HVSC Hudson Valley Ski Club Poughkeepsie, New York * 2008 * Our 70th Year * A special thanks to Claudette Hennessy for hosting the annual Holiday Sing-Along As always a great time was had by all. 2007 Holiday Dance December 19 at the Best Western Hotel. Thanks to Pat Cummins and his volunteers for setting it up and providing the music. Thirteenth Annual Hudson Valley Ski Club Holiday Raffle on December 5, 2007 Thanks to the contributors, participants and those members who brought the prizes to the club. Winners of raffle prizes will appear on the HVSC website. If you are interested in swapping prizes, contact the appropriate winner. Sincerely, Dave Ghostlaw Vice President & Chairperson, Holiday Raffle Committee Night Skate at Mohonk Mountain House Friday night December 7. Only 4 of the 20 HVSC members who signed up plus several of Mark s friends from the Bike Club showed for a couple of hours of ice skating on the 9,375 square foot rink that evening. A few called with concerns about the weather, but as it turned out, the light snow stopped hours before the skate and the roads were clear. Everyone who did show seemed to have a great time. Mike Harelick hvscnews@hvc.rr.com Date Jan 4-6 Jan 5-13 Volume LXX Number 1 January 2008 HVSC/TSSC Fun Ski Day at Plattekill Sunday January 27, 08 Lift ticket, Dinner, Race (optional), & Mogul Clinic $43 Come join members of our sister club for a fun day of skiing, racing & learning, if you like, and a sumptuous buffet dinner to wind a day up at one of the best kept skiing secrets in the Catskills. The morning racing is free and optional for HVSC members as is the afternoon mogul clinic. Dinner at the Black Bear restaurant on Rt. 28 is optional as well, but if you want to attend you must sign up and pay $18 of the $43 in advance so the restaurant has a definitive head count to prepare dinner for. You will not be able to attend the dinner as a walk in and there will be no refunds if you don t show up. Payment checks made out to HVSC for the dinner need to be in to Jeff Elwyn by Wednesday, January 23. The lift ticket is $25 and can be purchased on the 27th at the mountain by showing your HVSC membership card at time of purchase. For planning we would like to know if you are coming and will be racing. Sign ups for the day, race, clinic, and dinner: contact Jeff Elwyn by E-mail at Skiercom@hvc.rr.com or phone at 845-334-8732. PS. Plattekill is approx 20-25 minutes past Belleayre ski area, follow signs or do a Map Quest. Feb 2-9 Feb 23-3/1 Mar 14-17 Aug 3-16 2007--2008 Ski Trip Schedule Destination Weekend Trip to Gore Mt, NY Nagano, Japan Lake Tahoe, CA/NV Aspen, CO Sugarbush, VT New Zealand, Rarotonga & Australia (cancelled due to lack of participation) This month's meetings: January 3 & 17 at 7:30 PM at the Best Western 2007 2008 Ski Trips: Gore ~ Sugarbush ~ Aspen ~ Lake Tahoe ~ Nagano, Japan { New Zealand trip cancelled due to lack of participation }
Page 2 HVSC Information Club Information Club Officers President: Mark Booska 485-6246 Vice-President: David Ghostlaw 338-3528 Secretary: Susan Eschbach 373-9138 Treasurer: Jim Gahn 561-6376 Sergeant at Arms: Larry Slezak 454-7824 Board of Directors Ingrid Dodard 718-986-4201 Jeff Elwyn 334-8732 Pete Gray 462-2010 Susan Hasbrouck 229-6786 Shirley Rinaldi 233-4168 Mark Searle 471-6402 Committee Leaders Constitution: Glenn Morris 462-2144 Cross Country: Mark Booska 485-6246 Ed Miles 471-2504 Dance Chairman: Pat Cummins 298-0854 Education - PSIA/ASIA: Mark Searle 471-6402 Discount Tickets: Jim Gahn 561-6376 Marketing: Mark Booska 485-6246 Membership: Pete Gray 462-2010 Mentorship: Herb Eschbach 373-9138 NJ Ski Council: Jim Gahn 561-6376 Ski Trips: Nancy Egan 895-1714 Snow Boarding: Kevin Kokosa 229-6786 Publicity: Sal Alaimo 473-2481 Racing Program: Tom Pompei 462-3944 Summer Chairman: Walt Gorgas 297-8746 Welcoming: Susan Hasbrouck 229-6786 Friday "Race Training:" Susan Hasbrouck 229-6786 All phones area code 845 Welcome to the following new members! Kathleen Murphy Pete Gray membership@hudsonvalleyskiclub.org HVSC Board Meeting No board meeting in December The board next meets January 16, 2008 at 6:30 PM, Best Western, Route 9, Poughkeepsie Invitees: All Officers and Board Members are requested to attend. Any interested Ski Club members may attend as guests. Contact: Mark Booska (485-6246) Newsletter staff: Deadline: Fifteenth of each month Editors: Mike & Angie Harelick 183 Millers Lane Kingston, NY 12401 845-339-4894 editor@hudsonvalleyskiclub.org Voice Message Service for last minute changes and new activities: 227-1123 Contact: Ed Miles (471-2504) to have a message put on the service. George Spath Gina Spath From the Editor/Webmaster A Joyous New Year You might have noticed the subtle note on our bannerhead on page one, 2008 Our 70th year. That s quite an accomplishment for any organization. My complements to those members who have for years contributed their time and efforts to make HVSC the success it has been. One again let me remind members that if you d rather not deface your copy of the newsletter, you could electronically duplicate any forms that appear in this newsletter, or more easily, just print copies from the club website. Remember, no unsolicited or unannounced e- mail from Hudson Valley Ski Club has ever (and will never) contain attachments or embedded executable files. Mike editor@hudsonvalleyskiclub.org webmaster@hudsonvalleyskiclub.org
HVSC January Meeting Previews January 16 - Dr. Jay Zaretsky from the Mid-Hudson Medical Group will be giving a presentation on injuries and the ACL in particular Lift Ticket Lotto January 2 - Catamount, Gore, Hunter, Mt. Snow, Jiminy January 16 - Butternut, Catamount, Gore, Plattekill February 6 - Catamount, Hunter, Mt. Snow, Plattekill, Jiminy February 20 - Belleayre, Butternut, Catamount, Mt. Snow Winners will be announced in the next newsletter Last month s winners: November 7 Annual Open House/Snow Expo Raffle and Silent Auction - Dozens of winners! A full listing appears on the HudsonValleySkiClub.org November 21 - Belleayre - Bill Ennist, Butternut - Elizabeth Booska, Plattekill - Herb Eschbach, Windham - Ken Heller December 5 - Holiday Raffle - Dozens of winners! A full listing appears on the HudsonValleySkiClub.org December 19 - Belleayre, Catamount, Gore, Plattekill winners will appear next month Page 3 Ski Improvement Days Ski Improvement Days are open to all HVSC members and their guests. These are great opportunities to improve your personal skiing while having a most enjoyable time with other Club members. Ski Improvement Days for the coming months are listed below. All days, except January 27 at Plattekill, are Potter Brothers Discount Days. January 5 - Saturday - Jiminy Peak 13 - Sunday - Windham 18 - Friday - Hunter 26 - Saturday - Jiminy 27 - Sunday - Plattekill - Bump clinic & race with Trailsweepers (dinner afterward) - lift tickets will be $25 & dinner will be $18; Jeff Elwyn is taking reservations for this event (skiercom@hvc.rr.com) 28 - Monday - Jiminy February 3 - Sunday - Belleayre 9 - Saturday - Plattekill - HVSC Discount with Membership Card 15 - Friday - Windham 24 - Sunday - Belleayre Contact Mark Searle, HVSC Education Committee to reserve your place in one of the Skier Improvement Days or for more information. You can reach Mark at: (845)471-6402 or HVSCSkiTeach@Yahoo.com. Advertisement
Page 4 ASPEN Feb 23 March 1 $1,390 One Space Available Trip includes: 7 nights lodging at the Gant Round trip air 5 of 6 day All Aspen Lift Pass Transportation to and from airports Welcome Reception The Gant is ideally situated in a peaceful enclave at the base of Aspen Mountain. The Gant provides outstanding accommodations and unmatched amenities including two heated outdoor swimming pools. Come to ski and discover four world class mountains with over 4100 acres of ski able terrain for every level of skier. Come for more than skiing and discover Aspen s remarkable restaurants, singular shopping, fascinating art galleries, stimulating book stores and late night entertainment. Come for the outdoors and discover miles of groomed cross-country trails, dog sledding, guided snowshoe tours, snowmobiling and hot-air ballooning. *PLEASE NOTE DETAILS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE Trip Leader: Jackie Martzinek 59 Cedar Valley Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. Phone 473-2557 Payment schedule (corrected from July issue): $220 due the first meeting of July, Aug, Sept, Oct. and Nov. The final balance will be due the first meeting in December. The minimum penalty for cancellations is $100 2007 2008 Ski Trips LAKE TAHOE Feb 2 9 $1,090 Trip includes: 7 nights lodging at the Horizon Casino Round trip air Bus transportation to and from the airports 3 days skiing at Heavenly Day trip to Kirkwood Day trip to Squaw The Horizon Casino is a first class hotel located in the heart of South Lake Tahoe. The hotel features an elegant grand lobby. Amenities include heated outdoor whirlpools and pool as well as many entertainment and dining options. There is free shuttle service to Heavenly from the hotel or walk just a few blocks to the Heavenly Gondola. An option to ski and stay at Squaw is being offered for approx. $1,890. This offer requires a minimum of 8 participants to sign up by the July meeting. Accommodations will be ski in/out at Squaw Inn based on double occupancy. *PLEASE NOTE DETAILS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE Trip Leader: Mary Ann Jagger 15 Anderson Road, Gardiner, NY 12525. Phone 256-0225 Payment schedule (corrected from July issue): $150 due the first meeting of July, Aug, Sept, Oct. and Nov. The final balance will be due the first meeting in December. The minimum penalty for cancellations is $100.
2007 2008 Ski Trips Page 5 Gore Mountain Nordic/Alpine Trip January 4 6 Price is $189 Repeat of a favorite! The trip includes two nights lodging, a welcome wine and cheese reception, two full American breakfast buffets each morning, one dinner on Saturday night, one early Sunday dinner buffet, open bar on Friday from 10 pm until 2 am, and open bar on Saturday from 9 pm til 2 am. Deposit $100 with the final $89 due the first meeting in December. Shirley will again be the trip leader for the Gore trip and she has even added a raffle for Friday night. The winner will receive a 2-day lift ticket to Gore. Contact: Trip leader: Shirley Rinaldi 233-4168 ALSO A GREAT TRIP FOR CROSS COUNTRY SKIERS: Garnet Hill is close and an excellent Nordic ski area! Advertisement Le Petit Chateau Inn hosts "A Day in Greece" Bellydancing, Greek Wines and Chef's Demo Sunday, January 20 3:00-5:00 pm Special Discount for HVSC members: single $18, couple $32 limited to 25 RSVP 845-437-4688 or email@lepetitchateauinn.com www.lepetitchateauinn.com for lodging information Sugarbush Ski Resort March 14 17 Price is $332 (Deposit $100) This is another club favorite. This trip includes three nights lodging in the Bridges Resort Condos and a two day lift ticket for Sugarbush. Units have a full kitchen, a fireplace, two bedrooms and two baths. Sugarbush excels in great snow and varying terrain with 115 trails and glades. Trip leader: Ingrid Dodard 718-986-4201 Nagano, JAPAN January 5 13, 2008 $1,675 plus approx $300 for airline taxes and surcharges Lift tickets can be purchased for between $34 and $41 per day depending on the exchange rate. Pre & Post Trip Extensions also available. This is a special offer that will not last. Please see Nancy Egan, Trip Committee Chair, for more information and to secure your reservation. Discounts for Club Members*: Peak Performance Sports in New Paltz: 10% off store merchandise. Northstar Lodge at Killington: 50% discount mid-week; 20% off on weekends. Ski Butternut: $30 lift tickets Saturday and Sunday Catamount: $15 lift tickets mid-week and $32 on weekends. Plattekill: $8 discount anytime non-holiday * Just show you club membership card. More discounts will appear as we become aware of them. Questions? Contact: Mark Booska (485-6246)
Page 6 HVSC Discount Ski Lift Ticket Purchases Your Name: Contact Number: Quantity Mountain Location Age Limit Price per Ticket Total Acutney Any $37.00 Bromley (Adult) 13+ $40.00 Bromley (Junior) 6-12 $32.00 Gore/Whiteface Any $45.00 Killington Any N/A Mt Snow Any $53.00 Pico Any N/A Okemo (Adult) 19-64 $55.50 Okemo (Young Adult/Senior) 13-18, 65-69 with ID $47.50 Okemo (Junior/Super Senior) 7-12, 70+ with ID $37.50 Sugarbush Any $45.00 Stratton Any $48.00 Jay Peak (Adult) 19+ $37.00 Note: Jay Peak (Junior) 6-18 (with ID) $35.00 Make Check Payable for this Amount -----------------------------------> $ Make Checks Payable to Hudson Valley Ski Club 1. All tickets MUST be paid for in advance, at time of order. 2. Mail or hand order form and payment to Jim Gahn by the second HVSC meeting of the month so your order can be placed and ready for pickup on the second HVSC meeting of the following month 3. All orders are to be picked up at a regular ski club meetings. No Exceptions 4. Send order forms & checks to: Hudson Valley Ski Club c/o James Gahn 44 Far Horizons Drive Newburgh, NY 12550 FAX forms to: 845-855-5764 e-mail forms in advance to: earmaster@juno.com
HVSC Off Snow Activities Page 7 ADULT SKI & SNOWBOARD RACE LEAGUE AT CATAMOUNT, Hillsdale, NY www.catamountski.com (518) 325-3200 I m pleased to announce that the ADULT SKI & SNOWBOARD RACE LEAGE is back for another season and everyone is invited to participate. The same format as last year is being offered and it is expected to be a huge success. We will be participating in Team Ski Racing on Wednesday Nights for six weeks beginning 1/9/08 (weather permitting). We need at least FIVE racers to participate as a TEAM. The cost will be $95.00 a person and this will include your lift ticket, race fee, awards and banquet at the end of the season (a portion of the cost will be paid by the club). Registration will be at 6:30 pm and racing should begin about 7:00 pm. This is a GS course and includes two timed runs. Last year over 75 skiers participated on some nights. I m told more than 10 teams have already committed to the event this year. The deadline to register is 12/15/07. It seems that we have the same members participating each year. I would like to see some new faces; especially some of the newer members (even our President raced last year) participate. We usually car pool from Red Oaks Mill on race nights. The Season Finale will be the annual President s Race on March 22, 2008 presented by the New Jersey Ski Council (NJSC) at Hunter Mountain. Anyone who has ever participated in this event can attest to its success. This race is open to all HVSC members (children are also allowed to participate). Further details about this event will appear in upcoming newsletters and announced at future meetings. These are all ON-SNOW events (unlike Friday Night Race Training) and open to all levels of skiers and boarders, men and women, from beginners to experts. All HVSC members are invited and encouraged to participate. It is a great opportunity to meet and ski with some of your fellow club members while improving your skiing skills and technique. This weekly event is meant to be FUN, so come on out and enjoy the thrills and spills that racing has to offer. Any other racing events that come up during year will be announced at the meetings, appear in the newsletter or will be posted on the website. To register, contact Tom Pompei at 845 462-3944 or e-mail: TVP606@optonline.net. Hope to see everyone there!!! FOR SALE: Ladies Ski Boots Solomon Size: Ladies 6 1/2 Excellent condition ~ New for 2006 07 season Make an offer Contact: Mary Ann 845 294-8723 Advertisement Dutchess County Singles Dance Friday, January 11, 2008 ~ 8:00 PM -- Midnight Best Western, Route 9 Poughkeepsie, NY Admission: DCS members $12 = Non-members $14 Includes hot/cold hors d'oeuvres, coffee & dessert, cash bar. Music of the DJ "Ed Roberts" 50/50 Raffle! Visit: www.dutchesscountysingles.org
Page 8 HVSC New Store Now Open in Fishkill, NY Potter Brothers is excited to announce the relocation of our Fishkill Store Route 9 North 3 miles north of I-84 in the John Lawrence Farms Mall. Poughkeepsie: 845.454.3880 Kingston: 845.338.5119 Toll free: 888.330.4941 also in Fishkill NEW LOCATION Middletown & Jiminy Peak FREE HUNTER Mountain Lift Ticket For a limited time, you'll get a FREE Hunter Mountain Lift Ticket on any purchase of new 2008 Skis or Snowboards. (Value $59.00) While supplies last! Our 63rd Year in Business ~~ For more information, visit us at: www.potterbrothers.com CERTAIN STEPS TO SKIING IMPROVEMENT There are a few techniques that are proven to improve one's skiing abilities that many of us have most likely employed at one time of another during our skiing careers. There's the tried and true method of practice. Simply doing it over and over and over again until, hopefully, you get it right. If not, then frustration sets in and one typically gives up. Not for lack of trying mind you but, simply because it doesn't work. There's something missing. So, what is a person to do? This is where your ski club gets into the scene. The HVSC can address, in a positive manner, the frustration you feel, the plateau that you seem to have reached and your perceived inability to make the leap from that plateau to a higher level of skill and accomplishment. What's a person to do? Forget that "Woe is me" attitude and do something positive. HVSC has two means to address the dilemma that you may be experiencing. First, there are the Ski Improvement Days that will be offered in conjunction with discount lift tickets at several local ski area. These days allow members and their guests to take advantage of less expensive skiing opportunities and free ski lessons from Certified and qualified ski instructors. Lessons will be available for everyone from the first-timer to the upper intermediate who is having difficulty making the transition to being a truly expert skier. Come join us for one of the upcoming Ski Improvement Days and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much better your skiing will become. You may even learn about the highly secret French technique for ski improvement. Be sure to see the coming newsletters for more information about and a schedule for the discount lift ticket and ski improvement days. There's yet another way to improve your skiing and that is to become an instructor. The increased interest in the Club's free lesson program has created a need for the Club to recruit more instructors. By becoming an instructor you'll definitely improve your own personal skiing while gaining a sense of fulfillment by sharing your interest and enthusiasm for the sport with others. Prospective member instructors can attain certification through either the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) or Amateur Ski Instructors Association (ASIA). You don't need to be a world-class skier to be an instructor. If you possess solid intermediate level skills and are interested in sharing skiing with others, please call the Club's Alpine Instruction Coordinator, Mark Searle, at (845)471-6402 or e- mail at HVSCSkiTeach@yahoo.com. We'll all feel better when you do.
HIGH ALTITUDE ALERT HVSC You were one of the first one s to get your check in the day this ski trip was announced. Your trip leader did a great job of making all the necessary arrangements: bus transportation to the airport; easy connections; really nice lodging right next to the slopes. Now it s the next morning and you re out early and on the tram to get first tracks. Life is good. Skiing the first day is awesome. End of the day.happy hour, drinks with friends. You re beginning to feel a little tired, a little wiped out, headache coming on, malaise sets in, a touch of dizziness, then a little nauseous. You head to your condo after telling friends you ll see them later for dinner. You sleep very little that night, getting up too many times to see your reflection in the toilet bowl. Forget skiing the next day; maybe even the day after that. You can t believe it; you never felt like this before on a ski trip. This sucks! The Hudson Valley Ski Club annually travels to ski areas in the higher elevations (Rocky Mtns, Sierras, Cascades, Alps, etc). Frequently a few members become affected by Altitude Sickness that can result in an unpleasant ski trip; such as being confined to the Inn bed or bathroom while friends are skiing in champagne powder. Anyone may be susceptible to altitude sickness regardless of age, sex, race, etc. Although there is no absolute guarantee of prevention, there are some standard measures which significantly increase the avoidance of this illness. -Staying hydrated appears to be a major factor. Since the air inside planes is notoriously dry and has lower concentrations of oxygen, it is a scenario that sets one up for being more susceptible to altitude sickness. Therefore it is strongly urged that one drink plenty of fluids during the flight. Since alcohol is also a dehydrating substance, it is recommended that it not be consumed the first couple of days of a trip to higher elevations. (Yeah, I know, this is a tough one!) -Eat lighter meals with high carbohydrates levels since this increases blood flow (which carries more oxygen) and supports energy needs during skiing at high elevations. -Don t overexert during the first day or two. Page 9 KILLINGTON TODAY by Walt Gorgas What Happened to Discount Tickets at Killington?? Killington has changed and is continuing to change. It was purchased by POWDR Corporation last spring. POWDR plans to pattern Killington after Park City, Utah, which it also owns. When I was at Park City several years ago, I had a day ticket and a rental car. I parked in an outlying parking lot and rode to the slope on a trailer pulled by a tractor. Season pass holders parked at the slopes, where attendants unloaded their cars for them. The lodge had good food, was full without having lines, and was pricy. The ski-in/ski-out condo owners had their own lodge. Similar plans at Killington include: The number of employees will match the number of customers paying normal prices. Space and time will not be filled with free or specially discounted tickets. Snowshed Lodge (formerly the beginner lodge) will be the main lodge. Killington s K-1 Lodge will be a mid-mountain lodge with parking for season- pass holders. Additional lodges will be opened when they can be filled and provide full service. Slopes will be opened when they are skiable. Rock skis will not be required. Pico normally will be open five days per week. It is not going to be the same at Killington, sooo, you pays your money and you takes your choice. Is this all really necessary? Well, yeah, when you ve spent thousands of dollars for this trip only to be sick in bed feeling like ---t. Trust me! GOOD HEALTH-GOOD SKIING Herb Eschbach ASIA/PSIA Ski Instructor, HVSC
Friday Race Training Coming Events -- January 2008 Every Friday evening Club members meet at an area eatery for a couple of hours of friendly conversation. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, contact Susan Hasbrouck 229-6786 race training coordinator. Note: Always check the website and/or Ski Phone 227-1123 for latest updates, as last minute conflicts are inevitable. December 21 PC s Paddock Poughkeepsie Attention: please park your cars in the back left parking lot! 28 Cosimo s Poughkeepsie January 4 The Dutch Cabin Poughkeepsie 11 Spanky's Poughkeepsie 18 Bonefish Grill Poughkeepsie 25 Coco's Pasta and Grill Hyde Park (formerly Easy Street) Sign up for the 2007 2008 Ski Trips Winter will be here sooner than you think! See pages 4 and 5 for details and contact the appropriate trip leader to sign up. So sharpen those skis and prepare for the season. Lift Ticket Lotto see front page. December January 2008 February 19 Holiday Party at Best Western 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS... 1 Happy New Year 2 Meeting at Best Western 7:30 4-6 Weekend Trip to Gore Mt, NY 5-13 Ski Trip to Nagano, Japan 16 Meeting at Best Western 7:30 2-9 Ski Trip to Lake Tahoe, CA/NV 6 Meeting at Best Western 7:30 Hudson Valley Ski Club If undeliverable, please return to: 183 Millers Lane Kingston, NY 12401 Mailing address: P.O. Box 1024 Poughkeepsie, New York 12602-1024 www.hudsonvalleyskiclub.org info@hudsonvalleyskiclub.org January 2008 This month's meetings: January 3 & 17 at 7:30 PM at the Best Western 2007 2008 Ski Trips: Gore ~ Sugarbush ~ Aspen ~ Lake Tahoe ~ Nagano, Japan