3/1/2018 ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS SWC, PO 228, Schenectady, NY 12301 Clubhouse Phone: (802) 244-8918 Clubhouse Address: 3650 VT-100, Waterbury Center, VT 05677 Clubhouse Reservations:www.swc web.org A SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB PUBLICATION Phone numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted. Website: www.swcweb.org 1 Upcoming Meetings Date Topic Host 3/8/18 Summer at the Clubhouse SWC 4/12/18 Elections & Ice Cream Social Canoeing Program Ed Greiner We meet the second Thursday of the month at the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Schenectady. Meetings formally start at 7:00pm. See “March 8th Meeting – Summer at the Clubhouse” (p.1) for further details. Pay your ’17-’18 dues now! Pay online or use the form on this newsletter. Table of Contents Weekends at the Clubhouse ................................. 1 Club Events .............................................................. 1 Editorials ................................................................... 3 Ski Deals................................................................... 4 Housekeeping Items ............................................... 4 Classifieds ................................................................ 5 Names and Numbers to Remember .................... 5 Weekends at the Clubhouse Winter Weekend Lodge Chairpersons Well, since my short article last month, I have heard from a few people who have actually signed up to host or chair at the Lodge in the coming weeks. That is a good sign. I have also heard why some folks have been less than enthusiastic about going to the Stowe, VT area to ski. \ Nevertheless, as you can see from the schedule below, we still have openings. The following is the schedule for weekend Lodge Chairs for the rest of ski season: Mar 2-4 – John Bidell Mar 9-11 – No host yet Mar 15-19, Cheap Ski Days – Sandy and Wes Culver Mar 23-25 – No host yet Mar 30-Apr 1, Easter Weekend – Alex Garrigan-Piela So, look at your schedules. See if you have the time and can find it in your hearts to help us out. My phone number is 518-435-1704. -Terry Tamer Club Events March 8 th Meeting – Summer at the Clubhouse The March meeting will feature several programs planned for the Clubhouse during the summer. You’ll want to put some dates on your calendar and we plan to provide some photos and description of the events to come. Plus, there will be some munchies in addition to the pizza, so bring along a friend and introduce them to the facilities, fun and activities that we are looking forward to enjoying this summer season. It’s March and beyond the mud of this month, summer will be here soon. Besides the many activities at Stowe such as Car Shows and Oktoberfest, we make our own with the likes of biking, mountain biking, sailing and canoeing on the reservoir, hiking and just hanging out. And then there are those weekends tagged as “work” when there is a lot of just good camaraderie mixed with some satisfying projects to transform the
Transcript
3/1/2018 ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS SWC, PO 228, Schenectady, NY 12301 Clubhouse Phone: (802) 244-8918 Clubhouse Address: 3650 VT-100, Waterbury Center, VT 05677
Clubhouse Reservations:www.swcweb.org
A SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB PUBLICATION
Phone numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted. Website: www.swcweb.org
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Upcoming Meetings
Date Topic Host
3/8/18 Summer at the Clubhouse
SWC
4/12/18 Elections & Ice Cream Social Canoeing Program
Ed Greiner
We meet the second Thursday of the month at the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Schenectady. Meetings formally start at 7:00pm. See “March 8th Meeting – Summer at the Clubhouse” (p.1) for further details.
Pay your ’17-’18 dues now! Pay online or use the form on this
newsletter.
Table of Contents Weekends at the Clubhouse ................................. 1
Club Events .............................................................. 1
Names and Numbers to Remember .................... 5
Weekends at the Clubhouse
Winter Weekend Lodge Chairpersons Well, since my short article last month, I have heard from a few people who have actually signed up to host or chair at the Lodge in the coming weeks. That is a good sign. I have also heard why some folks have been less than enthusiastic about going to the Stowe, VT area to ski. \ Nevertheless, as you can see from the schedule below, we still have openings.
The following is the schedule for weekend Lodge Chairs for the rest of ski season:
Mar 2-4 – John Bidell Mar 9-11 – No host yet Mar 15-19, Cheap Ski Days – Sandy and Wes Culver Mar 23-25 – No host yet Mar 30-Apr 1, Easter Weekend – Alex Garrigan-Piela
So, look at your schedules. See if you have the
time and can find it in your hearts to help us out. My phone number is 518-435-1704. -Terry Tamer
Club Events
March 8th
Meeting – Summer at the Clubhouse
The March meeting will feature several programs planned for the Clubhouse during the summer. You’ll want to put some dates on your calendar and we plan to provide some photos and description of the events to come. Plus, there will be some munchies in addition to the pizza, so bring along a friend and introduce them to the facilities, fun and activities that we are looking forward to enjoying this summer season. It’s March and beyond the mud of this month, summer will be here soon.
Besides the many activities at Stowe such as Car Shows and Oktoberfest, we make our own with the likes of biking, mountain biking, sailing and canoeing on the reservoir, hiking and just hanging out. And then there are those weekends tagged as “work” when there is a lot of just good camaraderie mixed with some satisfying projects to transform the
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building to be just a bit closer to looking like the Waldorf. And perhaps there may be new themes such as photographing wildlife, mountain scenery or just the funny people around the clubhouse.
This is a good opportunity to bring a friend or introduce a prospective new member.
The meetings feature an early start at 6:00pm for an informal get-together with members and new folks. There will be pizza ($3 contribution) delivered at 6:30 for those who don't have time for dinner at home before the start of the formal meeting. Also, at this meeting you’ll be able to instantly update your membership, learn about ticket deals, ski trips and discuss the coming season with your ski buddies. All you have to do is get to the Ancient Order of Hibernians (1748 State St) on Thur., February 8th at 7:00 pm. To find the Ancient Order of Hibernians, take State Street toward Albany. It is on the right side about 4.5 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 4.5 blocks. From the Troy direction, take Rt. 7 all the way to State Street (Rt 5), turn left at the top of the ramp and go 4.5 blocks to 1748 State St.
2018 SWC NNYP MVHC Bicycle Rides Your coordinator of Thursday night club bike rides
is still looking for a replacement. Based on last year’s end-of-season potluck get-together, some new ideas about how we do the bike rides have been discussed. Nothing has been scheduled yet and in fact those new ideas should be discussed with our Board of Directors before we start asking for volunteers to host the weekly rides in the warm weather.
So if you have some suggestions or want to volunteer to help out, call your outgoing bike coordinator, Terry, at 518-435-1704.
Tales of the 26th Annual Rock and River Lodge X-C Ski and Winter Fun
Weekend in Keene February 2-5, 25 eager SWC members (a full
house) headed north to Keene to the comfort of the secluded Rock and River Lodge, with its gracious welcome. Margie and Fran went a day early to check conditions and found bare ground patches alternating with hard ice. Friday, we awakened to a surprise of 3" of fluffy white gold! With prepared micro spikes stashed, skis were donned and the Jackrabbit Trail right out our door offered perfect conditions for a morning outing including the fun of the downhill runs back to the lodge. Many event veterans began to arrive along with newcomers who beamed at the sight of snow along with the beautiful and immaculate
Adirondack style lodging. Afternoon exploring ended as Mike created the cozy fire to gather all near the unique Climbing Lodge fireplace for lively conversation and scrumptious soup, appetizers and other goodies. Maps and books aided planning for the weekend outings of skiing, snowshoeing, and other adventures.
Trail marker for the Jackrabbit Trail
After the hearty and luscious breakfast, groups headed to snowshoe the Flume, ski to Marcy Dam on the Truck Road, ski backcountry to Grass Pond, enjoy the Jackrabbit Trail or Cascade Center or head to Lake Placid. Happy and hungry, and joined by friends Claire and Gretchen, we all returned to share the potluck creations of our many great cooks and recount stories of the day’s adventures! So many enticing destinations nearby!! Mexican Train lessons and lively rivalry and other games followed for some.
The snow had continued to fall, freshening the trails for the milder Sunday outings. Groups recombined and the day was savored by all in many directions. Unlucky ones returned home and the buffet table was set in the main dining room, with visiting over Happy Hour snacks, then dinner. Separating, we had those who watched the cliff-hanger Super Bowl (Way to go Eagles!!!) and others sharing games or relaxing.
Relaxing at happy hour
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Bags packed on Monday, goodbyes for several were delayed as the bitter, windy cold did not deter lingering to take advantage of the overnight additional snow and brilliant sunny skies for more skiing. The woods provided complete shelter from the wind and we quickly warmed on the rolling trails – so glad to be X-C skiers this day and not have to sit on frigid lifts!!!
2019 dates are reserved for Feb 8-11 (Friday to Sunday, with optional stay until Monday for those who choose). Available space and wait list contacts: [email protected] or [email protected].
Editorials
A Word from Your Clubhouse Director
by Bill Kornrumpf
I am writing this while nursing a sore knee at Alta, UT, and watching the Olympics alpine events. We had 18” of dry Utah powder last night and today, an excellent day for the fat skis that I brought along even though the 10-day forecast didn’t mention any snow for the duration of our trip. I keep saying, don’t listen to the weather people, just get to the mountains and enjoy yourself. Sometimes you get to ski in the sun, some in the snow and most of the time you have a much better time than if you stayed home to read the Sunday paper. Then there are the times you get to pound your way down through almost bottomless powder when the forecast called for 40 degree weather.
We are doing well with the discounted Stowe ski tickets. Our ticket organizer, Anita Cartin, reports that we have sold 117 tickets so far this year. Our members are saving big bucks while getting some fine skiing in this year. One hundred is the magic number that we needed to sell before we would be assured that we can return any unsold tickets to
Stowe. It appears that Vail, the new owner of Stowe Mountain Resort, really is encouraging all skiers to purchase tickets before they arrive at the mountain. We hope that they will continue the group sales program next year and the years to come so we can offer this discount in the future.
We are still in need of Weekend Hosts at the
Clubhouse. Terry Tamer’s article of last month resulted in some additional hosts signing up to host a weekend. Our Clubhouse relies on volunteers to keep the house available to all our members to enjoy year-round so please give him a call
and volunteer to host either in the winter or in
one of the other great seasons up in Vermont. We are now starting to plan the tasks for the May
4-6 Work Weekend. We have been preparing to redo the bathrooms and need your feedback. Please email me at [email protected] for suggestions for improving the functionality of the women’s and men’s rooms. We have removed the chimney that intruded into the men’s rooms so now is the time to do some long-needed work on upgrading the plumbing and looks of both main bathrooms. To paraphrase the famous words of Warren Miller, if we don’t get the work done this year, the house will just be one year older (or more) when we do the work.
Regards and happy skiing and riding from sunny Utah.
Chatter from the Chairlift by John Bidell
The season is alive and well with lots of cheap ski days still available. The house is warm and comfortable and shining with new updates. Please think about booking a weekend; I will be hosting the first weekend of March with plans to ski Sugarbush, Stowe and Jay. A perfect trifecta. Of course, all three have discount tickets provided by Club membership.
The Club needs to have the house utilized so we
The snowshoe gang
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can continue to update the bathrooms and make your stay more enjoyable. Book today!
Your Club needs you. We have openings on the board for Nordic chair and a number of other duties that can be accomplished from home. We need a communications person, a member interested in some finance duties, and of course workers for our Spring clean-up at the house.
Please consider giving us a hand in making the Clubhouse last another 60 years.
A Word from Your Editors by David Bensley & Bridget Barrett Re-printed from February newsletter
We have created a new email address to make submitting and tracking articles easier. Going forward, please send submissions to [email protected].
All Club members are welcome to submit articles, classifieds, pictures, etc. for inclusion in the newsletter. Please make sure to send your content by the 15th of the month for inclusion in the next month’s newsletter.
Ski Deals
Discounted Stowe Lift Tickets Anita Cartin is our ticket chairperson. She USPS
mails the discounted Stowe lift tickets so place your order in time for delivery (about 3-4 days). To simplify and speed up the process, we are asking everybody to use the website and credit cards to order their discount tickets.
The process for obtaining our deeply-discounted, no-blackout Stowe lift tickets is:
1. Log into the SWC website: www.swcweb.org 2. Click on the “Cheap SWC Ski Tickets” button 3. Click on “How to purchase SWC Cheap Ski
Tickets” 4. Enter the password from your 2017-18
Membership card 5. Follow the directions to finish payment via credit
card There has been a change in policy at Stowe and
more ticket options this year. They have both no-blackout tickets and restricted tickets. The restricted tickets cannot be used on 11 designated days. They can be used on all other days including weekends and other holidays. The tickets are Direct-To-Lift RFID cards that can be used on any Stowe Mountain Resort lift. You do not need to have a Stowe Evolution Card to use these tickets.
1-Day Peak Rate (no blackout)
1-Day Off-Peak Rate (blackouts*)
Adult (13-64 years) $85 $81
Child (6-12 Years) $77 $73
Senior (65+ years) $77 $73
*Blackout days: Dec 26-31, Jan 13, Feb 17-18
These prices are a savings of $14 & $13 under
the On-Line/Advanced ticket prices for Adult Peak and Off-Peak prices ($7 & $6 for seniors).
If you have an unused ticket we will be able to refund your ticket price minus a $5 handling charge and the PayPal fee. You will need to return your tickets to Anita by April 16 to receive your refund. Her address is Anita Cartin, 906 Heather Lane, Altamont, NY 12009.
If you are having trouble with our website, call Anita at 518-595-5093 for more information on the discount lift ticket program. Remember, lift tickets make excellent Holiday gifts for family and ski friends.
2017-18 Stowe Ski Club and Council Appreciation Days
There are only two Cheap Ski periods left this year. The Mar & Apr periods are Fri, Sat & Sun. Make your Clubhouse reservations now as these days fill quickly and your favorite room may be taken if you wait too long. We filled the house with 46 people during March of last year. It’s not as cheap as last year but it still is the cheapest skiing at Stowe for this season.
WHEN: Mar 16-18 & April 6-8 WHAT: Ski/Ride for the best discount price
available at Stowe! HOW: GO DIRECT to any* resort ticket window
and present your valid Club or Council ID Card and Driver’s License to receive the discounted ticket rates. (*Excluding the Gondola Ticket Windows)
HOW MUCH: Adults (13-64) $76/day, Child (6-
12) $48/day, Seniors (65+) $65/day. You will need a Stowe Evolution (RFID) card to obtain these rates. Last year’s card can be used.
Housekeeping Items
Clubhouse Notes
Reservations: Make reservations for all your
stays. From the SWCweb.org home page, go to “Make a Reservation”, follow the directions, if you are new to the system, you will need to request a personal password before you can use the system. It can take some time to receive the password so plan ahead. The password will come in an email and your email address is your username. Follow the directions and you should be able to make the
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reservations for yourself and guests. Door Combination: The door combination was
changed to the 2017-2018 numbers on your YELLOW membership card. If you don’t have a 2017-18 membership card, pay your dues now you will not be able to get into the house without the combination.
Sign-in: Sign-in the guest register at the podium
in the fireplace room when you arrive. Others: If you arrive and it does not appear that
others have all signed in, please remind them to sign in. They may have been distracted when they arrived. We need to know who has been there.
Payments: Make your payments online during
your stay using your phone, tablet, laptop or our PC in the office. Payments made more than 7 days after usage will be surcharged an extra $10 for the stay. For mail-in payment, fill out the billing form to mail with your payment.
Smoking: It is not allowed anywhere in the 150-
year-old building or on the wooden patio. Temperature control: Individual room
thermostats: please turn them off when you leave. Meals: Dinner is served on hosted periods. We
try to keep the refrigerator stocked with breakfast meats, eggs, frozen OJ & coffee. Feel free to use them to make breakfast in the mornings. We do not provide materials for lunch; please bring up or purchase your own. There are great restaurants in the Waterbury/Stowe area. Try the Apple Core diner next to the Clubhouse for lunch.
Patio: The patio door has the same combination
as the driveway door. The patio is wood; do not smoke on the patio.
Outdoor cooking: We no longer have a gas
grill, so there are no facilities for grilling. Please do not use a charcoal grill on the wooden deck.
Problems: Please notify Bill Kornrumpf at
[email protected] or 518-209-3244 if there are any issues like plumbing, heating, roof leaks, etc.
When you leave: Turn main thermostats in Kitchen and office to 55. Turn off lights. Close and insert the locking pins in all the windows on the first floor (we have had break-ins). Lock both doors (patio & driveway).
Clubhouse Reservations/Cancellations
Everyone staying at the Clubhouse YEAR- ROUND should use the online reservation system. We have had conflicts arise when members have just gone up without reservations and set up in a room that is already reserved. Just as important as your reservation is your presence up there. We have had a number of no-shows without cancellations. It's
really a bummer when a member wants to reserve a bed, can't do so and then the bed is not used because someone hasn't canceled their reservation. You need to cancel at least two days before your planned usage so the Volunteer Hosts can plan on the meals and sleeping arrangements for families and friends.
Please make your reservations and cancel promptly if your plans change.
Classifieds
Canoe for Sale For Sale: Used Kevlar canoe, single, 16 ft. Best offer. Can be seen at 19 Forest Drive, Voorheesville. Email Ken Hotopp: [email protected].
Names and Numbers to Remember
Board of Directors: John Bidell, President C 518-207-5961 Bob Miller, VP Administration H 518-861-6034
John Bidell, VP Nordic C 518-207-5961 George Astle, VP Activities C 508-735-2116 Dan Kirkpatrick, VP Alpine H 518-683-1477
Ed Greiner, NNYP President C 518-421-2947 Keith Freeman, Secretary H 518-861-1019 Margaret Parks, Treasurer C 518-250-5452
Bill Schaefer, At Large H 518-728-9395 Mary Warden, At Large C 518-225-1361 John Rack, Mohawk Valley Hiking Club H 518-399-5081
Pete Weykamp, Past President H 518-785-6433
Others: John Boscarino, Membership C 518-355-7319 Anita Cartin, Ticket Vouchers C 518-595-5093 Will Seyse, Programs Chair C 518-369-4254 Bridget Barrett, Newsletter Editor C 518-300-0163
Change of Address Notices Change of Address notices should be sent to: John Boscarino [email protected] 126 Polsin Dr, Schenectady, NY 12303-2516 *Do not send to the editor, or the Club PO Box; they will
Schenectady Wintersports Club Northern New York Paddlers PO Box 228 Schenectady New York 12301
Membership Renewal Application 2017-18 Membership is from June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2018
Please check your Newsletter delivery preference: Email version of the Newsletter _______ E-mail Address______________________________________ (This saves trees & club resources).
Receive Newsletter by postal mail: _________ (Slower, higher club cost)
Name _________________________________________________ Age Group (circle 0ne) 18-29 30-39 40-55 56-69 70+
New Member( ) Renewal( ) $25 individual( ) $35 Family( ) For Family Membership, please indicate: Name of Spouse________________________________________________ Age Group (circle 0ne) 18-29 30-39 40-55 56-69 70+ Names and Ages of Junior Members________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ To qualify for family membership, children must be under 18 or 18 and still in High School. Interested in volunteering? Circle any that you are interested in: Clubhouse, SWC Board, Snow Show, NY Capital District Ski Council, Activities, Warren Miller Movie, hiking, biking and other Club help such as outreach. Make check payable to SWC and mail with the completed application to John Boscarino, 126 Polsin Dr, Schenectady, NY 12303-2516
