Three, two, one, blast off to a new and exciting 2009/2010 ski season! I’m excited about the confidence that the club displayed by electing me as your VP of Trips for this year. Bill Bomberger is the Director of Trips and, together, we hope to provide a slate of exceptional locations.

Three: We are preparing for Bidfest this year and considering trips to Whistler, Chile, and many others in between. The delegates and I are working diligently on a slate that the club will find desirable, fun, and convenient.

Two: Volunteers are necessary to run trips if we’re going to be successful with the slate that will be presented. If you would like to become a Trip Coordinator or Assistant Trip Coordinator, please let me or Bill know. An application form to apply for a position is included in this issue and online.

One: You, the participant, are the critical factor in this year’s launch of SCSC’s slate of trips. Make sure your membership is current so you are ready to sign-up for a trip.

Blast-Off: Sign-up as soon as you can to launch our great club into a new era!

SCSC depends on volunteers to help with our planned activities and to help organize new activities and events. Please consider volunteering as an Activity Coordinator or Assistant in the coming year. Our club needs more volunteers to be able to offer a variety of activities. Please contact me at 281-463-7717 or semccunis@aol.com to volunteer and let’s have more fun together!

Ann Dorn has volunteered again this year to host a Wine Tasting and Dinner at her home in Sugar Land. We will keep you posted regarding the date. I am trying to coordinate a Pool Party and Sailing event with TASS in August. We are planning to attend an Astros game. Other activities that we are considering include Dancing, Biking, Roller Blading, Bowling, Tennis, Golf, Canoeing, Skydiving, Casinos, Rodeo, Horse Racing, Beach Party, Pub Crawl and Pool Tournament. I would also like to plan an event at TUTS, Alley or Miller Outdoor Theatre.

I look forward to hearing your ideas and if you would like to coordinate an activity for SCSC. Let’s keep Having a Blast!

All forty long-trip participants arrived bright and early at IAH for the flight to Hayden. Steve Slade arrived early, 2 ½ hours to be exact. Some of those who had never flown into Hayden were shocked to see the really tiny airport. A lady with the bus line approached the group to tell us that there were two buses waiting outside, one that would make a grocery and liquor stop and the other that would only make a grocery stop. The party people on the trip, namely ATC, Edmond McGee, Scott Merryman, and Kimber Kane were sure to get on that grocery and liquor stop bus! The ride was quite short to get to Storm Meadows Clubs. Thomas and Marilyn Mullner decided to drive to Steamboat from Houston. We all unpacked and met that night in the condo of Sandra McCunis for a wine and cheese social. Frank Adams was gracious enough to pick up the wine and food for the party on his way to Steamboat. The cookies were first to go before the cheese. Ski lift tickets were passed out with the help of Anne Marchetti.

Sunday was the first day for the long-trip to get on the mountain. It was a bit tricky skiing out of the condos. There were three options: ski down, attempt to ski down, or take the bus to the gondola. Some decided to take the complimentary mountain tours. Meynard Nussbaum and Ric Ploeger were spotted taking the blue runs. Robert Clements and Bruce Lowther took off on their own tour of the blue runs that Steamboat had to offer. There was a good turn-out at the Thunderhead Food Court that day for lunch. After the first day of skiing, some chose to go to the après ski and others chose to relax before attending the TSC Welcome Reception at the top of the Gondola. Billy Kidd, Olympic gold medalist, made an appearance. The appetizers were wonderful: sushi, chicken skewers, and eggrolls to name a few.

Monday was an “open ski day” with lunch at Rendezvous Saddle food court. SteveYing had come back with an eventful story that day. He basically went off a cliff and got stuck in the snow, where he found himself asking some young snowboarders for help. That help never came. He had to shovel himself out. Ron and Roberta Rambin, Janet McKenzie and Merlyn Harger skied the blue cruisers together. Susan Blome had a massage therapist come to her condo to loosen up her sore ski legs. Meanwhile, Milt Kramer found himself shopping the entire day. Chuck Pena, Scott Merryman, Kimber Kane and Edmond McGee went to a concert that evening featuring “The Austin Jugg Band” and John and Cindy McGowan was seen later that night at the Tugboat, an old quaint little bar in Ski Time Square.

Tuesday was great, giving the long-trip the option to ski with Billy Kidd that morning. Morris Covin, Frank Adams, Steve Ying, and Edmond McGee skied the blacks, double blacks and the back bowl the entire week. Chris Gilbert joined in on the  run down Rolex. He quickly found out that blacks and double blacks were not his cup of tea yet. After getting beat-up on the slopes, the long-trip group headed for the Bear River Bar & Grill to join the short-trip group for their first happy hour together. All twelve of the short-trip participants, led by ATC Sarah Granbery, arrived in Steamboat without a hitch.

The Gougers, an Austin band, were the happy hour entertainment as part of SkiJam. The short-trip enjoyed the music and a few cocktails before heading back to their condos for a chili dinner. Nancy DuFrane graciously volunteered to cook chili for their small group and invited them to the condo she shared with Ash Moza, Jerry Cumby, and Les Hajdo. Everyone got into the party mood by bringing nachos and salad. Condo mates, Peggy Schillinger and Laura Nowicki, threw together a delicious cake while Chaille and Tom Hutcheson made gluten free corn bread for the group. Of course, there was plenty of wine flowing for their thirsty souls!

Wednesday morning was the first day of skiing for the short-trip. It was 10 degrees that morning but that did not deter too many of the hearty Texans. Carol Viktorin and Mark Chambers began their mission of finding the ski-in/ski-out trails to/from Storm Meadows at Christie Base. Their usual map reader, Bobby Viktorin, was on his couch with a stomach bug. That evening was the SCSC group dinner at Steamboat Smokehouse in the historic downtown district. Texas style barbeque brisket, chicken, ribs and all the fixings were served in a private room with a bar. Sandra McCunis gave each participant two drinks tickets, however, about 20 people chose to use a ticket for one of the Smokehouse’s delectable desserts served in beer mugs. Among the 51 people that attended were Hartley Chelin, Cathy Phillips, Art McKnight, June Griffiths, Mark Ehrlich, Marty  Kaminsky, Bob Rexford, Barb Ehrlich and Kevin Hill. It was unfortunate that Stan Smith and his son, Greg Smith, had to leave the trip early.

Thursday morning, Edmond McGee made a kolache breakfast for his condo mates Al Smith, Mike and Gin Knebel, along with Sandra McCunis, Merlyn Harger, Janet McKenzie, Frank Adams, and Morris Covin. Donna Piazza was invited as well but she chose sleeping after being worn out from a date the prior night. The Nastar Races were later that morning and Craig Campbell was our Race Director. After skiing, some folks gathered for a quick happy hour before they went to catch the bus to the Strawberry Park Hot Springs just outside Steamboat. A group of 20 bathing beauties led by Anne Marchetti braved the dark and cold night in Colorado to enjoy the steamy hot springs.

Friday was a beautiful day for skiing. That particular day there was a happy hour at Bear River Run Grille with live music followed by the TSC dinner at the top of the gondola. Everyone enjoyed a beautiful ride up the mountain just after dusk where we were greeted by a Boy Scout troop who helped us with our coats. We climbed the stairs to the Thunderhead Powder banquet room for a great dinner and dance with all the ski clubs from around Texas. We had another delicious barbeque dinner and then enjoyed the musical talents of a local country western band.

The long trip sadly departed Saturday morning after a wonderful week in Steamboat as the short trip enjoyed another day of shopping, skiing and snowshoeing.

Spectacular mountains, incredible skiing, wonderful food, international atmosphere, high-energy group… it must be the SCSC trip to Les Trois Vallées, France. Participants from Houston, Boston, New York, California, & France all met at the Geneva airport on January 17 to start their bus journey to the resort town of La Tania. Twelve of the group had started their trip a few days earlier with a stopover in Paris. For 2 days we went to museums, did the usual sightseeing and ate lots of wonderful food. Kurt & Karin Schidlowski’s cousins, Klaus & Hannelore Sterma, drove from Germany to meet our group at the hotel, which officially made this an international group. So much to see & do and so little time, but we were up to the challenge. A few hours after our arrival, jet lagged, but not to miss a free social function, the group met for welcome drinks & appetizers sponsored by our hotel, Le Montana. With snow on the way, there was excitement in the air.

Sunday brought snow and made for some visibility troubles or was it we couldn’t read the French signage??? Some skiers hoped they didn’t ski off a cliff and other smart participants, like Laura Bund and Julia Caldwell, attempted to wait out the fog by eating at one of the many incredible mountain restaurants. Others, like Diane Stotz, Sharon Smith, Sue Ann Chu, Sue Bean Gilliam and Cathey Littell took the opportunity to explore Courchevel for the day.

Monday brought skiing for some and a day trip to Annecy & Chamonix for others. In Annecy, we hiked over to the visitor’s bureau for a map of the city and began walking & walking, exploring the old churches, quaint streets and canals of Annecy. The city is known as the Venice of France and what a beautiful city it is. Gloria Lopez bought the best souvenir, a pretty red hat. Andy Smith & David Stotz were the most inquisitive about the history of the city. We then met the bus and continued on to Chamonix. Some die-hard skiers, Don Caldwell, Julia Caldwell and Charles Albright decided to take their chances on the slopes, even though it was a snow rain mixture. They were pleasantly surprised to find some great snow at the top and had terrific skiing. The rest of the group went on to eat, drink and window-shop. TC, Leslie Caldwell met up with a New Zealand friend who was working in Chamonix. Gayle Dale had the most unique adventure, as she explored a cave in the mountain and has beautiful pictures to prove it. Next time, we need to hang out with Gayle; as she really explores!

Tuesday bought a glorious ski day with lots of sun & powder for the skiers to enjoy. TC Leslie Caldwell saw Leslie and Andy Cashio with big smiles on their face while they skied down the mountain in the powder. We heard about chutes being skied by Julia Caldwell from Laura Bund and Charles Albright, who (foolishly) followed Julia into many pristine runs. Other skiers, Roger Holzman, Andy Smith, and Frank Yu also indulged in this great day of skiing. And of course the famous foursome,  Kurt & Karen Schidlowski and Klaus & Hannelore Sterma, who never missed a day of skiing.

While some of our group skied on Wednesday, others took part on a trip to Geneva. Unfortunate the bus broke down but not all was loss. A quick stop was made at a McDonald’s, so TC of day, Marsha Lutz could coordinate to get another bus. All resolved and a larger bus came quickly. After the arrival to Geneva, all went to a visitors store to pick up maps and then on to exploring the old part of the city and of course shopping for souvenirs. Ann Rogers bought pretty lace doilies. Everyone was a photographer but Fred Zahnow took the most pictures this time. Frank Yu and Sue Ann Chu were happy exploring another unique city sine they were the “world travelers” of the group.

With Thursday, came another great sunny ski day for some and others had a morning at a historic castle/museum & wine tasting in the afternoon. The bus driver could speak English and everything ran smoothly, which was of great relief to the TC of the day, Diane Stotz. After the castle tour Marsha Lutz, Cynthia Chandler, David Stotz and Diane Stotz decided on lunch at a French restaurant with white lacey curtains. Little did they know that eight other participants were also dining upstairs: Leslie & Andy Cashio, Sue Ann Chu, Frank Yu, Roger Holzman, Carmen Mikhail, Fred Zahnow, and Angela Zumwalt. They wined, dined and were merry. Ask David about the Steak “tartar”. Even the waitress said she didn’t want to eat it, but did say “good luck”. On to wine tasting at a family owned winery. And let’s say fun had by all. OK more by some than others but all happy. And of course many wine bottles were purchased to enjoy at the hotel and take home.

Friday, our last day of skiing brought a mixture of snow & rain, which lets just say there were a few drowned rats coming home after skiing. Some gave up skiing that day to watch a polo match on a mountain airstrip! The ponies also had trouble seeing through the heavy snow! Sadly it was also the last day for French cafés, shopping, and of course the last happy hour with our ski group. This was the end of a great trip with many new friendships made and old friendships renewed.

However, 12 of the group were not ready to go home – so Ann, Gloria, Frank Sue Ann, Kurt, Karin, Marsha, Cynthia, Cathey, Sue, and Andy and Leslie Cashio went to Morocco. Due to bad weather in Geneva and a much delayed departure, they ended up spending the night at a Paris airport hotel, so the Casablanca visit was cut short. But there was time to see the highlight of the Hassan II Mosque, 4th largest in the world, filled with beautiful mosaics, and have the first taste of Moroccan cuisine. Actually a few of our friends that stayed Saturday night in Geneva had Moroccan food before the Moroccan 12 did!

The road to Marrakech was interesting but a little too long. The roadside views were quite eye opening at times - but at least it didn\\\\\\\'t include any of our luggage which was piled on top of the shuttle in which all 12 of us plus the driver were crammed! Luckily on the return trip we found out about the toll road which shortened the drive by over an hour. Marrakech was very interesting and colorful. Tours were made of a royal palace, 16th c. Saadian tombs, and a beautiful garden property owned by Yves Saint Laurent. And of course they went into the souks for shopping. Some of the more seasoned shoppers went several times but others found the bartering or haggling as it often was a bit too much. But for the hardy, there were rugs, jewelry, spices, leather goods, wooden boxes, and more to eye and buy if you could come to an agreeable price. It was an ordeal for sure.

One evening, several went to a dinner show called Fantasia. It was like a Moroccan Disneyland - lots of costume and entertainment, including camel rides. Our return trip home from Casablanca had another stay at a Paris airport hotel - this one being planned though. Luckily the strike that started the next day did not delay our flight back home. We had a great time but did not want a 3rd night at a Paris airport hotel!

In one respect, Japan is what you might wish the world would be like. A sense of order and the desire to do what is best for the public good pervades the culture. There is virtually no street crime or graffiti. You feel very safe here. Hot and cold vending machines stand on every corner, yet none of them are vandalized. Japanese people with colds, or those wanting to avoid catching a cold often wear surgical masks in public. Technology reaches into everything in Japan. Virtually every toilet seat is heated and most have bidets built into them. Gai-Lynn Marshall reported that one toilet seat cover automatically rose when she entered the stall! These toilets were truly unusual by Western standards!

Thirteen lucky SCSC travelers began their vacation with the pre-trip to Kyoto. This city was Japan’s capital for more than 10 centuries and is loaded with history. On our city tour we visited the Nijo Castle and the Golden Pavilion which had purposely-designed squeaky floors to warn of intruders in the corridors. While exploring Kyoto, Manolo Valle met some beautiful Geisha girls. He also enjoyed a delicious Kobe beef dinner. There were so many sights and attractions to see in this city and everyone left with a memorable impression.

After Kyoto, we departed to the world-class Olympic Ski area of Hakuba, Nagano. Nagano has a variety of ski terrain and many options with over 10 ski resorts nearby. Happo One was the venue for the Olympic downhill, slalom and skijumping events and it was within walking distance from our hotel. Hakuba 47/ Goryu had fantastic vistas and offered another fabulous day of skiing in the Japanese Alps. Ross Baker joked about how the Japanese language was translated into English on the ski area signs. He found one that read “Confluence Attention”. This really meant “Caution: Trails Merge”! Tom Huzzey had the Olympic spirit and skied every day.

There were many highlights in the Hakuba area including the snow monkeys at the Jigokudani Hot Springs. These Macaque monkeys are native to Japan and are the most northern living non-human primate. They spend most of their day soaking in the natural hot springs. It was exciting to see them playing in their natural habitat while they ignored our presence. Yvonne McMahon, Caroline Vetterling and Chris Urbanzyck all enjoyed getting up close and personal with the monkeys. This tour was like National Geographic come to life! There was even a Tokyo TV crew on site who interviewed David George about his experience while here.

After seeing the monkeys, we visited Nagano City, home of the Zenkoji Temple. This national treasure is one of Japan’s most revered temples and houses the first image of Buddha brought to Japan in the 7th Century. The streets surrounding the temple are lined with souvenir shops and Mary Ann Harrell found many unique and special treasures to bring home.

SCSC is back from Lake Louise and the 27 brave souls who followed Dennis Hughes (TC) had a week of fun, sun, and snow activities at The Chateau. Some participants partook of Snowshoeing, Cross Country Skiing, Alpine Skiing, Snowmobiling, Hiking, Excursions, and Sightseeing along with Eating, Drinking, and Having Fun. The Chateau was a great hotel and provided a wonderful atmosphere. There are stories about snow banks, hidden stumps, face plants, butt plants, hikes that are uphill “both ways”, hikes to places “off limits”, Ski trails to nowhere, beautiful Rock Gardens, ice sculptures, missed buses, Racing, etc., that we will not cover in detail, but you may wish to ask some of the trippers about them. And now for the rest of the story.

Michael Rothermund and Robert Todd braved the clouds and flat light at Kicking Horse, watching some adventurous soul show them the run they didn’t want to take. Nelson Messinger and Liz Scarborough enjoyed the lovely scenery around the Chateau by going on daily hikes on the surrounding trails. Bob Wray provided an excellent ski lesson to Leslie Ward, which she purchased during the Auction for the Sunshine Kids. Penny Chancey, Linda Kuper, and Lara Mallyn joined several other women and snow shoed around the Pechal enjoyed their 5th trip to the Banff area by skiing, enjoying the hot tub, and hiking to see Mirror Lake and the base of the Bee Hive (uphill all the way).

Dan and Teri Conery, Chuck Pena, and Ray Villarreal joined everyone at a wonderful club dinner at Deer Lodge. Edward Gutierrez of Ft Worth joined us and snowboarded down the hill like a devil (his red horns and tail on his helmet) caused some to claim all he needed was a red cape. Rick and Jane Adams joined Melinda Hughes and me for a trip to Banff to ride the gondola and see some of the beautiful vistas. Bob Knupp and good friend Tom Norton skied together and Tom represented us in the races by winning 3 medals, 1 gold and 2 silver. Maria Mendez enjoyed a brief trip and a wonderful “Alpine Raclette” dinner at the Chateau. Sean O’Brien, Tom Edens, and Sandy Wellhausen joined many of the trippers for nightly dinners at the Glacier Saloon. Stan Kuper introduced several of the trippers to some very unique alcohol spirits. Milton Kramer actually turned a ski vacation into a working vacation.

All in all it was a great trip and I hope that everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. I  want to thank all of those that went for a great trip and for all of their help.

Hope to see you next year on the slopes!

What can I say about Breckenridge? It is a beautiful ski town at a very high altitude with beautiful weather. It was almost like Spring skiing. We all commented that we carried too may clothes. We had 33 participants on this trip- twelve of which were new members, with two first time skiers and one who hasn’t been skiing in a long time. We arrived on Saturday to a wine and cheese party with a Breckenridge Resorts representative providing us with information about the ski area. Many participants wanted to know about the Mountain Tour and signed up for it the first morning so they could navigate between the 4 peaks to ski, each having a wide range of skiing ability. On Sunday Steve Vigil, Leigh Peterman and Stuart Allen tried ski school before attacking the slopes. Leigh also took an additional day of lessons and says she is ready to go again. Stuart became ill with altitude sickness which made for a rough trip for him, but he was feeling much better when he got on the bus to come home to a lower altitude.

Keith Kirkman, Dennis Newell, Jim Hodges, Janet McKenzie, and Frank Adams did their usual “big dog” runs together. Frank is now a resident of Colorado and has skied most of the Colorado ski resorts. One of our new members Dawn  Williamson is a very advanced skier and kept up with our regulars. Gretchen Van Beers and Michael Hotho enjoyed skiing the blue-blacks. We had a lovely couple Marian and Anna Baranowski who are originally from Poland and were looking forward to the Colorado ski trip. They were quite interested in the various peaks and carefully planned where they wanted to ski. Christine Marsh, Lori Gilliland and Leyla Ozkardesh tried to get in as many runs as possible in one day without killing themselves. Cimarron on Peak 10 was a favorite. Marsha Lutz would ski with them in the morning and join Louella Steller and others for lunch and skiing in the afternoon. The above mentioned threesome didn’t want to give up much skiing time so would forego the mountain dining experience. Christine and Lori finally decided to go to the Oxygen Bar to get an added lift for the next day.

Suzan Meaux, Steve Vigil, Mary Jo and Tony Loverdi were condo mates and also ski buddies. Suzan had not been skiing in awhile but caught on quickly. Steve Vigil took it easy and enjoyed the green runs on Peak 9, while the others searched for blue/black runs to conquer. They would meet at the end of the day and everyone was happy.

Barbara Giesecke had not skied in some time so she also stayed on the greens. She traveled from Rudioso, New Mexico to join the club and then planned to stay and visit family in Houston after her trip. Ashok Moza and Nance Du Frane were busy skiing the blues and we couldn’t seem to find them until it was time to get on the bus to go home, but they were happy to have gotten so much skiing time. Mary Ellen Arbuckle tried skiing but became very tired and realized it was altitude sickness. She too had to get oxygen to feel better, but she did get some skiing in. Because Breck has the highest peak in North America, bottled and canned oxygen is available everywhere – from the clinics to bars to convenience stores!

Marda Waters, Gayle Dale and Helen Kealey enjoyed the whole mountain experience from the skiing to dining to photographing all the beauty. We had excellent clear weather that allowed all with cameras to capture some very picturesque scenery – and a few funny ski moments.

Now, who knows where Marty Kaminsky, Craig Campbell, and Robert Tripp skied, but they were tired at the end of the day. Poor Marty was so sun burned that he did not ski the last day. Steve Slade was an early bird on the slopes but would end his day early afternoon to have time to relax on his vacation.

We had a pizza party in our condo on the last night and heard lots of stories about how much fun each had at Breckenridge - for which I am truly grateful.

In an ending note, everyone needs to ask Louella what she does with her watch each night when she cannot figure out how to turn off the alarm. BEWARE THE REFRIGERATOR!