2013/2014 Winter Preview CONTENTS Features Editorial & Advertising Office CMSC’s Winter Carnival 2013 . 6 621 Plainfield Road, Suite 406 Willowbrook, IL 60527 Canada’s Fernie Alpine Resort . 8 P 630.794.0696 CMSC’s Trip to St. Anton/Vienna . 12 F 630.794.0652 [email protected] Boyne Resorts of Michigan . 14 Publisher – Jeffrey Gayduk Chicago Week Preview: Big Sky . 33 [email protected] CMSC’s Annual Picnic . 34 Managing Editor – Randy Mink [email protected] Departments Executive Editor – Rick Heinz President’s Message . 4 [email protected] CMSC Board of Directors . 22 Director, Design & Production – Regional VP’s and Their Clubs . 23 Robert Wyszkowski [email protected] Club Directory . 24 Advertising Sales Trips by Destination . 30 630.794.0696 Associate Members . 32 [email protected] Club Profiles Oak Park Ski Club . .18 Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council Peoria Ski Club . .19 PO Box 189 400 Ski Club . .16 Wood Dale, IL 60191-0189 Piccadilly Ski Club . .19 www.skicmsc.org American Blind Skiing Foundation . .16 Powder Dogs Ski Ski & Ride Club Guide is published semi-annually by and Snowboard Club . .19 Premier Tourism Marketing, Inc., and is the official publication Battle Creek Ski Club . .16 of the Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council. Copyright 1999-2013. Rock Valley Ski Association . .20 All Rights Reserved. No portion of this publication may be Chicagoland Club 50 . .17 reproduced in any form without approval of the editor. Schussboomers Ski Chicago Friars Ski and Snowboard Club . .20 Ski & Ride Club Guide serves as a means of communication and Bike Club . .17 between CMSC and its intercouncil clubs, making it Sitzmark Ski invaluable to all Midwest skiers. Copies are available Duneland Ski Club . .17 and Snowboard Club . .20 free of charge at CMSC general meetings, general meetings of member clubs, Chicagoland area ski shops Fleetwind Ski Club . .17 Skunk Hollow Ski and sporting goods retailers and public libraries. To display Four Winds Ski and Snowboard Club . .20 Ski & Ride Club Guide in your establishment or request more copies of this magazine, contact 630.794.0696, email and Social Club . .17 Sly Fox Ski Club . .21 [email protected] or visit www.skigrouptrips.com. Gelandesprung Ski Club We welcome article submissions and letters to the editor. .18 Snowdrifters Ski Club . .21 Joliet Ski Club . .18 Snowseekers Ski Club . .21 On the Cover Lincoln Park Ski Club . .18 Springfield Ski Club . .21 Montana’s Big Sky Resort will be the setting for CMSC’s Chicago Week 2014. Mississippi Valley Ski Club . .18 St. Louis Ski Club . .21 (Photo courtesy Big Sky Resort) Nomad Ski Club of Chicago .18 Thunderbird Ski Club . .21 www.skicmsc.com ❖ 2013/2014 WINTER PREVIEW SKI & RIDE CLUB GUIDE ❖ 3 Message from the President Ray Piwowarczyk LOOKING AHEAD TO 2014 hank you for picking up Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council’s 2014 issue Tof Ski & Ride. I would like to welcome back all CMSC ski clubs and affiliates to another season of skiing, snowboarding and winter sports. For those of you who are not yet members of our council, I hope that you discover a reason or two in this publication to join one of our many ski clubs in the Chicagoland area and surrounding states. Over a half century ago the Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council was formed as a result of the vision of a small group of Chicago-area skiers. It was their dream to create a body to act as an umbrella organization of Chicagoland ski clubs. This organization would provide relevant informa- tion and purchasing power to the Chicagoland skier. CMSC was founded in 1957 with seven ski clubs. Although there is only one club remaining of the original seven, we have grown over the years to 70 clubs. The Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council represents clubs in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri and Nebraska! Each club has its own uniqueness. Some clubs include activities for families and some for adults only. Some clubs focus on racing while others are more involved with local or destination ski trips. Whatever your interests may be, you will find a club to fit your personality and your geographic location. To find a club or to participate in an event, visit us on wwwskicmsc.com or find us on Facebook. THANK YOU TO OUR CMSC and its member clubs host domestic and international ski trips ADVERTISERS and 13 days of races for skiers and boarders, a golf outing, a major league baseball game, Ski Seminar, an annual picnic, and much more. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area..........23 I am anticipating the 2014 ski season. My priorities for 2014 are as follows: Arizona Snowbowl ....................28 First, I am encouraging our member clubs to open their doors to members Aspen Snowmass .....................10 of other clubs, whether it be to participate in a ski trip or a social event. Boyne USA...............................15 Second, CMSC is providing member clubs with strategies to increase Jackson Hole Mountain Resorts.....9 membership growth. Keystone Resorts........................5 Third, I would like to see our members be proactive in establishing strong partnerships with ski industry affiliates in the Chicagoland area. Mammoth Mountain..................36 This includes local ski areas, ski shops, restaurants, convention centers, Nub's Nob ................................28 tour operators and resorts! Ski Banff...................................10 I invite you to visit our officers page on the website or in this publication to find the entire list of officers and their respective contact Steamboat ..................................9 information. If not on the hill, you can always contact me at Raymond. Telluride Ski Resort...................35 [email protected]. Let’s enjoy the fall weather while we can because we’ll be skiing and boarding before we know it. Vail Resorts.................................2 Ray Piwowarczyk, President Richard Halman Whitefish Mountain Resort ........35 Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council 4 ❖ SKI & RIDE CLUB GUIDE 2013/2014 WINTER PREVIEW ❖ www.skicmsc.com Winter Carnival 2013 Ski Brule, MI he weather gods and snow gods were with us last season at our annual CMSC Winter Carnival! Conditions were perfect! Seven clubs along with the CMSC Racing Team Tjoined us for a fun-filled weekend. Our theme was a play on words, "Sesame Treats," and the clubs did a fantastic job for the costume contest. We had the "Count" and his numbers from the Chicago Friars, ABSF's Nate was so very charming in his Miss Piggy costume, and Four Winds…wow! Saturday started out with a two-day treasure hunt, along with the racers holding a very popular Radar Race. Along came the ever so popular "Pie Eating Contest"—the treat was the shot you had to drink to finish. We had a nice ride in the sled to a great dinner at the Homestead. Drinks, dancing and "Minute to Win It" followed at the Brule Saloon. We ended the evening with a beautiful torchlight parade from the Brule crew. Sunday brought racers holding a "Super G,” Potato Sac race and the ever so popular Penguin Race followed by a great "Silly Slalom" that I know Jess Polish of Ski Brule had fun setting up! Everyone enjoyed the perfect runs and skied until we had the award ceremonies. The Ultimate Clubs were: 1st Place: Four Winds 2nd Place: ABSF 3rd Place: Chicago Friars. After a great wine and cheese party it was time to get on the bus and head home. Many thanks to Jess and the entire crew at Brule for another fantastic weekend! If that sounds like a fun way to spend the end of the ski season for you, join us this season for Winter Carnival 2014. This time we return to Schuss-Shanty Creek from March 14-16, 2014. This year’s theme will be The 80’s: Fruity Suity is back! Go to www.skicmsc.com for all of the exciting details! 6 ❖ SKI & RIDE CLUB GUIDE 2013/2014 WINTER PREVIEW ❖ www.skicmsc.com Destination Report: West Fernie Alpine Resort By Vanessa Day n the heart of the Canadian Rockies sits the town of Fernie, a popular ski area known for its legendary powder and expansive terrain. This traditional ski town, located along the Powder Highway, is blessed Iwith up to 37 feet of powder each ski season, which is perhaps why it is considered one of the best ski destinations in North America. First founded as a coal-mining town in the late 1800s, Fernie has encountered some interest- ing characters in its long history, which locals credit for the city’s immense growth, record-setting snowfall and Fernie attracts a wide range of skiers and riders elite ski conditions, not to mention from around the globe. the town’s charismatic community. Indeed, these legends, such as the Ghostrider and Griz, are just some of the things that truly set Fernie apart. Fernie Alpine Resort, located at the base of Elk Valley in British Columbia, is three miles from the town of Fernie and about 40 miles from the U.S.-Canada border. The resort first opened in 1963, but it wasn’t until the late ’90s that it expanded significantly into the sprawling, internationally recognized ski destination it is today. Now the resort is so big that locals like to pick which side they prefer, “old side” or “new side”— referring to the major expansion that took place in the late ’90s. Henry Georgi Photos Skiers take a break outside of Kelsey’s Bar and Grill. 8 ❖ SKI & RIDE CLUB GUIDE 2013/2014 WINTER PREVIEW ❖ www.skicmsc.com Fernie has over 2,500 acres of skiable terrain on 142 named trails and five bowls across a large portion of the Lizard Range, and is serviced by 10 lifts. The runs vary from long, gentle beginner courses to challenging double black diamonds, making Fernie a great place for skiers and boarders of all skill levels.