News

Hey There, Hi There, Ho There,

Yes, it is hot and yes winter seems light years away.

Here are a couple of things that you should note about cold weather and winter:

• Earth is actually closest to the sun in December in the Northern Hemisphere during winter. (That is why I wear flip-flops all winter long);
• Many animals have incredible winter adaptations. Some, like bears, hibernate to conserve energy. Others, like arctic foxes, grow thicker fur and change their fur color to white for camouflage.
• I feel humans adapt by drinking more alcohol to keep them warm and to conserve food during the cold; and
• Cave paintings from the Ice Age give us a glimpse into how humans lived and thrived during a time of extreme cold and glaciation. ( Wow, what would they have done if Telluride was around?)

We should all take a moment and remember the passing of a great person, and lady of amazing insight who will always be remembered as saying the best line about skiers in the universal college of quotes being:

"Skiers make the best lovers because they don't sit in front of a television like couch potatoes. They take a risk and they wiggle their behinds. They also meet new people on the ski lift."  Dr. Ruth Westheimer

Now that is a quote.

Obviously, like someone drinking a Pabst Blue Ribbon, she knows what she is talking about, and a great impression was left with her.

Secondly, what about the wiggle stuff!!!? Can we all agree that there are at least a thousand things that skiers wiggle other than their behinds? (Like the prominent judge that refused to take medication that decreased his libido explaining to others, ”Why I do not take my meds?  Oh, I’d better not say.") Some things are better left to the imagination.

Lastly, I do not know if she was saying ski lifts were hook-up spots, but I guess in these uncertain times, that might be something to shoot for in the future.

I think that for the upcoming winter and ski season that we should all take a pledge to the ski club by staying  busy, staying  away from the TV/telephone, and wiggling our you know whats off!!!

SEE YOU AT THE NEXT MEETING,

Ashley

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there,

It's officially July, which means one thing: the slopes are as inviting as a lava pit and the only thing carving turns is your air conditioner. But fear not, fellow snow ski fanatics, for summer doesn't have to be a total drag.

Here's your official guide to surviving the off-season:

• Channel your inner penguin: Hit the beach with your fanciest goggles and a pool float shaped like a snowboard. Bonus points for attempting a belly flop with maximum tuck.
• Embrace the water (minus the freezing part): Trade your skis for water skis or a wake board. Just remember, these require actual balance, unlike that time you "shredded" the bunny hill.
• Retail therapy (the healthy kind): Stock up on sunscreen instead of overpriced ski socks. Your wallet and your skin will thank you.
• Hallucinate snow: Blast wintry scenes on your TV and crank the AC. Maybe even throw some fake snowflakes in the air for good measure. Just don't blame us when your significant other questions your sanity.
• Support your local brewery: Channel your après-ski spirit and pretend every happy hour is a mountain lodge celebration.

Remember, the mountains will be waiting (hopefully with fresh powder) when winter rolls around. Until then, stay cool, stay crazy (in a good way!), and for the love of all things holy, please don't wear your ski boots to the office.

CLUB STUFF

Remember the Hiwasee in August, and maybe the Biltmore in September.

Also, the Lake Party was the best this year and I know everyone is looking forward to next year.

TRY AND STAY COOL,

See you at the August meeting,

Ashley

Hey There, Hi There, Ho There,

LAKE PARTY, LAKE PARTY, LAKE PARTY!!!!!!!

The social event of Hamilton County is next month, June 22,  please sign up on the website.

We are expecting a very big crowd so sign up sooner rather than later. Any details as usual will be on the website.

If you missed the last meeting, you missed the Adamzs from Soddy Daisy speak about Finland and their time spent in the country. Remember, the club is about eight months away from being in the land of ice and snow in January.

Also, Jim Mullenix and Scott Cramer have done a yeoman’s job in sending out an email regarding the lift tickets for our trips next year. Highly recommended reading and thank you Jim and others for sending it out.

Yes it is getting hot but always think cool!!!!!!!

 

See you at the next meeting and Lake Party,

Ashley

Hey There, Hi There, Ho There,

Well, as I write this article, the first since becoming president for 2024-25, spring has sprung, and summer will soon be in full swing.

Remember, the lake party is coming up June 22, so mark your calendars and make sure you do not miss the Hamilton County social event of the year. Sign up will be on the website soon.

Skiing may not be top of the mind for many people, but as you take off your sweaters to put in the attic and began slathering on the SPF30, remember we have trips to Winter Park, Beaver Creek, Tahoe, and Finland with an Ireland excursion that need to be filled and are filling up right now. Look at the website for trip signups.

Also, we will soon have the trips for 2026, hopefully before the next couple of months so everyone can have their calendar full and ready.

As you know, elections were held last month, and we are still in need of filling a couple of Board member posts.  I would encourage all of you to think about getting more involved with the club administration and letting the Board know of any activities you like or even would like to see the Club offer.

Getting involved with our club is so easy.

TRUE STATEMENT OF THE MONTH:

Question: What do you call an avid Chattanooga Ski Club member instructor whose boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with him or her.
Answer: Homeless!!!!!

See you at the next meeting,

Ashley

Hey There, Hi There, Ho There,

Well, all of our trips are done, the days are longer and warmer and what do we have to look forward to now in April — you guessed it  -- ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS, for the Ski Club.

Man, feel the tension and the movement of people’s emotions!!!!!! It is intoxicating.

Remember at the April meeting, $10 dollar bills and half-pints for everyone attending and voting. It is just as good as it gets!!!!

Seriously, please attend the April meeting and vote and support  next year’s leaders for the club. If you wish to run for an office, contact any Board member or Jim Bates and submit your name before the election.

Looking Ahead:

We're already working on planning an epic season for next year. If you have any suggestions for destinations, events, or activities, be sure to let us know!

See you at the meeting.

Ashley

After some last minute shuffling, we ended up having 48 members join the Chattanooga Ski Club trip to Snowmass. The trip was February 3 - 10 and began with a very early flight out of Atlanta. Several members opted to stay overnight at the Drury Inn to get a few extra winks in and others chose to stay with family or friends in Atlanta or made the drive from home to Atlanta in the wee morning hours in order to make the 6:15 AM flight.  We had 29 on our flight from Atlanta to Denver and six more joined us in Denver to share the shuttle from Denver to Snowmass. We were very fortunate that our flight was on time because shortly after our shuttle left Denver the weather took an abrupt shift, turning from rain into snow, causing travel delays while the Denver airport became gridlocked with flights diverted from Aspen.  Unfortunately, a few of our participants who chose to make their own travel arrangements were unable to fly into Aspen as they had intended, and their flight was either diverted to Denver where they had to find last minute transportation to Snowmass or was rescheduled for the following day resulting in a slightly shortened trip.

On the way out of Denver we made a brief stop to gather groceries and other supplies at King Soopers and Applejacks before continuing our four hour journey to The Crestwood in Snowmass Village. Even though we arrived a couple of hours before check in time, we were fortunate that they had most of our rooms ready, which allowed us to get settled in. Later that evening we met in the banquet room for a wine and cheese welcome party and got ready for some great skiing the next day.

Our accommodations at Crestwood were ski in/ski out and offered several amenities, including: three hot tubs, an outdoor heated pool, free shuttle service, and onsite ski concierge.  Several mentioned how great the ski concierge service was.  I did notice most of the comments were coming from the ladies but I’m sure that had nothing to do with the reportedly handsome young men who were employed there. Skiers enjoyed around 144 inches of snow with 18 out of 20 lifts being open. With close proximity to Snowmass Village, Snowmass Center, and Snowmass Mall there were plenty of shopping and dining opportunities available. Unfortunately, we had to make a few trips to the hospital for non-ski related incidents, mostly just to verify nothing was seriously wrong after a couple of shuttle fender benders, and happily nothing that ended anyone's skiing for the week.

We ended our week on Friday with a leftover potluck party in the banquet room and enjoyed lots of fellowship and heard some great ski stories from both past and present club trips.  It was an enjoyable evening before heading home on Saturday. Overall, the trip went well and we were blessed with good weather, made new memories, and enjoyed time with great friends (old and new). 

The 28 members of the Chattanooga Ski Club just returned from Mammoth Mountain, California where the snow was good, the weather was great, and the comradery was fabulous.  25 members of our group flew out of ATL on a very early morning Southwest Airlines flight to Reno via Las Vegas.  We then boarded a bus, went to Walmart Super Center for groceries, and then enjoyed a 3.5-hour bus ride to Mammoth, finally arriving around 6p.  All flights and bus transfers both going out and returning were on time.  Three trip members flew into Bishop Airport, and met the rest of us at the Juniper Springs Resort. 

The Juniper Springs Resort is conveniently located right next to the Eagle Lodge and Eagle Express Lift, and also has 3 outdoor hot tubs, a heated pool and a small exercise gym.  On Sunday, the Resort provided us with a welcome breakfast, and gave us a general overview of the resort, and the mountain.  We then split up into small groups of about 8, and were given a very nice 4-hour skiing tour of the mountain. 

We had a decent base of 30+ inches of packed snow at the base.  Mid mountain and peaks had much higher snow totals, though some areas of the mountain had less snow due to the way the winds blow across the mountain.  We received new snow on Saturday night, and again on Tuesday night which helped with the overall ski conditions.  Unfortunately, three people had injuries while skiing.  Two were reasonably minor, while the third one will require patella knee surgery. 

On Tuesday night, the group went to The Mammoth Brewing Company BrewPub for beers, dinner and Trivia.  We were split into three different teams for trivia, and one of our teams took 3^rd place out of about 20 teams total!  It was a fun night for sure!  On Friday we held a potluck get-together in two different condo rooms.  Lots of good food and drinks were shared and enjoyed!

A number of people rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain for a 360 view of the mountain and surrounding valleys.  All-in-all, it was a very good trip!

Hey There, Hi there, Ho there,

Well, everyone, our next meeting will be at Flat Duck, yes Flat Duck with Hilda March 5^th, and make sure you mark your calendars, and we will see you there.

Let us try and make the next meeting special with everyone coming and making a big presence.

Remember, the meeting is at 5:30 with social hour and the regular meeting starts at 6:30.

See you there.

THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD……

After just getting back from Snowmass, and going on ski trips for over 30 years, I think that you can slot up and expect exactly what most weeklong ski trips will entail with all the events, hooks and crooks that will go along with the following itinerary which seems to run the same year after year:

Saturday: Everyone gets up early and drives to Atlanta or catches a shuttle to the airport at 4:00 am to catch 6:00 a.m. flight.   

This is the beginning of the physical shock to the body.

A three hour flight west, getting on another shuttle, getting groceries, and finally getting to the resort after, at the very least, a three to four hour drive from the airport. No one sleeps well at night due to the high altitude even though dead tired and after drinking to remove the day's burdens.

Sunday: Get your skis on and it is a little dicey for a while until you obtain your balance. Learn the nooks and crooks of the mountain from a ski map you cannot read and sit down for a $40.00 hamburger and fries with tip.

Couple of drinks and another sleepless night.

Monday: More comfortable on skis and more probable than not you will fall on the slope, or the ski lift this day. After falling you think how stupid you look, which is not half as uncomfortable as you feel. The shock to the body intensifies with another night of sleeplessness and feeling inferior to the altitude and snow conditions.

Tuesday: Get up late, ski hard enough for your legs shake all over at the end of the day. Go out to eat and know that you will have to take out a HELOC loan on your home just to pay for the food charges on your credit card this week. Sleep a little better but get up numerous times during the night to pee.

Wednesday: You take the day off to go and look at the town. Yes, it is pretty much the same as it was 10 years ago when you were there last, and you go to the resale shop and spend money on a coat that looks a lot like the one you bought at another resort five years ago that you have not worn since.

Sleep half the night, swear to wear the coat you bought on the way back home on the plane. You begin to  realize the nagging distresses your body has taken with the skiing, the lack of sleep, and drinking to date has worn you completely out and your total  night’s sleep will be perhaps four hours if you are lucky.

Thursday: Ski all day and curse the lifts for closing when they do.

Friday: Make sure you do not hurt yourself any more than you have during the week. Go in early, pack, and get ready to go home.

Saturday: Up early 3:00 or 4:00 am, take a long bus ride to the airport, longer flight home, and get in bed if you are lucky before 3:00 am on Sunday. It does feel good to be able to breathe again.

Also, before you go to bed you swear you will never do this again.

THEN IT HAPPENS,

You unpack and you look outside the back yard of your home and you visualize the sheer beauty of the mountains you skied on and all over the week before.

You realize while you were skiing you were able to transcend everything in your life that you feel bad about by making carved turns, pounding snow crud, and forgetting any of the difficult things of living day to day. Everyone that skis feel they are one with the mountain whether on a bunny slope, blue run, or black diamond.

You feel this elation for weeks after the trip and everyone you ski with feels this wonderful rush also. It is a blast and a high just like smoking crack cocaine (I know you know what I am talking about). And like a drug addiction, you understand you will never feel this high again unless you go back to the mountain and go through all the hassles that begin on a Saturday and end one week later going home. Most definitely a drug for the ages, this skiing thing.

Roxy Music said many year ago”… ah …. ah catch that buzz, LOVE is the drug I am thinking of….”

And if anybody has gone on a ski trip this year, hopefully, we will be cursed but remembering the beauty and the wonder of mountain snow will be the drug that we all think of for some time most certainly all during the steamy hot summer of 2024.

See you at the next meeting,

Ashley

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there,

Big news, no Ski Club meeting for February!!!!! With so many people being in Snowmass it is best to wait till March. Like myself, we will have to do the best we can.

THE GOOD STUFF

We all know the thrill of fresh powder, the exhilaration of a good turn, and the camaraderie of sharing the slopes with friends. But unfortunately, injuries are also a part of the lift ticket that we buy when we ski.

Mammoth was the great equalizer to some of us that went on the trip and if anyone is  currently sidelined with a knock or a break, this newsletter is for you.

First things first, with the short-range plan: Healing vibes your way! We know it's frustrating to be out of the action, but rest assured that your body will work hard to recover. Take this time to listen to your doctor, follow your rehab plan, and be kind to yourself. Remember, a full recovery is worth the wait.

Secondly, the long-range plan: go about getting in the best shape ever after you heal. Find a gym or join the YMCA and make yourself a new person. 2025 ski season is less than a year away.

While you're on the mend, there are plenty of ways to stay connected to the ski community and keep your ski jones/stoke alive. Here are a few ideas:

• Become a virtual cheerleader: Follow your favorite ski resorts and athletes on social media. Cheer them on from the sidelines and relive the epic moments of the season.
• Brush up on your skills: Watch instructional videos, read technique articles, and even take online courses to improve your knowledge for your next run.
• Plan your next adventure: Research new destinations, dream up powder lines, and get excited about hitting the slopes again. Definitely book a trip for next season!
• Connect with fellow injured skiers: Share your experiences, offer support, and find inspiration in online communities or forums dedicated to ski injuries. You're not alone in this!
• Focus on other activities: While you can't ski, you can still stay active. Cross-training exercises like swimming, biking, or yoga can help you maintain your fitness level and keep your spirits high.

Remember, an injury is just a temporary setback. Use this time to recharge, refocus, and come back stronger than ever. We'll be here waiting for you when you're ready to hit the slopes again!

In the meantime, this newsletter will be your one-stop shop for news, inspiration, and support for injured skiers.

In the meantime, take care and keep your spirits high.

Joke of the month:

Did you hear about the man who lost his left arm and leg in a skiing accident?

He ended up being all right !!!!!!!

See you soon,

Ashley

Hey There, Hi There, Ho There!

Fresh powder, crisp air, and endless runs - Winter Wonderland awaits!

Happy New Year, Chattanooga Ski Club family! As the snowflakes flurry and excitement builds, we're thrilled to kick off 2024 with our January newsletter, packed with news, upcoming events, and plenty of ski strokes.

Highlights:

• Gnarly Get-Together: Join us for our annual monthly meeting January 2^nd 2024. Gear up for the season, meet everybody before and after the meeting and enjoy everyone!

Here's the game plan for getting in shape for the ski season:

• Cardio Champs: Dust off your running shoes, hit the trails, or crank up the tunes for some indoor spinning. Building endurance is key to conquering those powder-hungry legs.
• Core Crusaders: Squats, lunges, planks – they're not just for the gym! A strong core keeps you balanced and stable on your skis, tackling moguls and steeps with confidence.
• Stretching Saviors: Don't underestimate the power of a good stretch! Keeping your muscles limber prevents injuries and lets you move with effortless grace on the slopes.

Buddy Up: Grab your fellow powderhounds and head for group workout sessions! Misery loves company, but motivation thrives on camaraderie. Remember:

• Start slow and steady: Don't jump into intense routines without warming up. Listen to your body and avoid overtraining.
• Find your fun: Mix it up! Hiking, biking, swimming – any activity that gets your heart pumping is a win.
• Fuel your engine: Eat healthy and stay hydrated. Your body needs the right fuel to build strength and resilience.
• Make it a lifestyle: Pre-season prep isn't just about a few weeks in December. Think of it as an ongoing commitment to keeping your body happy and ready for action.

Let's turn pre-season training into a blast! Organize group workouts, share your favorite healthy recipes, and challenge each other to keep the momentum going. As the snow starts to fall, we'll be a fit, focused, and stoked squad ready to unleash our inner shredders!

See you on the slopes,

Ashley