| HEAD OF THE LIFTLINE | By Christine March, President |
 Last year as V.P. of Trips, I wrote articles
that were designed to entertain or inform, to
get you psyched about skiing and the
camaraderie that the club offers to the
participants on ski trips and other activities.
In this article, I am going to put on my
President’s hat and let you know a bit about
what is going on in the club from an
administrative standpoint. One of the
biggest challenges that the club has faced in recent years is the
changing ways in which the airlines and tour operators deal with
groups. In the past, the club would receive deeply-discounted pricing,
complimentary tickets and, at times, financial rebates for groups over
20 people. This allowed the club to pass the savings on to the
participants and to help fund the club administration and activities.
Airlines no longer do this. Group rates are close to rates offered to
individuals, and complimentary tickets are no longer offered. So we
are updating our operations to reflect the changes in the industry as
well as changes in technology.
The use of e-mail and our website for the dissemination of
information to the club’s members has become standard. So, last
year we eliminated the hotline. Information is more readily available
on the website and e-mail reminders are regularly sent out. We also
found that the hotline only had one or two callers a month. This
simply did not justify the cost. This year you will also notice that the
membership directory will be available through our website by secure
password to members. This will provide a more efficient, timely and
accessible manner to make membership information available. We
are working on a special “members only” section on the website
which will allow you to update your information, address, e-mail
address and make a choice as to whether you would prefer receiving
information via e-mail. You will also be able to type in another
member’s name and get their contact information. That information
will be much more up-to-date and will be available to you throughout
the season. The “members only” feature will keep your individual
information private within the club. If you do not have access to the
Internet and/or cannot make your own copy from the Internet and
need a printout of the club members, the Secretary will, on a limited
basis, make a printout upon request and you can make arrangements to
pick up from her at the next general membership meeting.
When the club had 1400 members and we offered a cash bar, the
bar sales generated sufficient sales to motivate the venue
management to allow us the meeting space without charge. The club
is smaller now, and bar sales are not always sufficient for us to
obtain free meeting space. For those reasons, we have increased
membership fees slightly and we must examine other cost-cutting
measures.
You will also notice that we will be moving to a new location for our
monthly general membership meetings. The Cadillac Bar declined to
renew our contract for next year and we are currently in search of a
new meeting place. Marc Fellows, V.P. of Programs is diligently
searching for a convenient and cost-effective location, so if you have
any suggestions or know of a place, please let him know.
And, as always, we are looking for ways to make the club better, to
get the word out about the club and to promote snow sports and local
activities. So, if you have any great ideas, let us know and don’t
hesitate to volunteer to help us make your ideas a reality. |
| PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES | By Marc Fellows, VP of Programs |
 SCSC was founded in 1964 and has a long
history with many traditions. We can all be
proud of the fact that we have remained a
strong and viable club, while most others have
fallen by the wayside since then. Speaking of
traditions...that means it’s time for our 40th
Anniversary Celebration! Vicki Faulkner is
organizing a big dinner/dance in the
October/November time-frame and will be
inviting our past SCSC members to join us in
the fun. This event will be a big one and it will be replacing our
annual Christmas Gala. Contact Vicki if you would like to join her
planning committee, help locate past SCSC members, or have
names and contact information for past members.
Vicki.Faulkner@Shell.com
The Texas Ski Council (TSC) has announced its 2005 Summer
Expedition will be in Maui, Hawaii, running September 10th through
17th. This has already created a lot of buzz from SCSC members and I
expect a strong turnout. I’m currently working on placing someone as the
activity coordinator for this event. Contact me if you are interested.
Do you feel imprisoned inside your house by the summer heat?
Make your escape outside and get some exercise on the cool and
clear San Marcos River where relief from the oppressive sun is just a
splash away. SCSC is having a Canoe and Kayak outing on the San
Marcos River on October 2, 2004. Pair up for canoes or tandem siton-
top kayaks and prepare for a refreshing day with fellow water
enthusiasts. Contact Calvin Doody (see the activity page) for more
information. To ensure that canoes and kayaks are available,
payment must be in by August 5, 2004.
As always, contact me if you have an activity you would like to lead
or if you have any other ideas or comments for activities mjfreb@ev1.net |
| FROM THE SKI DESK | By Lori Gilliland, VP of Trips |
 Drum roll, please…da da da da...Ladies and
gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been
waiting for...Early Mail-in Sign-up for the 2004-
2005 Ski Trips! Yep, all of SCSC’s officers,
Trip Coordinators and Assistant Trip
Coordinators have been working very hard all
summer preparing for another great ski
season. Even though it seems like this long,
hot, humid Houston summer will never end,
believe it or not, the 2004-2005 ski season is fast approaching. Mark
your calendars and pull out those checkbooks, you gotta get ready!
Beginning August 23 and ending September 3, the club will hold mail in
sign-up. This is a great opportunity for current club members (as of August
1, 2004) to sign up for their favorite trips before we open the trips up for
sign-up to the general public/new members. In this August issue of the
Sitzmarke, you’ll find the form you need to use in order to take advantage
of this earliest opportunity to sign up for the ski trips of your choice.
Now, one thing you will notice this year is that we are offering four
Short Trips. We’ve had lots of people ask over the last few years why
we don’t schedule very many short trips. Well, no need to ask this
year, we’ve got four great ones for you! All short trips depart on a
Tuesday and return on a Sunday. You’ll probably find that a short trip
does not normally cost a lot less money due to air fares, but all four of
these trips are designed to cost you LESS vacation time. With flight
departures around 5:30 or later on all four trips, most people can
leave work a little bit early avoiding having to give up a full vacation
day. Winter Park at Thanksgiving will cost most people only ONE vacation
day. Snowmass in January, Copper Mountain in February and Heavenly in
March should cost you only three vacation days each.
First, read all the great trip articles, check out the trip dates and prices
then pull out the mail in sign-up form. Fill in one form for each trip you
want. This means that if you are a fanatic like me and take two or
more trips per year you will need to make extra copies of the form, or
download extras from the website. Up to two people can use one
form, and can write one check for both deposit amounts but each trip
requires a separate form and a separate check for deposit. Then wait
for August 23, 2004, mail the form and the deposit check to the trip
leader at the address shown on the mail in sign-up form and wait for
the trip leader to send you an e-mail or call you to confirm that your
form and deposit were received.
The only thing you gotta remember is: don’t mail the form until the
23rd of August. The trip leader takes the envelopes in the order they
are received and post marked on or after August 23. If the trip leader
receives your form before the 23rd or it is postmarked before that
date it is put on the bottom of the stack and not included until all the
other mail-in sign-ups are on the trip list first! Yes, I know it is cruel,
but it is a rule made long ago and you just gotta deal with it. As long
as you don’t jump the gun, it really is that easy!! Be sure to visit us at
the August Happy Hour and Mixer, the TCs and ATCs will be there to
give you the inside scoop about their awesome trips.
AND, NOW THE MOMENT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR:
PRESENTING THE 2004-2005 TRIPS... |
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