement to purchase Sierra Summit Mountain Resort, 65
miles from Fresno, California, for just under $4 million. He plans
to change the resort back to its old name of China Peak and, while
the resort will be open to the public, it will have priority lifts and
other facilities that are available only to 500 Peak Gold Club
members each of whom will pay a one-time $5,000 membership
fee plus $150 per year -- but who will pay no daily lift ticket fee.
Daily memberships will also be available for $100.
1][S aSS OZZ bVS <3E @3/A=<A
b] abWZZ Z]dS A\]e[Oaa
U ™x¯ Έ ˆ˜ÉΈ œÕÌ
U ·x “Տ̈«i `>ˆÞ `ˆÀiVÌ yˆ}…Ìà vÀœ“ …ˆV>}œ "½>Ài ̜ ëi˜É-˜œÜ“>Ãà ˆÀ«
U /…i *œÜiÀ œv œÕÀ ܈̅ œÛiÀ x]Ónx Έ>Li >VÀiÃ
U iÜ Lˆˆœ˜ `œ>À >Ãi 6ˆ>}i ˆÃ > ˆ`ÜiÃÌ -ŽˆiÀ½Ã `Ài>“ Vœ“i ÌÀÕi
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
page 37
SKI INDUSTRY NEWS
What Else Is Happening in the Worldwide Ski Industry?
By Patrick Thorne, AKA the Snow Hunter, and Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
International toboggan racers practicing at St. Moritzʼs Cresta Run.
The Olympic torches over Innsbruck.
Photo: Courtesy of Innsbruck Tourismus.
Innsbruck, Austria, the host city to the Winter Olympic Games
in 1964 and 1976, is promoting itself as the place to go for people
to actually try the sports that they saw on TV in the Vancouver
Games. The ski areas surrounding the capital of the Tirol offer not
only skiing and ice skating but also bobsled, luge, biathlon and
even, in the nearby HoheSalve region, ski jumping! The Igls
Bobsleigh track which was used during the Innsbruck Winter
Olympics is available for public descents. Guest bobsleighs hold
five people and a trained pilot. The minimum age limit is 12 years
and runs costs 30 Euros per person. It’s open on Tuesdays and
Thursdays this ski season. You can even receive training in ski
jumping at a hill near Hopfgarten in the SkiWelt. Lessons cost
about $75 per person for three hours. A new biathlon center,
which combines cross country skiing and shooting, opened in
Seefeld this winter so we can expect to see skiers race with rifles
strapped to their backs stopping at a target range every few kilometers ready to shoot their targets. You can biathlon on Fridays,
with two-hour lessons from noon to 2p.m. costing about $75 per
person if you have your own cross country ski equipment, or
about $95 if you require rental gear. For more information, see
www.olympiaworld.at.
Chilean ski resorts of Valle Nevado, Portillo, El Colorado, La
Parva, and Ski Arpa suffered only minor damage in March earthquakes and their ski season is expected to open on time in June.
France’s Club Med is opening a $3 million Club Med ski village in China, its first venture into the huge and booming Chinese
leisure market. The Club Med resort will open in November 2010
at the Mountain Yabuli resort in Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China.
Page 38
Photo: NSCN.
St. Moritz Switzerland’s Cresta Run celebrates its 125th
anniversary this winter. The famous toboggan run was first built by
visiting British tourists in the mid-1880s, by experimenting with
water and snow, in the world’s first winter sports holiday resort,
several decades before downhill skiing took off as a winter sport.
A second new quad chair is under construction in New Zealand’s
Coronet Peak for the southern hemisphere’s 2010 season in early
June. The new chair, in a beginners area, has an loading carpet and
an automated safety bar which descends as the chair leaves the lift
base and rises prior to disembarking at the top. There’s also a “kid
stop” device that comes up between their legs to keep them in place,
ensuring very young skiers don’t slip underneath the safety bar.
!"#$ &'() $*+, -./ 0"(1 ,)/2 ,' 34/,*5/-46
7'$,#$#!- 3/$,*) 3'$8*)"#$89
!"##
!
"## %&&'(()'*&+(
%&&'(()'*&+( ,,-- ../"0#
/"0# ..12"34/,25"2"6702.6589,/
12"34/,25"2"6702.6589,/
3
338:-,;6./,;25"02#,1:.89,/
3338:-,;6./,;25"02#,1:.89,/
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
May-June 2010
Return Service Requested to:
The National Ski Club Newsletter
P.O. Box 4704
Englewood, CO 80155