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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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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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!

Keystone Resort

By Jennifer Wessner

One of Vail Resorts’ five premier ski resorts, Keystone stretches seven miles along the Snake River, over three mountains, 3,128 vertical feet, 3,148 acres of terrain, and three villages with shops, bars, restaurants and accommodations.

Located near Dillon in Summit County, Colo., Keystone boasts 125 trails and 20 lifts, including two gondolas. Offering the longest ski day in Colorado from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., it also offers the largest night skiing operation with nine trails and a designated Night Park.

Whether you prefer green beginner runs, intermediate blues perfect for gentle carving, or adrenaline-inducing double black diamonds, the resort has runs for all levels of skiers. The three mountains that form Keystone are Dercum, North Peak and The Outback. Dercum Mountain is home to the Schoolmarm Trail, a gentle groomed 3.5-mile run perfect for beginners. North Peak offers long bump runs with varying levels of difficulty. The Outback, with an elevation of 11,980, is home to the North and South bowls. Opened in 2007, the Independence Bowl offers a “backcountry-light” experience with 300 acres of expert-only hiking and snowcat skiing.

Although traditionally a family resort, Keystone has been gathering a following of snowboarders and freestyle skiers with its two award-winning terrain parks. Ranked #1 by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine and #2 by Freeskier Magazine, Keystone’s A51 Terrain Park has two half-pipes, including a superpipe, rails, barrels, boxes and big air jumps. A51 Incubator, a second beginner-friendly park, is positioned directly across from the main park, giving everyone the opportunity to indulge their inner daredevil.

There is no shortage of kids programs at this family-friendly resort. Ripperoo & Friends Adventure Zones is a dedicated children’s park on Dercum Mountain, conveniently located near the beginner area off of the Schoolmarm Trail. Named for the children’s ski school mascot, the kids’ area has runs for both the complete beginner and intermediate skier and rider. Adventure Point, a tubing run located at the top of the River Run Gondola, has five lanes for guests of all ages. The resort even has a five-acre lake that is transformed every winter into the largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor skating rink in North America.

When the slopes close, the resort has numerous other attractions to keep visitors busy. The three villages around the base of the mountain have many shops and restaurants perfect for après-ski relaxation. In the summer, Keystone offers water sports in its small lake, mountain biking and hiking on over 60 miles of trails. There are two highly ranked golf courses on the grounds of the resort. Fly-fishing, horseback riding, and whitewater rafting are available as well.

Lodging options at the resort range from traditional hotel rooms to mountain base condos. The Keystone Lodge and Spa is a Four Diamond AAA-rated hotel with a 10,000-square-foot spa. For less traditional accommodations, visitors can stay at the Ski Tip Lodge, an old 1880s stagecoach stop that now is a bed & breakfast.

Keystone Ski Resort entered the 2008-2009 season with the state-of-the-art, eight-passenger River Run Gondola. In addition to replacing the old six-passenger gondola, the new gondola was moved into River Run Village, bringing skiers and snowboards closer to the mountain.
Contact: 800-344-8878, keystone.snow.com

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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.

Tyrol Basin

By Randy Mink

Tyrol Basin, a Southern Wisconsin favorite among beginners and veteran skiers, is celebrating its 20th anniversary since reopening in 1989. Special discounts and anniversary events are planned throughout the upcoming season.

Located five miles north of Mount Horeb, Tyrol offers 16 tree-lined slopes that extend over 40 acres on the 300-foot vertical hill. Three triple chairlifts, two rope tows and a handle tow provide skiers with easy access to the slopes.

First-time skiers and snowboarders can learn to ski or board any day or night with a variety of lesson programs. Intermediates and veterans can explore the variety of steep and scenic terrain.

Of special interest to freestyle skiers and boarders are Tyrol’s terrain parks. Both the Gentle Ben Progression Park for beginners and the more advanced parks are kept exciting with frequent changes in the rails, jumps and features.

Established in 1958, Tyrol closed its doors in 1985 and remained closed for four years. A new era began when the area reopened in 1989. Over the next 20 years the resort grew with a quaint mix of old and new. The “Chalet” is a renovated barn and offers a comfortable atmosphere in the Tyrol Café and Double Diamond Bar. Tyrol added two new buildings to the base facilities in the 1990s—the ski school center and a skier services building that houses the ticketing, equipment rentals and first aid treatment.

Skiers can choose from a variety of lift ticket options for daytime or nighttime fun. Tyrol’s flexible four-hour ticket is available on the hour throughout the day.

Sunday night free rentals are a good deal for anyone that needs to rent skis or a snowboard. From Jan. 4-March 9, buy a regular-priced night lift ticket from 4-9 p.m. and get free equipment rental at no cost. Other deals include $12 lift tickets on Tuesdays from Jan. 6-March 3 and a special $12 Friday night session 7:30-11 p.m. Jan. 2-March 6.

Beginner packages ($49.95) include ticket, equipment rental with helmet and a one-hour lesson. Lessons for children in small groups (ages 4-10) are available on Saturdays and Sundays at Tyrol Basin’s Children’s Ski/Board School.

From May through October, Tyrol Basin hosts a variety of private events, from wedding receptions and family reunions to company outings. It can arrange buffet-style or sit-down dinners with a full-service bar and dance area.
Contact: 608-437-4135, tyrolbasin.com.