News

Welcome new members and hello to all of our members.   It's always a good sign to see those fall goods in retail and online stores, which means fall is on the way.  But our club enjoys all seasons of the year.  We all also enjoy the active lifestyle, where we are the participants and not the observers. I see on our web page Barb was so kind to share the good times and pictures of the SUP party we had a few days ago.  Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this happen. Looking forward to it again next year.  We have the Hiawassee river kayak/raft trip coming up on August 26, so I will be looking to hear about it and seeing some good photos on that one as well.  All of our ski trips are full throttle ahead and all is well!  We still have openings on all of them, so I encourage you to join one of them before we have the drop dates on them come up. 

Again, thanks to all who volunteer to make our club so diversified in all the activities we share. 

Thanks,

Mike Hood

In 1963, the last of the mining companies opened Treasure Mountain ski resort with funds from the federal government.  It opened with the longest gondola in the United States as well as a double chairlift, a J-bar lift, base and summit lodges and a 9-hole golf course.  There was a minor problem however.  No access to the mountain.  It was solved by miners. 

The Skiers Subway moved skiers through the pitch-black Spiro tunnel on a mine train through 2.5 miles.  They then used a mining elevator that lifted them 1,750 feet to the surface.  Aerial trams used for hauling ore were converted into chairlifts.  Deer Valley and Park City Resorts still have more than 1,000 miles of tunnels under them and numerous mining structures dotting the landscape.  Treasure Mountain first changed its name to Park City Ski Area and then Park City Mountain Resort.

An adjoining ski area, Park City West, later known as Canyons Resort, was opened in 1968.

Snow Park was opened in 1946 with a name change to Deer Valley in 1970.

The owners of Park City Mountain Resort missed the March 2011 date to renew the lease for the mountain.  A $7 million lawsuit was filed against the land holding company.  On September 11, 2014, Vail Resorts purchased Park City Mountain Resort for $182.5 million and combined it with Canyons Resort.  This made it the largest resort in the United States for the next two years.

The combined resort now has four gondolas, 32 chairs ( 6 six packs and 9 quads) however no tunnels are in service.

I’ll continue with more next month.  Come join the trip to a great resort.

John

Two things that CSC members really like are SUPs and deviled eggs.  The 88 deviled eggs were brought by the Duboses, Bill Coolidge, and Mike and Beth Rawlston. The Rawlstons also made the trek to the event by boat, bravely and safely, despite being surrounded by sharks and huge boats causing tremendous waves! Despite these hazards, Beth was able to deliver her eggs in perfect condition.  As the eggs came to the food table CSC members were standing ready with fork in hand ready to stab one or two of the delicious little devils.  FYI, this same thing happened at the “Pond Party."  Deviled eggs were the first to go. If you want to make a hit with CSC members you might want to consider bringing deviled eggs to the next covered dish event. 

The SUP/Kayak party was a huge success thanks to CSC member Jan Wyatt volunteering the club house in her beautiful subdivision on the water.  The property is lovely, and the club house is on a quiet slough which made for perfect conditions for SUP and kayak lessons for anyone that wanted to learn. Thank you to Zach Bopp, water sport coordinator for REI, for assisting us.

A huge shout out to Jan Wyatt my partner in crime and collusion (I just wanted to use that word in a sentence; it’s in the news so much these days). 

A huge shout out to Gloria Gass who came early to help Jan set up the room while I was picking up chicken and balloons. 

A huge shout out to John Neblett for providing the ice, watermelon and music. 

Finally, a huge shout out to Tom DuBose who keeps us all legal and takes care of the money matters. 

The topping on the cake was the celebration of Ashley Ownby’s 60^th birthday and birthday #?? for Jim Kapsho

We had 43 CSC members and guests join us for a glorious, outstanding day!

Barb

What do you get when you cross a world renowned sculptor whose works are considered to possess outstanding artistic merit in the field of blown glass and the Biltmore House, a classy chateau-style mansion built by George Washington Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895 which is the largest privately owned house in the United States? You get a magnificent boat load of blown glass that is inundated with light and color.

 

  “Pure delight, magical, a sense of wonder," are just some of the comments from CSC members to describe the artist Dale Chihuly’s sculptures, which shatters pre-conceived ideas that glass blowing is only for glass dogs, vases and bowls. Combine the Chihuly exhibit with the amazing Biltmore House, a stunning estate which is breathtaking on its own, not to mention the astonishing gardens, which are more amazing than the house itself. This past weekend, both the house and the gardens were chock full of Chihuly’s impressive glass art.

CSC & Cape Fear, NC club combined to make the trek to Asheville. What do you get when you cross two ski clubs totaling thirty three Chihulians?  You get a tremendous weekend.

Jeanne Scanland summed up the entire experience with the email below.

“Hi Barb, I really enjoy the weekend. Thank you again for getting everything coordinated for us. It was a wonderful weekend with perfect weather, fun fellowship and gorgeous artwork in the Gardens with the orange moon in the background along with the magnificent mansion! Could have not been a better weekend!! “

A special thank you to Bobbi Witt, who found the Holiday Inn as a convenient and affordable (by Asheville standards) hotel and coordinated with the Cape Fear folks. Also thanks to Tom DuBose, who ”forced” (right!!) wife Susan to go a day early to enjoy Asheville and scout out the area for us. Tom, Susan, and Bobbi also picked up all the tickets at group sales and had them in individual envelopes at the hotel desk. This was such a help for everyone.

These pictures by CSC member Deb Prater & Lyn Marvil sum up the perfect weekend.

Come with us next time,

Barb

About 100 members signed up to come to the annual lake party this year, and despite severe storms the night before, the weather on the day of the party could not have been better.  Chris and Bobbi Witt did a terrific job with setting up the event and cooking the wonderful shrimp boil and grilled chicken. Kudos also to all the members who brought plenty of side dishes and desserts. There was so much tasty food that even after everyone loaded up their plates, we still had food to spare.  This group really knows how to throw a party!

Mike Hood survived his whipped cream initiation rite as our new president, and managed to make his announcements despite cream impairment.

HELLO EVERYONE,

Welcome new members and hello to all our members.   Did someone say, let's have a rainy July?  Let's hope July 21 is a dry one for our Lake Party.  A lot of exciting things are coming up for our club this month and next. I wish safe travels for all.  The only ski news I have heard of this month is the announcement of America's first indoor ski area and it is going to be in New Jersey.  Why not Tennessee?  Oh well, I will take those Rocky Mountains over New Jersey any day. Look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming meetings. 

Thanks,

Mike

HELLO EVERYONE,

Welcome, new members, and hello to all our members.  Seems as if summer-like temperatures are here before the official start of summer. Let's hope the next few months will fly by so the cool fall air will be upon us.  At my desk Monday, I checked Big Sky Montana's high for the day -- 46 degrees.  I do not know about you, but I sure miss those fantastic mountains we have the privilege to travel to.  We have some great trips planned this year: Telluride, CO,  Park City, UT and Italy. All the trips are now on our website, so please check them out.

One of the great things about July is our Lake Party coming up on July 21.  This is the second year we will be having this down on the farm in Georgia. Please RSVP if you have not already done so. 

Every Friday, I look forward to getting Chairlift Chat from info@skiessentials.com.  If you have not seen this, you should check it out.  There is a lot going on in the ski industry, from a great article from the CEO of Vail,  to skiing in New Zealand,  and every Friday there is a new group of stories. 

As always, I would like to thank everyone who helps make our club the best in the Crescent Ski Council!  See you at the Lake Party!

Mike Hood
President

The Ski Club learned last month of the death of club member Jim Connor on April 9th. Jim was 76.

Jim was a graduate of Tulane University and Tulane Law School. He is survived by his wife Charlotte, two children, five grandchildren, his brother, Dave and Dave's family. The memorial service was very well attended by family and his many friends, followed by a reception at the Conner home, which Charlotte and Jim named Old Rose Farm. They raised beautiful old roses. 

Jim was a former CSC member and was on several club ski trips including France (The Three Valleys), Taos, Big Sky, and Steamboat. Dave said Jim spoke often of how much he enjoyed his trips with the club.

Our condolences to Dave and Jim's family on their loss.

The Dude Ranch Trip finally rolled around May 18-20, with 28 brave souls making their way to Del Rio, TN. I really thought Mother Nature was going to throw us a curve; it rained all the way up on Friday and poured all Friday night!  Well, what can you do? BUT on Saturday, what a surprise with sunshine and breezes all day.....Sunday too!  The ranch is in a very quaint area and we could see the French Broad River from the porch. Due to all the previous rain, the river was out of it's banks, swift and muddy. However, after a LOT of training and caution, the riding was on. Due to the great weather, everyone was able to ride as much as they wanted, wander around or relax in the the rocking chairs on the porches with a drink. The food served family style was plentiful and good and the rooms were comfortable. The Saloon was very accommodating, serving our own libations. Did I hear a couple of people say they saw a snake? We did have kind of a "bluegrass" band Saturday night. Not sure where they came from.......but some people managed a dance or two!

Thanks to all my peeps that took a chance on this trip, it seemed everyone had a good time, saw lots of smiles.

Carolyn Crabtree

HELLO EVERYONE,

Seems we all have been busy so far this spring.  Eighteen of our members had a great time in the Abingdon, Virginia area a couple of weeks ago.  The Creeper Trail was in full bloom, with colors of bright green and all the smells of spring, which made for a memorable ride. The weather threatened to dampen our ride but it held off until we finished it. We had some new members on the trip -- this seems to be one of the strengths of our club -- getting new members.  I would like to say a big thank you to the members who volunteer to lead any of our trips.  We have several more great trips coming up in the next few months, and I am looking forward to hearing about those in our monthly meetings. Our lake party is coming up in July, so please make plans to attend.  See you at the June meeting. 

Thank you,
Mike

 "The best way to predict the future is to invent it " Abraham Lincoln