Austin Skiers: A club for snow sports and travel enthusiasts

Date and time: Tuesday, January 9, 2001, 7 - 9 P.M.
Program: Social Hour 7-8
Technical wear/new innovations presentation 8-9

Spring Break 2000 At Purgatory, Colorado

The holidays are over, so don't just daydream about spring. Join Austin Skiers for Spring Break powder at Durango Mountain Resort in southwestern Colorado! Be a part of the luckiest group of skiers and boarders on Purgatory Mountain the week of March 10 to 17. This dream trip includes your 5-day lift ticket, airfare and ground transport directly into the historic western town of Durango. We will après-ski and sleep in the lap of Victorian luxury in the historic downtown district's stunning Strater Hotel. At the Strater we'll experience a spectacular, award-winning restaurant, room service, nightly entertainment, and more!

From the Strater, the mountain is a short bus ride (included). And what a treasure this mountain is! Look at what you get: 40 miles of groomies and 250 acres of snowmaking, a new, recently added high-speed six-pack that will let you crank out the vertical and eat as much powder as you can. Durango's 75 trails span the gamut from the famous "front side", featuring the Dante's Divine Comedy inspired Pandemonium, Paradise, Catharsis, Demon, and Divinity runs, premier mogul mashers (Lower Hades and Styx), and the gentle Twilight chairlift area; to the "back side's" mix of great groomed cruising runs and challenging steeps (like Dead Spike, Peace, and Sally's Run). When you're really ready, try the big bumps on Elliott's, Wapiti, or Bull Run, or the glades of Paul's Park. It isn't hard to sing Durango's praises:

In fact, Ski Magazine's readers also sang their own praises, ranking Durango in the Top 20 North American resorts!

Your dream trip also includes the Total Ticket Exchange that allows you to trade a one-day lift ticket for one of seven other activities. Imagine a sleigh ride followed with dinner in a cabin in the woods or a soak and massage at Trimble Hot Springs. Imagine cross-country skiing or a snowmobile adventure into the high backcountry. Imagine striking it rich at the Sky Ute Casino or riding the Alpine SnowCoaster tubing hill with 40 tickets. Imagine riding the Durango & Silverton Railroad, a journey so spectacular that the National Geographic Traveler called it "one of the ten best rail trips in the world."

You need more?! How about kid stuff for ages 2 months to 12 years? How about the "Learn from me or learn for free" ski program? How about Snowbikes or Too Cool for School? How about the "Buzz Bus" when après-ski runs late? How about four breweries and all the food you love? How about the town trolley for getting around? Even a Ralph Lauren factory outlet?

You don't have to dream or imagine this trip. Make it real and call Peggy Foreman at 288-5747 or email her at purgatory_2k@austinskiers.org for your ticket to paradise! For membership applications or trip applications go to www.austinskiers.org or call 335-3662.

It's finally here post your trip pictures to our Web site!!!

Now you can put those great trip pictures on our Web site, or view online all of the Club's trips as they occur through this year!!! Austin Skiers is starting an Internet Photo Album! If you have trip or event photos that you would like to share with the rest of the Club (and/or world!) now you can do it! Here's how:

To submit pictures: Contact the trip leader or event leader (or the person they might designate) for instructions. They'll see that they're posted where our Webmaster can check them over, then put them out to the album. Just remember a few things:

To view pictures: Our site (http://www.austinskiers.org) now has a link titled "Photo Album". Click on this link, and you'll be able to view the current Photo Album pages. Just go in and select pictures by clicking on them. They'll expand to a larger size for more detailed viewing. We'll rotate photos into the Internet Album depending on the quantity and size of photos that we receive. We should be able to accommodate around 400 photos with our current Internet space capacity.

We're excited that we can use the vast resources of the Internet to provide our members if not the world with a good window to our trips. We're also glad that the new photo album can serve as a means to educate, entertain, and best of all, provide us with a sense of community in our ski adventures. Tell your friends so they can take a peek, and maybe we'll see some new members out of this great new feature!

Austin Skiers 2000 - 2001 Trips

Editor's Note: at press time, the Steamboat, Cortina, Jackson Hole trips were full. The other trips still have at least a few spots. Contact the trip chairs for details on any trip.

Steamboat, Colorado - January 13-20 (TSC Traditional)

This trip includes the usual great TSC parties (a welcome party and Friday night banquet/party), races, and exploration in the marvelous western-meets-Scandinavian Steamboat environment. Lodging is at the 2 br 2 ba Lodge, convenient to the mountain base lifts and the town nightlife.

Cortina, Italy - January 26 February 3 (TSC Expedition)

Don't miss this great trip to the site of the 1956 Winter Olympics! Trip includes dining in some of over 80 venues, skiing on Cortina's five mountains, access to the huge Dolomite Superski region, welcome and farewell parties a parade through town, and breakfast. Options include excursions to Venice, Rome, Florence, and special ski tours, and a dinner package option. Our Club will be staying at the beautiful 4 star Lajadira Hotel, located about 1 mile from the Town Center.

Hakuba/Tokyo, Japan January 27 February 4

Austin Skiers' first trip to the Orient is the deal of a lifetime, and will provide wonderful skiing and memorable cultural experiences for everyone! Hakuba was the site of the 1998 Olympic Downhill, Giant Slalom and freestyle events and is only 25 miles from Nagano City, offering easy access to many site-seeing and shopping opportunities. The skiing options are endless with over 26 ski resorts, many of which are just a short shuttle bus ride from our hotel. Skiers and non-skiers alike will have boundless opportunities to keep them busy during our 5 nights in Hakuba. We'll fly Northwest Airlines from Austin into Tokyo and bus to Hakuba for a 5 night stay in the 3 star Paris Garden Hotel, where you can dine in its 5 restaurants and enjoy a swim at the indoor swimming park, and the price includes breakfast and dinner daily. Our trip will continue with our early return to Tokyo on the Japan's famed 200 -mph "bullet train" for a 3 night stay in a 4 star hotel conveniently located to sites, food and shopping (sorry, no meals included). An optional post-trip, 4 night excursion to Hong Kong (February 4-9) will include one extra night in Tokyo and 4 nights at the 4 -star Hong Kong Renaissance Harbour View Hotel (breakfast is included in Hong Kong). The excursion cost is $730 and includes air, ground transportation, lodging and a 4 day tour of Hong Kong! (For more information on Japan and Hong Kong visit www.skijapanguide.com or www.hkta.org.)

Mt. Bachelor, Oregon - February 10-17 (TSC Winter Shootout)

With over 3,800 acres spread across 70 runs, Mt. Bachelor has the room. It also has the snow over 400 inches average the past 5 years (in fact, last year they had a record 573 inches!). The symmetric layout of the extinct volcano has been popular enough for World Cup Skiing and Snowboarding to hold races there. For the rest of us, after enjoying the great skiing, there's nightlife in nearby Bend and its homey brew pubs, and the TSC will hold its usual great run of events as well. We arrive in Portland, then bus past scenic Mt. Hood to the slopes. We'll be staying in 2 bedroom 2 bath condos with a loft, which will give you plenty of room to spread out. The western theme-oriented (dust off those boots!) week will have the usually great TSC fanfare with parties and racing to keep you busy, so come to the finest skiing in the American northwest to see why Bachelor is "all that" and more!

Salt Lake City, Utah - February 17-24

Salt Lake's numerous surrounding resorts always provide excellent skiing at a minimal price, and this year is no exception. At our destination, the Cottonwood Canyon resorts of Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, and the new Canyons area, there's more than enough of Utah's famed bone-dry powder to keep you busy for the entire week. Lodging will be at the Days Inn just on the shuttle route to the Cottonwood Canyon resorts and just across the street for the new light rail train to the downtown area. The Salt Lake / Jackson pretrip (see below) will join us midweek. This trip always provides us with the most skiing at the least expensive price, so get geared for this great deal!

Salt Lake / Jackson Hole Combo Trip - February 21-March 3

This unbelievable deal is actually a combination of the Salt Lake and Jackson (see below) trips. The lucky folks on this trip will arrive at Salt Lake City February 21, then ski the latter half of the week with the regular Salt Lake City trip. On February 24, when the Salt Lake trip regulars leave for Austin, we'll stay over for two extra days (Saturday Sunday, 24 th-25th) of skiing. Sunday evening, we'll take the bus up to Jackson Hole, where we'll join that trip for the week, and fly out of Jackson back to Austin! That means you get nine days of skiing for only about $150 more than the Jackson trip by itself. Nine days of skiing two great areas at a reasonable price? Now that's a vacation!

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - February 24 March 3

This is it our #1 survey choice! And why not? Our last trip to Jackson was spectacular, with over 300 inches on the ground at the time, plus over 3 feet of new powder! Experience Jackson's gut-wrenching chutes and world-famous expert terrain, or challenge yourself on the much longer than usual intermediate runs! The view of the "Hole" (or valley which Jackson overlooks) is breathtaking on a clear day! And cool your heels in the famous western-flavored Town of Jackson Hole. We'll be staying at the 49er Inn downtown, which is just minutes from the slopes, and nearby the world famous Silver Dollar Cowboy Bar (and its famous saddle -bar seats). For the adventurous, a snowmobile trip to nearby Yellowstone National Park (and Old Faithful) is a wonderful optional experience. Experience one of the best ski challenges in the West: Jackson Hole!

Purgatory, Colorado - March 10-17
(AISD Spring Break)

Heavenly/Lake Tahoe - March 17-24 (Long); March 21-25 (Short)
(TSC Final Showdown)

North America's largest single resort mountain, Heavenly's nine peaks and two valleys split the Nevada-California border and offer the best of both. Don't even think about covering Heavenly's massive 4,800 acres of 79 trails, just do your best! Experts will like the newer Mott and Killebrew Canyon areas, while intermediates can hang out at the Sky Express, Dipper, or North Bowl areas (even try your first bowl skiing at the forgiving Milky Way Bowl). Novices aren't forgotten with Powderbowl Run and the more challenging Maggie's. And, bring the cameras for those heart-stopping, azure Lake Tahoe views. After toasting the day at one of Heavenly's three base lodges, go into Nevada's South Lake Tahoe for the casinos and Vegas-style buffets. The long trip will stay in 2/2 Forest Inn condos; short trippers will stay at the Horizon Casino, where the action never stops. Being a TSC trip, count on the usual great mix of races, parties, and special events. But wait, there's more! We're throwing in options to take the scenic Tahoe Queen boat ride to Squaw Valley, and a day trip to one of the other magnificent Tahoe resorts! Our last trip of the season is geared to be among our best, so don't miss out! Go for it all at Heavenly!

Keystone Wins 1st Place!!

You could say "1st place" was the them of Austin Skiers' week at Keystone. It "won" being the "1st" Austin Skiers' trip destination for this year. During the week, we also won the draw to ski 1st in the races, and, of course, we won 1st place in those races for Division I! Finally, after visiting Keystone, it won first place in our participants' hearts. Our initial trip of 24 grew into 33 people who chose skiing over Thanksgiving at Keystone, which did not disappoint. We had the best early winter in years with an 18" base, and 60 slopes were open at Keystone's sister resort, Vail, which we also skied. A late breaking decision by the TSC and the Keystone resort switched all of the 200-plus participants to the upscale Keystone Village. Several of our long timers remarked that these were the best accommodations they had ever experienced.

Our resident 12-year-old, Alex Roberts , was ecstatic as he got off the bus and played in snow for the first time in his life. He took awesome snow boarding lessons and ended up with one of the Never Ever pins the TSC handed out to first timers. His grandparents, Charlene and Jere St Pierre , noted that all Alex's boarding allowed him to sleep well on the couch. Tom Remaley and grandpa taught him how to start a fire to make the condo toasty each night (or was that for toasting marshmallows?). Another never-ever, Theo Winkelmann, had no trouble making friends with female snow boarder beginners, probably because of his South African accent. Rose Taylor also made good use of ski lessons and managed to continue the Colorado mining tradition when she lost her skis in a snow bank and had to dig them out.

Everyone found a way to celebrate Thanksgiving. Dale Young and Gabe Ayson drove to Keystone ahead of the group, met up with our race director Lou Horwitz, and checked out the surrounding resorts before we arrived. Their condo hosted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in lieu of the resort's banquet, with Janice Kaczmarek as acting hostess. They were joined by Carolyn and Jack Hall, Carol Jens and Carey Christian, and past ski club member (and now Keystone local) Jim Patterson. Becca and Ray Bryant chose to have a romantic five-course dinner at the Ski Tip lodge on Thanksgiving evening and instead of racing Friday, they spent the day looking at condominium properties. Otis Sikes drove into Denver to eat home cooking with his sister's family. Seventeen of the group opted for the bountiful ($23) resort banquet, which was surprisingly good for mass produced food, complete with two types of turkey, potatoes, and dessert. Unfortunately, on Thanksgiving Day, our first injury of the trip occurred when Caroline Cooper fell, dislocated and fractured her shoulder, and sprained her knee. As one of 75 injuries at the clinic that day with only one doctor, is it any wonder it took over seven hours for her to get back to the condo? Her husband, Clive Frost, remained by her side once he found out where she was. The resort boxed up their dinners and they were able to eat heartily when they got home around 9:30 p.m. They were still able to host our mid-week gathering in their condo, by far the largest of the group- lots of snacks, spirits and stories to go around.

Friday morning found many eager to run the race course. There were delays, since members of one group, then the pacesetters, and finally a few TSC members ran ahead of us. Before the race even started a second injury had already occurred. And, because of the half-hour delayed start, Doina and Dorel Toma missed the races while they were off elsewhere, um, "taking care of business". But, their camera was in capable hands at the bottom of the racecourse and many pictures were taken (and given away).

Cherilyn Hack, the trip leader, had the best time of all, even sleeping on the couch! Rooming with three young men (considered a trip leader perk), she kept busy going to the clinic and assisting with the injured participants. Cherilyn's condo mate, Nigel Leifeste, sustained a broken collarbone while jumping around on the icy slopes. Ask him to tell you the story about the bunny he swerved to miss, sure to be a hit with the ladies! It was hilarious trying to assist him in buttoning his pants (several times), not easy when you're laughing! Yet, the injury didn't slow him down, as he still joined the mountain picnic and apres ski events that day - and managed to hit the bars each night with condo mates Kevin Mazurkiewicz (a fantastic breakfast cook) and Javier Lopez-Huerta (a visiting student from Spain). Ask me about having to explain the $15 extra person charge in case one of these lads would need it (read between the lines!).

Race day came and interesting stories followed along with them. Russ Prickett practiced 16 times on the racecourse during the free clinic on Thursday without starting gates and marked exits. Alas, during the actual race, he followed the previous skier through the wrong exit and did not get to count his time. But Rainer Vanoni, racing with Russ, got a second chance and won a bronze in club races and a silver in individuals! He'll show you his medals if you ask him. Sharmin Finn doesn't even ski, but she got a lot of exercise snowshoeing around the Keystone resort, especially while hiking up to the racing fence so she could take pictures of the skiers. Her son, Mike Polansky , was actually the first Austin Skier down the race course, his first time ever racing. We took six medals in the club races, and six more medals in the individual races. Our handicap of 1.7 allowed us to take first place, even though another club beat us with actual points.

There were nine people new to the Austin Skiers on this trip. One of them, Michael Hillmann, joined to see if group trips were fun. He thinks his wife might even like it, although she doesn't ski. Also, new member Dan Heinzen was the lucky winner of a pair of 200 cm Salomon skis. Anyone interested? They're too long for him. Other new members Gary Tapperson and Alan Serotta took the trip in stride. They said they enjoyed it and plan on future trips with the ski club. I warned them, not all trip leaders are like me!

FROM the TOP - NOTES from the PRESIDENT

A new year. A fresh start. 2001 is here, and I hope that it is a great year for you. I know that I am looking forward to a year full of wonderful friends and wonderful experiences. I've really enjoyed serving as your president thanks for the opportunity. One of the things that I enjoy about this job is serving as a delegate to the Texas Ski Council. I'm sure that you've heard the TSC mentioned (especially those of you participating on TSC trips), but how much do you really know about it?

The TSC is much more that just a group that coordinates races. Founded nearly 30 years ago, there are 17 clubs that make up the Council, from Lubbock to Corpus Christi, and from Midland to Dallas - we really reach all areas of this great state. Each club is unique and specially contributes to the TSC. We get to see each other several times a year. In addition to the TSC ski trips, Austin Skiers sends delegates to the quarterly delegates meetings. At three of these meetings we discuss how the current trips are going and what plans there are for next year's trips. But one of the meetings is special; the TSC Bid meeting is held in San Antonio each April, and we always have a big turnout from the Austin club.

The bid meeting is a heck of a party. It lasts for two whole days (and nights), and there's lots of food, drink, dancing, and friendship. Oh yes, we also elect officers for the coming year and make the final choice for the upcoming year's TSC trips. Ski resorts from all over the country and the world come to San Antonio to convince us that their resort is the best choice for a big Texan party. If you've never been, I highly recommend it. I'll have more details in a future article, but plan to be in San Antonio April 6-8, 2001.

So what else does the TSC do? It is our representative to the National Ski Council Federation. This group, which was formed just a few years ago, gives ski clubs and ski councils from all over the nation a voice that is heard by the ski resorts and travel companies. With 23 councils representing over one third of a million skiers, the NSCF is the largest organization in the world promoting skier and snowboarder agendas. For more information on the NCSF you can visit their web page at http://www.skifederation.org. Be sure to check out the offer for a discount subscription to Ski or Skiing magazines.

Another of the Council's big jobs is promotion of skiing and of the member clubs. James Mershon is the VP of Marketing for the TSC, and he's been doing a great job this year. One of the results of his hard work is a marketing newsletter that comes out every two months. This informative piece can be found on the web at http://www.texas-ski.org/marketing/cornermarket.htm. Give it a visit and check out what is going on with TSC marketing.

One of the notes in the latest TSC newsletter mentions a new sponsor that has stepped up to support the Council. Kinko's has joined such other notable businesses as Salomon Skis, Gambrinus Company (distributors of Moosehead Beer), Sun & Ski Sports, Subaru, and Office Depot to provide goods and services to the TSC. Without our sponsors, the Council would not be able to accomplish all of the goals it sets each year. Look for their logos on p. 9 in this newsletter, and support them when you can.

Activities in January

January HAPPY HOUR
Antonio's
(SW Corner of IH-35 and 183)

Activities in February

February HAPPY HOUR
Romeo's on Barton Springs Rd.

Trip Planning Committee Needs YOU!!!

The first meeting of our Trip Planning Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23, and nominations for committee members are currently being accepted. If you would like to volunteer to help the club choose the destinations for next season please contact Doug Jordan at djordan@austin.rr.com, or 671-8487.

From the Editor...

Well, it's here. The real new millennium (ok, ok, don't look at me like that!). 2001. Images of Jupiter and beyond, homicidal computers named HAL (although HAL's fiction, many of us know that he's alive and menacing in our PC's!), and an unbounded future. And with the future comes the time-honored tradition of New Year's resolutions. Well, how could I resist, new millennium (okay, last time!) and all. Therefore, being of sound mind and (deteriorating) body, I hereby resolve, when on a ski trip, to:

So, what about you? While you're thinking, think also about our Web picture album ready to go (see p.2)! While not of "2001 Space Odyssey" proportions, this slice of futurama is a welcome arrival (a big thanks to Cliff Hoagland for all his hard work!). We hope you'll like it. Meantime, a very Happy New Year to you, yours, and of course, your resolutions!

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

*For information on the next Club meeting, call 335-3662 or e-mail us at skimail@austinskiers.org

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Issue 01:01 January 2001
Texas Ski Council Member

Contents

January Meeting

Spring Break 2000 At Purgatory, Colorado

It's finally here post your trip pictures to our Web site!!!

Austin Skiers 2000 - 2001 Trips

Steamboat, Colorado - January 13-20 (TSC Traditional)

Cortina, Italy - January 26 February 3 (TSC Expedition)

Hakuba/Tokyo, Japan January 27 February 4

Mt. Bachelor, Oregon - February 10-17 (TSC Winter Shootout)

Salt Lake City, Utah - February 17-24

Salt Lake / Jackson Hole Combo Trip - February 21-March 3

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - February 24 March 3

Purgatory, Colorado - March 10-17
(AISD Spring Break)

Heavenly/Lake Tahoe - March 17-24 (Long); March 21-25 (Short)
(TSC Final Showdown)

Keystone Wins 1st Place!!

FROM the TOP - NOTES from the PRESIDENT

Activities in January

January HAPPY HOUR
Antonio's
(SW Corner of IH-35 and 183)

Activities in February

February HAPPY HOUR
Romeo's on Barton Springs Rd.

Trip Planning Committee Needs YOU!!!

From the Editor...

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Issue 01:01 January 2001 Texas Ski Council Member

Contents

It's finally here ­ post your trip pictures to our Web site!!!

Steamboat, Colorado - January 13-20 (TSC Traditional)

Cortina, Italy - January 26 ­ February 3 (TSC Expedition)

Hakuba/Tokyo, Japan ­ January 27 ­ February 4

Mt. Bachelor, Oregon - February 10-17 (TSC Winter Shootout)

Salt Lake City, Utah - February 17-24

Salt Lake / Jackson Hole Combo Trip - February 21-March 3

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - February 24 ­ March 3

Purgatory, Colorado - March 10-17 (AISD Spring Break)

Heavenly/Lake Tahoe - March 17-24 (Long); March 21-25 (Short) (TSC Final Showdown)

Keystone Wins 1st Place!!

January HAPPY HOUR Antonio's (SW Corner of IH-35 and 183)

February HAPPY HOUR Romeo's on Barton Springs Rd.

Trip Planning Committee Needs YOU!!!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Issue 01:01 January 2001
Texas Ski Council Member

It's finally here post your trip pictures to our Web site!!!

Cortina, Italy - January 26 February 3 (TSC Expedition)

Hakuba/Tokyo, Japan January 27 February 4

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - February 24 March 3

Purgatory, Colorado - March 10-17
(AISD Spring Break)

Heavenly/Lake Tahoe - March 17-24 (Long); March 21-25 (Short)
(TSC Final Showdown)

January HAPPY HOUR
Antonio's
(SW Corner of IH-35 and 183)

February HAPPY HOUR
Romeo's on Barton Springs Rd.