Ski season is in full swing as 29 members of our club just returned from Aspen/Snowmass. On February 5th our next group leaves for Breckenridge, Colorado. Then on the 19th our last ski trip of the year leaves for Mt. Bachelor, Oregon. Think SNOW.
Note that there will NOT be a membership meeting in February (since we have been meeting outside at the Flat Duck for the last few months, it might be a bit cool). We will keep you posted on our plans for March.
As you are probably aware, the 2022 Winter Olympics are about to start, running from February 4th to the 20th. This will be the first Winter Olympics in China, and the first time the Winter Olympics will be hosted by a city that previously hosted the Summer Olympics (four indoor venues as well as the Beijing National Stadium (hosting the opening and closing ceremonies) which were originally constructed for the 2008 Games, will be re-used). The events will be spread over three “zones”, the Beijing zone (including hockey, skating, curling and some snowboarding), the Yanqing zone, 56 miles away (alpine skiing, bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton), and the Zhangjiakou zone, 140 miles from Beijing (ski jumping, Nordic combined, biathlon, cross-country, and other snowboarding). One interesting fact, the Yanqing zone will be using artificial snow since it rarely snows in this region of China.
Here’s a trivia question for you – Where and what is the highest chairlift in North America? Here’s a hint: about 50 members of our club will be skiing there in a couple of weeks. That’s right, Breckenridge and the lift is the Imperial Express. It tops out at 12,840 feet, 158 vertical feet below the top of Peak 8. Who is going to get a picture from there for our webpage and Facebook?
In the past, the Chattanooga Ski Club has had a booth at the Lookout Wild Film Festival (https://lookoutfilmfestival.org/). On December 11, our Publicity Chair, Suzanne Grueser, sent an email asking for volunteers to staff our booth to answer questions about our organization. Unfortunately, the event organizers moved the dates from January 14-16 to February 4-6. The new dates coincide with our large Breckenridge trip. Since we didn’t think we’d have enough volunteers to staff the booth, we cancelled our participation for this year.
An administrative note: For many years, the Ski Club has maintained a Post Office box (# 1007) at the downtown post office (on Georgia Ave. across from Miller Park). The cost of that box has increased each year for the past several years. Since we rarely receive any mail there, the board has decided to not renew it (saving the club over $200/year) and instead, our Treasurer, Tom DuBose, and newsletter editor, Susan DuBose, have graciously offered to use their address for the club’s official snail mail address (which as a 501c7 non-profit corporation we are required to have). The website (at bottom of the home page) has already been updated to show the new address: 1204 Hanover Street Chattanooga, TN 37405.
Plans are underway for the 2022 Crescent Ski Council’s Spring Convention and Fall Conference. Due to Covid these were cancelled in 2020 and 2021, but we hope 2022 will be different. Any and all members of the Chattanooga Ski Club are welcome to attend. The Spring Convention is scheduled for April 21-24, 2022 at Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach. The plan is to have all of the usual activities including the vendor show, Beach Olympics, and DJ party with a Roaring 20's theme. The Fall Conference is scheduled for October 28-30, 2022 at the Glenstone in Gatlinburg, TN. Mark these dates on your calendar and more information will be forthcoming.
We have six new members to report: Donna Harvey, Mary McNeal, Larry Shears, Boris Budik, Sandra Calhoun, and James Hobbs. Let’s be sure we make them feel welcome.
Stay safe everyone,
Bob
Event Listing
February Membership Meeting @ TBD – February 1, 2022 – Cancelled
Volunteering at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank – TBD (working w/ Food Bank to determine date)
Booth at the Lookout Wild Film Festival – February 4-6, 2022 – Our participation cancelled
Breckenridge Ski Trip – February 5-12, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4241705 (Full)
Mt. Bachelor Ski Trip – February 19-26, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4254580 (Full)
March Membership Meeting @ TBD – March 1, 2022
Chamonix/Lyon/Paris Skiing & Touring Trip- March 5-18, 2022 - cancelled
April Membership Meeting @ TBD – April 5, 2022
Virginia Creeper Bike Ride – Spring 2022
Len Foote Hike – October 21-22, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3235020