October Midwest Skier Magazine Digital Page Flip Available

Midwest Skier magazine is a bi-annual publication for ski & snowboard clubs, their members and active outdoor winter sport enthusiasts.  Each edition includes destination profiles on top ski destinations worldwide, ski club profiles and news and updates from the Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council.  View our latest edition below!

Features

West: Steamboat Springs

International: Grindelwald

Midwest: Wilmot Mountain
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Departments
President’s Message
Editor’s Letter
New & Noteworthy in the West
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Club Profiles
Oak Park Ski Club
American Blind Skiing Foundation
Skunk Hollow Ski and Snowboard Club
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New & Noteworthy in the West

California
North Star Resort in Truckee will host the Nordic SuperTour event, a premier cross-country race series, on March 18. This spectator-friendly race is open to all ages and will begin and end in the Village of North Star, convenient to the resort’s 35 unique shops and restaurants and the 9,000- square foot ice skating rink. Making a scorching debut this winter is All Fired Up! pottery-making studio, one of many quaint village shops. Visitors enjoy the resort’s 93 ski trails and award-winning alpine terrain, perfect for snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and tubing. (800-466-6784, northstarattahoe.com)

Squaw Valley USA now has improved lighting on Rivera Terrain Park and half-pipe so that winter sports enthusiasts can extend chilly fun until 9 p.m. on weekends…..

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Tired of Hitting the Slopes Alone?

By Keith L. Fanta, President, Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council

Years ago I found myself in a unique situation where I loved to ski, but none of my friends were skiers. I managed to get out to the slopes, but being alone I knew I was missing something. Skiing isn’t a team sport, but I could see that it had an important social aspect. Then I discovered my first ski club (in the days before boarding became popular, they were known only as ski clubs).

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Come On In, The Water’s Fine

By Rick Heinz, Editor, Midwest Skier Magazine
While representing my club at ski and snowboard shows, I’d frequently be asked by other people in their 20s, “What ages are your club members?” The truth they’re trying to dig up is that the majority of members are baby boomers. It is true for just about all the clubs, but it is not a reason to shy away.

Ski and snowboard clubs might not appear to be the idyllic social outlets for us millenials, but if you’re passionate about the sports, it is really the best way to enjoy them aside from moving out West. Clubs do all the hard work for you by getting lift tickets, plane tickets, lodging and ground transportation. They also save you money by taking advantage of group rates. Since clubs aren’t around to make a profit, the savings are passed down to the members.

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Skunk Hollow Ski and Snowboard Club

Travel with us as we visit Park City, Heavenly, Telluride and Vail this winter! As a warm-up we will also spend a short weekend at local favorites Cascade and Devil’s Head. Skunk Hollow Ski and Snowboard Club has organized trips and other activities for adventure-seeking men and women over 21 years of age for over 50 years. With membership hovering around 100, we are large enough to offer reasonably priced trips while small enough to allow each member an influential voice in where we go and what we do.

Membership spans all of Chicagoland as well as several other states. All ability levels are represented, so there is always somebody to share the slopes with. Between winter trips and during the summer months, our club remains social with parties, campouts, downtown excursions, dinners and concerts. Social events are largely influenced by our members’ input, so we have done and can do just about anything. Find out more by attending a meeting. We meet the second Thursday of each month at 8 p.m. at Boston Blackies in Arlington Heights.

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Oak Park Ski Club

The club, of course, pursues skiing, racing and snowboarding, but during the year sponsors many outdoor and indoor events. We’ve done excursions to Ravinia, ice cream socials in Park Ridge, scenic bicycle tours along Chicago’s lakefront and through various suburbs, and we target a “Bar of the Month” each month.

No description of activities would be complete without mention of the club’s proud asset in Michigan: its own year-round lodge, located in the Boyne Mountain ski and vacation area. Members and their families and friends who use the lodge are treated to a modern, fully-equipped kitchen and accommodations for 42 guests. This past year we skied Big Sky, Montana; Boyne Mountain, Michigan, and Nubs Nob, Michigan. This winter we’re headed for Vail, Lake Tahoe, and Midwestern destinations including our Lodge. Meetings are the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 8 p.m. at Champp’s Restaurant & Bar, 955 E. Golf Road in Schaumburg. Minimum age is 21 and the annual dues are $35.

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American Blind Skiing Foundation

The American Blind Skiing Foundation is an all-volunteer 501-C-3 charitable organization for blind or visually impaired skiers, their families, friends and volunteers. It was established in 1971 to provide services for the benefit of legally blind persons including skiing, ski education and other recreational activities. These services are intended to promote the wellness, self-confidence and independence of the members. Ski outings are held every week during January and February. For 2011 we’ll have six day trips to Wilmot or Alpine Valley, two weekends at Devil’s Head and a trip to Breckenridge, CO in March. In the summer we go on a canoe trip, have a guide appreciation cruise on Lake Michigan and do a season kick-off pizza party. Board meetings are the third Monday of each month by conference call.

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Steamboat Springs

By Vanessa Day

Nestled in Routt National Park in the northwest region of Colorado, Steamboat Springs is a classic ski town that has stayed true to its cultural roots. Humble beginnings as a ranching town have helped Steamboat maintain a small-town feel, while the state-of-the-art ski resort honors the town’s long history with the sport.

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Wilmot Mountain

By Vanessa Day

Located only an hour away from Chicago, Wisconsin’s Wilmot Mountain has been a much-frequented Midwest ski destination since its humble beginnings in 1938. As Wilmot Mountain grew in popularity, so did its reign as a successful ski resort, especially when it became one of the first to introduce “snowmaking.” Today, Wilmot is lovingly called the “Matterhorn of the Midwest” and hosts thousands of avid skiers and snowboarders looking to enjoy an entertaining day on the slopes.

Of course a lot has changed since the early days of skiing – still it’s easy to forget just how popular the sport was back then. If you’ve seen the Alfred Hitchcock film The Lady Vanishes which involves a trip to a European ski resort – the slopes are literally covered in skiiers. Now Wilmot is just as popular, though you’re unlikely to find it too crowded.

Ski technology has, of course, changed immensely since 1938, the other big difference is the improvement in Après-ski – in the old days skiiers probably went home for a hot cocoa and might listen to the phonograph and read a bit of Emerson before bed, while now it’s more likely to be a night on the town, or at least playing partypoker, checking facebook and watching DVDs. Wilmot still offers good skiing, however the night life has changed.

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Grindelwald, Switzerland

By Angela Verrier

No doubt we’ve unknowingly laid eyes on the snowcovered, glistening peaks that surround this quaint Swiss treasure as it has been used as a backdrop for many scenes in the wildly famous Harry Potter films. The village of Grindelwald, nestled in the Bernese Alps of pristine Switzerland, boasts a plethora of stunning mountainscapes and outdoor activities. The natural landscape provides the ultimate setting for winter sports and has become an international, year-round playground for those seeking both excitement and serenity.

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