News

HELLO EVERYONE,

First of all, I would like to thank Ashley for the hard work and wisdom he has bestowed on us for the last three years.  Thanks also to everyone else on the board and all those who have contributed in making our club a great success.  It takes the collective energy of everyone to make it happen.  

Our club has come a long way, offering so many great activities for everyone in the last few years. That reflects on the attitude we all share. Sometimes our best laid plans do not work out perfectly, but even if the weather doesn't cooperate or mishaps happen, we all have a good time. 

It's very refreshing to see new faces at our monthly meetings. Keep them coming! 

Looking forward to seeing everyone at our May 1 meeting.

Mike Hood

HELLO EVERYONE,

Well, turn out the lights, the party is over regarding the ski season.

 Seems like it was just yesterday we were getting our stage and comedy acts together going to Steamboat for ski camp, and then, what do you know, Austria and Spain are in the rear view mirror and we are looking to 2019 for our next big snow fix. Another great year of ski trips with the club, and the best thing is we have so many other weekend trips in spring, summer and fall to keep us occupied until winter decides to grace us again with its cool presence as always.

If you get a chance and go to the April meeting, say thanks again to Jim Mullenix, Roy Brunner, Bob Tramel,  John Neblett, and Pat Ownby.  These folks were the wind beneath the club’s trips sails this year and all did a great job.

ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS….

We have the election of club officers for the next year at the April meeting. Make sure you show up and vote till it hurts.  Seriously, it is a good feeling to serve the club membership to have as many people as possible at the election and know everyone is behind you.

There will be some changes to the leadership of the club. I will talk about this in the newsletter in just a little bit.

THIS IS THE “LITTLE BIT” PART

Wow, this little bit sure came up as fast as a $800.00 per month car payment.

Anyway, this is the last President newsletter I will write because it is time for some “new money” to come into the game, and it is time for fresh and energetic blood to come into club leadership.  Mike Hood, once elected, will be the new President for the next year and in speaking with him, he is excited to take the club into the near future. Mike has been an important part of the club for years and will do an excellent job.  

For the past three years, I have had the time of my life being President of the club, seeing everyone each month at meetings, and telling the stupidest stories time and time again that at the least made me laugh whether anyone else got the joke.

I loved the officer position and I further found out that loved everyone in the club even more. To want to do good things for everyone in the club and to be associated with Board members that all wanted the same was a very special experience.  All little puppies and kittens go to heaven, and so do Chattanooga Ski Club Board members. I never knew what you could receive by just giving a little bit to others until the club board taught me that lesson.

Many years ago, Willie Nelson was so confounded with the same old grind of playing bars and honky-tonks until early in the morning hours and, in a fit of artistic romancing of Texas saloons and night life, he wrote the following ode to a good time coming to an end. I feel it is good and proper that we look at the lyrics, do minor self-reflection, and if a good time ends, always look for the next one coming right behind it. It is the following:

 

The Party's Over

Willie Nelson

 

Turn out the lights
The party's over
They say that all
Good things must end
Call it a night
The party's over
And tomorrow starts
The same old thing again

What a crazy crazy party
Never seen so many people
Laughing dancing
Look at you, you're having fun
But look at me
I'm almost cryin'……

Turn out the lights
The party's over
They say that all
Good things must end
Call it a night
The party's over
And tomorrow starts
The same old thing again

 

See you at the next meeting,

Ashley Ownby

At the March meeting, Trip Coordinator Jim Mullenix announced two western ski trips for next year. They are:

Telluride, Colorado
January 19 - 26, 2019
$1,450 per person
Jim Mullenix, Trip Leader

Park City, Utah
February 9 - 16, 2019
$1,575 per person
John Neblett, Trip Leader

Both locations have slopeside condos. More information will be given at the April meeting. Events have not yet been set up on the website. Also, more information will be announced for the upcoming European trip.

At the February Board meeting, a tentative slate of candidates was offered for the upcoming year. They are as follows:

• Mike Hood - President
• Bob Tramel - Vice President
• Tom DuBose - Treasurer
• Hilda Jones - Secretary

Jim Bates has agreed again to be the Nominating Committee Chair for elections scheduled for the April general meeting. If you are interested in running for one of these offices, please contact Jim Bates at: (706) 965-6331 or jimbates18@gmail.com.  Elections will be held on April 3, 2018 at the Enclave.

HELLO EVERYONE,

Well, we are mucking our way through this winter with cold temperatures and then hot springs days in February that are filled with the poison toxins of pollen. Wow, who said, this is the best of all possible worlds? Interesting time, I think we will all agree.

BIG SKY

All reports from Big Sky say that it is negative below zero, but when you are bundled up and outside skiing, everyone has a warm glow going down the hill.  Montana has the snow, the cold, and the ski club so it must be kind of like heaven, white and homey.

BIG DAY COMING

As many of you know I will resign as President of the Ski Club in April. Now that event is for another newsletter. However, I understand that very few members read the newsletter each month, and even fewer click on the President’s column.

But in a manner similar to how Neil Diamond sang the same songs he sung in the 60’s and 70’s, I want to republish the column I did a couple of years ago in hopes of everyone understanding what pure banality is in written form and how it can add basically nothing to your life in general.  But remember, even a diet cola can taste good and be refreshing on a hot day.

So once again, from June of 2016, here is the monthly note that was in the Ski Club newsletter.

JUNE 2016:

MONTHLY HAIR GEL STUFF

Ambrose Bierce was a writer extraordinaire, American editorialist, journalist, and satirist. He wrote the short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” and, “The Devil’s Dictionary,” that received quite amount of notoriety around the turn of the century. Here are a couple of examples of “The Devil’s Dictionary.”

• ·      Conservative (n.) A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal who wishes to replace them with others;
• ·      Egoist (n.) A person of low taste, more interested in himself than me;
• ·      Faith (n.) Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel;
• ·      Lawyer (n.) one skilled in circumventing the law. (He is right on there).

Bierce was stationed in San Francisco and went to the Mexican Revolution as a journalist and was never heard from again.

I think that we at the Chattanooga Ski Club need to have our own dictionary, closely aligned to  “The Devil’s Dictionary,” as a way to welcome new folks in the Ski Club and hope they will feel as comfortable as Osama bin Laden did when he was sent to Hell by Seal Team 6.

 Here we go:

• 1.     APRES SKI BARS - The only bars in the world were after a day of skiing and libation, the song “PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC WHITE BOY,” is played twice an hour, really sounds good, and petitions are on the every table for making it the U.S. National Anthem that you really want to sign;
• 2.     LIFT TICKET - An ounce of Legal Colorado marijuana purchased for you and friends;
• 3.     SKI PANTS - The only type of clothing that men feel comfortable telling their wives truthfully, “No, Honey, your butt doesn’t look big at all in those ski slacks;”
• 4.     SKI HELMET - An article worn over the head as a safety device but everyone knows is absolutely no protection when going head first in a tree.  The only purpose of the object is keeping your head warm on cold days. (Of course, that is something);
• 5.     SKI BOOTS - Torture tools of the Spanish Inquisition used to find infidels, witches, and warlocks. Through the years, good skiers understand that to ski well their boots must cause them unimaginable pain. If their boots feel good, pious gods will attack your ankles and knees, and you will get hurt and require serious surgery. (“ .…WHERE IT’S AT, I GOT REAL TIGHT BOOTS AND MICROPHONE….”)(take-off on a Beck song);
• 6.     SKI GOOGLES - what the world looks like after seven (7) Moscow mules at the end of the day in the local ski bar;
• 7.     BUMPS - When seen on a ski slope, they are just like ones on your body: not real attractive and can be killers if not taken care of with extreme care by a trained professional;
• 8.     POMA LIFTS - The opposite of falling and sliding down the mountain, a poma lift never stops, going up the mountain and always requires that you fall getting on.   The best way to be shamed and noticed on a hill at the same time is a poma lift;
• 9.     SKI POLES - What you call a group of folks from Warsaw at the après ski bar.

This is not complete but will hopefully get it started and everyone thinking about proper definitions for the Chattanooga Ski Club for words that we use all the time a ski resort.

Quote of the Month:

I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.

            Henny Youngman, comedian extraordinaire

I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE NEXT MEETING.

Ashley Ownby

HELLO EVERYONE,

Hopefully the cold weather warms your hearts and everyone is getting back on track after the holidays to a normal routine. But realize, the cold weather may be refreshing but it will not get your car started on a subzero hard frost morning.

The ironies of life.

SNOWMASS

If you did not go to Snowmass, it was great. Some powder, good skiing, and the X Games. Just a big overall Wow.

To Bob Tramel, three cheers and a hearty, “High Ho Silver,” for a great job leading the trip.

Looking forward to Big Sky.

STEEPER AND DEEPER

Warren Miller passed away last week.

The name of Warren Miller is a necessity just like ski pants, jackets, and helmets that we wear when bounding down a snow covered slope. Yes, we must wear proper clothes, but we also must have the memories of his movies when we ski so we can try to the find the pleasing and exciting ski sensation he made us feel in his films.  

He saw something through his camera lens 70 years ago that many people are still trying to find and attempt to take to another level. Today’s ski films are good, but at best they are only copies of what Warren was doing years ago.

Over 20 years ago, I did not have the best ski trip, blew out a knee. I got the desire to go back on the slopes from watching his movies from Blockbuster while on the couch, and wanting to catch that feeling again by getting back on skis.

Wishing you safe travels and good snow in Heaven, Warren.

MEDICINE FOR YOUR AILMENTS

How can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?

What makes the world go round?

How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart

And let me live again

(The Bee Gees)

Pain, as we know, goes far beyond broken bones. A mobster on a TV show years ago said something I have never forgot, being the following: “Never break a leg because it can heal. Always wound someone’s mind and that will never be set right!!!”

Point being, mental suffering is the worst kind of injury.  It just breaks you. Having a mental injury is just like Listerine mouth wash, you just learn to deal with it. 

Here is a little story about a horrible shock that occurred to a person and his family, the associated broken hearts, and the appropriate medicine that is available over-the-counter to mend the resulting traumatic, horrible, and unforeseen affair of the heart wounds that from time to time occur.

Of course, the Chattanooga Ski Club is involved.

Everyone knows Mike Hood. He is the Vice-President and soon to be President of the club.  Mike has been a valuable member for many years, and, as we know, he is one of the people in our lives that is always helping others because that is just what people like him do. I am sure he learned it from his parents.

Mike’s mother Marilyn Louise Hood passed away on January 15, 2018 unexpectedly.  From everything I know, Mike and his mother had a very close relationship. She was loved by everyone who knew her including all family members and definitely Mike’s siblings. I understand Mike called her every morning prior to going to work at the gun store to make sure she was okay.

Ms. Hood’s passing was sudden and unexpected, and, as everyone can gather, it stunned Mike and his family to their core. They were all overcome with the pain of losing a good and decent parent from their lives forever. That type of hurt permeates all of your thoughts and causes the emptiest feelings in your heart and soul.

Everyone loses people we love, but how do we deal with the pain? 

Self-medication has been one of my favorite cure-alls.  Yes, but you do have bad breath from vomiting, and you have to be careful about what the dope you buy is cut with, but still, illegal drugs and alcohol always temporarily dulled the hurt for me until I could hopefully better handle it at a later date.  Works for me, but I would not recommend it to others.

Mike, however, had a much, much, better way of self-medicating himself to deal with his mother’s passing.  And it was so good of a medicine of such potency, we all may have to get some for future illnesses. If was a doctor, I would prescribe it daily and get insurance to pay for it.

Instead of leaving his mother’s funeral and heading to the local bar, saloon, or a Soddy Daisy meth house to ease his troubled mind, Mike hopped on a bus exactly one day after his mother’s funeral and headed out west with 48 of his friends to ski all of his troubles, all of his heartaches, and all of the pain of his mother away. I will assume sometime over the week of skiing with his friends, he buried all the issues acquired from her loss somewhere under the frozen snow of some big beautiful ski slope in Snowmass, Colorado. Snow can dissolve heartache away like the sun on ice if given a chance.

The hurt of losing a parent never goes away but you can have peace with the loss. Mike was at peace in Snowmass. Another chronic disease cured by friends and snow. That is how you mend a broken heart.

I understand that prayer and the grace of the Good Lord can help us in our darkest times.

But a ski trip enjoying the snow with the Chattanooga Ski Club, the camaraderie of the members, and laughing and hugging everybody may be some of the best medicine you can get over-the-counter. Yikes, not only are we a club that snow skis, has parties, and good times, but we may even be able to heal those who are hurt with afflictions other than having broken bones and gout.

Oral Roberts and Benny Hinn better watch out.

Much like Big Pharma telling all their secrets and violating federal patent protections, I will tell you the recipe to the remedy I am talking about with this column.

The secret to the Chattanooga Ski Club “medicine” is very simple and was spoken last week with the death of filmmaker Warren Miller.  Miller said the reason he lived out of his car in parking lots of ski resorts the 40’s and 50’s trying to film people skiing while freezing to death at the same time all came down to one simple thing: “It was just so much fun!”

I never thought of fun being up there with Valium and Viagra, but who knows?

God bless you Mike and your family; we at the ski club are so sorry for your loss.

But know, just like the song says [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xf-Lesrkuc], your mother is now flying throughout the atmosphere with clouds of Jupiter all in her hair. And on her flight travels in space, throughout the universe, as she sees all the wonders of everything everywhere we all dream about, please know that when you look at pictures of your time in Snowmass with Gail and all your friends, your mother was then and is now always thinking about you and your siblings and will be laughing at you in your office from time to time. All you have to do is listen for her.

See you at the next meeting,

Ashley Ownby

HELLO EVERYBODY,

A Happy New Year and even happier holidays for everyone and hope all that read this are cursed with only good luck for the upcoming year.  

In looking back to the middle of December, we as a ski club had the best Christmas party imaginable. We need to be able to feel the wonderful air and feelings of the holidays all through the month of December, and if you could not get in the spirit of winter at this year’s ski club Christmas party, well, you just cannot get there.

STEAMBOAT TRIP

I and 17 brave souls were able to spend the first week of December in Steamboat, Colorado with Crescent Ski Council’s ski camp and it was amazing. Little snow fell, but if anyone remembers the conditions years ago when we went to Grey Rocks, snow is not as important if you are skiing down a hill continuously and not stopping. If you ever wanted to know what it was like being in a Star Wars space ship fight, go down the top of the mountain at Steamboat with every other skier in the world behind you, in front of you and beside you first thing in the morning during the ski camp.  Now I know why Darth Vader stayed in the big ship during all the big fights in the movie. It was controlled chaos but it was just fun.

We saw Chattanooga Ski Club members almost every night at events held in town, and got to meet some really nice people from other ski clubs.

On Wednesday night, everyone met and had dinner downtown and celebrated Tom Edwards’ and Rebecca Hicks’ birthdays.  At the restaurant, we also met a man that had seven (7) girlfriends and claimed to be the Gianni Angnelli of the Southeast United States. The people you meet.

We raced, we skied, and we had fun.

THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

I have been saying it for most of the year, but Christmas really came up so fast this time. So fast, it took my breath away and now all I know is Noel has come and gone in just a heartbeat. But we still have the New Year.

And, as in the past, we will make resolutions, swear off bad habits, and modify or change our vices to where we will have a healthier, happier, and more energetic upcoming year.

Here is my suggestion on what to look for in the New Year.

While at Steamboat, I started having trouble the second day with my left ski chattering during the turn.  It started out kind of small and then got real bad.

No problem, I got with my instructor and she gave some excellent advice ---- “Just get more over your skis.” “Just push your foot back in the boot.” “Point yourself more downhill.”

I heard it all for two days. I took my boots for adjustment and it still it got worse. I was licking the snow in front of my skis trying to get proper torque, but nothing improved. I even followed the beginners holding their poles straight out from their body, trying to solve my problem and only just looked really out of place with the other skiers. I was perturbed to say the least and could not fathom in my existence what the problem was with the chatter.

And then, just out of nowhere, my instructor said the magic words that only Aladdin calling the Genie out of the bottle could replicate, being,” Hey, bend your knee a little bit more.”

The seventh law of thermodynamics was made simple once again.

Oh, to ski the ski and carve the snow like it should be done is as close as touching the face of God as I will ever see on this earth, and I was able to do that again on demand. Or at least, it sure did feel better doing turns.

Here is the point, the little things matter. Just a slight bend of the knee, something so simple can make all the difference in the world.

In the upcoming year, look for the little things to do, like saying thank you a little more; telling a waiter that he or she served you well; give a dog an extra pat; go out of your way to tell someone they did a good job; or just look someone in the eye walking down the street and nod your head, recognizing them. The little things really do matter and can make our skiing down the days in our life so much smoother.

Wow, what a resolution! Make somebody you do not know’s New Year a little better.

See you at the next meeting,

Ashley Ownby

I have been saying for most of the year that Christmas will be here before you know it. Well, here it is and it is just shining, waiting on us.  WOW!!! This year has really flown.

It has been a good year for the club and we have had some great times, good laughs, and lots of really wonderful memories from our trips, meetings and parties. It is nice to know that good times are not just for us to recall from the past, but like a good soufflé, you can plan to make good times happen in the future just by planning them out and getting others to join in.  

 CHRISTMAS PARTY - CHRISTMAS PARTY - CHRISTMAS PARTY

Yes indeed, we are having the Hamilton County Social Event of the Yule time year, the CHATTANOOGA SKI CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY at the Car Barn, December 12, 2017 beginning at 5:30 p.m. and lasting till 10:00 pm. There is a small charge for the party and it will be really something to behold just like it was last year. It appears we are going to have a crowd so please contact Mike Hood or register from the website and make plans to attend. This is a great way to begin the Christmas season and hope to see you there.

A CHRISTMAS THOUGHT

This time of year is generally left for refection and as we all know everything good in life revolves around skiing. With that in mind, I would like to offer the following during this special time of year to all of us.

When we look back over the previous year, I will assume that we all have had many cold mornings that we have gotten out of bed (even when it was a 100 degrees outside during the summer) and really wished we could stay in bed rather than go out and tackle some large mountain that existed just down the road.

But just like on a ski trip, over the past year, even with our heads hurting from too much booze the night before and our bones aching because we did not exercise enough, we still went out and got on that ski lift of life to do as much damage as we could to the hill or challenge that was just out of the door.

I am sure in the past year, we were able to slide through some days just like our skis cutting into soft four inch powder. Everything was just so easy. And at the end of those good days we felt like we had finally got this skiing/carving/living thing right.

Then, the next day was just like looking down a mile long mogul field with no way to go side out and when we got down to the end of those days we looked in the mirror and said,  ”I’m never doing that again,” as we made plans at dinner after a couple of drinks to go out and fight the Philistines again tomorrow even harder.

Life is like a box of chocolates, but I think life is more like a skiing vacation. You never know what you are going to get, you never know what the weather may be, and you never know what is over the next hill, even when you've been over it several times.

We all want to love bizarre, but more so, I want to believe we all want to ski well and have the family healthy.

Merry Christmas to everyone and the most hopeful wishes for a very good holiday full of cold weather and snow.

See you at the Christmas Party,

Ashley Ownby

Eighteen Chattanooga Ski Club members flew or drove to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (a city famous for Spring Breakers and beach vacations) a day or two before our adventure cruise began so they could enjoy the beauty of Florida as well as this wonderful city.  Some went sightseeing before the cruise, while others took excursions, such as an airboat ride through the Everglades, at the conclusion of the cruise.

On Saturday, October 21, we boarded the beautiful Caribbean Princess and left the port of Ft. Lauderdale.  Members used this time to explore our ship and discover the many amenities it had to offer as well as enjoy their favorite beverages.  Sandy, our travel agent, delighted and surprised all of us with a coupon for a free bottle of wine waiting for us in each of our staterooms.Sunday was a day for beaching at Princess Cays.  Cruisers were tendered (taken by boat) to the private beach to enjoy many beach activities, favorite beverages, beautiful clear water, and food cooked by the ship’s crew right on the beach.

Monday and Tuesday were sea days as we headed to Cartagena, Columbia.  Everyone had a great time at the private cocktail party that the Princess sponsored for the Chattanooga Ski Club on Monday afternoon.  Other popular activities on these days were eating, sunning, exercising, reading, listening to one of the many music performances, or participating in the many family games and activities offered on board the ship (not to mention gambling in the casino).  After dinner, it became a custom for almost everyone to head to the Princess Theater, where we were treated to the most lavish, professional, and enjoyable productions I have ever seen on a ship.  We soon learned to get there early because the theater filled up every night.

On Wednesday, we woke up docked in Cartagena, Columbia.  This vibrant City harbors a fascinating and colorful past, which can be seen along its cobblestone streets, in its Spanish colonial homes with wood-beamed balconies and stone towers, and its impressive salt-bleached stone walls.  Our members enjoyed many excursions, most of which highlighted the “Old City”, the history of the area, and the Fortress.  Economic fact: 95% of the world’s emeralds come from Columbia.

Thursday was our day to go through the Panama Canal, sometimes called the eighth man-made wonder of the world.  We didn’t realize it when we booked this cruise, or even when we boarded the ship, but this cruise was a big deal to the people of Panama and to Princess Cruise Lines.  Our ship was the largest passenger ship to date to go through the NEW locks, and the first ship of Princess Cruise Lines to do so.  As we passed through the new locks we observed news media and photographers documenting this newsworthy event as the mayor of Panama gave speeches and posed proudly.  The passage through the locks was an experience we will always remember and talk about.

On Friday, our ship docked at Limon, Costa Rica.  Our members enjoyed many of the excursions that were available in Limon, most focusing around the rain forest, Tortuguero Canals, local culture, local animal life, banana and coffee farms, and zip lines through the forests.

Saturday was a scheduled sea day.

Sunday was supposed to be our day to visit. Grand Cayman, in the Cayman Islands, but the wind and waves were such that it would have been unsafe to try to load and unload the tender boats. For the safety of the passengers, we had to forego our visit to Grand Cayman.  We regretted missing our visit to this beautiful port, but we appreciate Princess Cruise Lines for making our safety their paramount concern.

As a result of the cancellation of the Grand Cayman stop, both Sunday and Monday were sea days.

Every night of the cruise we were seated together for dinner (three tables of six).  This was a special time for sharing of the day’s activities, laughing, and eating too much.  Our group contained a mixture of members from various parts of Tennessee and Georgia.  We also had a member of the Nashville Ski Club who became a member of our Club in order to join us on this adventure.  Some cruisers knew some others before the cruise, but we all regarded everyone as friends at the end of the cruise.  On the second evening we started a random rotation of our seating at dinner so everyone got to know and enjoy each other better.  The quality and presentation of the food and the service at dinner every night exceeded everyone’s expectations.  Our group consisted of first time cruisers to very experienced.  They all liked the fact that, although this was a group trip, each person or couple individualized the experience and activities to their own desires.

We woke up Tuesday (Halloween) at the Ft. Lauderdale dock, disembarked the ship, and flew (or drove) home with many lifetime memories of our fun together on this adventurous cruise. 

We have 6 rooms (for 12 people) left for the Len Foote Hike Inn, Saturday, September 29, 2018.  At this time, there are 25 members of the CSC hiking this 5 mile trek.  It is a moderate uphill hike on a well-traveled trail. 

Our plan is to fill the 20 rooms with CSC members. If we don’t we will meet new friends and hopefully some of them will become members of the CSC.  Somehow when others are around us, they are drawn to our outgoing, fun-filled, exhilarating, intoxicating, electrifying, inspiring club members. 

We will meet early Saturday morning for breakfast, convoy to Amicalola Falls and hike as a group to the Inn.  Some of us will hike faster, stronger and will get there before those of us that hike slowly.  Either way when you arrive, for those of you that have not done this hike before, you will fall in love with this place. 

“Why,” you ask, “do we need to sign up so early?” Because Len Foote has a year waiting list and they have hikers just waiting to take your place. The last date for cancellation is seven days before your reservation to give those on the waiting list time to plan their trip.

Please see event list on Chattanoogaskiclub.org for more details on the hike.  If you are not listed as CSC members registered at Len Foote Hike Inn then you are NOT registered to stay at the lodge.  You must sign up and pay on Len Foote Hike Inn website to be a bona fide part of this hike.

Please join us and let’s fill this trip with CSC!!!

Barb Wise

barbwire@flash.net

423-902-6095