OCTOBER 2005 JOIN US AT THE NEW MIDLAND CENTER WHEN: FRIDAY OCTOBER 7, 2005 7:00 pm General Meeting WHERE: NEW MIDLAND PLAZA COMMUNITY ROOM SEE: ROLF LANZ PRESENTATION OF WHAT S NEW IN EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING IN THE SKI WOLRD $5 donation to cover food & drink FSC PRESIDENT S CORNER ARE YOU READY TO SKI!!!? OK, I ll tone it down a little since I, myself, haven t thought any more about skiing since my last letter. But this dry, hot weather will stop soon and we ll all start thinking snow again. I did check out my skis today since I put them up without much care last spring. I believe they can go another week of skiing without help since I just used them just one week last year since I rented some in Bormio. Congratulations to our trip chairmen, Terry Igoe and Greg McKendry. It looks like we are headed toward another 50 person trip again this year. We get great results and fantastic high return rate every year for a relatively small ski club. All of you congenial members make us function so well. Another subject have you checked out our great new web site???? www.foothillsskiclub.com. It s fantastic! You will find a lot of info about this year s trip to Chamonix, news letters, meeting schedules, and other cool information. Please let us know that you have seen it. We want to start using the web site as our main source of communication to save mailing costs. Many Kudos to Greg McKendry who coordinated the web site and Gunther Zurstadt and Dennis Anderson who were the technical geniuses who got it up and going. Also contact any board member if you have a request for information you would like to see on the site. Some health updates. Roxy Ernsberger s treatments for lung cancer and Hodgkin s appear to be working great. So far, Roxy is feeling good and the cancers have/are disappearing. Great news. Keep up your prayers. More good news. Patty Dreinhoefer is up and walking with a cane after her serious fall in July. Hope to see you all at the next meeting, Oct. 7. GARRY ERNSBERGER Directions: To New Midland Center, Drive 129 south past the airport, be sure to bear to the right at the split. Turn left at the first traffic light (Louisville Rd.) Wal-mart is on the SW corner - Anderson Lumber Co. is on the left. Louisville Rd. becomes Calderwood Road. Go one mile ( past three traffic lights). Turn right beside Amsouth Bank into the mall parking lot. You will see a sign directing you back to the Armed Forces Recruiting office. Park and walk toward it. The Community Room is in the back left corner of the arcade.
Membership by Carolyn Franks There are 37 family units who have paid their dues for the 2005-06 season. Those include singles, couples and two family memberships. The newest members are Virgil and Kathleen Metts. They live in Rockford and have their own firm, Impact Associates. They love to entertain, scuba, golf, travel for business and pleasure and have 15 and 20+ years experience including skiing in Europe. They have already signed up for the Chamonix Nice trip for 2006. Welcome to the club. We hope we can all meet you at the next meeting. We also congratulate our member Kim Keller on her recent adoption of daughter Mia. Kim reports it will probably be a few years before she can return to one of our ski trips but wishes all well and will see us in 2008 or so. Social Committee The social committee proposed and the board approved that a flat $5 donation for regular meetings be requested of all participants to help cover the cost of the food and beverage. Last year we did not cover the routine costs. If you are requested to bring a dish and it is coordinated thru the social committee, this donation will be waived. Treasurers Report by Sara Sowders ( as of Sept 12, 2005) Beginning Balance as of July 29, 2005 $20,221.28 Deposits $9417.00 Beyond Boundaries 2006 trip payment ($17,006.00) Balance as of Sept 12, 2005 $12,632.28 Picture Your Club Somewhere in the World with Us Next Year! October 7, 2005 Meeting Program Rolf Lanz Ski shop will present the newest in clothing and equipment for the coming year. Remember our FSC membership is worth a discount on all regularly priced items. Shana also announces that $59.95 Service Card entitles you to 24 months to get 2 free tune-ups, 2 free edge & waxes, 2 free iron waxes and clothing discounts. See the store for further details ALL TRIP PARTICIPANTS All trip participants must have the Foothills ski club release form and the Beyond Boundaries release form sign and on file before the trip. They are available at www.foothillsskiclub.com. Toll Free: (800) 487-1136 Fax : (719) 471-2599 E mail : info@beyondboundariestravel.com Web site: www.beyondboundariestravel.com An Innovative Travel Company Beyond Boundaries Travel (formerly Colorado International)
Chamonix and the Mont Blanc Region by Terry Igoe Trip Chairman I am really looking forward to a great trip for 2006. We now have reservations from 50 members for the trip to Chamonix, the oldest ski resort in France. From Chamonix we also have access to two other world class ski areas in the Mont Blanc Region. The first is Megeve, with 3 mountains offering 131 well groomed slopes, served by 81 lifts, with snow making on major slopes, so you can ski back down to the resort. Choose between the World Cup downhill run, bumps or cruising terrain and 30 mountain restaurants. This quintessential picturesque ski town offers a quaint pedestrian zone with boutiques and cafes and beckons for an afternoon shopping stroll. Another option is to travel through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Courmayeur and the Aosta Valley, Italy. The town of Courmayeur lies at the foot of Mont Blanc, Europe s highest mountain. The skiing area is just above the town and is connected by 2 cable cars and a gondola. Other cable cars, gondolas, chair lifts and pomas offer connections to every part of the mountain. At Courmayeur Mont Blanc the skiing is constantly accompanied by fantastic views of the Mont Blanc ranges with its peaks and glaciers. Courmayeur also offers a vast choice of excellent restaurants and shopping. So we will have plenty for the skiers as well as the non-skiers in the beautiful Mont Blanc Region. Think SNOW!! SKIING CHAMONIX by Barbara McKendry As the temperatures begin to drop and the first leaves of autumn try to cover the driveway, my thoughts turn to snow season and skiing, my favorite sport! This February will be my third trip to Chamonix. My memories of the town and it s ski slopes are intense. It s a multi-faceted jewel of a place. My first visit was in 1985 when I was just beginning my third year on skis. I had skied at Snowshoe, W. VA. the year before and was intimidated by the relatively narrow trails that had been cut from the forested slopes. However, I had managed to get down them without incident. So in Chamonix, when my French guide said, Now we ski a very narrow trail! I thought he meant one like I d skied at Snowshoe. Wrong! This trail was only as wide as my two skis. And it went up and down so you had to build speed on the down parts to make it up the other parts! I managed to stay on the slope since the alternative was falling into a fifty foot gully and having to climb back up without assistance. However I have a small scar on my knee to remind me that I didn t ski that piste with any grace or style! Ten years later, I was the FSC trip leader who guided our club s first ever European ski trip. Now I had another decade of skiing under my belt. I no longer felt the intimidation I had suffered before. The mountains are vast, with challenging terrain, but I was in a better position to enjoy them. In 1995, our first day on the slopes brought a snowfall of blizzard proportions. A whiteout that closed the entire valley and all the lifts. Now, as I prepare for a third visit to the Haute Savoie area of France, I d like to pass along a few tips for the newbies among us. I hope these will make your stay in Chamonix more pleasant. First of all, the French (and many European cultures) don t believe in standing in lines. Before 1776, It was the ever-polite British who taught us American colonists to line up and stay there. Remember, the Brits even marched into battle without allowing their lines to break up! The French, on the other hand, take pride in the acts of daredevil who would boldly cut into a line. So tip number one: Wear your steel elbow caps and make a game of keeping your place safe from invaders! Believe me this is an essential survival skill in lift crowds. (Notice I didn t say lift lines. Those would be English!) The second survival tip is to speak French! I don t mean the entire language. About 10 words will do. Always approach a stranger in French. Bon Jour is enough. They will know from your accent that you don t have a clue about the French language. However, they appreciate the gesture you made to speak French. Don t we all feel the same way? How many times have you heard someone say This is the United States, they should speak English here? The French agree with that sentiment entirely. Plus, their feelings are hurt now that English has replaced French as the international language for business and tourism. My third and final tip is don t let your ego overload your skis. This is a vast ski area without the grooming and ski patrol we are used to in the U.S. Many areas cannot be skied without a guide. They are too dangerous because of crevasses and other hidden dangers. The national attitude is If you re stupid enough to do it, you deserve to face the consequences and NO, nobody will feel sorry for you or try to correct the foolish situation you created by giving you someone else s money. Wow! What a system! So there it is! My top three suggestions for a great ski week in the French Alps. I hope this will be a highly enjoyable vacation for all! If any of this information gives you pause, e-mail me at bawbawrah@aol.
TRAVEL INSURANCE SHOULD YOU HAVE IT? By Garry Ernsberger The answer to this question is not so easy to find. It depends upon individual circumstances and it you will not find a definitive answer in my ramblings, but I will try to steer you to the resources that can help you decide. Travel insurance can cover a variety of things and all policies are different to some degree. It can cover trip cancellation insurance to return all or part of your money if you have to cancel for a legitimate reason (as spelled out in the policy). It can cover medical expenses in foreign countries. It can cover emergency evacuation from the mountainside if necessary when skiing. Whether you want any of this coverage depends upon your present medical insurance coverage, your proclivity to cover your own risks rather than insure, and your circumstances concerning events that might cause you to have to cancel (as perhaps the faltering health of a near relative). Some considerations. The refund policy & dates listed on the reservations form and release form. The social security Medicare program does not provide coverage for hospital or medical costs outside the USA. Does your medical plan or backup plan to Medicare cover you outside the USA? I have checked and mine does, but that is not necessarily standard. In some ski areas, you can get emergency slope removal insurance right there, but I don t believe we have had it every year. Anyway, as you can see, it is a very individual type choice as to whether you want or need the travel insurance. There are many travel insurance companies and they all offer different coverage. A comprehensive package appears to run about $100 or more for this price level trip and is dependant upon your age. If young, it may run much cheaper. Pre-existing conditions are usually not covered. A good resource is the Department of States Bureau of Consular Affairs: On the internet, use http:// travel.state.gov/medical.html. It is titled Medical information for Americans traveling abroad. It lists many companies at the very end. I have brochures from one of these, Travel Insured International, that our travel company sent me. I am not specifically endorsing this one, but we have it in hand and it seems typical. I also searched using travel insurance and came up with 443 listings. I suggest you start with the list provided in the consular affairs article. In any case, read the fine print. As I said, they are all different. It is your choice or not. Happy hunting. Garry Ernsberger Beyond Boundaries has worked with www.travelinsured.com. Other have endorsed www.gatewayplans. com. The important part is to check out your own needs and insurance requirements. The earlier you sign up for insurance, generally the better the situation.
PO BOX 4422 Maryville, TN 37802-4422 FSC CALENDAR Friday OCT 7, 2005 7:00 pm New Midland Center Rolf Lanz Ski - New Clothes and Equipment www.foothillsskiclub.com