May-June 2010 - National Ski Club

Transcription

NATIONAL SKI CLUB
The
May June 2010
Volume 23 Number 3
Italyʼs Aosta Valley
Texas Ski Councilʼs
2010 Italian
Expedition
NEWSLETTER
FACEBOOK:
WHY should your club use it?
HOW should your club use it?
WHAT should your page contain?
Experience the
difference
Make your group’s trip the best ever, both on and off the slopes!
We work closely with 100 of the most popular resorts and 1,500
properties worldwide and can arrange ski and snowboard trips
to your favorite mountain destinations in the United States,
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this for nearly 40 years and our agents average more than 15
years experience in the industry. With Ski.com you will receive
the service you expect and the group experience you deserve.
Give us a try and experience the Ski.com difference.
800 633 7064
HSPVQTTLJDPNtHSPVQT!TLJDPN
The National Ski Club Newsletter
May-June 2010 Volume 23 Number 3
Features
6 Ski Club Management
Social Media and Ski Clubs
How and Why to Use Facebook
8 Trip Reports
Two Clubs Meet in Big Sky
The Nisei Ski Club Skis Telluride
Cheyenne Ski Club Does Yellowstone
Hi Rise Ski Club in Jay Peak
16 Resort Review
Skiing Italyʼs Aosta Valley
In Every Issue
5 Editorial
22 News About Ski Clubs
24 News About Ski Councils
29 News About the Ski Industry
© Obermeyer Skiwear
Are you taking a trip
on your own this winter?
Ski.com would be happy to assist
with your individual travel needs, too.
Bob Wilbanks
Editor
303-689-9921 -- [email protected]
Katie Petito
Assistant Editor
www.katiepetito.com
Cover Photo:
Main Photo: Aostaʼs Monterosa Resort.
Inset: Texas Ski Councilʼs guide at the
Vatican. Both photos: NSCN.
Photo above:
Tellurideʼs Main Street at Sunrise.
Courtesy of Telluride Ski & Golf Resort.
Photo left: Dan Sherman, Director of
Marketing Communciations for Ski.com
gives an animated presentation about
social media to a group of ski club officers during a familiarization trip to
Breckenridge and Keystone.
Photo: NSCN.
THE NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER is published by Rowil Articles, newsletters, and guest editorials are solicited for possible
Publishing, P.O. Box 4704, Englewood, Colorado 80155. Phone or publication. We cannot be held responsible for the return of mateFax: 303-689-9921.
E-mail: [email protected] rial submitted. Please include mail, e-mail, and telephone contact
information with submittal.
THE NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER provides a forum for sharing of Advertising rate cards, reader and club profile information, and proideas between the nation's ski clubs. The publication is sent to the duction schedules are available upon request.
officers of 2,200 ski clubs and 44 councils with a total membership
of approximately 750,000 skiers, and is an independent entity with The National Ski Club Newsletter is published four times per
no official affiliation with any ski club or ski council.
year. For materials to be included in an issue, we need to receive
them by the dates shown below.
Unless stated to the contrary in the article, any ski club wishing to November-December issue:
September 10
copy an article in this publication may do so providing that credit is January-February issue:
November 10
given to The National Ski Club Newsletter, the originating ski club March-April issue:
January 10
and -- when available -- the author of the article.
May-June issue:
March 10
EDITORIAL
Think Like a Tourist to Keep Your Club Active Year-Round
By Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
Every American ski club activity officer
should have a good vacation guide book
about the city, the state, and the region in
which they live to check out the possibilities of what their club members can do on
weekends in both the summer and winter.
While most people are probably aware
of some activities that are readily available
in our hometowns, we often go see and
experience these things only when we have
company visiting from out of town. If you
have guests visiting, what’s the first thing
they want to see (other than you and your
family, of course)? Would that make a good
weekend trip or activity for your ski club?
Ask yourself how long it has been since
either you or your ski club members have
gone to see some of the more famous and
perhaps especially the not-so-famous local
“tourist” attractions. Do you ever kayak or
canoe the local rivers and streams as a
club? When was the last time your club
attended an annual or regularly scheduled
event held in or near your hometown?
Does your local chamber of commerce or
a similar organization hold historical or
architectural tours of your downtown area?
Check these and similar things out as possible activities for your members.
Experiencing local attractions is one of
the things we have noticed that many of
the emerging for-profit adventure clubs
(which are generally increasing in memberships, particularly in the 35-to-45 yearold category) do very well and that many
traditional ski clubs across America (many
of whose memberships are both decreasing
and aging ) often do not do very well.
A lot of these local experiences are inexpensive and some are even free! Try thinking like a tourist who is visiting your city
for the first time when selecting local club
activities. What would a tourist like to see
or do when visiting your city for the first
time? Would your club members like to do
the same thing as a group activity, perhaps
for the first time or at least for the first time
in several years? Thinking like a tourist just
might pay off for your club.
May-June 2010
The NATIONAL SKI CLUB NEWSLETTER
Page 5
Bob Wilbanks, Editor, at the entrance of the Aosta Valleyʼs Il
Melograno Castle.
Photo: NSCN.
SKI CLUB MANAGEMENT
Use Social Media to Reach New Audiences & Current Members
By Dan Sherman, Director of Marketing Communications, Ski.com
The past 10 years
have revolutionized
how we obtain information and communicate with each other. In
retrospect, “The Information Highway” of
the 1990s was a one- Ski.comʼs Dan Sherman.
way dirt road com- Photo: NSCN.
pared to what the Internet is today. The
advancements classified as Web 2.0 have
made the Internet a place for people to
exchange information, communicate, interact and meet like-minded people. Because
of things like social media, people are able
to obtain relevant information from
strangers a world away.
Social media, a term that goes hand-inhand with Web 2.0, is basically anything
that includes user-generated content. So
whether you realize it or not, you’re probably using some form of social media several times per week. Blogs, wikis (Wikipedia
is the most popular), YouTube, and
TripAdvisor are all examples of social
media. social networks, on the other hand,
use social media as a foundation to build
communities based on interest and encourage users to connect with other like-minded
people. Social network Web sites include
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace.
Social networking and skiing go together
better than Ben and Jerry. While the actual
act of skiing is very much an individual
experience, the sport as a whole is inherently social. Whether it’s a conversation with a
friend -- or even a stranger -- on the obligatory chairlift, sharing a celebratory après
beverage or joining a ski club to meet likeminded people with whom to share the passion, skiers and riders enjoy spending time
with one another almost as much as partaking in the activity itself.
Combining the power of social media
with the hunger skiers have to bond with
one another is a very powerful one-two
punch. According to Euro RSCG
Worldwide, 31.5 percent of adults feel
empowered to do something they have
always wanted to do thanks to social media
and 48 percent have been inspired to meet
new people. These two data points are obviously extremely relevant for ski clubs.
Page 6
Using social networks to grow
awareness and build membership
While hundreds of millions of Internet
users use thousands of different social networks, Facebook is the most popular and,
coincidentally, also the one best suited for
growing ski club membership. There’s a saying in marketing (and probably in fishing,
too) that if you want to go fishing, you
should go where the fish are. Well, the fish
are on Facebook.
Facebook, a six-year-old social network,
has grown by an unbelievable 167 percent
since January 2009 and now touts more than
400 million active members (if Facebook
were a country, it would be the third largest
after India and before the United States).
Though Facebook was originally developed
exclusively for college students, 19 percent
of total current users are between the ages of
35 and 54 and users 55 and older represent
the fastest growing demographic with a 923
percent year-over-year increase.
While the size of Facebook is impressive,
the actual usage of the leading social network is even more so. Each day, 50 percent
of users (200 million people) log in and
spend an average of 55 minutes on the site,
35 million users update their status, and 20
million users become fans of pages. Each
month, the average user sends eight friend
requests, comments on things 25 times and
becomes a fan of four pages. The majority of
these actions can be seen by each user’s
friends, of which the average user claims
130.
According to a recent study by The
Nielsen Company, people now spend more
time using social media and social networks
than doing anything else online, including email. The same study shows that Web sites
like Facebook are now the most common
home pages for Internet users.
Ski clubs are in a prime position to take
advantage of each of the aforementioned
stats to grow membership. Using social networks correctly makes it easier than ever to
turn each ski club member into an evangelist, empowering them to spread information
to their friends, their friends’ friends, and so
on. This is what is now known as viral marketing, which is basically modernized wordof-mouth marketing – on steroids.
Using social media to communicate
with current ski club members
Many ski clubs allocate resources and
spend money and a lot of time building a
Web site and developing an online presence through which they communicate
club information to current members and
attract new ones. While some clubs do it
well, it is often done poorly, which
adversely affects how the club is viewed
by visitors (i.e., potential members).
Facebook, on the other hand, is easy to
use - even for someone with minimal computer knowledge - and has extremely powerful viral tools already built into it so the
proverbial wheel does not need to be reinvented. And, best of all: it’s totally free.
While many club Web site developers
understand that interactivity is an important part of their Web site, it’s hard to build
something that works well and serves the
need. As previously mentioned, social networks are, by definition, communities. By
using Facebook, either by itself or in conjunction with the club’s already-existing
Web site, ski clubs can easily create a
space for members (and potential members) to share information, interact with
one another; post photos and/or videos of
recent trips; build, organize and market
events; post minutes from a meeting; and
more. And all of this is done in an environment branded by the ski club.
Web developers have for years been
working on the next generation of the
Internet, which has already been coined
Web 3.0. As the Internet continues to play
a bigger and bigger role in dictating communication norms, those who are not
embracing the technology are going to be
left in the dust. This is a great time for ski
clubs to get on board with social networking and introduce themselves to both their
peers and to a new generation of people
who love being part of a group with a
shared passion for everything the mountains have to offer.
The information on these two pages was
originally given by Dan at a seminar on a
FAM trip by Ski.com and Vail Resorts at
Breckenridge in December 2009. We
asked Dan to put the information in an
article the NSCN. Editor.
May-June 2010
SKI CLUB MANAGEMENT
How to Build
a Social Media Presence
for Your Ski Club
By Dan Sherman, Ski.com
While there are thousands, of social networks that would be useful for ski clubs if
utilized correctly, Facebook is the perfect
first step. (Subsequent steps involve mastering YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr.)
Within Facebook, there are two logical
roads to take: creating a group or creating a
fan page. While a Facebook group might
sound like the right move on the surface,
because most clubs consider themselves a
group, the fan page is best way to complete
your objectives. The tools associated with a
fan page make each action much more viral
and, more importantly, a page can be viewed
by anyone, even those who have never
signed up on Facebook.
Create a Fan Page and make it relevant.
If you’re a first time Facebooker, I suggest
you create a profile and become familiar with
basic features and actions before reading this
or before attempting to create your page.
1) Make sure you’re NOT logged into
Facebook and go to www.facebook.
com/pages. Click on “Create Page”.
2) On the “Create New Facebook Page”
page, click on the middle radio button for
“Brand, Product, or Organization.” Then, in
the dropdown, choose either “Sports/
Athletics” or “Travel” depending on how
you would like to be categorized. Then, in
the “Name of Page” section, add your club
name and click the box next to “Do not make
Page publicly visible at this time,” as you
don't want people to see your Page until it's
put together (you can make it public later in
the “Edit Page” section). After completing
the captcha security check, click the “Create
Page” box at the bottom.
3) The “Create a Facebook Account”
page gives you two choices. You can either
sign into your Facebook account if you
have one, or you can sign up for Facebook.
If you have an existing account, I recommend you simply sign in.
Congratulations! You now have a
Facebook fan page for your club. However,
this is just a blank canvas. To make the page
relevant and therefore powerful, you have to
make it attractive and give people a reason to
visit and, more importantly, interact with it.
May-June 2010
How and What to Post and What
Features You Should Focus on First.
By Dan Sherman,
Director of Marketing Communications, Ski.com
The Profile Picture
When choosing your profile picture, you
could either consider a logo, an appropriate
photo that evokes an emotion or a combination of the two. Fan page profile pictures
can be larger than regular profile pictures. If
you choose to use the latter, make sure you
also create a thumbnail version which will
display on peoples Newsfeeds and when
you post things on your Wall, etc. On the
Ski.com fan page (www.facebook.com/ skivacations), we currently have a basic
Ski.com ad as our profile picture, but the
thumbnail simply shows the skier in the ad.
Status Updates
There are an astounding 60 million status
updates made each day by Facebook users.
However, many users post updates that,
frankly, nobody cares about. So, to break
through the clutter and encourage people to
interact with your clubs messages, make
sure your status updates are relevant and
meaningful. Post news about your club,
news about the industry or just general
items that will build interest. The more
interesting your updates are, the more likely people will be to interact with them.
Interaction is the basic recipe for growing
your fan base.
Posting Photos
The ability to share photos is one of the
foundations of Facebook’s success. You
can begin by creating albums for your
club’s past trips. You should take some
time and write album descriptions and also
captions for each photo so people know
what they’re looking at. Also, if you’re
able to, be sure to tag people in the photo.
This will not only alert the person that their
photo has been uploaded, but it will also
alert each of that person’s friends via their
newsfeeds, driving additional awareness
for your club and traffic to your page. You
may also want to post photos directly to
your wall of things like big snowfalls,
events or anything relevant you think your
audience would be interested in. Just make
sure you have permission from each photos respective photographer.
Posting Videos
If it’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words then a video is worth a thousand pictures. Video is the richest media
available online and skiers and riders love
watching clips that have anything to do
with our sport. Facebook is currently the
third most popular video Web site behind
YouTube and Hulu, so be sure to take
advantage of its video capabilities. If you
have the actual video files, you can upload
them directly into the video section of your
fan page, which will stay there for as long
as your page is in existence. You can also
find relevant videos from sites like
YouTube and simply post the links to your
wall.
Creating Events
Creating events on Facebook is easy to
do and powerful when trying to promote
things like trips, meetings, events, parties,
etc. In addition to providing event details
such as trip price, travel, and accommodation information, you can post videos, photos, and more. The best part is that spreading the word and inviting people via a
Facebook event is virtually effortless.
Also, each event has a built-in community
section that allows anyone to ask questions, make comments, or post general
information.
Once you have a solid foundation on
your Page, that is the time to make it public and start recruiting fans (new members.) Ask your members to become fans,
ask your friends and your members' friends
to become fans and post a link to your page
or a “fan box” on your club's Web site.
And, remember to continue to post relevant and meaningful information on an
ongoing basis.
I liken building and maintaining a
Facebook fan page to gardening. The effort
spent creating/planting/seeding the garden
is the hardest part. Once your garden is
planted, you simply have to nurture it for
best results. Regularly watering (i.e., posting relevant content) is absolutely necessary and, if neglected, your garden will
suffer and could die.
Page 7
TRIP REPORT
Two Sitzmark Ski Clubs Meet in Big Sky
Excerpted from an article by Jeff Lindsey, Sitzmark Ski Club of Milwaukee
From their Sitzmark News
Diavolezza, St. Moritz
Engadin St.Moritz.
St. Moritz.
If you’re looking for a bit of glitz and
glamour then you have come to the right
place. Chic St. Moritz sets new standards
with its top-class hotels and makes headlines with its legendary events.
Culture and tradition.
Visitors to the Engadin St. Moritz region
experience a variety of culture and tradition wherever they go. A busy and varied
cultural program runs throughout the winter season. Houses are still built and
adorned in the traditional style and customs are passed on from one generation
to the next.
Rest areas for your soul.
For a bit of romance explore the Roseg
valley in a horse-drawn carriage or snowshoe through untouched forests. The Engadin St. Moritz region is generous with
its charms and reveals something new at
every corner.
Sample SkiEurope
Group Arrangements
St. Moritz
***3-star Hotel Laudinella
$1195 per person double occupancy
7 nights with Continental Breakfast Buffet
****4-star Hotel La Margna
$1769 per person double occupancy
7 nights with Continental Breakfast Buffet
All trips also include:
- Round-trip air from JFK on Lufthansa
- Round-trip transfers by motor coach
- One free per 20 paying
Plus air taxes and fuel surcharges
Based on minimum of 40 participants
All prices are for 2010 low season periods
Upon arrival, we found several inches
of new snow, and Sunday we met up with
our sister club from California and all of us
did the afternoon mountain tour with a volunteer guide, Marty, an 81-year-old who
had played pro hockey on four Stanley
Cup winning teams back in his prime -and he could and did ski everybody’s butt
off as he showed us the mountain.
Monday night found most of the
Milwaukee and California Sitzmarkers at
Chet’s Bar having a very fun time listening
to a musical duo called the Crazy Austrians.
They made us feel like it was Oktoberfest.
The second and third days were in the
double-digit minus figures, but oddly
enough we rarely felt cold -- the skiing was
that good! Best of all, we got six inches of
new powder to ski on. We thought that we
were in Heaven!
Friday found a lot of us going over to the
adjoining Moonlight Basin to try out their
snow and facilities. The cool thing about
this resort --which is rather new -- is that it
is quite large and there could not have been
more than 100 people (including the lifties)
on the mountain. The snow was good, the
runs were excellent, and there were
absolutely no lift lines. Several of us then
climbed a bit to get some chute skiing in.
The chute was really not so terrible,
although it was steep and narrow, but the
May-June 2010
For reservations or more information please visit
ski-europe.com or call 1-800-333-5533
Ski instructor and students at Big Sky.
Photo: Courtesy of Big Sky Ski Resort.
Editor’s note: The Milwaukee and
California Sitzmark Ski Clubs join together for a reunion ski trip in most years and
last season they met up in Big Sky,
Montana, during the Far West Ski
Association ski week.
TM
Canada’s Protected Playground
Perhaps it’s our steep & deep powder that’s calling your name.
Maybe you’re after fine dining & world-class spas. Or maybe it’s
all about cruising blue runs under blue skies with friends and
family. Whatever your group’s desire, you’ll be sure to find it
in Banff-Lake Louise, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
Come and visit Canada’s Protected PlaygroundTM
and make your next group trip truly memorable.
Contact your preferred tour operator
or contact us for a group trip quote
1-877-754-7255
[email protected]
www.SkiBig3.com/nscn
Photo: Martin Lortz
Allegra and welcome to a winter wonderland of stunning contrasts and diversity. The sun-blessed Upper Engadin is the largest winter sports region
in Switzerland with 217 miles of slopes, 118 panoramic miles of crosscountry ski trails, 93 idyllic miles of winter walking paths and a wealth of
culture and tradition. Thanks to its high altitude and dry climate, Engadin
St. Moritz is a snow-reliable region famous for its champagne powder.
climb into the chute was the scariest traverse I have ever made -- sharp rocks, steep
slopes, and an itty-bitty footpath that made
it an absolute nightmare. But, in the end the
run was worth it! If you ever ski Big Sky,
you have to try Moonlight Basin, too.
Before the week was over some of our
participants also went on an incredible side
trip to Yellowstone National Park to see the
animals and Old Faithful Geyser.
And, on our last day, we were gifted
with a sun dog -- one of the most amazing
sights I have ever seen -- it’s an upper
atmosphere phenomena where the ice crystals in the clouds become lit up by the sun
and paint the cloud with the most amazing
iridescent colors. Everybody on the mountain just stopped skiing for awhile and
looked up. It was truly majestic!
Page 9
TRIP REPORT
The Beautiful Skies and Runs of Telluride
By Curtis Otaguro, Ex-Officio, Nisei Ski Club (CA)
Main Street in Telluride at Sunrise.
Skiing on a powder day can be exhilarating, but the jubilation is often tempered
by the accompanying gray, sullen overcast
skies. Not in the case of our Telluride trip
last January. The cobalt blue skies and
sunny weather throughout our week-long
trip in Telluride helped melt our dreams of
fresh powder. Fifty-nine NSC members of
California’s Nisie Ski Club traveled to
Telluride to enjoy skiing the steeps,
bumps, long cruisers, and especially the
new Revelation Bowl.
Skiers and boarders reveled in carving
up challenging terrain while admiring the
spectacular views of the San Juan
Mountains. With Telluride’s outstanding
dining options and specially arranged ski
shop deals, our members had fun with lots
of non-ski activities as well.
Three main travel groups from the club
flew from Oakland, San Francisco, and
San Jose, converged at the Montrose
Airport and boarded two shuttle buses and
a van and headed off to Telluride, stopping
in Montrose just long enough for a grocery
stop. The drive to Telluride revealed the
dramatic landscape of this region of
Colorado. We entered a box canyon where
red rock cliffs tinged with snow rose up
from the winding road on our final leg.
The canyon gradually opened up and the
Page 10
mountain village and town of Telluride,
surrounded by the rugged peaks of the San
Juan Mountains were bathed in the rays of
the setting sun.
After checking into our lodging, we met
at the Floradora Saloon for an orientation
meeting where a representative from
Telluride Ski Resort gave us an overview
of the resort and signed up members for
the mountain tour and NASTAR race.
Most members stayed for dinner afterwards and Florie, the owner and namesake,
was a wonderful host.
The next day, most participants joined
up for the mountain tour to familiarize
themselves with the mountain. After the
tour, many of us came away with a totally
different view of the mountain. The mild
temperatures and high altitude helped keep
the snow in pristine condition throughout
the week.
Where else would you find a dreadhead,
dragon, and Energizer bunny in a race?
Hungry racers then skied over to Gorrono
Ranch where they enjoyed a barbecue
lunch under brilliant skies. Then, our
club’s “expert” photographer organized a
perfect group picture with the scenic San
Juan Mountains in the background.
With the variety of terrain for all levels,
Telluride Ski Resort seemed larger than its
Photo: Courtesy of Telluride Ski and Gold Resort.
1,700 acres. Our favorite runs? Spiral
Stairs, Mammoth, and Plunge off the
Plunge lift; Allais Alley and Silver Glade
off the Apex lift; Dynamo and Electra off
the Gold Hill Express lift; Butterfly and
Humboldt Draw off the Village Express
lift; and Confidence off the Prospect
Express lift. Other trip memories included
a progressive dinner potluck, having lunch
at the Hop Garden, visiting the Telluride
Museum, and having dinner or drinks at
Allred’s.
Our last night in Telluride was celebrated with a farewell banquet at the Elks
Lodge, a historic Swede-Finn Hall built in
1899. Enthusiastic members took turns
taking “elk horn” pictures, sampled hors d’
oeuvres, and recounted the events of the
week. A buffet of assorted dishes including Grilled Marinated Flank Steak, Red
Wine Braised Chicken, Lemon Roasted
Asparagus, and Brownies with Vanilla Ice
Cream and Telluride Truffle Cabernet
Sauvignon Chocolate Sauce was served to
our eager group. A short program followed
with NASTAR race results and thank-you
gifts. A final group picture and everyone
left to pack their bags and begin contemplating next year’s trip.
This trip was in January 2009 -- Editor.
May-June 2010
TRIP REPORT
TRIP REPORT
Cheyenne Ski Club in Yellowstone
By John Hartman, Board Member, Cheyenne Ski Club
The Cheyenne Ski Club (CSC) offers an
annual three-day ski trip by bus to Jackson
Hole Ski Resort over the Martin Luther
King Jr. weekend. It’s very popular with
club members and every two years CSC
member Art Anderson coordinates a
Nordic skiing post trip into Yellowstone
National Park to the Old Faithful Snow
Lodge for five days of back-country skiing
and snow shoeing. This year the trip even
offered a snowmobile tour.
Snow coaches pick up our group of 15
to 21 skiers at Flagg Ranch, at the
Yellowstone National Park south entrance
at noon Tuesday, and drop them off again
about noon on Saturday. The snow coach
ride in is about 41 miles and takes most of
the afternoon, with a geyser basin tour at
the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake, a
stop at Lewis Falls at Lewis Lake, and a
stop to check gear on the coach at Moose
Creek Falls where the oldest stone bridge
in the park is located.
Old Faithful Snow Lodge is a large
facility that’s open from mid December to
early March. It closes because the roads in
the park are closed to snowmobiles and
coaches for wildlife rutting season. The
lodge is very plush, with gourmet meals at
night, great breakfasts, and a grill during
the day. A large fireplace dominates the
lobby, and in the evening there is a pianist
off the lobby, and lectures are offered by
rangers. Also, night tours for geyser viewing or stars lectures are offered. There is a
rental shop for skis and snowshoes, a large
gift and necessities shop, and snowmobile
rental and tours are available. For the four
nights at the lodge, breakfasts included, it
costs just over $500 per person, double
occupancy, including snow coach transport. Evening meals are extra and most of
us bring in a cooler with lunch items, and
some beer, wine, and snacks. Lower cost
cabins are also available. Details are on the
lodge Web site. Reservations typically
need to be made 6-8 months in advance.
The lodge is a five-minute walk from
John Hartman and wife, Marta, in Yellowstone.
Photo: Courtesy of Cheyenne Ski Club.
Old Faithful and there are several other
geyser basins within short ski or snowshoe trek from the lodge, and many trails
in different directions. Skiers can arrange
snow coach drop offs at trailheads such as
to Fairy Falls, or the Continental Divide
trails, then the skiers ski back to the lodge.
If you haven’t been to Yellowstone
National Park in the winter, it’s a whole
different world there: snow filled, quiet,
few people around, steaming geysers, and
partially ice-covered rivers. The bison
herds graze near the lodge, and swan,
otters, bald eagle, coyote, elk, and occasionally wolves can be seen or heard.
Upon our arrival this year the snow
started to fall and it did so every day, and
on our last night parts of the park received
nearly two feet of new snow! The National
Forest Service closed the roads in the park
the morning we were scheduled to leave
until groomers could clear some paths. The
lodge sent the snow coaches out more
lightly loaded with people and gear so they
would be more stable in deep snow, but
there was a two-hour delay and an exciting
ride out as the drivers often had to blast
through big drifts with near zero visibility.
While we were there, various groups
went on different tours in the many directions from the lodge. Fairy Falls, Mystic
Falls, the Biscuit Geyser Basin, Mallard
Lake and Mallard Creek trail were some of
the destinations. Others preferred to snowshoe nearer the lodge, then retire to the
large sitting area in front of the huge fire-
place. A coyote had been hanging around
the Old Faithful geyser area all winter and
was seen by several club members. Others
returning from a tour of Mallard LakeMallard Creek trail saw a large bison herd
(a common sight) across the Firehole
River. A few minutes later, a wolf howled,
then was joined by a whole chorus of
wolves howling.
Three participants arranged an all-day
105-mile guided snowmobile tour -- complete with space suits and helmets. Club
member, Joe Burgess, proudly wore his
CSC kerchief on his sleeve just above the
flames. They were able to tour far-flung
parts of the Central Park, including
Yellowstone upper and lower falls in the
new four-cycle snowmobiles that are much
quieter and pretty unobtrusive.
Before we arrived, they had had nearly
900 earthquakes over the preceding two
weeks and the first night we had three, one
was 3.6 on the Richter scale. The floor rippled for about 10-15 seconds, and one guy
thought it was a fat man hurrying down the
hall. The next few days there were many
more, but most were not noticeable.
Every two years, Art Anderson has put
this trip together for our club members and
he deserves a lot of thanks from all of us
that have enjoyed all this trip offers the XC skier/snow-shoer/and now snowmobilers that have been lucky enough to go on
this expedition. He takes a tour out every
day, of the trip and he makes this a very
enjoyable and seamless experience.
Thanks Art.
Cheyenne member, Joe Burgess, dons a snowmobile
suit (with club kerchief) in Yellowstone National Park.
Photo: Courtesy of Chenne Ski Club.
Contact Group Sales Today!
800-525-6200 or email [email protected]
www.aspensnowmass.com
Page 12
May-June 2010
SNOWMASS
May-June 2010
ASPEN MOUNTAIN
ASPEN HIGHLANDS
BUTTERMILK
Page 13
TRIP REPORT
Cleveland Clubʼs Bus Trip to Jay Peak
Tons of Snow, Great Service, a New Hotel, & Reasonably Priced!
By Rick Gzesh, Trip Leader, Hi Rise and Suburban Ski Club, from their Venture
Skier in powder at Jay Peak.
Cleveland’s Hi Rise and Suburban Ski
Club took 30 skiers, all eager to improve
their skiing, to an early season ski camp at
Jay Peak, Vermont December 13-19. Jay
Peak is nestled in the northern Vermont
Photo: Courtesy of Jay Peak.
mountains, a scant ten miles from the
Canadian Border, is blessed with the highest
annual snowfall east of the Rockies -- over
300 inches of that powdery stuff we crave
each ski season.
That’s more than
Sugarbush. More than Stowe. And yes, even
more than Killington. Jay Peak reigns
supreme in guaranteeing good conditions,
especially so early in the season.
This was an all-inclusive bus trip. The
luxury motor coach with a boxed breakfast
and lunch for the way up, five nights of
slope-side lodging, five days of skiing, five
daily ski clinics, five breakfasts, and five dinners were all included for a mere $699. How
could any die-hard skier resist?
On the bus trip up, we enjoyed movies on
the bus and expected to be at the hotel by 7:30
p.m. for the first of what became five fantastic dinners but, by 6 p.m. with about 60 miles
to go, that famous Jay Peak snow almost prevented us from making our destination as our
bus, which had only summer tires, came to a
standstill on a steep hill in the dark. A call
was made to the resort and they called the
Vermont State Police, who called the Vermont
Department of Highways, who called some
guy named Bubba at the local highway
garage who sent some guy named Earl with a
snow plow. Earl shows up after about an hour
and made a quick pass around us, lowered his
plow and disappeared up the mountain --
TRIP REPORT
leaving us stuck as we could not reach the
part of the road he had just plowed. After
about 20 minutes, we realized that Earl wasn’t coming back, so we called the resort again
and phone calls went on and on until Earl,
who was already back home having dinner
with his wife and kids, was told to come back
and help us, which he eventually did.
When we did reach the resort some of
their local roads had not been plowed and we
got stuck again and had to make another call
but, this time, the resort’s maintenance staff
managed to get us out and we were eating
dinner by 9 p.m. -- only 90 minutes late!
The positive side of our ordeal was that is
was snowing and we would have some great
skiing as a result! The daily plan was for us
to meet each morning after a wonderful
breakfast buffet and then split into ability
groups for our daily clinics, have lunch and
go free skiing with 1,400 feet of black and
blue runs from which to choose. By
Thursday the tram opened taking us to the
top of Jay Peak and 2,400 vertical feet and
even some of the glade runs open.
Jay Peak also provided us with a welcome
party on our second night which included
drinks and snacks and where we got to mingle with the staff -- including the resort’s
president, Bill Stenger. Then, on the night
before we left, the ski school threw us another party, leaving us with posters, stickers, and
pins. Lastly, just before we left, we were all
given a commemorative t-shirt by Sean
Bakos from group sales.
While we stayed in the old Hotel Jay
which is a bit dated, their new Tram Haus
Lodge had its grand opening the day we left.
Sadly, the old Hotel Jay will be torn down at
the end of this season and another new hotel
built on its site as Jay Peak pursues its vision
of becoming a a four season destination
resort. A championship golf course is
already built, with an ice arena and water
park in the works. We got a chance to tour
the new hotel before we departed and it is
magnificent! The architects did a wonderful
job crating what most would think of as a ski
resort hotel. Lots of wood and stone with
huge windows overlooking the slopes. They
even salvaged old and discarded chairlifts for
accents, sections of cables for door handles,
and bull wheels were turned into huge tables
at the bar. Of course this means that skiing at
Jay Peak will not be the quaint experience it
once was, but will that be a bad thing? We
hope that it means that Jay Peak has just
secured its future.
I can honestly say that we have never been
treated this well at a resort before, especially
considering the very reasonable price we
paid. If Jay Peak is offering this package
next year in the new hotel at anywhere near
this price, our ski club (and others) should
jump on it!
North Carolina’s Asheville Ski Club also
ran a trip to Jay Peak during spring break
for just $580 for a land package that included five dinners and five breakfasts, a twohour ski or snowboard lesson each day, free
snowcat rides on Tuesday, a dairy and maple
farm tour, a welcome party, and a party on
their last night. Their trip leader reported
that, while on a fam trip to the resort in
preparation for running the trip, he was
amazed at the level of service and the staff’s
welcoming and friendly aura. He even witnessed the resort’s president, Bill Stenger,
stopping the tram just to photograph a marriage proposal -- Editor.
the biggest skiing in america®
Page 14
May-June 2010
May-June 2010
Page 15
RESORT REPORT
RESORT REPORT
Skiing Italyʼs Aosta Valley
The Chez Croux restaurant and bar on the slopes of Courmayeur.
prepare wonderful lunches, sandwiches,
salads -- and one even offered an excellent
creme brulee for desert -- and all at very
reasonable prices.
The skiing in Courmayeur is divided
into Checrouit-Val Veny -- the largest area
with mostly intermediate and beginner skiFun in the snow at Monterosa.
Surrounded by some of Europe’s tallest
peaks in Northeastern Italy and bordered
by both Switzerland and France, the Aosta
Valley is the nation’s smallest autonomous
provence -- meaning that 90 percent of all
federal here are returned to the provincial
government to use as it chooses.
The valley has always been an important trade (and war) route from Italy to and
from the rest of Europe via the St. Bernard
passes, so it’s dotted with Roman ruins,
castles, keeps, towers, and fortifications -some of which date back 600 to 2,000
years. Hannibal is said to have brought his
elephants from North Africa to attack
Rome through what is today the ski resort
of La Rosiére during the Punic War of 218
to about 203 B.C. The Roman Emperor
Augustus called the city of Aosta, “the
Rome of the Alps.” Its ancient city
entrance, the Augustus Gate, still stands in
the middle of town and the Roman ruins in
the city of Aosta are the most extensive
outside of Rome. The Aosta Valley exudes
history while offering some great skiing!
Page 16
The Ski Resorts
The Aosta valley is filled with ski resorts
-- lots of them. All except Pila require a bus
ride of 45 minutes to an hour and a half to
access so this is one of those “it’s Tuesday,
so this must be Monterosa” ski adventures.
Pila starts right in town with an eightpassenger cable car. It’s accessed by a free
shuttle service and is served by 14 lifts and
a magic carpet. Over 60 percent of it’s runs
are covered by snowmaking, and it has
views that stretch from the Matterhorn to
the Mont Blanc and beyond! With 70 kilometers of pistes, it costs less so if you don’t
buy the Skipass Valle d’Aosta, a lift ticket
Photo: Courtesy of Monterosa.
at Pila costs about $45.50 -- unless you’re
over 60, in which case it’s half price! Just
show your driver’s license for proof of age.
However those figures don’t cover medical
evacuation insurance, which is 2.50 euro.
Breuil-Cervinia is on the Italian side of
the Matterhorn (called Mt. Cervino here)
and, just like Zermatt, you ski under Mt.
Cervino, not actually on it. The resort has
150 kilometers of skiing on 58 runs, served
by 24 lifts (plus another 350 kilometers in
35 runs at Zermatt). For day skiers, it’s 36
euros per day -- with 29 euros for skiers 65
years of older but skiing in Zermatt costs
extra -- and insurance is 2.50 euros a day.
Heading east through the Aosta Valley,
you take a narrow little road north leading
to Monterosa from the Aosta Valley which
winds sharply up the mountains, passing a
picturesque castle, until you reach the
resort some 2,500 feet above sea level. The
skiing here consists of almost all red
(advanced intermediate) runs above three
small villages, each in its own little valley.
There are multiple mountain huts which
May-June 2010
Photo: Courtesy of Courmayeur.
ing with stunning views, and Mont Blanc
with more difficult terrain, including three
great bowls that are accessed via three
cable cars. And, whatever areas you ski
while here, plan to spend at least a couple
of hours for lunch at the on-mountain
Maison Vieille Restaurant in the
Checrouit-Val Veny area. Accessible only
via skis or snowmobile, the food and the
service are not to be missed! It’s just one
of more than 20 small huts or restaurants
on the mountain.
Located basically under Mont Blanc,
Italy’s La Thuile offers 146 kilometers of
mostly intermediate and expert ski runs,
that’s lift-linked with France’s La Rosière
above Bourg St. Maurice where there’s a
Napoleonic era fort guarding the Little St.
Bernard Pass -- and another 141 kilometers
of ski runs.
Other resorts included in the Skipass
Valle d’Aosta include Alagna, Antagnod,
Brusson, Champoluc, Cogne, Chamois,
Champorcher, Colle di Joux, Funivie Monte
Bianco, Gressoney-La-Trinité, GressoneySaint-Jean, La Magdeleine, Ollomont,
Rhemes Notre-Dame, Saint-Oyen, SaintRhemy-en-Bosses, Torgnon, Valgrisenche,
Valsavarenche, and Valtournenche.
The Skipass Valle d’Aosta group rates
for the 2009-2010 season were 160 euro
($220) for five consecutive days (20 or
more people) with one free for every 25
persons, and 139.5 euro ($192 or $38.40 per
day for seniors 65 and over (non-group).
Excursions and Tours When Skiing The Aosta Valley
Tours while staying in Aosta are remarkably easy to arrange as the valley is a centuries-old route to go everywhere so there is both
train service and highways to nearby destinations. The valley offers more than 100 castles, stone defense towers, and both modern
and medieval fortresses - the most famous of of the castles is the Costello di Fénis, which looks like what you think a 14th century
castle should look like -- double stone walls and defense positions everywhere. At Issogne, Il Melograno Castle takes its name from
the fountain in the courtyard that adorned with a pomegranate tree (melograno) and while it looks more like a château than a fort or
castle, the inside is really impressive! Many of these castles are open to the public and your club or council should consider arranging tours to at least some of them. The Bard Fortress has protected the valley’s entrance for hundreds of years and is open to the public and there is a large casino in the valley. Chamonix is accessible by bus -- which allows some of your more aggressive skiers to
experience the Valle Blanche and the city of Turin is also located nearby and it makes an interesting tour.
Members of the Texas Ski Council prepare to visit the
Bard Fortress (at top).
Photo: NSCN.
May-June 2010
The audience hall in Issogneʼs Il Melograno Castle.
Note the coats of arms over the fireplace.
Photo: NSCN.
A 14th Century building built from the stones from Aostaʼs
Roman walls is framed by the ruins of the Roman ampetheater in foreground. Located downtown Aosta. Photo: NSCN.
Page 17
IDEAS from other clubs
Reno Ski and Recreation Club (NV)
Lake Shasta Houseboat Trip
The Reno Ski and Recreation Club is
hosting a lake trip aboard a four-bedroom
air conditioned three-story houseboat complete with a water slide, hot tub (on the
upper deck), fireplace, three bathrooms,
two kitchens, and a wet bar for five days in
July. The cost is from $465 to $510,
depending upon accommodations.
Bend Ski Club (OR)
Party for Adaptive Sports
This club held a party with live music, a
no host bar, pizza, desserts, and a raffle to
raise $955 for Oregon Adaptive Sports -inviting not only their own members, but
the members of three other local ski clubs.
Austin Skiers (TX)
Staying Busy in the Summer
The Austin Skiers is offering three
exciting trips this summer and spring. In
May, they are going to the California wine
country and visiting San Francisco
($1,020), then they are offering a guided
motor coach tour of Ireland later that
month ($2,900). In August, members of
the club will be skiing Bariloche and touring Buenos Aires, Argentina ($3,140).
Flying Dutchmen Ski Club (PA)
Carving Out Cancer
The Flying Dutchmen have organized
Carving Out Cancer, skiing NASTAR at Bear
Creek Resort with proceeds going to raise
money to help find a cure for the disease.
Rocky Mtn. Over the Hill Gang (CO)
Tour Local Mine, Earthquake Center
This Denver club toured the Henderson
Mine, located in nearby Empire, Colorado,
and the world’s largest molybdenum mine,
in March and then they toured Golden,
Colorado’s National Earthquake Information Center and Geology Museum in
April. What kind of one-of-a-kind, bestof-a-kind, or largest-of-a-kind facilities
does your area have that offers tours?
Idaho Falls Ski Club (ID)
Sponsor Youth Ski Teams
This club sponsors the Kelly Canyon
Ski Team which provides local youngsters
the opportunity to learn -- and usually get
really good at -- a lifetime sport while
competing with their teammates and other
racers in the area. The team is divided into
a development team, which practices locally four hours a week during ski season, and
the travel team, whose members join the
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and
compete in two-year age groups in the area
and are then ranked nationally.
IDEAS from other clubs
Susquehanna Ski Club (PA)
Wine and Chocolate Pairing Party
This club celebrated Valentine Day with
a wine and chocolate pairing and tasting
party. The wine was selected by a “wine
professional” and the chocolates were
from a high-end local chocolate shop. The
cost was $20 for the following:
(1) Key Lime in white chocolate with
La Linda Un Oaked Chardonnay 2007.
(2) Celestial Milk with Carmel & Sea Salt
Vina Robles Chardonnay 2007.
(3) Wasabe Milk Chocolate paired with
Vina Albina Blanco Dulce 2007.
(4) Heavenly Dark Chocolate paired with
Tarrica Pinot Noir 2007 from Paso Robles.
(5) Extra Dark Chocolate paired with
Pago del Vicario Pente from Spain.
North Island Snowdrifters (CA)
Upgraded Bus for Mammoth Trip
On a bus trip to Mammoth, this club
chose to use a bus with a kitchen and bar in
the back of the bus and built-in service trays
at each seat -- but the change lowered the
capacity from 56 to 42 passengers.
Sitzmark Ski Club (WI)
Affinity Yahoo Groups
This club has Yahoo affinity groups for
cross-country skiing, biking, and golf for
members with an avid -- or perhaps not so
avid -- interest in these sports who want to
get together for a day of fun or just share
information.
Toledo Ski Club (OH)
New Member Orientation
The new members of this club are
required to attend a new member orientation in their first year of being in the club
but even seasoned members may attend to
see what new things are in the works. The
club also publishes the names of all new
members so that more experienced members can introduce themselves.
Fagowee Ski Club (OH)
Mediterranean Cruise to Holy Land
This club is sponsoring cruise on the
Mediterranean Sea to see Athens, Greece,
Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Sicily, and Naples,
Italy in October. Cost is $2,550.
I\
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Z
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m
\
i
CRESTED BUTTE
OUR LEGENDARY CHAMPAGNE POWDERTM SNOW...
DEEPLY
MOVING
IT’S A
Battle Creek Ski Club (MI)
Member Business Spotlight
This club publishes an article on a local
club member-owned business in many of
their newsletters on a space available basis.
EXPERIENCE.
But there’s more...
One of the nation’s top
ski club destinations.
Nonstop jet service to Steamboat
through 9 major airports.
Book your 2010/2011 club trip now and save!
Now, world-class skiing is just the beginning.
The Adventure Park featuring ice skating,
bungee trampolines, a rock climbing tower,
and a lift-served tubing hill is the ideal
way to add excitement and adventure to your club trip.
Another season of more than
400” Champagne PowderTM snow.
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Page 18
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Brandywine Valley Ski Assn. (PA)
Ski the Wild West of Steamboat
These guys skied Steamboat the right
way: with lots of cowboy activities! They
scheduled their ski trip to coincide with
Steamboat’s Cowboy Downhill race (that’s
where maybe 100 real cowboys from the
Denver rodeo all try to race down the hill
at the same time -- which is really wild
since most of them don’t know how to ski
or snowboard.) Then the club went horseback riding at a nearby ranch where they
watched a couple of border collies herding
cattle.
May-June 2010
May-June 2010
5 NIGHTS & 4 DAYS OF LIFT TICKETS ONLY $406*
For information and group rates please call Nina Weyl at
(888)954-6487
skicb.com
*Per person, not including tax. Based on a 2 bedroom condo, quad occupancy, 2010/2011rates.
Roanoke Ski Club (VA)
Ski Club Facebook Pages
The Roanoke Ski Club is just one of
several clubs and a council we noticed in
your newsletters that now have a page on
Facebook and it has invited all members to
join them with instructions in their March
newsletter. Is your club on Facebook? See
the articles on pages six and seven.
Pittsburgh Ski Club (PA)
Hat Party Was Fun
This club resurrected the hat party
theme in February. Attendees sported a
100-year-old derby, a bush hat from the
outback, a real aviator hat, homemade hats,
theme hats, and of course, some Steeler
hats. Prizes were offered for the best hats
in various categories.
Page 19
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.
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
Munich bids for the 2018 Olympics.
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 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
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.
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.
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
Page 23
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.
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
The Roman Collessium is the most famous landmark of the city.
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]
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One of thousands of larger-than-life marble sculptures on display in the Vatican
Photo: NSCN.
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The councilʼs guide (shown at the Sistine Chapel) kept his sign
held high so that the group stayed together.
Photo: NSCN.
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[email protected]
May-June 2010
The ruins of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius looming in the background
Photo: NSCN.
or
Matt Dominesey 1-800-882-4766, ext. 4341
[email protected]
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
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 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
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.
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
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Skiing Alta Badia in Italyʼs Sella Ronda region.
Italy’s famous Sella Ronda run has been
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members through the years, but most of us
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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
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Pusteria, Civetta, Cortina d' Ampezzo,
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Page 31
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
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High Camp Lagoon with the hot tub in the foreground.
Photo: Courtesy of Squaw Valley USA.
Vancouver Olympic Recap
Austria
Andorra
France
Germany
Italy
Switzerland
Canada
Bulgaria
Summer Trips
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By Patrick Thorne, AKA the Snowhunter
CONTACT US:
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Page 32
permitting -- although the area is accessible only with a lift ticket, which could be
an issue for your non-skiers.
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
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closing ceremonies.
May-June 2010
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© 2009 The Canyons Resort. The Canyons and The Canyons Mountain Logo are registered trademarks of The Canyons Resort.
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
Page 35
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Page 34
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?
:? I9 EL ;H
By Patrick Thorne, AKA The Snow Hunter and Bob Wilbanks, NSCN
Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains at night.
Skiing magazine recently declared, “Ogden is one of the last affordable ski towns...and the outdoor recreation is world class.”
Ogden boasts three major ski resorts within 25 minutes of downtown with no crowds to slow you down. SKI Magazine readers
consistently rank Powder Mountain and Snowbasin in the top five
for snow, value, on-mountain dining and service. After a day of
powder shots or groomers, you can relax and enjoy a unique dining
experience or keep the energy flowing with indoor climbing walls,
surf waves, a bodyfl ight wind tunnel and more. And if your head
needs a bed, you’ll fi nd everything from restored historic hotels
to mountain luxury getaways. All a short 35 minute drive from
the Salt Lake International Airport. Come play in Ogden, Utah.
visitogden.com . 866-867-8824
visit
visitogden.com
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.
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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.
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May-June 2010
Return Service Requested to:
The National Ski Club Newsletter
P.O. Box 4704
Englewood, CO 80155
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May-June 2010 - National Ski Club

Transcription

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