Fall is officially here, and we’ve had some cool mornings, so can ski season be far behind? The deadline for signing up for ski trips is approaching fast. The deadline for the Crescent Ski Council’s Steamboat trip (December 4-11, 2021) is October 1st. For our trips, Snowmass is essentially filled, but we might be able to add a group of four. For Breckenridge, we will be having to drop unsold slots in a few weeks. Shortly after that, we will have to make decisions about the Mt. Bachelor and Chamonix/Lyon/Paris trips.
If you were at Nightfall the last three Friday’s nights of this year’s series (August 27th, September 3rd & 10th), you may have seen our club’s banner at our information booth. We were there giving out information and answering questions about the club. If I only had a dime for every time I heard, “I didn’t know Chattanooga had a ski club,” I could go on more trips. Thanks to Bill Coolidge for making the suggestion we do this; to Suzanne Grueser for coordinating this with the Nightfall folks; to John Neblett for supplying the tent, tables, etc.; and to Bill, Suzanne, John, Tom & Susan DuBose, Lulu & Robert Copeland, Hilda Jones, Scott Kramer for staffing the booth and talking to potential members.
Our club’s fourth ski trip this coming winter is to Chamonix France, site of the first winter Olympics in 1924 and located at the base of Mont Blanc (which is French for White Mountain, it’s like the French have a different word for everything), the highest point in Western Europe, at 15,777 ft. The last time our club visited there was 1999, while the James Bond movie, “The World is Not Enough” was being filmed. So, if you go on this trip, you could end up in a movie. If you are looking for something to do while there, you could attempt to break the Mont Blanc Speed Record on Foot (ascending Mont Blac from the center of Chamonix and returning), which is currently 4 hours, 57 minutes 34 seconds. While you are making that trip, you probably won’t have time to stop at Europe’s two highest toilets (at an elevation of 13,976 feet, or 1801 feet below the summit). In case you were wondering, they were placed there and are “serviced” by helicopter.
We have some new members to report: Kelly McGinnis and Shannon Ritzhaupt and family. Let’s be sure we make them feel welcome.
Stay safe everyone,
Bob
Event Listing
Bardstown Bourbon Trail – October 1-3 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3753468
Kentucky Bourbon Trail - Things To Do in Bardstown, KY | Visit Bardstown
Membership Meeting @ Flat Duck Event Venue, 7742 Three Notch Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736 – October 5
Zipline Adventure at the Historic Banning Mills – October 14
https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4446115 North Georgia's Ultimate Zipline | World's Largest Zipline Adventure (historicbanningmills.com)
Crescent Ski Council Fall Convention, Glenstone Lodge, Gatlinburg, TN - October 22-24 Crescent Ski Council Cancelled due to COVID
Membership Meeting @ TBD – November 2
Len Foote Hike Inn – November 5-6 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-323502 (note the revised date) The Hike Inn (hike-inn.com)
Crescent Ski Council’s Steamboat Ski Trip – December 4-11, 2021 https://www.crescentskicouncil.org/TripFlyers/2021_Steamboat%20Trip_Information.pdf
Christmas Party – tentatively the week of December 13
Snowmass Ski Trip – January 8-15, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4231819
Breckenridge Ski Trip – February 5-12, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4241705
Mt. Bachelor Ski Trip – February 19-26, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4254580
Chamonix/Lyon/Paris Skiing & Touring Trip- March 5-18, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4284148