Austin Skiers’ roots go all the way back to early 1970 when Joe Colbert, Fred Hansen, and Roger Beasley (yes, that Roger Beasley) and several others founded the Club to bring together area skiers for economical group trips and to provide a social setting for skiing enthusiasts. In fact, over 300 people attended the first group meeting, and 200 of them joined the Club when it was incorporated at the meeting in February, 1970. In April, 1970, 50 members took Austin’s first trip to Vail, Colorado. The new adventure was beginning!
From those early days, the Club has continued to exist as a non-profit organization. Volunteers run the Club, plan the trips, and spend significant time to bring you the best ski/winter trips your money can buy. We've skied on five continents, at dozens of the world’s most famous and fabulous resorts and less expensively than normal! Ever wanted to ski Austria? Italy? France? New Zealand? Japan? South America? We've been there. How about closer to home: Snowmass, Whistler, Tahoe, Aspen, Lake Louise, Sun Valley, Breckenridge, Snowbird, Jackson Hole, on and on; if you want to go there, chances are we do too! The benefit of skiing with Austin Skiers is that you don't need to worry about the planning, transportation or lodging, these details are handled for you. You also have the opportunity get to know a new group of friends many of which who will ski at your level - novice to expert skiers travel with our club.
Trips
Destinations
Austin Skiers organizes 7 to 8 trips each year, usually beginning in early January and running through late March or early April. Sometimes, we take trips during our summer to ski the Southern Hemisphere (where it’s winter there!) in South America or New Zealand, and more. Or, we may offer a non-skiing summer trip to tour a popular international destination. When choosing potential resorts, we try to include a variety of terrain, night life, optional activities and local flavor. We also listen to our members at meetings and emails to find out where they would like to go. In addition, we send a representative to an annual Texas Ski Council convention of ski clubs where they meet with resort representatives and other ski industry suppliers to find the best deals around the world.
Pricing
Trips include air, ground transportation, and lodging in the Full trip price. Ground Only prices exclude the cost of the air so you can buy your own air or drive. Lift tickets are normally priced separately since some people don't want to ski, they just love coming with us, especially on international trips. The trip descriptions on the website show the 5-day lift ticket price as an example. Most trips offer lift tickets for more and fewer ski days. Many resorts have lower prices for seniors. The Trip Chair will have all the discounted lift ticket prices. We also offer special optional excursions on some trips, which include tours of famous cities or sites and special activities.
Trip duration
Trips usually run seven days. The dates will be posted on the registration.
Pre-trip and Post Trip Parties
Every trip has a pre-trip party several weeks before departure. It is a great opportunity to meet the people you will be traveling with and to find out more about what to expect on the trip. The party is usually hosted in a members home that will be on the trip. The club provides all the food and beverages and does most of the work. In some cases, the Trip Chair will organize a post trip party. With overlapping trip schedules, this can be a scheduling problem. The Trip Chair will survey the participants during the trip for the most advantageous opportunity. In some cases, an end of the week party may be scheduled. This is a great opportunity to share photos and stories about the trip. If the Trip Chair asks for volunteers to host the pre-trip or post trip party, give it a try.
Social Life on the Trip
The trips provide for a lot of social activities. There is always a welcome party on the first or second day of the trip. In addition, in some cases there is a mid-week party for the group. The Trip Chair designates an optional on-mountain lunch spot each each day, when needed. It is a great opportunity to find people to ski with in the afternoon. Often, trip chairs will suggest apres ski spots for the group. A lot of people like to gather at the hot tub at the condo or hotel after a great day of skiing and riding.
Texas Ski Council Trips
Austin Skiers is a member of the Texas Ski Council (TSC). The TSC has 14 member clubs from around the state. Some of our trips are with the TSC, which means we will be there with a lot of other Texans. The important part is that we get better prices by pooling our buying power. In addition, if you like to race or would like to try out racing, the TSC holds races during the trip. You don't have to be an expert. It is a lot of fun to try.
Rental Equipment
The Trip Chair or the assistant will check out the local rental shops and find the best group values for renting ski and snow board packages.
Social Activities
Austin Skiers members have a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Traveling with a group of interesting people that share a common interest, snow sports and travel, is fun. The trips are very social and we like to keep it going all year long with lots of social opportunities at home here in Austin with monthly meetings, Happy Hours twice each month, a summer party, a holiday party and other special parties and events.
These run year-round. They’re held in a variety of Austin locations; for example, hotels, community centers, and retail stores (wherever winter sports are being talked about!). Meetings are usually held the 2nd Tuesday of the month, from about 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and usually begin with a social hour, followed by a program relevant to skiing, boarding, or other sports or activities. These programs can be lectures, equipment demos, discussions and other neat discourses on the subject. Anyone can attend. Meeting locations are posted on the Austin Events calendar web page. The monthly newsletter will also provide the details about the upcoming meeting.
We even meet informally twice a month for a drink or two, some munchies, and great conversation at Happy Hours. We hold these all around Austin in some of its most well-known venues. While we might do or discuss business (such as signing up for trips, asking about activities, etc.), the tone is actually more social and informal. This is the best place to meet new people, as well as to find out more about the Club from some of its officers and long time members. Happy Hours are on Thursdays from about 5 to 7:00 p.m., usually in the same location for a month, then moving to another venue for the next month.
Skiing (and boarding) might be our first love, but it’s not our only love! We also plan and run numerous special activities- usually around town, and often beyond that! If you want to do something for fun, chances are that we’ve done it, will do it, or better yet, take your suggestion and run with it. Past activities have included: day trips, dinners, movie nights, scuba diving weeks (including the Caribbean!), holiday parties, bike rides, sporting events, picnics, fashion shows, camping, you name it! Our Special Activities VP serves as the coordinator for planning and administering club special activities. These are also published on the Austin Events calendar web page.
Staying in the know
There are a number of ways we get our messages out to you:
Free Emails
You are welcome to get our monthly e-Newsletter, Happy Hour announcements, meeting reminders and Special Announcements. Just sign up at the Free Emails page.
Web site/Facebook
Well, you know about that, because you’re on it now! Our Web site contains a potpourri of activities, trip information, meetings, photo galleries and trip updates. The site is updated as needed (usually every few days). The address is: http://www.austinskiers.org You are also welcome to "like" our Austin Skiers & Boarders Facebook page at facebook.com/austinskiersboarders.
Local Publication Ads
Check out local sports shops for our information. Other local periodicals also post our activities. Come to a Happy Hour, meet folks and get the latest news!
Personal Touch
Nothing beats talking to someone in person. Austin Skiers' Executive board members frequently attend club trips, meetings, activities and Happy Hours. Look for their gold name badges, or ask someone to point them out to you. If you have a question or concern, talk to them. They’ll be glad to help you!
Becoming A Member
Interested in joining? We hope so! It’s not expensive or hard to do. Membership is $40 for an individual member or $55 for family membership (immediate family, spouse or significant other and children, college age or younger). Membership is renewed each June1 marking the beginning of the traditional ski year. Remember, only paid members can participate in our trips! To register as a member, go to Join Us You can pay for your membership by credit card.
Feedback
We welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions. You can pass these along at any meeting, Happy Hour or activity. Or, you can contact one of our Officers/ Director to communicate directly with him or her. Their emails are on the Contact page. We’d love to hear from you and we hope that you’ll consider making Austin Skiers a part of your lifestyle!