News

This coming Saturday will be our famous LAKE PARTY.  It and the Christmas party are our two main social activities each year and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone.  There is no cost for members, and guests are only charged $10.  What a deal!  The event starts at noon, with lunch served at 1pm.  Don’t forget to bring some cash as we will have some activities to support our chosen charity: Warrior Freedom Service Dogs.  Representatives from this service dog organization will be present to do a short demonstration with a service dog and offer information on their mission.

The next 30 days are going to be busy.  We have three annual activities where you can cool off in the water: first is the Lake Party on July 30th; second is the Float Trip down the Hiawassee River on August 7th (most of us use rubber duckies, but you can go by raft, kayak, canoe, inner tube, and I’ve even seen people on stand-up paddleboards going down the river); and third is the SUP/kayak party on August 20^th.  What better way to beat the heat!  And if that isn’t enough to keep you busy as we approach the end of summer, we’ll be at Nightfall again on Friday night August 26^th.  The club will have a booth to let people know that Chattanooga has a ski club, and that while we do a lot of skiing, we do so much more.  If you want to help us at the booth talk to potential members, that is great; but if you just want to relax and enjoy the music with other members, that is great too.

Speaking of skiing, our second ski trip this winter will be to Park City, Utah.  There are a lot of great reasons to take this trip:

• Two Side-by-Side Resorts - Park City/Canyons (since they merged before the 2014-15 season) and Deer Valley (where they groom the runs to perfection not just at night, but also during the day).
• Huge Area – Park City/Canyons itself is the largest ski resort in the United States with 7,300 lift served acres and 17 peaks to ski.  There is plenty of terrain for all levels of skiers.
• Lots of Snow – Park City averages 355 inches of snow each year
• Ski Lifts in Town - Among the 43 lifts on the mountain are some that go onto Main Street in town, so you have lots of lunch options in addition to the places on the mountain
• Low Altitude (you don’t have to worry about altitude sickness, or getting winded from just walking, as we’ll be staying at 6,800 ft and the top of the highest lift is only at 9,998 ft;
• Short Ride from the Airport to the Lodging – the Salt Lake City International Airport is only 35-45 minutes away from Park City.
• The Bobsled Experience at Utah Olympic Park – for the adventurous, take a run on the 2002 Winter Olympic bobsled track.  A professional pilot takes three passengers on a ride hitting 70 mph and experiencing 4-5 times the force of gravity.

Signups are continuing for our four 2022-2023 ski trips.  If you haven’t put money down on a trip already, I highly recommend that you do it now. After the lake party, we will place our ski trips on the Crescent Ski Council’s website to help fill out our trips (and we already have some people from other clubs join us and sign up for our trips), so if you want to guarantee a spot on one of our trips this coming winter, you need to sign up at the lake party.

• Whistler BC            January 21-28, 2023                  Trip Leader Roy Brunner
• Telluride CO            February 4-11, 2023                  Trip Leader Beverly Cleek
• Park City UT            February 25-March 4, 2023       Trip Leader Scott Kramer
• Kitzbühel/Scotland   March 16-30, 2023                    Trip Leader Jim Mullenix

Stay safe everyone,

Bob

Event Listing   

Lake Party (& August Membership meeting) @ Blue Springs Club, 3858 Burning Bush Rd, Ringgold, GA – July 30, 2022 noon - ?   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4864587

Hiwassee Raft Trip @ Webb Brothers Float Service  – August 7,2022 noon – 6pm             https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3933037

SUP / Kayak Party @ Club house @Harbor Heights Subdivision, 3789 Kings Road – August 20, 2022 10am-4pm

Nightfall 2022 Promotion & Social @ Miller Park – August 26, 2022  

September Membership Meeting @ TBD – September 6, 2022

Bourbon Trail @ Bardstown, KY – September 9-11, 2022  

https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3753468 

October Membership Meeting @ TBD – October 4, 2022

Len Foote Hike – October 21-22, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3235020

Crescent Ski Council Fall Convention @ Gatlinburg, Glenstone Lodge – October 28-30, 2022  

November Membership Meeting @ TBD – November 1, 2022

Crescent Ski Council Race & Learn to Ski/Ride Camp @ Steamboat – December 3-10, 2022

Christmas Party (& December Membership meeting) @ TBD – TBD

Whistler/Blackcomb Ski Trip – January 21-28, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813143

Telluride Ski Trip – February 4-11, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813162

Park City Ski Trip – February 25 – March 4, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813189

Kitzbühel / Scotland Ski / Touring Trip – March 16-30, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4818156

Crescent Ski Council Spring Convention @ Myrtle Beach – April 21-23, 2023  

Virginia Creeper Bike Ride – TBD 2023    

Sign ups have started for our annual lake party.  It is a little later in the month than normal (i.e. July 30), so we WILL HAVE a July membership meeting at Willis and Hilda’s Flat Duck event venue on July 5th.  Note that we WILL NOT have an August membership meeting, so be sure to sign up and make your trip payments at the July membership meeting (July 5^th) or at the lake party (July 30^th). 

Speaking of the lake party, the gates will open at noon and we will start serving food, barbeque pork and chicken with traditional sides along with water AND our signature adult beverage (otherwise BYOB) at 1pm.  If you have a favorite homemade appetizer, fruit or dessert that you would like to bring, please email or contact Jinksie Harris or Bobbi Witt.   There is no cost for members to attend (guests/visitor will be charged $10, or for just a few dollars more, they can join the club and enjoy the party and the other events we have).  However, bring some cash for some fun opportunities to support a local 501c3 non-profit charity, the Warrior Freedom Service Dogs ( https://warriorfreedom.org/ ).  A member of their team, along with a service dog in training, will be at the picnic.

We had another event even earlier in July, on Friday the 1^st.  Like last year, we had a booth set up on Market Street across from Miller Park to advertise the club during the free Nightfall concert  (Nightfall Chattanooga 2022).   Be watching for other announcements as we will do it again later this summer.

Our first ski trip (since it is so hot, I’m thinking about skiing to try to keep cool) is to Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia.  The club hasn’t had a trip there since 2003.  It is the biggest ski resort in North America with 8,171 acres (for comparison, Snowmass has 3339 acres).  January (which is when we will be there) averages 2.2 meters (87 inches) of snow.   The peak of Whistler Mountain is at 2,182m (7,160ft) and Blackcomb’s peak is at 2,284m (7,494ft). In comparison, the village is 675m (2,214ft), which gives a huge 1,609m (5280ft) of vertical to ski (second largest in North America), but with the low elevation, altitude sickness isn’t a problem!

The first ski resort was built in Whistler in 1965, in an effort to host the 1968 Winter Olympics (they weren’t selected, but they did host the 2010 games).  In 1980, Blackcomb started, then in 1998 the two merged.  In December 2008, the Peak 2 Peak gondola opened which connects the two mountains.  It is listed in the Guinness World Records book in as the highest cable car above ground - 1,430 feet.  The system includes 28 cabins which hold 28 people each, with 22 seated and six standing.  Twenty-six of the cabins are painted red and white, while the remaining two are painted blue, and have glass floors.  The resort has a combined 38 lifts which can move up to 65,507 skiers per hour – who will try for a “Mega-day” (riding every lift in one day)?

Signups are going very well for our four 2022-2023 ski trips.  If you haven’t put money down on a trip already, I highly recommend that you do it soon.  After the lake party, we will place our ski trips on the Crescent Ski Council’s website to help fill-out our trips, so if you want to guarantee a spot on one of our trips this coming winter, you need to sign up this month.

• Whistler BC       January 21-28, 2023       Trip Leader Roy Brunner
• Telluride CO       February 4-11, 2023        Trip Leader Beverly Cleek
• Park City UT      February 25-March 4, 2023  Trip Leader Scott Kramer
• Kitzbühel/Scotland    March 16-30, 2023       Trip Leader Jim Mullenix

Stay safe everyone,

Bob

Event Listing   

July Membership Meeting @ Flat Duck Event Venue (7742 Three Notch Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736 – July 5, 2022   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4877574

Lake Party (& August Membership meeting) @ Blue Springs Club, 3858 Burning Bush Rd, Ringgold, GA – July 30, 2022   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4864587

Hiwassee Raft Trip @ Webb Brothers Float Service  – August 7,2022 noon – 6pm  https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3933037

SUP / Kayak Party @ Club house @Harbor Heights Subdivision, 3789 Kings Road – August 20, 2022

September Membership Meeting @ TBD – September 6, 2022

Bourbon Trail @ Bardstown, KY – September 9-11, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3753468 

October Membership Meeting @ TBD – October 4, 2022

Len Foote Hike – October 21-22, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3235020

Crescent Ski Council Fall Convention @ Gatlinburg, Glenstone Lodge – October 28-30, 2022  

November Membership Meeting @ TBD – November 1, 2022

Crescent Ski Council Race & Learn to Ski/Ride Camp @ Steamboat – December 3-10, 2022

Christmas Party (& December Membership meeting) @ TBD – TBD

Whistler/Blackcomb Ski Trip – January 21-28, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813143

Telluride Ski Trip – February 4-11, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813162

Park City Ski Trip – February 25 – March 4, 2023  https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813189

Kitzbühel / Scotland Ski / Touring Trip – March 16-30, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4818156

Crescent Ski Council Spring Convention @ Myrtle Beach – April 21-23, 2023  

Virginia Creeper Bike Ride – TBD 2023    

If you went on one of our club’s ski trip this past winter, did the slopes seem to be more crowded than usual?  The stats are in for the 2021-2022 season and the National Ski Areas Association reports that the season’s 61 million skier days was a record, passing the previous record of 59.3 million skier days from the 2019-2020 season.  This was despite 2021-2022 not being a great year for snow (which historically has correlated with the number of skier days).  One of the drivers of this is the increasing number of season passes that are being sold.  This past season, 52% of all skiers were on season passes.  See the full article from the Colorado Sun: Record number of skier days at US resorts this year despite so-so snowfall (coloradosun.com).

At the end of April, I attended the Crescent Ski Council’s Spring Convention in Myrtle Beach.  As I wrote about last month, the 2022 Steamboat Colorado Race and Ski Camp will be held December 3-10, 2022.  This trip, run by the Crescent Ski Council, is open to all members of the 19 ski clubs that make up the Crescent Ski Council. The trip will go on sale June 15 (previously the date was the 1^st), and the base price is $1690, but the first 70 people to sign-up will only pay $1585. These prices include seven nights lodging, a six-day lift ticket, five full days of lessons, three lunches, and one dinner; if you don’t want to take lessons you can deduct $428 from the price.  Additional information is now on the Crescent web site at Crescent Ski Council Trips.

Some other tidbits that were discussed at the meeting included:

• Crescent’s Race program is planning on six races this coming winter, with all six in North Carolina.
• When boarding an airline flight, be sure your boarding pass is scanned.  If the boarding pass is NOT scanned, the other leg(s) of your ticket are automatically cancelled. This happened to a Crescent member when the gate agent couldn’t get their boarding pass to scan and the traveler was told to go ahead and board.  A week later when the traveler got to the airport to return home, they found that their ticket had been cancelled.
• It was said that the airlines are getting picker about ski bags.  The official policy for most airlines is a boot bag and a ski bag with one pair of skis & poles counts as one “checked” bag.  We were told that airlines are sometimes not allowing additional items (like clothes) to be put in ski bags.
• It was said that TSA is getting picker about requiring EXACT matches between the names on tickets and your photo ID (and if you are enrolled in a “Trusted Traveler Program” (i.e. TSA Pre Check which has a Known Traveler Number, Global Entry which has a Pass ID, etc.). This includes items as minor as an initial (like “J”) on one document and a name (like “James”) on the other.
• Other clubs are having problems like we’ve had recently getting condos at ski resorts.  It was said that more owners are “working-from-home” (i.e. staying at their condo all season) and more owners are renting out through companies like Airbnb.  These two factors result in fewer numbers of condos being available for groups.

A couple of weeks ago we had our first summer activity, the annual Virginia Creeper Bike Ride and Barter Theater play.  We had 17 people enjoy the weekend.  This year we moved the bike ride to Friday (from Saturday) to avoid the crowds.  Even though we left the Bike Shop an hour later than normal (so we could enjoy a leisurely breakfast) we pretty much had the trail to ourselves, which was a big improvement. Thanks to Barb Wise for organizing our special events like this one.  We are planning on having some outings to get together to enjoy a few Nightfall Concerts this summer (Nightfall Chattanooga 2022).  Be watching for announcements on which concerts we’ll be attending as a group.

Signups are going very well for our four 2022-2023 ski trips.  If you haven’t put money down on a trip already, I highly recommend that you do it soon.

• Whistler BC  January 21-28, 2023   Trip Leader Roy Brunner
• Telluride CO  February 4-11, 2023   Trip Leader Beverly Cleek
• Park City UT February 25-March 4, 2023 Trip Leader Scott Kramer
• Kitzbühel/Scotland  March 16-30, 2023  Trip Leader Jim Mullenix

We have a few new/returning members to welcome to the club: Jane Burke, Cole Carper, Kathleen Cusick, Rebecca Fine, Herbert Katzman, Tracy Summer, and Michael Summer. 

Stay safe everyone,

Bob

Event Listing   

June Membership Meeting @ Flat Duck Event Venue (7742 Three Notch Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736 – June 7, 2022   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4837703

July Membership Meeting @ TBD – July 5, 2022

Lake Party (& August Membership meeting) @ Blue Springs Club, 3858 Burning Bush Rd, Ringgold, GA – July 30, 2022

Hiwassee Raft Trip @ Webb Brothers Float Service  – August 7,2022 noon – 6pm  https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3933037

SUP / Kayak Party @ Club house @Harbor Heights Subdivision, 3789 Kings Road – August 20, 2022

September Membership Meeting @ TBD – September 6, 2022

Bourbon Trail @ Bardstown, KY – September 9-11, 2022  

https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3753468 

October Membership Meeting @ TBD – October 4, 2022

Len Foote Hike – October 21-22, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3235020

Crescent Ski Council Fall Convention @ Gatlinburg, Glenstone Lodge – October 28-30, 2022  

November Membership Meeting @ TBD – November 1, 2022

Crescent Ski Council Race & Learn to Ski/Ride Camp @ Steamboat – December 3-10, 2022

Christmas Party (& December Membership meeting) @ TBD – TBD

Whistler/Blackcomb Ski Trip – January 21-28, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813143

Telluride Ski Trip – February 4-11, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813162

Park City Ski Trip – February 25 – March 4, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813189

Kitzbühel / Scotland Ski / Touring Trip – March 16-30, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4818156

Crescent Ski Council Spring Convention @ Myrtle Beach – April 21-23, 2023  

Virginia Creeper Bike Ride – TBD 2023    

Seventeen (17) adventure-bound cyclists and shoppers headed to Abingdon, VA on Thursday, May 5^th.  After check-in and unloading of our too many bags and luggage from our vehicles, everyone gathered at my lodge - Taylor's Inn - for a margarita party and potluck appetizer dinner.  After some games with lots of laughter and fun, we all headed to the Barter Theatre for a Thursday evening performance of “Kentucky Spring.” It was wonderful! In fact, we have not seen a bad performance in the six years I have been taking a group to the Creeper.  We had group seats close to the front but not too close… the seats were “just right."

Still no rain.

However, during the night the rain came and early Friday morning the rain still came. We had reservations on the 9:30 shuttle to the top of White Top Mountain.   By 9:00 a.m. the rain had slacked off quite a bit, so five brave souls boarded the shuttle to the top; the rest shopped or rode their bikes along the actual start of the trail in Abingdon (that would be me).   President Tramel reported that it rained some on them riding the trail but not enough to cause any problems. He also reported that the trail was mostly just our group and few other people; Friday is the perfect day for the ride down the mountain.  Everyone arrived safe and sound back to our respective lodging just in time before the tornado sirens were blasting all over town and the torrential rains poured down.  Everyone went to the basements of their lodging and waited out the tornado warning.  It continued to rain cats and dogs; however, soon the sirens stopped, even though it continued to rain. Being the troopers that we are and all loving to eat, our party made our way to the restaurant for an excellent group dinner. We all loved it that Lulu and Robert Copeland were able to join us for dinner.

All in all it was a wonderful trip with a lot of great memories….

Go with us next time,

Barb

VIRGINIA CREEPER TRAIL:

 “Forty seven trestles and bridges provide scenic views of the region's creeks, farmland, and mountain forests. The Virginia Creeper Trail is rich in beauty and regional history. From the trail head right in the historic district of Abingdon, VA, it stretches 34.3 miles through the trail town of Damascus, VA, and up to the North Carolina State Line near Whitetop, VA.”

Unfortunately ski season is over (although there are a few resorts still open if you want to make some last runs).  To help fill the void, your board of directors (and especially our Special Events Coordinator, Barb Wise) has many exciting summer and fall activities planned, including the Virginia Creeper Bike Ride/Barter Theater weekend, the Lake Party, the Hiwassee Raft Trip, the SUP / Kayak Party, the Ky Bourbon Trail, and the Len Foote Overnight Hike.  One activity we are considering restarting is having an informal gathering on a few Friday nights this summer to enjoy Nightfall together.  (Last summer, on three nights we had a booth set up where we passed out information to help get the word out that there is a ski club in Chattanooga and we do a lot more than ski.  This summer we are thinking about doing that a few times as well as getting together to enjoy the music.)

At last month’s membership meeting the election of officers was held.  The following were elected to serve:

• President – Bob Tramel
• Vice President – Ashley Ownby
• Secretary – Hilda Jones
• Treasurer – Tom DuBose

Also at April’s meeting we had a guest speaker, Eric Hall, of Owen Cyclery.  He brought with him a couple of bikes and gave us a lot of good information.  If you are in the area of his shop (1920 Northpoint Blvd., Hixson, between Loew's and Home Depot), stop by and see him.

I’m writing this a few hours after the end of the Crescent Ski Council’s Spring Convention (https://www.crescentskicouncil.org ).  I’ll pass on more information that was presented in next month’s newsletter, but I wanted to get this tidbit out right away.  The 2022 Steamboat Colorado Race and Ski Camp will be held December 3-10, 2022.  This trip, run by the Crescent Ski Council, is open to all members of the 19 ski clubs that make up the Crescent Ski Council.  The trip will go on sale June 1, and the base price is $1695, but the first 70 people to sign-up will only pay $1580.  The optional week-long instruction (for never-ever skiers up to experts) is $450 (which is a real bargain as normally a full day group instruction is $269).  If you have been before and want to take lessons from particular instructor, they will do their best to make that happen.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the next membership meeting on May 3^rd at the Flat Duck.  Bring your checkbook as we will start sign-ups for our three western trips:

• Whistler BC       January 21-28, 2023     Trip Leader Roy Brunner
• Telluride CO      February 4-11, 2023      Trip Leader Beverly Cleek
• Park City UT      February 25-March 4, 2023   Trip Leader Scott Kramer

Stay tuned for information about our 2023 European trip…..

Stay safe everyone,
Bob

Event Listing   

May Membership Meeting @ Flat Duck Event Venue (7742 Three Notch Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736)– May 3, 2022   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4801238

Virginia Creeper Bike Ride – May 5-7, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3168543

June Membership Meeting @ TBD – June 7, 2022

July Membership Meeting @ TBD – July 5, 2022

Lake Party (& August Membership meeting) @ Blue Springs Club, 3858 Burning Bush Rd, Ringgold, GA – July 30, 2022

Hiwassee Raft Trip @ Webb Brothers Float Service  – August 7,2022 noon – 6pm             https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3933037

SUP / Kayak Party @ Club house @Harbor Heights Subdivision, 3789 Kings Road – August 20, 2022

September Membership Meeting @ TBD – September 6, 2022

Bourbon Trail @ Bardstown, KY – September 9-11, 2022  

https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3753468 

October Membership Meeting @ TBD – October 4, 2022

Len Foote Hike – October 21-22, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3235020

Crescent Ski Council Fall Convention @ Gatlinburg, Glenstone Lodge – October 28-30, 2022  

November Membership Meeting @ TBD – November 1, 2022

Crescent Ski Council Race & Learn to Ski/Ride Camp @ Steamboat – December 3-10, 2022

Christmas Party (& December Membership meeting) @ TBD

At our April membership meeting (6pm Social Hour, 7pm business meeting) we will have a special guest speaker, Eric Hall, of Owen Cyclery.  This is appropriate as more people are riding with the warmer temperatures, but also because we have our Virginia Creeper bicycle ride/Barter Theater event coming up on May 5-7.  Also at this meeting we will have the election of officers for the 2022-2023 year.  As with our other meetings at the Flat Duck, feel free to bring your own food and/or drink.

At our March membership meeting we announced the destinations and dates for our 2023 western ski trips.  If you weren’t there, they are:

•       Whistler, BC       January 21-28, 2023
•       Telluride, CO      February 4-11, 2023
•       Park City, UT      February 25-March 4, 2023

We had planned to have everything but the airfare settled by the April meeting and have trip leaders/flyers/trip reservation forms ready so people could start signing-up for those trips.  However, while we have trip leaders, we haven’t had their training session yet, and we still have a few minor details to work out for those trips.  So unfortunately, we will have to wait until the May 3rd membership meeting to start signing up for these trips. 

As we have discussed before, the airlines aren’t showing schedules/fares for the dates of our trips yet, so the initial information will NOT include the air costs.   Also, information from Europe is a little slower getting in, but rest assured that our Trip Coordinator, Scott Kramer, is working on putting together a trip to Europe for 2023, so be on the lookout for that.

While we are on the subject of trips, the board discussed the pros and cons of the long-standing practice of having “pre-trip parties."  At one time, this event served a critical function, handing out airline tickets and other information (the trip leader would mail packets to people who couldn’t make the party).  Since airlines no longer use paper tickets and trip leaders are emailing information to the participants, these gatherings have changed to be primarily social.  While we want to encourage social interaction, the board thought we could replace the in-person event with a Zoom call, which was done successfully on two of this year’s trips.  This will reduce the cost of the trips slightly, everyone on the trip can attend (rather than just the people who live in Chattanooga and don’t have conflicts), and it reduces the work the trip leaders have to do (finding a venue, getting food and drinks, etc.).  On the virtual meeting the trip leaders will ask everyone to introduce themselves to the other participants and then they will discuss the trip.  The participants will still be able to ask questions, so hopefully, as most of us have gotten used to Zoom meetings, we won’t lose too much interaction.

How many chair lifts have you been on in your life?  Well, I ran across an article from the Colorado Sun ( https://coloradosun.com/2022/03/03/peter-landsman-liftblog-skiing-chairlift/?pico=clean&utm_source=The+Colorado+Sun+Newsletters&utm_campaign=8448939c14-SUNRISER_2022-03-03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_61e0bd63dc-8448939c14-66963662&mc_cid=8448939c14&mc_eid=4ad3802761 ) that describes and then interviews a guy, Peter Landsman, who has rode every single chairlift, gondola, tram, platter lift and T-bar in the country, 2,381 of them.  It has taken him 22 years to do this as each week he works four days as a lift supervisor at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, then visits new ski areas for three days.  You may be wondering, how does he pay for this?  (I know your first question is probably “why would he do this," but the cost would be next.)  He uses revenue from advertising on his pretty neat website ( https://liftblog.com/ ).  One question the interviewer asked was “So what is one of the more remarkable resorts you have visited?”.  His answer surprised me: “There’s one ski area in Tennessee that stands out quite a bit: Ober Gatlinburg. It’s a ski resort and amusement park. It’s family owned and there are water slides and a grizzly bear exhibit and alpine slides and all sorts of different activities for all sorts of different kinds of people. And one of those is skiing.  It’s one of the only ones I’ve been where you’re skiing, but then right next door there’s an ice skating rink and bumper boats and all sorts of other activities going on. All for a clientele in the South that isn’t necessarily only about skiing, you know.”

We have one new member, Betty Heatherwick, let’s be sure to welcome her to our club.

Stay safe everyone,

Bob

Event Listing   

April Membership Meeting and Election of Officers @ Flat Duck Event Venue (7742 Three Notch Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736) – April 5, 2022   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4725013

Crescent Ski Council Spring Conference @ Myrtle Beach, Kingston Plantation – April 21-24, 2022   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4670718

May Membership Meeting @ TBD – May 3, 2022

Virginia Creeper Bike Ride – May 5-7, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3168543

June Membership Meeting @ TBD – June 7, 2022

July Membership Meeting @ TBD – July 5, 2022

Lake Party (& August Membership meeting) @ TBD – July 30, 2022 (tentative)

Hiwassee Raft Trip @ Webb Brothers Float Service  – August 7,2022 noon – 6pm             https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3933037

SUP / Kayak Party Trail @ Club house @Harbor Heights Subdivision, 3789 Kings Road – August 20, 2022

September Membership Meeting @ TBD – September 6, 2022

Bourbon Trail @ Bardstown, KY – TBD (probably September)

October Membership Meeting @ TBD – October 4, 2022

Len Foote Hike – October 21-22, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3235020

Crescent Ski Council Fall Convention @ Gatlinburg, Glenstone Lodge – October 28-30, 2022  

November Membership Meeting @ TBD – November 1, 2022

Crescent Ski Council Race & Learn to Ski/Ride Camp @ Steamboat – December 3-10, 2022

Christmas Party (& December Membership meeting) @ TBD – TBD

Club members returned as volunteers at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank on March 10, 2022. We had members that are now experienced volunteers and newcomers for our third event.  A small group was sent to a secured locked down cereal packaging room, and the rest of the team formed an assembly line to fill boxes to be distributed. It was a very productive afternoon supporting needs in our community. We packed over 350 boxes.

We then rewarded ourselves with cocktails and dinner, where additional members joined us for the after social.

Submitted by volunteer event coordinator and VP, Lulu Copeland, with support of Barb Wise, Club's Chief Fun Officer :-)

For those that did not get to visit Mt. Bachelor, we are very sorry!  It was a beautiful location and the ski mountain was wonderful!  The weather had been mild up until our arrival and we were “credited” with bringing much snow and cold weather with us. The area had been unusually warm and low on snow, so the cold temperatures and snow storm we got beginning Monday was very welcomed for the skiing and winter adventures but also to sustain their summer activities as well.

Given what happened with the prior United trip, I was checking the flight schedule daily to make sure the Chattanooga-to-Chicago United flight had not been cancelled as happened to the Snowmass trip.  But all concerns were for naught as we left bright and very early Saturday morning. Our next flight from Chicago to Denver was also without any issues. Our plane to Redmond Saturday evening was packed and we were all praying that all the luggage was somewhere in that little, yet full, jet!  Again, the United team did not fail as we arrived in Redmond at 1:30 PM PST.  We were met by two shuttle buses.  Brian, the owner, and his employee in the other shuttle texted me they were there and came into the airport to get our luggage.  They worked non-stop from that time until we all received our many bags and they were loaded on the shuttle.  While enroute to the hotel, both drivers provided ideas of what to do (or not to do) during the week.  At the hotel, we didn’t need a porter (good thing since the hotel didn’t have one) because our shuttle drivers unloaded all our luggage and brought it to the sidewalk of the hotel or into the hotel for us.

The Doubletree Hotel sponsored the wine and cheese party Saturday afternoon so that everyone could have the information before beginning their week there. The Mt. Bachelor rep brought our lift tickets and mountain information. The Wanderlust Tours owner provided information on the non-ski activities.  Mt. Bachelor arranged Ambassador tours of the mountain for Sunday morning to those interested.  We had several that did not ski the first day so they arranged a second tour on Monday.

The Doubletree Hotel was about 30 minutes from Mt. Bachelor, so we had another private shuttle (large passenger bus) dedicated to our group with trips at 8:15 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to the mountain and 2:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. from the mountain.  This shuttle was provided by the hotel and was nice because we were the only ones on this bus. The bus schedule allowed all day on the slopes or a leisurely morning or afternoon.

Mt. Bachelor is a unique ski resort in that it is not developed around the slopes.  It is within a National Forest and cannot be developed.  Thus, there are no large hotels next to it and there are no ski-in and ski-out condos or homes on the slopes either.  There were restaurants at the base with a separate bar for those over 21 and other facilities around the mountain.  The management did allow small independently-owned food trucks at the base where folks could also purchase a quick lunch.  All the CSC skiers received a 20% discount on ski rental and the ski storage at the end of the day.  The ski storage was well worth the $20 for the week!

The mountain has a varied terrain with blues, blacks, and some greens, with blue access to the volcano summit.  We did have a good bit of snow Monday that continued all night which provided fresh powder skiing on Tuesday.  We had clear beautiful weather Wednesday – Friday with cold mornings and pleasant afternoons.  The clear weather provided wonderful views from the summit.  One of the Mt. Bachelor ski Ambassadors told us that we had the best snow of any ski club trip this year. 

Unfortunately, we did have one injury on the trip that required an early exit to return to Chattanooga for medical attention and schedule surgery.   

Our ski club dinner was Wednesday night at the hotel's Mt. Bachelor room which was spacious and allowed socializing of all the attendees.  We pre-ordered pizza for delivery to the hotel and asked the hotel to provide plates/cups/napkins which they willingly obliged. They allowed us to bring in soft drinks but required alcohol to be purchased at their bar which seemed to be no problem for those attending!  It was a good time with the members of our group getting to know each other better.

The hotel and staff were another highlight of the trip as they did everything they could do to meet/greet, check us in expeditiously, and get us whatever we needed. The rooms were nice and most of us were on the same floor. The hotel is located at the corner of the town with great access to the many restaurants, brew pubs, and shops within a short walk.  

The hotel provided a hot buffet breakfast every morning and on the morning that we departed, they surprised us with a “brown bag” breakfast of yogurt, orange juice, muffin, and an orange.  That was perfect for the early shuttle ride to the airport. The daily morning breakfast was also a good opportunity for those on the ski trip to get to know each other better.  Of course, the daily hot cookie that Doubletree provides to their customers was a special treat that everyone enjoyed!  

The Wanderlust tours included snowshoeing to Crater Lake National Park, snowmobile rides, and a night snowshoe tour with a large bonfire and warm drinks. These non-skiing options were great for those that joined us but did not elect to go snow skiing. The Crater Lake NP tour offered a spectacular view of the amazing blue lake.  Some of those on the trip slid/rolled down a steep hill for the fun of it and then got to snowshoe back up the hill!  Ask Janet Gill to see the video!

We had 22 people on this trip and several made their own flight arrangements to meet us at Redmond and take advantage of the shuttle with the main group while others met us at the hotel. We also had others that departed for other parts of the country after the ski trip.  With all the various flight arrangements and arrival/departure times, we all met as planned and there were no “hiccups” in the schedules. 

In summary, the club arrangements for the flights and airport shuttle, the arrival party, the shuttle to the slopes, the welcome and the pizza parties, the hot breakfast and the selection of the hotel all worked as planned and the weather cooperated for a great week of skiing at the beautiful and unique Mt. Bachelor ski area.   

The ages of the group varied from late teen to senior citizens. All bonded with the skiing and non-skiing activities, food and drinks. It was a great group to have the pleasure of joining them on the trip! 

For those that didn’t have the opportunity to go with us on this trip or one of the others the CSC had, please consider joining one of the great trips planned in 2023.

After hibernating in January and February, our monthly membership meetings are back, starting on Tuesday March 1^st.  The business meeting will begin at 7:00 pm, but come as early as 6 pm if you want to visit, swap tall tales, and/or bring your own dinner/drinks.  You won’t want to miss this meeting because we will be announcing the destinations and dates for our 2023 western ski trips (sign-ups will start later, possibly at the April meeting).  We will be meeting at Willis & Hilda Jones’ Flat Duck Event Barn (7742 Three Notch Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736).  We also will have reports on the three just completed western trips this year.

At the April membership meeting, we will have elections of officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) for the 2022-2023 year.  Jim Bates has agreed to be the Nominating Committee Chair for the election.  If you are interested in running for one of these offices, please contact Jim at (706)-537-6331 or jimbates18@gmail.com 

Our three western ski trips for 2022 are now complete.  I personally got to enjoy the trips to Breckenridge and Mt. Bachelor and I heard great things about the Snowmass trip as well.   Mt. Bachelor was a new destination for our club, but I think I can speak for everyone on the trip that it is a place we will return to in the future.  The mountain had terrain for every ability.  The people at the resort made us feel very welcome (including have two mountain ambassadors for each group of four skiers for a long orientation tour, as well as an individual ambassador for a person who wanted to see specific terrain).  We stayed at an excellent hotel in the heart of Bend (several restaurants and breweries were withing three blocks), with hot buffet breakfast every morning (and a bag breakfast the morning of our departure), a private bus taking us to and from the mountain twice a day, and a cookie every afternoon.

A couple of years ago we did a survey to see what our membership wanted concerning ski trips.  One thing that got a lot of requests was flying out of Chattanooga (as opposed to Atlanta or Nashville).   This year we did that exclusively on one trip (Mt. Bachelor) and as an alternate on another trip (Snowmass).  While the Mt. Bachelor trip went off without any problems (except for having a very long day on the return trip (leaving the hotel at 3:15 am PST and landing in Chattanooga at 9:15 pm EST), the Snowmass trip wasn’t as fortunate.  Flying out of Chattanooga comes with two problems.  First, we usually can’t get very many seats on the flights leaving Chattanooga since the planes are so small (the reason we had two groups of people leaving for Snowmass from different airports was we could only get 28 seats from Chattanooga, and we usually take many more people that that on a trip).    Second, flying out of Chattanooga is always a risky proposition, especially in the winter.  There will be at least two and usually three different flights to get to the final destination.  That increases the probability of lost luggage, and cancelled/delayed flights, especially in the winter with bad weather possible both in Chattanooga and the destination for the first leg (Chicago and Dallas can be especially tricky).  So, while we will continue to explore various options for flights, in the near future I would not be expecting trips to depart from Chattanooga.

Last, some of our members will be volunteering at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank on Thursday afternoon March 10^th from 1 to 4. All openings are currently filled. The work we will do is not strenuous and we will be helping people in our community.  When we are done, we will be going to Stevarinos Italian Eatery and Pub at 325 Cherokee Blvd.  If you can’t work at the Food Bank, we still want you to come to Stevarinos for this social activity.

Stay safe everyone,

Bob

Event Listing   

March Membership Meeting @ Flat Duck Event Venue (7742 Three Notch Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736) – March 1, 2022 7pm             https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4718786

Volunteering at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank – March 10, 2022 1-4pm  https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4672133

Happy Hour Social & Fellowship @ Stevarinos Italian Eatery and Pub (325 Cherokee Blvd, https://stevarinos.com/) – March 10, 2022 4:30pm  - ?             https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4711441

Chamonix/Lyon/Paris Skiing & Touring Trip- March 5-18, 2022 - cancelled

April Membership Meeting and Election of Officers @ TBD – April 5, 2022

Crescent Ski Council Spring Conference @ Myrtle Beach, Kingston Plantation – April 21-24, 2022   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4670718

May Membership Meeting @ TBD – May 3, 2022

Virginia Creeper Bike Ride – May 5-7, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3168543

June Membership Meeting @ TBD – June 7, 2022

Lake Party (& July Membership meeting) @ TBD – TBD (Saturday in July)

August Membership Meeting @ TBD – August 2, 2022

Hiwassee Raft Trip @ Webb Brothers Float Service  – August 7,2022 noon – 6pm             https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3933037

SUP / Kayak Party Trail @ TBD – TBD (Sunday in August)

September Membership Meeting @ TBD – September 6, 2022

Bourbon Trail @ TBD - TBD

October Membership Meeting @ TBD – October 4, 2022

Len Foote Hike – October 21-22, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3235020

Crescent Ski Council Fall Convention @ Gatlinburg, Glenstone Lodge – October 28-30, 2022  

November Membership Meeting @ TBD – November 1, 2022

Christmas Party (& December Membership meeting) @ TBD – TBD

Well, the trip is in the books, and what an adventure it turned out to be.  There were so many noteworthy stories that I hope I don’t leave anything out.

We started the trip a day early with nearly 40% of the trip checking into the Drury Inn (Atlanta airport).  A festive evening with the Drury’s evening buffet and complimentary drinks was just the thing to get the trip started off right.  Jerry and Becca Hicks provided plenty of levity and conversation while Bill Coolidge unwittingly provided the evening entertainment.  A check-list which included “bathing suit” was provided to everyone, but this became a game of scavenger hunt for Bill.  Bill gave us a play-by-play of the streets of Atlanta as he frantically searched for something not commonly stocked in February.  The following morning we had a brisk Drury breakfast and departed for Denver.  That evening’s wine and cheese welcoming party was very nice and everyone had a good time.               

Alas, altitude sickness struck the Cleeks, so our first planned ski day we were a no-show. So far as I know, we were the only ones affected.  This was practically the only time it snowed while skiing.  During the week we had fantastic blue skies, excellent snow coverage and great skiing with fantastic friends.  The injury bug struck early and often, but I’m happy to report that Suzanne Grueser had a crutch-free trip.  Doug Werth proved his knee replacement was a success, but added his shoulder to a future list.  Bill Coolidge and Gene Shokes also suffered some rib injuries and provided a bit of controversy for the Board of Directors to iron out at a future meeting.  As it stands right now, helping injured ski clubbers to get in and out of their pants is NOT on the list of trip leader responsibilities.  Tradition has it that this falls to the injured party’s roommate.  What goes on in Breckenridge stays in Breckenridge.     

Scott and Penny Kramer provided some quality entertainment.  Scott decided Penny was ready for a double-black and off we went to the Imperial lift - the highest chair lift in North America.  Penny, undaunted, went straight down the Imperial bowl.  Straight-lining it.  She did not attempt to make a single turn.  Furthermore, she made it clear she would run over anyone that didn’t get out of her way.  The rest of us slowly worked our way down, picking up her gear.  Kudos to Tom Hale for running her down and applying the brakes.  Not to be outdone, Kelly Braden attempted the same maneuver on the next run. 

Glen Urey and Randy Dehart were the iron men of the trip.  From what I understand they were logging close to 30 miles per day.  The only way I came close to that was to include shuttle rides and chair-lifts.  As is normal, Scott Kramer continues to be the bump-run King.

Our traditional midweek group meal was somewhat modified to something of an everyone-for-themselves at Mi Casa restaurant.  There were some variations, but the largest contingency took over the bar dining area and I thought it turned out wonderfully.  I had a great time socializing and we had a full menu to choose from, as opposed to the limited menu available to large groups.  We repeated this endeavor on Friday at the Brewery and again it worked out well for everyone to socialize.

Of our non-skiers, Janet Gill seems to have lived large.  I heard tales of snowmobiling and dog-sledding.  I even heard of an out of dog-sled experience, but I didn’t get that first-hand.  I also heard tales of shuttle-trauma where so far as I can tell the object of the game is to throw large amounts of money at the bus driver in order to go 15 miles in under 2 hours.  Janet will have to tell this tale, though.

And as is usual with a (me) trip out west, the weather has a cruel sense of humor.  I LOVE to ski while it is snowing.  But I have a history of battling blizzards to get home after a week of blinding sunshine.  This year’s version of great snow started while we were in the hot tub Friday evening and by the time we were working our way downtown to the Brewery, it was downright brutal.

But alas, a darned good week ended on a sour note as our bus showed up with not enough seats and cargo room.  I personally want to thank everyone that chipped in to load luggage and come up with the Uber solution.  I was profoundly embarrassed to find myself in that situation and have let the vendors know of our displeasure with that turn of events, but somehow with everyone pitching in we made it.  And for that I say thank you.

The ski club is presently looking for trip leaders for next year’s trips.  I just want to add that while time-consuming, I had a lot of fun.  I may have ended up with the best of the best of the best ski clubbers, but everyone was very helpful and hardly anyone caused any unnecessary misery.  I am, by nature, somewhat shy and kind of stick with my clique, but this experience had me meeting everyone on the trip and I can’t begin to say how much fun it was getting to know everyone.  I had help and advice and good vibes coming from everywhere.  Past trip leaders were helping out, and the BOD and really everyone that I asked was willing to chip in and help out.  It was an overall great experience.