LIFTLINE A PUBLICATION OF THE OC SKI CLUB PRESIDENT S CORNER David Simonian President Howdy Ocers! This was a Powderific Weekend! Those of you that joined us at Bromley, January 13th, we enjoyed a Bluebird day with some great skiing and of course the party doesn t stop there. Thank you to Arline Welch, and Fred Papa Haefeli and all the other volunteers for a job well done at the Committee Fair. We had free food, awesome games, Bellini s Counter ADMINISTRATION Cathy Marvin Vice President for Administration If you didn t make it to the Committee Fair, you missed a good time. Arline took the snacks to a new HIGH Thank You for all your effort. We had LOTS of items to give away Thank You Fred (Marketing Guy Extraordinaire). He also set up a Fundraiser for Stride at Bellini s Counter; who is putting our info cards on all their bags for the month of January. I m Out of Control was there with free samples from their menu, and I know, I know, I didn t pick your ticket for the Mirror Lake Inn or the Jay Peak vacations. Thank you again to Mirror Lake and Jay Peak for the donations. They are always very generous. Thank you to Eileen Finn- LeMatty and Jamie Britt-Fabrizio for a great job leading the family trip to Smugglers Notch. They had over a hundred people on that trip! On Feb 2 the first of 2 groups leave for Big Sky. Following Big Sky is the annual Sunday River trip. Park City rounds out the month. The buses are rolling for both downhill and cross country (Alpine and Nordic). No excuses for not getting out on the slopes. Besides the conditions are outstanding. Let s not forget the racing crew who have their final race at Pico Feb. 9, and of course the instruction group that shows up to give free lessons at almost every ski venue. February is always a busy skiing month. Committee Fair January 10, 2019 Think about them when you are deciding where to go to eat (3 locations). We have also implemented a program where we send Welcome to our Club emails to new Applicants. Thank you Membership and Marketing for taking this on. I want to Thank anyone who has brought in prospective people to join us our numbers are UP! Some Members are using our Referral Program where they get $5 off their next year s membership fee when they get someone to join our Club. Keep talking up our great Club. Our point of difference is that we offer buses to the mountains and free lessons to anyone interested. Happy Valentine s Day, Happy Skiing and Happy Boarding to all! FEBRUARY 2019 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/OCSKICLUB TWITTER.COM/OCSKICLUB WWW.OCSKICLUB.ORG Member Spotlight Sylvia Haefeli I am sure one time or another you have seen this crazy lady running around the meeting like a chicken with her head cut off. That s because Sylvia is one of the reasons the Club functions as smoothly as it does. It seems like every year she is volunteering for something else. Some of it gets recognized, but there are other things that she does just to help. I have had the pleasure of knowing Sylvia since I was a Little Davey. I wanted to utilize her skills as a former teacher, so I asked her to be my proof-reader. All my correspondence for the Club gets fine-tuned by Sylvia before being released. In addition, Sylvia is also my Parliamentarian. She makes sure I am being correct in how I follow the policies and procedures of the Club. If that wasn t enough for Sylvia this year, she once again came to aid of the OC s in their time of need by taking over Family Committee from Matt Wakefield midseason by overseeing the Smuggs and Jay Peak trips and setting up the annual summer baseball game bus trip. Sylvia is also one of the trip leaders for the Big Sky trip Feb. 3-10. Wait I m not finished yet, Sylvia ran bus 1 at Bromley this weekend, Jan 13 (she often volunteers to be a bus leader) as well as being the Bus Committee Assistant working with Lynda Heaney and Mark Wilder. And she shadows ski lessons with Fred when he teaches how to ski the trees. She is there to sweep the trees and lift you up when you fall. So, I think it s safe to say that the Club wouldn t run, err ski, as well as it does without Sylvia. Next time you see Sylvia, give her a hug and say, Thank you for everything you do or Can I help you with that? But most of all, there are many beside her that work behind the scenes. They are the ones who see a need and step forward before anyone has even asked for help. Next month I will spotlight another volunteer who is a jack of all trades.
OC FAMILY CORNER Sylvia Haefeli Family Committee Chair Hello Families We are up to 47 junior ID cards. This is a sign that the group is growing, NICE! It is the families of OC members who go on to be OC members. Just yesterday on the Jan 13th Bromley bus, I met an applicant with his wife. Eric Gandler introduced himself as the son of an original founding member. Wow and welcome. If this Club is to survive and grow, we need to attract the children of members. There is no better way than getting the kids involved when they are young. They learn about the Club and how it makes skiing affordable and fun for everyone. When they grow up and live here, hopefully they will join and continue the tradition of being an OC SKI Club member. Smuggs was a huge success. Thanks to Eileen Finn LeMatty and Jamie Britt- Fabrizio for all the planning and leading the trip. I know I saw a lot of happy kid faces all weekend, tired Moms and Dads too. Not only do we ski, we also party! Picture a long hallway filled end to end with tables and chairs. 4 Condos, each offering a different menu appetizers, entrees and desserts. The noise level was proof enough that everyone enjoyed themselves. 118 for a pot-luck dinner is a major event. Yup, at Smuggs the group meal is amazing. You name it, it was available. There are some really, great cooks in this Club. Greg Bockis is the trip leader for Jay, April 5-7. By this printing, the trip should be sold out. If anyone is still interested, contact Greg jaytrip@ocskiclub.org and he may be able to get more rooms. April is off season and Jay may have more rooms available. Faces of the Ski Bus! Eileen Finn-Lematty has offered to lead the annual late spring baseball bus trip. The game is June 1, Sat, 7:15 Yankees vs the Red Sox at Yankee stadium. We have great seats in Sec 232A and a comfortable bus ride via Browns. The trip will open Feb 21 at 7 pm at the PCC. Price will be $122 pp, guests pay extra $5. One bus for 55 is ordered. Make your plans now. The Council Discount days have been edited so be sure to check the NYCDSC web site or use the link from our website www:ocskiclub.org verify the latest information. West Mountain discounts are available only non Holidays. For the record, Okemo is still refusing to make discount days available for drive ups or even our bus trips. If you get a chance via social media or otherwise, make your displeasure known. This mountain is sorely missed from our schedule. The more they hear from us, the more likely they will deal in the future. Have a great February. I hope the snow keeps falling and the families keep skiing/riding. I know that the family that skies/rides together, stays together. Nothing is more fun that 3 generations skiing together. Always lots of laughs. Ryker, Georgie, stay off Papa s line in the trees! Sweeping as usual - Sylvia AS THE SKI TURNS Jeff Kenton OC Snowsports School Sunday, February 24 at Bromley & Sunday, March 24 at Bromley: Here is your opportunity to get a private lesson from your favorite instructor. There will be a sign up list at the Snowsports School table at Thursday meetings and on Sunday bus trips. Pick your instructor and show up, we will take care of the rest. This is another FREE benefit of being an OC er. SOME USEFULL INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR SNOWSPORTS SCHOOL We are a PSIA certified snowsports school Most instructors are certified,all are trained by PSIA professionals. Ski, Snowboard, Telemark and Glade Sessions are a no cost benefit to all members & applicants. Sessions are available on all Sunday bus trips & most weekday trips. Sign ups for Group Sessions are normally on the bus on the way to the mountain. Prior arrangements are suggested for 1st time skier & all snowboard, telemark & family sessions If you have equipment questions,talk to one of us before you buy or rent. This is a great way to meet new friends of similar ability. You will have fun. Any questions? Stop by the Snowsports Table at any meeting. 2019 PRIVATE LESSON DAYS: Sunday, February 24 - Bromley, VT Sunday, March 24 - Bromley, VT
MARKETING A big thank you to all the ski shops, ski areas and other vendors who made the Committee Fair raffle a huge success. As I announced we had over $4,000 in giveaways. Fred Haefeli Marketing Director marketing@ocskiclub.org Thanks to High Adventure Ski Shop in Latham. Ski areas Bolton Valley, Burke, Gore, Hunter, Magic, Mount Snow, Okemo, Pico, Plattekill, Jay Peak, Sunday River & Stratton. Plus, our cross country friends at Rikert Nordic center and Mount Van Hoven. Special thanks out to Robin Raco for the Whiteface lift tickets and the tickets to the World Cup freestyle event. Also, our sponsor friends at Bellini s Counter. And the very generous stay packages we received from Jay Peak Vermont and the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid. Last but not least thank you to the committee heads at Membership, Cross Country, Alpine Buses and Snowsports for their kind donations. The OC s take care of themselves Now go out there and Ski! Its mid-season go out and get The Best Day Ever!. Are you sick & tired of hearing how you can get a FREE membership yet??? THANK YOU BELLINI S COUNTER!!!! They got SAUCED in January at Bellini s Counter! LOCATIONS: Latham/Loudonville 624 New Loudon Rd Park South/Albany 33 New Scotland Ave Stuyvesant Plaza 1475 Western Ave SAVE THE DATE! OC Ski Club 3rd Wednesday of the Month Happy Hour February 20, 2019 From 4:00 to 7:00pm BJ s RESTAURANT & BREWHOUSE 33 Wolf Road Colonie, NY 12205 (the old Sears Tire Center) THE MARCH HAPPY HOUR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 TH DETAILS COMING SOON!!! Happy Hour Specials $3 Domestic Bottles of Beer $4 Handcrafted Signature Beers $5 Dark Horse Wines & Call Drinks $1 Off BJ s Seasonal Beers $3 Chips & Dips $6 Brewhouse Burger w/ fries $6 Apps: Sliders Root Beer Glazed Ribs Avocado Egg Rolls Spinach-Artichoke Dip Mozzarella Sticks ½ off Mini Deep Dish Pizzas Complementary door prize of $50.00 Gift Cetificate Ticket will be drawn at 7:00pm
Bomber s 39 th Pre-Season Clinic at Stowe December 6 th -9 th, 2018 Officers President David Simonian Vice President, Admin Cathy Marvin Vice President, Skiing Matt Quackenbush Secretary Kathy Howard Treasurer Bob Denninger Board of Directors Matt Fabrizio Mike Furdyna Fred Haefili Jeff Kenton Deb Kruszona Gail Marotti-Hossan Meghan Ruby Eddie Vassallo Cynthia Ward Willy Welch Committees Activities/Entertainment Erin O Brien and Arline Welch Alpine Buses Lynda Heaney and Mark Wilder Alpine Bus Assistant Sylvia Haefeli Alpine Trips Gail Marotti-Hossan Ambassador Mike Koutelis Audio/Visual Tech Bill Corbin and Jen Hammond Cross Country Barbara Sorrell Elections Robin Raco Family Committee Sylvia Haefeli Finance Bob Hossan Fund Raising Chris Bendon Jeremy Miller Historian Eileen Finn-LeMatty House/Facilities Management Bob Hossan Membership Gretchen Riley, Pat Jones and Amy Teal NYCDSC Reps Cynthia Ward, Meghan Ruby and Wayne Podbeilski Publications Greg Bockis Marketing Fred Haefeli Racing Wayne Podbielski Snow Sports Instruction Jeff Kenton Technical Director of Snow Sports Brian Mieczkowski Treasurer s Assistant Mike Furdyna Volleyball League Tara Cummings and Robin Raco Volleyball League Assistant Cathy Marvin Web Master Tara Thomas and Frank Broderick
OC SKI BUS SCHEDULE 2018-2019 All Sunday Buses are Family Buses (age 7-17 may ride) Schedule Subject to Change, Always Check the Website for Changes 2nd PICK UP IS Troy-Walmart Rt 7 or Exit 12- MALTA PARK AND RIDE Month Date Ski Area Lift $$ 2nd PKUP Other/Event February Fri 2/15 Mt Snow $42 Troy Sun 2/17 Gore $53/41 Exit 12 $53 Adult/ $41 Senior and Youth Wed 2/20 Mt Snow $53/45 Troy Family Day Special Price for Kids $45 Fri 2/22 Gore $53/41 Exit 12 Family Day Special Price for Kids $41 Sun 2/24 Bromley $38 Troy Private Lesson Day Fri 3/1 Pico/Killington $35/55 Exit 12 $35 Pico/ $55 Killington Sun 3/3 Pico/Killington $35/55 Exit 12 $35 Pico/ $55 Killington Wed 3/6 Sugarbush $57 Exit 12 Warren Miller, Bus leaves 6 am Fri 3/8 Hunter $41 none Crossgates only Sun 3/10 Mt Snow 38 Troy Fri 3/15 Mt Snow $17 Troy St Patrick's Day March Sun 3/17 Stratton $39 Troy Fri 3/22 Bromley $38 Troy Sat 3/23 Mt. Snow $38 Troy Reggae Fest HH Sun 3/24 Bromley $38 Troy Private Lesson Day Fri 3/29 Stratton $35 Troy Last Friday bus Sat 3/30 Whiteface $42 Exit 12 Sun 3/31 TBA April Sun 4/7 Stratton $34 Troy Sun 4/14 Killington $40 Exit 12 BBQ Tailgate party Winter Carnival Sun 4/21 No Bus Easter Sun 4/28 Killington TBA Exit 12 Moguls Party HH bus May Sun 5/5 Killington TBA Exit 12 last day of ski buses if open Important sunday Ski Bus Information: Buses will arrive at the 1st pick-up location ½ hour before departure time. Buses depart PROMPTLY on time at 6:30 AM. Those catching the bus at the 1st pick-up location should arrive a minimum of 15 minutes prior to departure to allow adequate time to load your equipment on the bus. IMPORTANT: Please note that the 2nd pick-up is basically a stop en route and does NOT have a specified departure time. Once all of the passengers and equipment have been loaded at the 2nd pick-up, the buses will leave promptly. USE OF COUPONS FOR ALPINE BUS RIDES: Meetings: Accept cash or oc coupons Day Bus Trips future sign ups on the bus: Accept cash or coupon. PayPal is the only way to reserve a seat online. 2 SATURDAY HAPPY HOUR BUSES. THE BUS WILL STAY AT THE MOUTAIN UNTIL 7 PM! Pico Mountain / Last Run Lounge - February 9th, 2019 Mount Snow / Pond Skimming and Live Band at the Base Lodge - March 23rd, 2019
The Committee Fair, January 10 th, 2019 The New Year always brings the gathering of the committee chairs of the club and their creative games for the members and applicants to play in exchange for tickets to drop in bags for a chance at winning various prizes. If they were really lucky, their number would be pulled and they would walk away with some swag! The bags were plentiful, thanks to the hard work of Fred Haefeli, our marketing committee chair. Great job, Fred! There were many happy people on January 10th! The majority of thanks for the evening go out to Arline Welch, who went above and beyond the call of duty with all of the delicious snacks she made! She also set up the drink specials at the bar with our favorite bartender, Ted! THANK YOU ARLINE! Thank you to all of the chairs who participated and to all of the people who came out for a fun night. Congratulations to all of the winners! See you on the slopes, Erin O Brien, A&E co- chair
ORGANIZED SKIING Matt Quackenbush Vice President for Organized Skiing AS THE SKI CARVES How is that now out there? As I write this, we are anticipating a huge snow event, I am hoping for the best. January brought our first Ski race at Oak Mt. in Speculator, NY. A great event run by Albany Ski Club. Four local clubs participated in the event - Albany SC, Schenectady Wintersports Club, GE Ski Club of Utica and of course the OC s. We had great participation and garnered many of the awards. Madsyn Wakefield and Allison Wakefield took 1st and 3rd in the Junior category, Madsyn was almost the fastest woman on the mountain. Keep it up Wakefields! Chris Phillps was 2nd in the Open Women s category continuing her long history of top competition, congrats Chris! Dan Petit placed 1st in the Men s Vet category with a great time, way to go Dan. Last of our awards, but not least, went to Stefan Bagnoto who placed 3rd in the Men s Open category (and that was on Tele skis), very impressive. Thanks to all OC ers for coming out to a great event. For future events and how to participate, see Wayne Podbielski at the meeting or reach out to him via racing@ocskiclub.org Cross country ran their 1st bus of the season and with great participation (they had to order a larger bus to accomodate everyone). Keep up the great work Barb Sorell! For more info see Barb at the XC table at the meeting or contact her through ocxcskiing@ocskiclub.org Lots of great XC events on the schedule. Buses and Trips are running as scheduled and there are still a few slots left for some of our great trips. Get on the bus and sign up for the trips, the snow is great and it s waiting for you. Ski instruction is running very smoothly, thanks to Jeff Kenton s great stewardship. He really does a great job and is a tremendous credit to our great club. Our last major event was an event for the instructors at Hunter Mt. - great attendance for an all day event led by Brian Miesczkowski (Level 3 PSIA). Our corps of instructors is by far one of the greatest assets this club has. Kudos to Jeff for all his effort. Ski Race at Oak Mountain in Speculator, NY OC SECRETARY Kathy Howard OC Board Meeting Highlights The Board Meeting was held on Thursday, January 3, 2019. Here is a summary of what took place. Complete minutes are found on the website. Upcoming events were discussed. You can find this information elsewhere in this Liftline or on the website. Ski Trips: See the updated trips schedule for availability in this newsletter or on the website. Children are only allowed on designated trips and must be signedup with the Club. Ski buses: Buses are running. Sign up online or at a meeting. Ski Instruction: Instruction is ongoing. Check the article in the Liftline or the Ski Instruction table at a meeting. Racing: An additional race has been added at Oak Mountain. Council Members are being invited to ride the OC Bus for our sponsored race on 2/9 at regular Club prices. This bus only. Ski Council: Check the website. Every OC member is also a NYCDSC member. Discounted lift tickets are negotiated at many area mountains for certain dates throughout the ski season. Cross-Country: The cross-country trip is sold out. Buses are scheduled. Check it out online or in this Liftline. The OC Ski Club is participating in a Charity Day at Bellini s Corner on January 23rd and will offer a $5 discount for people who join the Club that day. Next meeting is February 7, 2019. Members are welcome to attend the meeting.
Destination Family Friendly?* Alpine Trips Dates Opens: Available (Going) Price** TRIPS YOU MISSED!!! Mount Snow, VT Yes 12/14-16,'18 Done 50 attended $300+ Smuggs Yes 1/18-21 Done 122 had fun $220+ New Hampshire Yes 1/27-2/1 In Progress 28 are there $510 +/- TRIPS GOING, GOING, Notes A great new location.. Great Feedback Record breaking attendance!!!! Small trip due to conflicts w/other trips Big Sky, MT 1 No 2/2-9 Waitlist 38 $ 1,885 Big Sky, MT 2 No 2/3-10 Waitlist 27 $ 1,885 Sunday River, ME Yes 2/10-15 Closing Need Single Femail $545 +/- Utah (Park City, Deer Valley, Sundance,..) No 2/22-3/1 Waitlist 50 $ 1,640 Davos, Switzerland No 3/8-16 Waitlist 50 $ 1,825 Zurich, Switzerland No 3/16-19 36 $ 415 Bolton Valley, VT Yes 3/1-2 (3) or '3/3-6 Closing Yes $280+ Almost out the door.. Adult / Senior/ No Lift Ticket, includes Bus 3 nights lodging, daily breakfast 2 or 3 night weekend; 3 night mid-week $309+ or Jay Peak, VT Yes April 5-7 Open Close to Sold Out $445+ ** ALL Trips have a non-alpine skier option. Ikon Pass, XC, not skiing this year, etc.. * Family Friendly = Drive Up. Family Friendly is not Family Free!!! Talk to Alpine Trips Chair if interested
Barbara Sorrell Cross Country Chair CROSS COUNTRY TRAILS On the Saturday of MLK weekend, the OC XC group was scheduled to go to Cascade Ski Center in Lake Placid. Conditions looked great and the bus was close to sold out. A major snow storm was predicted to start in the Albany area on Saturday during the late afternoon/early evening. The ski club had already cancelled Sunday and Monday bus trips to Gore and Pico due to epic storm and wind predictions. I monitored the weather and figured we would be ok for a Saturday XC trip. Due to travel concerns for bus passengers and the bus driver, I was planning on leaving the ski area at 3:30 p.m. vs. the usual 4pm. At 11pm on Friday, I received a phone call from Brown Bus notifying me the trip was cancelled due to a proclamation from the Governor s office, banning bus and tractor trailer traffic on the NYS Thruway and most interstate highways after 3 pm on Saturday. The bus was scheduled to depart from Crossgates in less than eight hours. It was imperative to notify every one about the cancellation. Some XC members travel from the NY/MA border, as well as southern Greene County to get on the bus. I wasn t certain everyone would check their email for bus updates before heading out the door as early as 5:30 am. Although I quickly put together an email blast for the group, I later discovered the notification was inadvertently sent to the OC Weekly Update downhill distribution list vs. the OC Cross Country list. That was definitely a personal blunder due to sleep deprivation and lack of my favorite drug, caffeine. At 4:00 am, I began digging through XC PayPal transactions for phone numbers and addresses to make sure I contacted everyone OC CLUB RACE SCHEDULE FOR 2019 Saturday, February 9th PICO Mountain Killington VT Sponsored by the Out of Control Ski Club Registration begins at (9am or when bus arrives) Racing starts after 10am TBD This is a 2 Run GS course on a blue trail Lunch and awards to follow in main lodge around 3pm Cost: $35.00 for all club members and guests, and 30.00 for Junior Racers. Includes an all-day lift ticket, race fees and lunch will be provided by the OC Club. Note: This is a OC Day Bus (Happy Hour) to Pico Mtn, all Club Racers if riding the bus must follow the standard bus procedures for day bus trips. Standard bus fees (12.00) for club members and guests (22.00) will apply. Anyone not pre-registered must be at Pico Mtn by 9am on 9 Feb to secure a 42.00 adult and 32.00 youth lift ticket as a group ticket only as this rate will not be available at the ticket window. Who can race all these scheduled events? Skiers and Boarders of all skill levels are welcome to race, as are juniors under the age of 18 (who are dependents or relatives of club members) OC club members can enjoy the benefit of having our in-house racers and our own PSIA certified instructors who will offer clinics to our OC family. Please contact Wayne Podbielski at wmod14r@aol.com or text at 518-376- 4492 if you wish to have a one on one clinic from our instructors and this will be arranged. Racing Classes include the following groups: Juniors 7-17 Open ages 18-39 Veteran ages 40-55 Super Veteran 56 plus Our Mission Provide well-run alpine ski/snowboard races in all disciplines for our club members. with a bus seat, concentrating on those traveling the farthest first. I called several work phone numbers and received the infamous recording, I m sorry, the number you have called is no longer in service a few times.. Since I knew Person X was good friends with Person Y, I was able to get a few updated numbers that way. I also drove to the bus pick-up locations to make sure everyone received the message. Notwithstanding the irony of having a ski bus cancelled due to snow and at the direction of the NYS Governor s office, the moral of the story is this: If you sign up for a bus via PayPal, make sure your information contains a valid phone number whereby someone can contact you. For future XC buses, I will verify contact information for all passengers. Take time to thank the Bus Committee for all of their volunteer efforts. The Bus Committee makes everything look easy all you need to do is sign up for a bus and pay great prices to ski, downhill or XC. There s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Don t forget to volunteer, smile and thank the Brown Bus drivers. Now, let s ski! Foster the spirit of friendly competition among competitors at all levels of skiing/boarding abilities. Provide a variety of services and benefits for our members, including the promotion of ski racing education, sportsmanship and safety. Cooperate and maintain good relationships with local and regional ski associations, ski resorts and communities. Organized racing is just one more great reason to become a member of the Out of Control Ski Club, please pass this on to other skiers and boarders (nonmembers) to interest them in joining our club.
Smugglers Notch- -January 19th- 21st
OC Ski Club P.O. Box 13901 Albany, NY 12212-3901 We love skiing & Riding (& falling)!!!!