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Fellow HISC Members,
Happy New Year – hope you enjoyed cheering in 2010.
Also hope this has been a delightful holiday season for you. Approximately 160 HISC’ers enjoyed sharing a pleasant Christmas together at either Arabba or St. Veit. Come to the 6 Jan Social and share your tales with others and help celebrate the New Year. Send your year-to-date HISC trip photos to Nanci McGonigal, at nanci.mcgonigal@cheerful.com or nanci.mcgonigal@sap.com, and she’ll create a photo album on our website and assemble a photo show for viewing at the 20 Jan Social.
The Ski Doctor will be available to perform minor “out-patient” services on those sticks and boards of yours. Am sure they are in dire need of pampering. Get your equipment ready for your PDS or Kitzbuhel outing.
Trip sales continue at a brisk pace. Please remember that payment in full is due for PDS and Kitzbuhel on 6 Jan. We have an unexpected double room and single cancellation for PDS. Those on the PDS wait list please contact Mag if you are still interested in going. Send her an e-mail at Margaret.mcginley@eu.dodea.edu. She is currently out of country but monitoring e-mail. Mag will be at the 6 Jan social.
The following individuals can retrieve trip payment refunds/reimbursements at the social by seeing Doug Sims, Treasurer:
Hintertux: Amy Gould.
Obergurgl: Rebecca Boucher.
Stuben: Linnea Norby and Danny Brannon.
St. Veit: Tiernan Dolan, Mike Kubala, Jim Wilson
Evaldo: Kurt Miller and Andrew Burton…check, we may have your cases reviewed by the Council by Wednesday.
Refunds will be paid by way of a check unless advance coordination is made with Doug to receive a voucher in lieu of a check. The voucher can be immediately rolled over into another trip where as a check must first be cashed. Doug can be contacted at douglas.sims@eur.army.mil.
17 Feb we have HISC 2010-11 Council nominations and on 17 Mar we have elections. A vibrant Club needs an energetic, creative Council. New ideas and new faces are healthy as it keeps the organization fresh and relevant. I ask that you begin favorably considering running for HISC office. Don’t be bashful about asking current Council members about their duties and responsibilities should you be interested in one or more positions. Council membership benefits include: Developing the HISC program for 2010-11 and complimentary membership, early trip sign-up, and two 100 euro vouchers during the 2010-2011 season.
Trip sign-up status is as follows:
Engleberg opens on 6 Jan. Kitzbuhel is sold out, however, you may place your name on the standy-by list. As previously mentioned, we have one remaining double and a single for PDS. Limited space is still available on the Andermatt, Zell am See and Ski Safari trips. Don’t procrastinate too long on these three trips. Trip summaries follow:
Opening – Engleberg, 26-28 Feb (TC: Mark Sarabia)
This trip has the shortest commute and the second lowest cost of the year. We will stay a short 20 minute HISC bus commute from the slopes. Engleberg offers nice beginner and intermediate skiing and enjoyable off-piste opportunities. Additionally, this is the second best cross-country skiing destination of the year. Last year this turned out to be a particularly good family outing given its short travel and early Sunday return and low cost.
Andermatt, 29-31 Jan (TC: Mark Sarabia):
This lower cost trip has something to offer a wide variety of people. The hotel is about equal distance between the two lifts that run out of town to two different mountains and it is a short walk to the town center which is said to be very picturesque. The travel distance from Heidelberg is a little shorter than most of our trips this season. The destination offers the following items of interest:
Skier – A good mix of slopes for a variety of ski abilities. The adventuresome can enjoy good steeps and great off-piste skiing.
Cross-Country Skier – This is probably the best X-country destination we will offer this year. Enjoy at least 20 km of trails principally along the valley floor.
Non-Skiing Winter Sports Enthusiast – Ice skating and a 7 km rodelbahn (sled) course can be enjoyed.
Non-Skier – An architecturally attractive town, good window shopping, an attractive town church, and an interesting regional museum.
I encourage you to favorably consider this destination. We may be able to arrange for a fondue dinner Saturday evening if all are interested.
Zell am See, 12-15 Feb (TC: Val Laragy):
The rustic hotel sits on top of the mountain. We’ll take a cable car to reach the hotel. Departure from PHV will be at 1500 on Friday so that we reach the cable car by 2230. This ski-in/ski-out destination affords the first run enthusiast the opportunity to make a ski run or two before enjoying a buffet breakfast. At the end of the day you can enjoy the après-ski on the sun deck that is situated at the rear of the hotel. Depending on weather conditions, this can be quite fun. The hotel has a bar/disco that caters solely to hotel guests in the evening…guests are the only ones on top of the mountain. Access to downtown at night is not possible since the cable car ceases operations at 1700. Skiing is pleasant with some nice long cruising runs. It’s not a particularly challenging mountain and, depending on the skier, can be skied in a day to a day-and-a-half. On a sunny weekend, the mountain is like a sun terrace…you won’t ski much in the shade. To enjoy ski variety, some choose to take the local commuter bus to Kaprun on Sunday. Again, a nice sun terrace (when the sun is shining). The Zell pass is valid at both locations. Zell is a long time Club favorite. This is the trip for those that like to sleep in and want everything at their door step.
Ski Safari, 12-15 Feb (Ischgl, Serfaus, St. Anton) (TC: Aleck Hernandez):
This is probably the better trip for the ski enthusiast or the non-skier…three days of skiing (sightseeing) at three premier destinations all of which can’t be completely explored in one day. This is a new ski safari destination. Departure from PHV is at 1700. The Club will stage out of Landeck and will make the daily 30-40 minute commute to each of the destinations via the HISC bus. These are not interconnected destinations so new lift passes will have to be purchased each day. Ischgl, quite a party town, is the Saturday destination. The bus will delay return departure in the evening until around 1800-1830 so that all can enjoy Ischgl’s après-ski social scene. With prior coordination, the Landeck hotel can hold Saturday’s dinner meal until the group returns from Ischgl. St. Anton, the resort closest to Heidelberg, will be the Monday destination thereby providing a shorter ride home and possibly a longer day on the slopes. Landeck is a medium size city so there are plenty of after hour opportunities for those who enjoy the nightlife. Be forewarned, no sleeping in, the HISC bus is the only convenient means of transportation to the slopes. I suspect daily bus departures will be around 0815. Historically, the Club has not gone to Serfaus and St. Anton and we’ve only gone to Ischgl at season end. Room availability and cost has made these destinations unachievable at this time of year. Each of these locations offer fantastic and varied skiing for all ability groups. If you plan to rent skis, recommend you do so in the Heidelberg area…renting at each of the ski resorts will cut into your ski time each day.
Look forward to seeing you on 6 January. Be prepared to celebrate the New Year, swap holiday tales, and sign-up for several great January and February trips.
Best Regards….Let it Snow…but sunny days on the slopes.
Al Rasper
HISC President 09-10