SKI CHATTER. 3/1/2012 ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS SWC, PO 228,Schenectady, NY Clubhouse Phone (802) Clubhouse Reservations Call

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1 SKI CHATTER 3/1/2012 ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS SWC, PO 228,Schenectady, NY Clubhouse Phone (802) Clubhouse Reservations Call A SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB PUBLICATION Phone numbers in the Ski Chatter are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted. WEB Site: Tuckerman Ravine March 1 st This is your chance to see and hear about the exploits of your SWC cohorts on the famous headwall of Tuckerman Ravine on Mt. Washington in NH. There is a social session from 7:00 to 7:30 where, over a drink, you can catch up on what is happening in the Club and pick up discount lift tickets while the formal meeting starts at 7:30. Ancient Order of Hibernian's, 1748 State St. is just east of Rt 7 (the Cross town) in uptown Schenectady. To find the Ancient Order of Hibernians take State Street toward Albany. It is on the right side approximately 4 ½ blocks past the Rt 7 overpass. If coming from the Thruway take I-890 to Rt 7 East and exit at State Street (Rt 5). Turn right at the top of the ramp and go East 4 ½ blocks. From the Troy direction, take Rt. 7 all the way to State Street (Rt 5) and turn left at the top of the ramp and go 4 ½ blocks to 1748 State St. on the right. Ski Utah Stories and Photos 3/16 th Our intrepid team of SWC skiers experienced a two ft dump of snow in Utah this year and will be showing their slides and movies of the almost epic skiing this year. Bob Wright will let everyone "learn just how affordable a week of western skiing can be". His trips are known for their cost effectiveness. Everybody who took a ski trip this year is encouraged to send some of their photos to Dave Slezak Davemrg@gmail.com so he can assemble them into a file for showing at the meeting. This should include pictures from the Camp Fowler and Climbers Lodge weekends and the Wednesday X-C outings. The meeting will be at the Hibernian Hall in Schenectady. Kornrumpf's Ride Across the US: April 5 Bill Kornrumpf will be showing his cross country bike ride at the April 5 meeting. He spent 3 months pedaling across the US and has lots of slides and stories to tell. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Mar 1 Meeting: Tuckerman Ravine experiences Mar 4 Ski Train Reenactment at North Creek Mar Club Appreciation Days at Stowe (cheap ski) Mar 15 Meeting: Ski Utah and More Mar 17 Hickory Telemark Fesitval April 5 Meeting: Cross Country Bike ride, Bill Kornrumpf April19 Annual Meeting: Election of officers & Ice cream May 3 First SWC bicycle ride of the season X-C Every Wed call Anna ( ) for location 78th Anniversary of the SWC Snow Train Sunday, March 4, 1934 was the date of first run of SWC's Snow train to North Creek. Like this season, it was a season of little snow and the train was canceled several times before the March 4th run. There is a plan to reenact the snow train arrival on March 4 of this year. Rick Cobello is coordinating the event. Some will probably ride the train up from Saratoga and others will drive up for the event. We will meet in North Creek for a group photo at the train station. We will also see if we can arrange some other activities that weekend. Are you interested in skiing the old Roaring Brook or Rabbit Pond trails? These and other activities may be something you can do that weekend. Check the website for more details as the date gets closer. Ride the train or just meet for the photo - I am sure some members will find their way to a local North Creek establishment to dine and discuss the day. You can Rick at rick.cobello@gmail.com to let him know if you will be there and ride the train or drive up. Our Officers are Retiring and We Need New Blood: Elections 4/19 Our board of directors will be having many openings this years as there are weddings, moves, job burnout and general It is time to do other things events in the lives of our active board members. We are looking for people to fill the following positions: Clubhouse Director, Treasurer, Alpine VP, Secretary, and other VP's. The club elections will be held at the 4/19 meeting. There may also be amendments to the bi-laws & constitution to consider. See the board list in the back of the Chatter for who holds the current positions. Are you interested? Know someone who might be? If you wish to volunteer for a position or nominate another and would like more information before the meeting, please contact Bill Schaefer (nominating chair) on (or any other Board Member). We would be happy to provide information about positions. There are also non-elected committees or tasks need an assistant or someone to take over. Please remember this is a club and a few volunteers cannot do it all. We need your help, too! Now is the time to help your Club with some of your time and talents. Bicycle Rides start May 3 Terry Tamer (terrytamer78@gmail.com ph: ) has volunteered to coordinate the bike rides this year. They begin on May 3, call him if you want to host as no one is scheduled yet. Join riders of all skill levels every 1 Thurs evening from May to Aug for some exercise, enjoy the outdoors and socialize afterward over pizza.

2 SKI CHATTER A SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB PUBLICATION 3/1/12 President's Corner Here's the word: It's better than you think. That adage is true not just for this bizarre, unbelievably invisible snow season, but good to remember when making any ski trip decision. Ski centers continue to invest in high-tech snow making and snow makers have been pumping out the white stuff since December. Do be prepared for the worst, though. And don't expect to be skiing the trees. As there isn't any god-made snow, the secret trails are revealed. They look like white ribbons through the green pines from the chairlifts. It's fun to poke around, take the skis off and hike around a bit. I did that off Topridge and spotted a nice chute complete with a direction arrow that came out under the lift. I could see the cut stubs of the saplings, but new growth was evident. It looked liked it hadn't been skied for years. Then it occurred to me that it might look better with 4' of snow on it. I cleared some branches out of the path and hiked out. Hiking is easy when there isn't any snow. [editors note: while the NY ski areas may be snow starved, I skied the trees and every run this last weekend at Stowe where they have been receiving lots of little snow falls and the mountain is white. You really do have to look farther than you back door before you make your skiing decisions] It's like we're living in an artificial environment. Like Arizona. In Arizona they have beautiful green lawns in the desert. We have snow covered pistes in the mountains. Last Sunday at Gore, I thought I was skiing on a layer of sugar spread over teflon. I can tell skier visits are down. Most of the time I'm riding up with fellow pass holders. Once in a while I ride up with a visitor. Someone from somewhere else that decided to try Gore. I do my best to host and give them a little history and suggest a trail. Otherwise, it's pass holders and racers sharing the mountain. Actually, they don't share the mountain. The two groups are segregated. They have a locker room. We have the upstairs. They have their trails, we have ours. They have their skis, we have ours. I saw a J-1 racer, that wasn't 5' tall, toting a pair of 210 GS skis over her shoulder. She looked like a strong girl. I park my skis at the far end racks now, where the racers park. It's really easy to find my off-piste fat boys squatting among the extra-tall toothpicks those folks are on. I'm not down on the winter. I got my pow at Whistler. In two words: Kinda magical. Lots of snow and lights and happy, young faces. Locals even verified it was an epic week repeating what we heard from other (vacationers) that started out a few days before us - the weather had been cold and dry. Inversion in the village, etc... We saw snow every day but harsh winds on the peaks but we had a lot of snow. Lots of kids at Whistler (is that what they're called Down Under?). We celebrated Aussie Day on the slopes. The bedecked patriots were having a pub crawl of the bars on the 2 mountain. They were pretty proud of the their country. I think some of 'em might have been eligible to vote even. We also got some great tips on how to make a great shot-ski. Note this: both peaks offer free demos. Two hour tryouts and they have dozens of high performance skis. They ask you to leave your credit card just in case you decide to buy 'em. You can demo goggles, too. Those outfits in the windows of the shops in the village you can rent those! Revolutionary! Your luggage for a week of winter vacation is becomes as small as the bag you pack for the beach. It's so convenient. It's better than you think. Go out and hug a mountain. Yahoo! Pete Weykamp 5th Annual Hickory Telemark Festival We've re-scheduled the 5th Annual Hickory Telemark Festival to March 17 in hopes of more snow. Keep your fingers crossed and check back at for updates. Thank you, Hickory Martha Ski Utah 2012 a great time! Bob Wright's annual Utah Ski Trip was enjoyed by 12 members. The group went to Alta, Snowbird, Snow Basin, Brighton, Solitude and some went to Snowbird/Alta twice. Bob remarked while riding a lift that here we were 80 years after the start of the club, doing exactly what the club the was formed to do, which is to be a way to people of common interest to connect for joint activity. As soon as Bob said this, contrary to weather predictions, the skies opened and dumped almost 2 feet of snow during the next two days. We knew the club founders heard him and rewarded him for his appreciation. The SWC skiers at the top of Snowbird in Utah

3 SKI CHATTER A SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB PUBLICATION 3/1/12 Low Cost Skiing Opportunities Stowe Club Days ski season The tradition continues!!! Stowe has a club discount day event 3/14-18 with lift tickets at deep discounts to club members. All that s needed is your current SWC card and you too can enjoy a full day of skiing/riding at Stowe VT stating at $43 and getting as low as $30 for adults(13-64) and $17 for Jr/sir(6-12 and 65+). Go to: for more information. The Clubhouse fills during these times so plan ahead. Mt Ellen (Sugarbush North)$30Thursdays Mt Ellen (Sugarbush North) is offering $30 lift tickets through the remainder of the season (except Presidents Week). Located on VT Route17 just west of VT RT 100 at Warren Vermont, this ski center is approximately 23 miles from the SWC s Waterbury Center Clubhouse. More information at NY Capital District Ski Council Days Cheap Ski days are once again available from the NY Capital District Ski Council ski area appreciations. You will need to go to their web page for details and updates at This is what we have for now. Hope you have a great season. Plattekill Mountain Council Rates: ANY DAY $10 OFF with membership card. Get a group of 32 people with from the council and get $15 off of group rate Magic Mountain offers Council Members with ID card $25 on all Mondays and Fridays Whiteface $38 3/18-19, 4/1-2 Super Sundays: 3/11, 4/1 ($35/30/25) Gore $42 3/12, 4/6 Okemo $38 3/2-4 ($42), 3/30-31 Mt. Snow: $42-Fri, $49-Sat, $47-Sun 3/9-11 Okemo: tickets are available 8am-12 noon at the Group Sales Center in the Clock Tower base area. You must present a current club membership card. Whiteface and Gore: Club ID as well as a photo ID. Mt. Snow: Show SWC card at the Group Sales office in the Sundance Base Lodge. 8:30-1:00 midweek, 7:30-1:00 weekends and holidays. Make sure you check the NYCDSC web site and the ski area's web sites to verify the details. The Chatter will not accept any responsibility for typos. You didn't plan your ski vacation yet? Need an excuse? If you need an excuse, wait no longer. VT can use your help recovering from Irene by going to VT and skiing. Skiing's never been so noble. They NEED us skiing and they have been getting snow that has not made it as far south as Gore and Jimney. It's your civic duty to assist the recovery effort. Restaurants, shops, ski areas, gas stations all need us and if you go - it will help them and it may even be what you need to get you into heaven. 3 Battenkill Bicycle Race Volunteers raised $300 for the Club in 2011 We need your help this year! Last year, 10 SWCers volunteered at the Tour of the Battenkill bicycle race and the Club has received a check for $300 as thanks for the assistance. We want to thank the 10 SWCers for their time and help both to the Battenkill and SWC. This year the Battenkill will be on April 14 & 15. The volunteer positions range from corner marshals to wheel drivers who carry spare wheels for the racers and follow each category of rider. This year, Bill Kornrumpf will be coordinating the SWC volunteers. The Club will only be able to get credit for the volunteers if Bill sends in the list so give him a call at or at wkornrumpf@nycap.rr.com so he can send in our list of volunteers. This is a great way to see some of the countries best bicycle riders and raise $300 for the club at the same time. Bill now or go to the Battenkill volunteer web site and register to volunteer. Make sure you fill in the blank that asks for the Civic Group or Not-for-Profit Organization you wish to donate to as the Schenectady Wintersports Club. You can volunteer to work either Sat or Sunday and if you put in two shifts, we get two credits. SWC Discount Tickets As we enter March, we will wind down ticket sales and also run down our inventory. Please order whatever tickets you may need ASAP. Remember, Northern Vermont Mountains have been spared the snow drought better then most parts of the country. Don't let the lack of snow in your back yard keep you from enjoying a few turns. Skiing Gore this winter? When there, a number of SWC members plan to use the lunch room directly behind the registers. So if you alone and looking for a ski or lunch partner, gear-up in this room. Apres ski is Bar Vino in North Creek and they boast the north county's best beer and wine selection. Another favorite SWC stop the Black Mountain with great drafts and all food cooked in-house.

4 SKI CHATTER A SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB PUBLICATION 3/1/12 Clubhouse News by Sandy Leith Journal from the SWC House As I sit on my lot of frozen snow covered lawn in norther Vermont, I over hear many of my guests speaking of the winter that wasn t. Funny how these things are so dependent on where you are. The other thing I keep hearing is Stowe is great! Snow in the woods even! That s right from my lodge director and my building manager along with all that have visited. So for those that have inmybackyarditis here are the stats for Stowe, Bolton and Jay Peak Stowe Snow depth:26-38 New snow (24h):2 Trails open:109 of 116 Bolton Valley Base Depth: 15-27" 24 HRS: 2-3" Trails open:67 Jay Peak: Snow depth:20-30 New snow (24h):1 Trails open:75 of 76 There is snow in them der mountains and yo'all should come for a visit! Speaking of visiting, a perfect time to visit is coming up. I ve heard that there will be 5 days in March (3/14 to 3/18) that there will be Stowe cheap tickets (SureWe recheap) If you come for all 5 days your daily lift ticket cost is $30. All of what I m hearing is that I ll be having many more visits from my wonderful SWCers before the end of ski season Your House Calling Clubhouse Hosts- There are a few dates left for hosting. For your efforts you will stay free during your hosted weekend and also receive vouchers for additional stays proportional to the number of guest you host. Dates still available: April weekends though end of season (snow dependent) If you are interested please contact Sandy Leith via at traildiamond@gmail.com year so plan ahead, you have been warned. You may ask questions by ing requests to swctickets@swcweb.org. Our Prices this year are: Stowe $60 Adult $50 Senior/Junior Sugarbush $60 Adult Mad River (call for quote on a 3 day pass) Jay $55 Adult Bolton Valley $35 On-Line Clubhouse Reservation System Members can use the E-Reservation system or call the Reservations Chair, Dave Slezak ( ). If you are having difficulties you may ( davemrg@gmail.com ) for assistance. Please follow these instructions: Your computer needs to have Mozilla Firefox as the web browser This is a simpler web browser and the download will transfer all your bookmarks over too! Open the Clubhouse reservation page. Click on request username-password. Fill out form and click submit. The system sends an confirming request. Validation of membership. Your membership is checked and an is sent to requester with a username-password combination. (this can take a few days, our membership chairman is a volunteer and he does not get to the post office daily) Sign on to the e-res system for the first time. You must Update profile, and fill in all the security questions which will be used in case the requester forgets his/her password. (This is a must do) Click submit Make a reservation, or view reservations. Select dates (up to 6) and select beds. Confirm and choose dinner options (yes or no) Click confirm - and an is generated to lodge reservations and the member. SWC Discount Ski Tickets The club has near 50% off - good anytime, no blackout tickets. Order early so you get what you need. Tickets are first come, first serve and due to the expense, we reorder as we go. Don't miss skiing with your friends and family this winter because you waited until the last minute. February Ticket Sales by Mail- If you will want tickets in February - order early. Last year there was a large rush just before the holiday week. This year your 'ticket master will also be away for some skiing and this will cause some delay in you receiving you February order. Use the mail in form to place your order or come to a meeting. Tickets will be available at meetings, and ORDER EARLY if ordering by mail. We ran out of tickets last 4 View from the top of Stowe in February (lots of snow)

5 SKI CHATTER A SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB PUBLICATION 3/1/12 Names and Numbers to Remember Board of Directors: Pete Weykamp, Pres H Dave Slezak VP Administration H Anna Palmer, VP Nordic H Bob Wright, VP Activities H Dorie Valenti, VP-Alpine H Anna Palmer NNYP President H Lat Schmidt, Secretary, H Ray Asselin, Treasurer H Sandy Leith, Clubhouse Director H Stetson Taner, At Large H Larry Calahan, At Large H John Rack, Mohawk Valley Hiking Club H Bill Schaefer, Past Pres. H Others: Craig Lindsay, Membership H Dave Slezak, Clubhouse Reservations H Bill Schaefer, Ticket Vouchers H Bill Kornrumpf, Chatter Editor & H Clubhouse Facilities wkornrumpf@ieee.org Allan Foster Blade Editor adfos@aol.com H Cecilia MacDonald MVHC Editor Cecilia@midtel.net H Dorie Valenti Webmaster doriev@verizon.net Clubhouse at Waterbury Center Change Of Address Notices Change of Address notices should be sent to: Craig Lindsay, 2012 Lisa Lane, Schenectady, NY tlindsa3@nycap.rr.comdo not send to the editors, or the Club PO Box, they will get lost. Tax Deductible Club Donation While our Club members are sometimes known for their frugality, they are known to be very generous at the same time. Since the Club is a tax-exempt organization, you can give tax-deductible donations to support club projects like the preservation of our records and films or a specific improvement to the clubhouse. Your donation can be as specific as you like and we will provide you with a letter of contribution for your taxes. These donations can be anonymous or named or in memory of a loved one. Specific project priorities the club membership would like to advance ski history, skier support or documentary interviews of early club members. Contact Bill Schaefer - williamwschaefer@gmail.com or The Chapel Glades at Stowe in Feb (snow in the woods) Children playing on Sculpture at Spruce Peak Plaza a the base of Stowe 5 Fondue Lunch at Bromley with SWCers

6 Mar 1, 2012 Camp Fowler XC Trip The Camp Fowler trip will not occur this year due to new ownership rules, all weekends having been reserved, and the fact that the usual weekday participants will be traveling. (This year's new rules include paying up-front for the stay in order to make a reservation). So, skiers have flocked to Lapland, where the snow is fine! Photos of previous fabulous Fowler snow encourage us to hang on for next year. Call now to indicate your interest for next year, and we'll see who can go and when ( , Anna, leave a full message, indicating your availability from either of three twonight stays: Feb (Sat to Mon, Pres's. Day) or Feb (Fri to Sun) or Mar 1-3 (Fri to Sun). If there's enough interest and up-front payment, there could be two weekends. Perhaps one of the trips could occur during the week, but weekends seem to be more popular. Let me hear from you! Note that Climbers' is the first weekend of February. Time Trials Remember that Alec has already sent out the clarion call for the 2012 Annual Time Trials that will be held on Wednesdays starting May 2 nd, For those of you who are finger counters, this will be the 21 st year of Time Trials. Put it on your calendars. Keep The News Coming Your Blade Editor realizes that there is not much opportunity for paddling when the temperatures are hovering around 10F, and the winds are blowing up a proverbial storm. But if you run across something that you think other paddlers/nordica s might enjoy hearing (like last years report on the Pennsylvania trip by Mary and Edgar), please send a write-up to Allan Foster: adfos@aol.com, 379 McCormack Rd, Albany, NY 12208, by the 12 th of the month. Put NNYP, SWC or Blade in the subject title line so I don t Spam you out. Can use pictures (with captions) preferably less than 100Kb to 300KB, but we can reduce if needed. Club Canoe Availability Just for future reference, NNYP has canoes, paddles, PFD s (limited), and one kayak for use by members, along with three adult-size wet suits: 18 6 Wenonah CC 18 6 Lincoln CC 18 6 Sawyer CC 18 5 Alumicraft 12 Acadia Kayak Club members may borrow these boats for a $5/day, $25/week donation. They are located at Uncle Donnie Patneaude s house at 741 River Road, Lower Rotterdam Junction (about 0.3 mile from the Kiwanis boat launch ( ). There are 4 canoes for members at the Clubhouse. Since the availability of life vests (PFDs), is limited, you should bring one if you have one For Sale Two Sea Kayaks: One 17' Perception Solstice and One 17' Perception Eclipse. Both have cockpit covers rudders, and storage compartments fore and aft. Used only a few times. Asking $450 for one or $800 for both. If interested call John Owens at Aqua-Sports Equipment:... 1 Mitchell kayak paddle (hand crafted) all wood 1 Iliad kayak paddle (all fiberglass)& feathered) 1 wooden canoe paddle (hand crafted) 1 wooden canoe paddle (Mtn. Ash, handcrafted) 1 fiberglass canoe paddle (handcrafted by Stu Coffin, excellent for whitewater) 1 2 piece neoprene wet suit (woman s medium) Assorted water proofed water bags. All are in excellent condition, good prices. For further details, contact J. Ari Kane ( eisgd@aol.com or phone # Canoes.. 17 Wenonah Sundowner Kevlar hull, 42 lbs, great tripper, no scratches, just blue gelcoat fade. New $2800, $1300 OBO 16 MadRiver Explorer Red ABS hull with ash trim, Vt made. No scratches, new $1800 $1200 OBO. Call Steve Blazetewski, Adams MA

7 Please call leader in advance; weather and other factors may cause changes. Please, no pets on any hike as a courtesy to others. This is a volunteer organization and with any activity there is a presumption of risk. Each participant is responsible for his or her own safety. Bring ample food and water, dress appropriately. Thursday, February 9, Nearly thirty hikers joined in a lovely covered dish supper. The food was great as usual but the desserts YUM. Serving began a little after 6 o'clock and the oven was inviting and warm. So was all the food, and so were our spirits. It's always so good to see our old friends and reminisce. We sang Happy Birthday to Ruth as her big day was Friday and then we had the piece de resistance, a presentation of MVHC in the past. Adrienne Karis prepared a slide presentation of her pictures of years ago, a truly wonderful trip through memory lane. It was bitter sweet to see friends who were such a mainstay for so long. Thank you so much, Adrienne. And thanks to John for setting them up and running the machine. Great show. Trip Tale Saturday, January 21, A heavy snowfall and icy roads kept us off the escarpment and out of Thacher Park, but we made the most of the day in town. The biggest challenge was where to meet and park after a snowstorm, and the Scotia Library lot seemed the best spot close to nature. Trails are sometimes where you make them, and so it was this day as we blazed the Sunnyside Trail around Collins Lake. This is a good two-mile trek, but after a snowfall something of an adventure. Most of it was on sidewalks or town or park roads, all of which were icy underneath, a great exercise for the older mind and body. There were three of us and we all nearly went flying at least once. When we could take our eyes off our feet, it was actually a very pic- 3/1/12 turesque walk. We headed up and around the Dutch Church, through a woodsy area, and out onto Sunnyside, a beautiful treed avenue blanketed with snow. At Shonowee, we took a right along Collins Lake, a lovely sight in any weather Another shortcut through some woods and we were into Collins Park itself. Though nearly bitter cold, it seemed a perfect day for ice fishing, as there were many cars in the parking area and maybe fifty holes flagged out on the ice. The park people had plowed a skating area in front of the beach, and there was an ice hockey game going on as we sped by on the way back to our cars, a little shivery by now. The walk took about an hour, was exhilarating, and we agreed, definitely worth getting out of bed for. From here we drove to the Mabee Farm Historic Site where we took in an entertaining talk by Bob Cudmore, on towns along the Mohawk given at the new Geo. E. Franchere Education Center which we all wanted to see. By then it was 3:30 and we decided we could use a bite to eat, and so headed up to, dare I say it, McDonalds in Glenville. I won t tell you what we ate, but we were all glad we made the effort to get out on such a winter s day. Come along next time. You are always invited. Ruth H. Next month read all about The Evolutionary History of Birds. There will also be pictures of the Covered Dish. Hopefully the ice will have gone the way of all bad weather and we'll once again have a hike to share. It has been a warm winter, but we could hike better without the ice. STRANGE FACTS by RON NEADLE The first human-made object to break the sound barrier was a whip. Before mercury, brandy was used to fill thermometers. The fastest recorded speed of a racehorse was over 43mph. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

8 Schenectady Wintersports Club Northern New York Paddlers PO Box 228 Schenectady, New York