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Red Mountain and Schweitzer Mountain Mar 6, 2010 - Mar 19, 2010 |
Yes, this was another great ski trip that had an early start. Eighteen of us departed from Kohl’s in East Peoria at 2:30 AM. We saw some car lights blinking in the Bloomington Menard’s parking lot. So we pulled off the interstate and picked up two more. Off we go to O’Hare. We signed up for United’s Premium Baggage Program. The check in went effortlessly. This program saved each of us around $90. Our flight to Denver was uneventful. Upon arrival, we scattered and ate lunch at various locations. We had gate changes, but we all found the correct one and away we went to Spokane. We arrived on time and our Deluxe Motor Coach was waiting. We made a grocery/beverage stop in Spokane, more beverages than food. Then we all set back to enjoy the ride and scenery. We arrived around 8:30 PM at Red Mountain after we drove through a gas station right outside of Rossland BC trying to find route signs. Then, thanks to poor signage, we missed our turn into Red. So we backed up and turned around. We all dined at Gypsy’s at Red, as it was the only restaurant open at this hour. We woke up Sunday morning to the sun shining on our groomed slopes. After a full day of skiing some went to their rooms to use their hot tubs. All of our rooms had their own individual hot tub…nice added bonus. With a beverage purchased in Spokane along with the hot tub, a lot a relaxation occurred prior to going out to dinner. A group of us went to the Flying Steamshovel Pub in Rossland. The Pub was only about a 10 minute cab ride from our condos. We had great conversation along with fine food and beverage. Monday was much different than our first day. We had clouds and new snow. The snow was a little wet and heavy. We still plowed, I mean skied through it. Of course we enjoyed ourselves. After a full day of skiing a large group met in the Attic Bar of the Day Lodge. They served appetizers and adult beverages. Stories abounded about our first two days of skiing. Among the stories told was the one about Roy taking a couple of falls on the same run down Old Main. Later several groups walked down to Gabriella’s Restaurant for some great Italian food. Then we had to return to our rooms to pack for our move to Schweitzer Mountain. Tuesday was moving day and a day of skiing at 49 Degrees North. They received some of the snow that moved through Red. It was all groomed for us. It was two lift tickets for the price of one, Tuesday. Great deal for about 5 hours of skiing. We did have one skier who struggled with the lift and the goofy ramp located just after boarding the chair. Ask Julie D. to show you the dent in her helmet. Around 2:30 we boarded our bus and headed for Schweitzer Mountain (SM). After check in, several of us went across the snow street to Thor’s Pizza. You guessed it, we had pizza and beer. Each morning at SM we started off with a complimentary continental breakfast.On our first day of skiing SM we had a guided tour of the mountain. Gwen, Schweitzer’s Group Sales Manager, guided one group and a person, who I don’t know his name, guided the “impatient group”. It was really helpful getting the lay of the land from somebody who really knew the mountain. We had another good day of groomed skiing. Two fellow skiers are now a little safer out on the slopes. Christine and I bought helmets today. I haven’t had to test mine. With my newfound confidence, I hope not to test it. Après skiing beverages were consumed at the Chimney Rock Bar & Restaurant in our lodge where we enjoyed Happy Hour discounts. | During conversation at Happy Hour a new difficulty rating for runs was described. It is the “Blue my Ass!” designator. Thanks, Julie B. I think most of us dined at the Chimney Rock. They offered both a fine dining menu and a bar menu. Thursday offered us another day of groomed skiing. All of the mountains we skied suffered from below average snowfalls for the entire season. The good news is, we didn’t ski over a rock or treetop. I guess they just had enough to give us a good experience. Ask Dixie if she is afraid of ghosts? She had a run in with the unloading station ½ way up the Snow Ghost Lift. After another good day of skiing many of us celebrated it in Chimney’s with Happy Hour beverages. I celebrated with a friend of mine from the Air Force and his wife. They drove up from Pullman WA so we could tell lies about each other that happened many years ago. Then Steve was able to ski with a few others and me Friday morning. We had a great reunion. There is another story related to the Snow Ghost Lift. There was this guy who got on this lift. His plan was to get off at the midway station with the rest of his group. Before he gets to the ramp, the lift attendant comes out and asks if he wants the lift stopped for him. He feels good, can’t understand why the lifty is asking him if he wants the lift stopped and he didn’t think he looked that old that the lift needed to be stopped for him. So he said, “no thanks”. As soon as he gets off, down he falls. Picks himself up and is looking around for his other ski. He says, “Where’s my other ski?” The lifty replies, “About two chairs back”. It seems when he boarded at the bottom, one ski came off and he didn’t realize it. So Roy, how did you like your ride on the Snow Ghost Lift? Friday we woke up to several inches of new snow. WOW, what a great sight. It wasn’t the dry powder we were hoping for. It was good skiing until around lunchtime. Then it got chopped up. It was still a great day for our last day of skiing. I don’t know if you were paying attention, but there were SIX DAYS of skiing on this trip. Just another great service your club provided to those on the trip. Some of us took a short shuttle ride to St Bernard’s for dinner. Where did the time go? After dinner we went back to our hotel and started packing for the return trip. Saturday we had time for a leisurely breakfast and last minute packing. The bus was on time. So, more beautiful scenery on our way back to Spokane. Mike the driver that took us to Red and then to Schweitzer wasn’t available to take us back to Spokane. But, he called our driver to tell him how great we were and to take care of us. Flights were on time at both Spokane and Denver. As a result, we got our luggage and our bus loaded at O’Hare by midnight. Another late arrival back at home. We lost an hour of sleep because Daylight Savings Time kicked into gear. Just as we left Bloomington, I saw my cell phone jump from 2 AM to 3 AM. I would like to thank all of the below fellow skiers who were on time for everything. You made my life a little easier. I believe everybody on the trip enjoyed themselves. I didn’t hear any complaints of boredom. This was another great PSC ski trip that was enjoyed by all. Ask any of us for more details of this two country, three state, three mountain, six days of lift tickets trip. Skiers who participated in this great trip: Tom McCormack, Ken Eichorn, Tim Sefried, Lee Ryerson, Mickey & Roy Welch, Dixie & Gene Snyder, Janet & Rod Sleeth, Julie & Bryan Brown, Dave Hoover, Keith Erickson, Jon Gruebele, Julie & Dave Durdel, Christine Flores, Bob Easton and Amy Ryerson. |
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Paris, Venice, and Ski Salve Val Gardena Feb 25, 2010 - Mar 13, 2010 |
The Paris, Venice, Selva Italy Ski Trip We arrived in Paris, at our hotel, across from the French Presidential Mansion, which became our home for the next four nights. With Jim Tomlin’s book on Paris and Rick Steagall’s prior experience we saw all the Paris tourist attractions including the Eifel Tower, the Louvre, and Versailles. We also sampled the wonderful French cuisine. WOW!! The weather was wonderful except for one day of rain. It was hard to believe that this was only the beginning of our trip. The next morning we flew to Venice, Italy. A water taxi took us to our hotel one block off the main Canal. While in Venice we rode the Gondolas, had wonderful food and toured Venice during our three night stay. We went to the Island of Murano Italy to watch Murano glass being made (of course we did purchase some). We then visited the Island of Bassano, known for its linens and tapestries, where several members of our party purchased Venetian masks and had the opportunity to have wonderful food with local residents. From there, we were bused to Val Gardena, Italy. | The Hotel Oswald was wonderful!!! Val Gardena’s ski weather was outstanding. Just cold enough with 6 to 8 inches of new powder on an already natural base. The locals informed us that we were very fortunate to have superb snow conditions. Val Gardenia’s Ski area is enormous. Some of us did the Sellaronda circle both ways. Chuck Bunch, a Chicagoan who skis there 2 or 3 times yearly, was our guide. We were able to enjoy the area without spending time reading maps or getting lost. There were enough green, blue, black, and double diamond black runs to keep everyone busy. NO INJURIES!!!!! Sixteen days built a strong lifetime bond between our trip participants: Reid & Sheila Hansen; Diane Fox & Rick Steagall; Barb Soldwedel & Jim Tomlin; Chuck Bunch; Brenda & Blair Gambill. Thank you! The McGinty’s were unable to attend due to a family emergency. They were greatly missed . Our hearts and prayers are with them. Blair Gambill |
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Wine Tasting at the Browns Feb 12, 2010 |
A good crowd enjoyed tasting several bottles of wine, good food, and the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics. Several members were excited to see Canada’s Female Athlete of the 20th century, former Olympic Skier Nancy Greene, carry one of the torches. We stayed at her lodge and skied with her at Sun Peaks two years ago. | |
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Breckenridge Jan 30 - Feb 6, 2010 |
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| Someone asked: What’s the Ski Kouncil of Illinois been up to? The short answer is about 9,600 ft. above sea level: the elevation we slept at in Breckenridge, Colorado. The week began with a Saturday evening welcome reception featuring wine, beer, hors d'oeuvres and information. The hotel location and facilities were very fitting for the activities both on and off the slope. Our lift pass enabled us to ski Breckenridge, Keystone, A Basin, and Vail. Along with the skiing we scheduled a couple of events. As a first for the Kouncil, we held a ski race with four member teams called Splash and Dash. The main task was to carry and transfer cups of water while skiing without spilling. There was great participation with thirteen teams racing. | Roy Welch, Linda Brown, Al Sondag, and Roger Schnelton (Springfield) were on the winning team. These skillful skiers took home a nice Brecken- ridge jacket. Second and third place teams were rewarded with dinner vouchers and ski socks. On Wednesday night, the group gathered in a large banquet room. Ski.com and Vail Resorts presented a proposal with financial incentives to ski South Lake Tahoe next year. After that we played ski trivia and won more prizes! Fortunately, there were no injuries other than a few bumps and scrapes, however, some members required oxygen during the week. It appears that the eighty six members who went on this trip enjoyed the joint venture Kouncil trip. Many are already looking forward to next year’s trip. | |
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Indianhead-Powderhorn Dec 31, 2009 - Jan 3, 2010 |
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Well, as you all know, it was a veerrry cold New Year's weekend in the Midwest and the U.P. of Michigan was no different !!! However, Indianhead was actually warmer than Peoria on Friday (New Year's day) and Saturday, because Lake Superior is still not frozen over and Indianhead is only a few miles away. Thirteen hardy PSC members were rewarded with about 18" of "Lake Effect Snow" over New Year's weekend !! Skiing powder right here in the Midwest !! Everyone arrived by about 5 pm New Year's eve at the Indianhead Lodge. A party with snacks took place in Rod & Janet Sleeth's room prior to going down to listen to the band in the bar (right in the Lodge – didn't even have to go out in the weather). Some folks actually stayed until after midnight to ring in the New Year !! Some of us oldies didn't make it to midnight !! New Year's day the high temp was about 15 degrees and there was about 12 inches of new very light fluffy snow in the non-groomed areas and maybe 3 to 4 inches on the groomed slopes. Barb Strand said "This is so easy to turn in" (first time she had been in this fluffy stuff) and it truly was. Randy Senneff started his ski season with an injured foot from a motorcycle accident about 3 weeks before, however, he seemed to be keeping up with Dianne Anelli, Lee Ryerson and John Grubele. I know they hit as tough of slopes as they could find !! Rod Sleeth found a new ski lift....the T-Bar. Said he just loved it !! Just ask him about it !! Sat. morning found us at Powderhorn, where temps were even colder... about 5 degrees. Lots of hand warmers were used in the 2 days of skiing. Cheryl Carr, now on the National Ski Patrol at Powderhorn, saved a nice table (all marked with "Peoria Ski Club" signs) right next to the fireplace (really nice for warming |
hands/feet). She also took some of us up the lift to show us where the better skiing should be. Cheryl's husband, Steve, is also on the Ski Patrol and joined us later in the morning. (Cheryl & Steve live just about a mile down the road from Powderhorn Mtn.)
Janet Sleeth, Julie Durdel, Barb Strand and Dixie all said they didn't like skiing in these temps, but they outdid themselves staying out on the slopes several hours both days (as long as the guys). They seemed to have a great time skiing in spite of the temps!! Brrrrrr!! You know it was cold when Bill Heitzman had his headband on !! Dave Durdel's new camcorder wouldn't work. When he started to take photos, a message came up on the screen saying "will not operate due to low temp" !! Tim Sefried took Barb Strand down her first Black Diamond run. She could be heard giggling and laughing all the way down the hill and saying "If I fall now, I'm gonna die", but she made it down just fine (just a little faster than she planned). Sat. night Cheryl and Steve Carr reserved a nice table for several of us at the Caribou Lodge at Powderhorn overlooking the slopes so we could see the night skiers. The food and company were excellent....nice way to wrap up the weekend !! Randy Senneff took part of the group to an Italian restaurant in Hurley that he had been to about 20 years ago....said nothing had changed and food was still great !! We hope everyone had a good trip ! I know Dixie and I had great fun. It was a very easy group to work with. Those that didn't go missed some very good skiing...great way to celebrate the New Year... and isn't that what it's all about ???? Gene Snyder, Trip Leader | |
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Sundown Chestnut Dec 11, 2009 - Dec 13, 2009 |
We now have the first domestic ski trip under our belts. At 6:00 AM Friday morning, 9 early risers headed to Chestnut Mountain in Galena, IL. After breakfast in Cordova, it was off to ski. The temperature was only 5 degrees, but the sun was shining with no wind, good snow and they had all but one run open. Friday evening we did our usual meet and greet in the Holiday Inn’s Beefstro Bar and Grill for dinner and cocktails. Saturday morning it was much warmer with the temperature in the upper teens. After our breakfast buffet at the hotel, it was off to Sundown for another day of skiing where we were joined for the day by Dennis Kennedy, Roy Welch, Mark Cobble and Mike Bohn. | The conditions were warmer with partly sunny skies. Sundown had all but one run open with good snow for the Midwest. Sunday morning we woke to 35 degrees with snow showers and drizzle. After breakfast it was back to Chestnut. The snow was still pretty good for as warm as it was. Thanks to everyone who came this year. Gene and Dixie Snyder; Curt, Lynn and Catrina Hollaway; Julie and Bryan Brown; Keith Erickson; Linda Brown; Bob and Steph Brown; Paul Kaiser; Tim Kirby and Jenny Diveley; Marc and Amanda Adams, Jeannie and Kody Anderson and Lauren Board; Tim Sefried and Barb Strand; Rod and Janet Sleeth. |
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Christmas Party 2009 |
A round of applause to PSC members who brightened the lives of many families during this holiday season. We sent several gifts to the Center of Abuse, a variety of wish list items to Family House, and lots of cuddly stuffed animals to the Tazewell Children’s Advocacy Center. Thank You! | Good food and a time for visiting! Then we passed around white elephant gifts as Steve Rassi narrated a story using left and right to direct us! The results: valued gifts...by someone anyway! All in all a fun evening of sharing. |
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