Ibex Ski and Snowboard Club

With Skiing and Snowboarding being seasonal recreational activities, one can’t help but wonder how these athletes occupy their time during the “off-season”.

The ski clubs of the Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council manage to keep themselves busy by participating in a number of outdoor sports and recreational activities, all year long.
From biking to kayaking and whitewater rafting, these adrenaline junkies explore the outdoors in the most extreme ways, in order to keep them primed and ready for the next ski season to arrive. To learn more about each clubs individual activities visit Summer Activities.

Glasder "Mid-flight"

Being one of the Norge Ski Club younger members only serves to make Mike Glasder’s career that much more impressive. The 21-year old ski jump champion can already include being medaled at the Junior Olympics to his impressive skiing resume.

After graduating high school, Glasder moved out of state and began practicing two times a day five to six days a week, readying himself for a stellar jumping career. A member of the Norge Ski Club of Fox River grove, IL since the age of five, Glaser has consistently displayed the iron-will and dedication necessary to becoming a world champion. To read more about Mike Glaser’s career visit: Jump Start

Four Members of the DSC post race

Northwest Indiana’s Duneland Ski Club sent racers this year to the NASTAR National Championships for the third year in a row. The DSC has a long standing reputation for excellence, as demonstrated by its being consistently ranked in the top 10% of all club teams at NASTAR for the past five years.

The Duneland Ski Club’s unique outlook on racing as only one aspect of being a successful competitor,  has largely contributed to the club’s continued success and ensures that all of its 100 members, 73 of which have raced in NASTAR National Championships  in the last five years, never forget that at the heart of every victory, lies a love of the sport. To read more about the Duneland Ski Club’s latest race results, visit DSC Races.

Breckenridge Resort

Breckenridge, Colorado has a long-standing reputation as being one of the top U.S. ski locales, mainly due to its sheer size and variety of challenging slopes.
The Breckenridge Resort sits in a valley of the Ten Mile Range of the Rocky Mountains, surrounded on all sides by the deceptively serene majesty of America’s largest mountain range.
Hidden behind the pine-scented splendor of the tree line of the basin is a veritable wonderland of formidable slopes for every level of downhill expertise. In addition to its legendary ski offering, Breckenridge also boasts a bustling nightlife and shopping scene in its downtown area. The Breckenridge Resort offers visitors access to all of this multi-faceted area’s many offerings. To learn more about the Breckenridge Resort visit Breckenridge Resort.

Chestnut Mountain Lodge

Located in northwestern Illinois, Chestnut Mountain Resort is the midwest’s prime skiing destination. Chestnut Mountain Resort offers visitors an expansive 120+ room lodge, an array of challenging runs and full equipment rental services, all set against the picturesque backdrop of the Midwest.

The resort sits just outside the quaint town of Galena, whose cobblestone streets are reminiscent of the early 1900’s that marked the birth of downhill skiing. Galena offers an array of apres-skiing indulgences, from local wineries and an assortment of enchanting eateries, to a surprising amount of sophisticated art galleries and antique shops.

To learn more about this singular resort visit Chestnut Mountain

The Bad Gastein Valley

The Austrian Alps have long been considered an equally challenging and dignified destination for skiers around the globe. Along with Switzerland, France, Italy and the Spanish Pyrenees, the resorts on the Austrian Alps have consistently ranked on various top ten European ski destination lists.
Nestled in the ancient forests that edge the mountainsides are a vast array of quaint, secluded villages and resort-towns. One of the most luxurious of these is Bad Gastein. Once considered a premier destination for spa-goers, the Bad Gastein Valley has made a name for itself as a skier’s paradise, in the last half-century. To read more about the Bad Gastein valley, visit: Bad Gastein

Champion John Erickson and his guide, Jim Gorman

Founded in 1971, the American Blind Skiing Foundation is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to providing physical and psychological therapy to the visually impaired through their skiing program. Working with skiers of all ages and levels of expertise, the ABSF’s mission is to provide visually impaired skiers with an extra boost of self-confidence by engaging in a challenging and adventurous sport that those with full sight may not even attempt.
Proficient VI skiers can also choose to participate in Ski Competitions through the ABSF.
This year, defending champion downhill racer John Erickson retained his title by bringing home the gold from the NASTAR National Ski Racing Championship in Winter Park, CO.
To read more about Erickson’s victory, visit: Blind Skier Wins Gold