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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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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Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine

April Lenoir takes us on a review of the Banff ski area including Lake Louise Ski area. Mt. Norquay is the pioneer resort of Banff National Park and Sunshine Village is Canada’s highest elevated ski resort. Learn more about these resorts and the ski opportunities they provide.

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CMSC Europe Trip to Target Sölden in Austria’s Tyrolean Alps

By Bill Gleason

Located approximately half way between Innsbruck and St. Anton, high in the mountains of the Ötztal Valley, the longest side valley off the main Inn Valley, you will find Sölden. Highly favored by the Europeans, but largely unknown by Americans, Sölden is Austria’s largest developed area of glacier skiing.

With reliable snow cover, two glaciers, three peaks above 10,000 feet and 60% snowmaking, good skiing is guaranteed. It is a big resort with a vertical drop of over 6,000 feet. You’ll find an extensive network of slopes for the adventuresome intermediate, plus numerous slopes for the beginner and expert (not the same slopes). Also, we intend to ski one day at the neighboring ski resort of Obergurgl/Hochgurgl just up the valley.

There are numerous mountain huts for lunches and breaks for morning coffee and afternoon tea, all in magnificent settings.
For the non-skier, or those who wish to take some days off from skiing for sightseeing, Innsbruck is a short transfer and train ride away. Options for these side trips include a visit to the old mountaineering village of Vent or hot thermal spa at Langenfeld.

Sölden is also famous for its après ski parties and nightlife. However, this is just one of the many reasons to go on CMSC’s European Trip this year. Here are a few more reasons:
1. Two ski resorts, Sölden and Obergurgl/Hochgurgl in one ski trip.
2. High elevation and 60% of slopes with snowmaking equipment guarantee snow.
3. The “Big 3.”. (You’ll have to go to know!)
4. The “Big 3 Rallye.” (Ditto!)
5. The mountain huts.
6. The après ski.
7. The nightlife. (If you can handle it!)
8. Night skiing. (Ditto!)
9. The Rodelbahn. (What’s a Rodel?)
10. Most people have never heard of Sölden and nobody you know has ever been there!

Crested Butte

By Randy Mink

Crested Butte Mountain Resort is moving forward with improvement projects for the 2008-2009 winter season after experiencing its snowiest winter on record last season, with a total of 421 inches of snow and an unprecedented 100-inch base on closing day. New this winter are increased airline service and facility upgrades.

American Airlines will add direct service from Chicago to complement its current Dallas daily service, and United will expand service with three flights daily from Denver, connecting to hundreds of flights worldwide.

After months of research and development, Crested Butte has a new brand positioning expressed in the tagline “Inspire your Passion.” The promise of “inspiring your passion for adventure” and its implications will be seen resort-wide. Beginning with a new marketing and advertising campaign, the brand will also be reflected in various areas of the resort, from signage to employee uniforms.

The kids ski school will see the greatest physical transformation. The new Kids Base Camp program will engage kids through exploration and adventure on and off the mountain. From a new entrance to remodeled kid-friendly bathrooms and play areas, the space will be completely revamped.

The Treasury Center building in the base area will be redesigned to improve a number of guest services. The Crested Butte Ski and Snowboard Rental Shop will be moved to a slope-side location. The rental shop and a new retail store will include top-of-the line rental skis and snowboards.

The rental shop’s former location will be transformed into a “Pizza Zone.” Fresh, pizza, beverages and snacks will be available in the lower level of the Treasury Center to eat on the run or to sit and enjoy. The Outpost building in the base area will be redesigned and opened as a day lodge.

Also new this winter will be a central ski valet and overnight ski, snowboard and boot valet service. The service is free to all hotel guests and to others for a nightly fee and will feature ski-in ski-out access. The ski valet service pampers hotel guests from lobby check-in to hotel check-out with seamless handling of ski and snowboard equipment.

The Lodge at Mountaineer Square, Elevation Hotel & Spa and the Grand Lodge were recently accepted into the prestigious Preferred Hotels group. Elevation Hotel will complete a $25-million remodel that will include all 260 luxury rooms, the spa and fitness center and new Atmosphere Restaurant & Bar.

Snow Igloos, Crested Butte’s fun addition to the mountain experience, will sprout up around the resort for après-ski cocktails and adventure play areas for the kids. The solid snow structures will be at Kids Base Camp and mid-mountain outside the Ice Bar Restaurant.
On-mountain improvements will include expanded terrain off the Headwall lift into the Teocalli bowl area in what is known as Teo-2 and Teo-2.5, adding expert terrain to the mix. Crested Butte’s commitment to providing world-class terrain park and pipe facilities continues with new features in the DC Terrain Park and the addition of a new intermediate terrain park.
Contact: (800) 810-7669; skicb.com.

Whiteface Mountain

By Jennifer Wessner

Whiteface Mountain is located in the Adirondack Mountains, nine miles from Lake Placid, N.Y. Host of the 1932 Olympic cross country ski events and the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, it has retained its large Olympic Complex and ski facilities. Whiteface also boasts the distinction of having the largest vertical drop (3,430 feet) in the Eastern United States.

With over 300 skiable acres, 80 runs and an elevation of 4,650 feet, Whiteface offers a first-class ski experience. The mountain has a good mixture of trails with 37 percent advanced, 43 percent intermediate and 20 percent beginner. The longest trail, Excelsior, is a three-and-a-half mile intermediate run. The Slides are billed as the only true double-black diamond area in the East and provide 35 acres of backcountry to explore. Eleven ski lifts, including a high-speed eight-passenger gondola, connect skiers and riders to the slopes.

Whiteface Mountain has non-traditional skiing experiences for the adrenaline junkie. The NASTAR race course at Whiteface is ranked 10th nationally and No. 1 in the East. Visitors of all ages and abilities are allowed access to the course for a minimal fee. The mountain has five terrain parks, including a kid’s park on the Bronze run. The main terrain park is 79 Railpark. The site of the 2007 World Cup Snowboard Competition, it has multiple lines, its own sound system, and a 450-foot, Zaugg-cut superpipe. The park also has its own rail line.

Families can take advantage of Whiteface’s many children’s programs. Kids Kampus Lodge at Easy Acres is a self-contained area featuring a rental shop, ski school, restaurant, nursery, triple chair and beginner terrain. The Play-n-Ski program (ages four to six) and Junior Adventure (ages seven to 12) are available every day. Whiteface Teen Experience is available during weekends and holidays.

A big draw at Whiteface is the 1980 Olympic Sports Complex. Visitors can take a ride on a bobsled with a professional driver and brakeman. The complex has 31 miles of trails for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. It has two skating rinks, including an outdoor speed-skating oval and a biathlon range.

This past season, Whiteface introduced Lookout Mountain, an area of the mountain that has not been in use since a previous resort closed in the 1950s. Whiteface redeveloped this land and added four runs and approximately four miles to its existing resort. The new runs are in the intermediate to expert range.

Visitors to Whiteface can find accommodations in Wilmington or Lake Placid. Wilmington has several family lodges, inns and motels to choose from. Lake Placid, a main hub for the area, has a bustling Main Street with many shops, restaurants, hotels and condos. Whiteface Lodge is an AAA Four-Diamond luxury resort in Lake Placid. The resort has a 94-suite hotel, spa, restaurant, movie theater and Canoe Club.
Contact: 518-946-2223, whiteface.com

New and Noteworthy: West

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming is looking forward to the completion of a two-year building project for a new aerial tram in December 2008. One of the most expensive and technically challenging aerial trams in the United States, it will carry 100 passengers (double the capacity of the original 1966 tram) in sleek cabins, launching from an unrivaled base terminal. Skiers will enjoy 360-degree views of the rugged Tetons as they are whisked up 4,139 vertical feet of the mountain in merely nine minutes. Contact: 307-733-2292, www.jacksonhole.com.

Telluride Ski Resort in the Colorado Rockies opened two new hike-to playgrounds for public access. After a ride on Prospect Lift and a short hike on Prospect Ridge, experienced skiers can enjoy the expansive Black Iron Bowl terrain that includes the Mountain Quail couloir (previously accessible as guide-only), European-style faces, open glades and steep chutes.

Shortly following the opening of Black Iron Bowl and seven other new runs this season, Telluride gained approval to open Palmyra Peak, east of Black Iron Bowl. After hiking for an hour or so past Mountain Quail, skiers can enjoy over 200 acres of terrain and almost 2,000 vertical feet on the north face of Palmyra Peak. Contact: 800-778-8581, www.tellurideskiresort.com.

Some $9 million has recently been invested at Utah’s Deer Valley Resort. Part of this investment has gone to the creation of a new high-speed detachable quad chairlift in the Empire Canyon area that brings skiers to over 200 acres of skiable terrain. This new terrain includes nine new ski runs catering to all skill levels with three expert runs, one intermediate run and five beginner runs.

Deer Valley also installed energy-efficient heating systems in its 22 chairlift terminals, bought 51 new snow guns and set up a Snow Scan Ground Penetrating Radar to help staff to more efficiently make snow and groom the slopes. The $9-million venture is part of $115 million invested in the resort since 1990. Contact: 800-424-3337, www.deervalley.com.

The 20th annual USASA Nationals will be held at Copper Mountain in Colorado April 3-12, 2009. The USASA Nationals is the largest snowboarding and freeski event in the world; almost 2,000 top regional finishers compete against the best athletes in the country in slopestyle, superpipe, boardercross, slalom and giant slalom. (The 2008 event was held last month at Copper.)

Woodward at Copper, which debuts as a first-of-its-kind winter action sports training facility in the 2008-2009 season, will offer skiers and riders cutting-edge learning opportunities, with summer camps available next year. Contact: 866-841-2481, www.coppercolorado.com or www.woodwardatcopper.com.

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