Ski clubs....

[Pequenita]

I got the sense that a few of us are in ski clubs. I haven't been in one since I was in middle school, so the stuff that's mentioned in this New York Times article was mostly new to me, especially the age range of members.

So, does the Times' description of ski clubs mesh with your experiences?

 

[playoutside]

I belong to 3 clubs. Each has its place in my life and each has a bit of what was described in the article.

One club in MA I joined about 15 yrs ago. Initially joined for a ski trip to Europe, but found a great group of people, many of whom were aging. This club is social all year round, didn't own a lodge, but did run bus trips. About 10 yrs ago, the club couldn't fill a bus enough to break even, so the trips got smaller and were more carpools with discount tickets. Unfortunately some of the old timers are vocal and really resist any changes. It's causing the club to die a slow death. These days the functions are more about the social off-season activities than the skiing. Reality is that many of the members can no longer ski regularly.

Another club I belong to is all about the discounts. They have meetings if you want, but have a really low membership fee that draws a large membership of active skiers. Most are there for the discounts -- they do a couple weeklong trips, lots of long weekends in NE and offer discounts at specific mountains each weekend. It's a great way to never pay window-price. For people who want the group aspect of things they can take the bus on trips, for others like me I mainly enjoy the discounts, but have also met a few interesting people along the way. This club has a mix of ages, families and singles.

The last club I belong to is based in NJ and has a lodge in VT, which was the main reason I joined the club. I wanted an inexpensive option for staying in VT so I could ski a few days in a row. This club was started in the early 60s, but continues to draw new members. It is family oriented and we seem to be in a phase of new young families joining, so I suppose there will be new members for a long time to come. This club has a limited membership and has been up at the limit the last couple years, so it's pretty alive. I'm a single in a family club, but for me it works. It keeps it about the skiing. The lodge is simple, but has a cook and you are not on duty to do a chore other than clean up after yourself and be out in a timely manner at the end of the weekend.

 

[Jilly]

My first ski club, was actually a season membership at the local hill. It was called a club. Then after school, I lived in eastern Ontario. There was a travelling ski club there. A co-worker got me started with them. Next thing I know I'm an instructor and meeting the man of my life. This club died a slow death about 15 years ago. We lost the guy who got me into the club 1 1/2 years ago. I think that's got people thinking about old times and a possible get together this coming summer. It would be fun to see everyone again. Through that club I learned about places to stay, different resorts/hills and all types of lifts. If I were to start that list of places I've skied, there are quite of few that are because of that club.