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Greetings fellow HISC members!
Don’t stop reading the SnoSheet half way through. There is unfortunate humor near the end.
Our next great social is 3 February. Wear red and help usher in another Chinese New Year – the Year of the Tiger. (Rocky Balboa, where are you?) Mickey will educate us on our Chinese Zodiac sign and prediction for the year. Additionally, HISC will offer our second swap shop of the year. Bring in the clothing that has shrunk since feasting at Arabba and other vacation spots. I’m sure there are some growing youngsters that will be able to slide right into the outfit. Also, bring in equipment you have replaced through Christmas and sale purchases. I will also present an idea to the Club regarding a slight change to our annual fall HISC picnic to see if membership supports the idea. In short, the idea has been proposed to partner with the Eppelheim Schutzenhaus on Saturday 28 August at 1600 to host a 5K Walk for the Military Family. The event would occur in Eppelheim and the proceeds would go to the Fischer House at Landstuhl. Instead of our traditional hamburgers and hot dogs, the Schutzenhaus would prepare schnitzel.
Wednesday evening the Ski Doctor will be available to nurse your skis back to health after much use during several January trips. The pampering will pay-off as you attack the slopes at Andermatt, Ski Safari, Zell am See and Engleberg. The next Ski Doctor visit will be 3 March; just in time for Lauterbrunnen and Flims-Laax.
I’m pleased to announce that club membership is now 380.
Begin planning for Ischgl – 30 Apr-2 May. Alicia Keyes is the performing artist for the Concert on the Mountain. Reminder, this year we are staying in town…whoopee.
I invite you to visit www.afneurope.net to view Valerie Rescinetti AFN Destinations: Austrian Alps report (go to page 3 of All Items). Valerie, a member of HISC, produced an AFN TV report on Oburgurgl. In so doing, HISC now has several TV stars. Additionally, the good times at the Nederhutte and Joseph’s can be appreciated. Well done, Valerie.
The vintner that sponsored the wine tasting at the 20 Jan social also offers a luxury bike tour that provides cycling and culinary delights in France. He and a partner specialize in bike tours throughout the stunning wine regions of Provence, Bordeaux & Dordogne, the Mediterranean Coast and the Alps. Two advertised trips are The Tour de France At A Glance and Provence Tour At A Glance. More information can be found at www.gourmetcyclingtravel.com.
Some of you may be interested in the Grindelwald snowshoeing and sledding adventure offered by Campbell Gym on 5-7 Feb. The trip costs $325 dollars and includes two nights lodging at a hostel, breakfast Sat and Sun morning, snowshoe and sled rentals, raclette lunch at a hutte on Saturday, and access to a swimming pool or ice skating rink on Sunday. You’ll have the opportunity to snowshoe off the beaten path with a Swiss guide during the day and enjoy a 5-7 km sled ride at night. Contact Steffanie Paoletti, steffanie.paoletti@eur.army.mil, telephone 370-6489, if you are interested. Believe Steffanie needs to know by COB Friday 29 Jan to confirm your reservation.
Council nominations occur between 17 Feb and 3 Mar and elections will be conducted 17 March. Please consider supporting the club by running for office…make a difference. Besides sustaining a 50+ year organization, contributing to organizational improvement, and improving the QOL for a large community population, you may ask “what’s in it for me?” Well, if watching the energy generated at a social, or listening to the laughter at a social or trip, or hearing about the great time someone had at a HISC event, or receiving a simple thank-you isn’t enough, here are a few other benefits:
- Council members receive two 100E vouchers that can be used to pay for any HISC event or merchandise.
- Council members are authorized to sign-up for a trip prior to opening night. (Past Presidents receive this perk and free membership for life…think about running for President.)
- Council members get to shape the event calendar (trip destinations/socials) for their elected council year.
The elected positions are: President, Socials, Trips Manager, Publicity, Membership, Treasurer, Secretary, and Boutique.
The following people should see or contact Doug Sims to receive a council approved refund/reimbursement:
Fred Schultz, Fred and Belinda Gemme (will be mailed), Randal Honeycutt, Dmitry Tsveton, the Humphries Family, the Jackson Family, Rose Marie Smith and son, Mary Ellen Feldcamp.
I believe the council has addressed all refund/reimbursement requests through MLK weekend. If you think you have been overlooked, please let a council member know.
Trips:
Zell am See and Ski Safari (12-15 Feb) close at the 3 Feb social. Payment in full is due at that time. Don’t forget to select your bus seat. Zell has a wait list but space is still available for Ski Safari. Ski Safari, which bases out of Landeck, will visit three fabulous locations – Serfaus, Ischgl, and St. Anton…doesn’t get much better than this.
Flims-Laax (26-28 Mar, TC:Shash Chitnis) opens this coming social. This is the cheapest trip of the year yet a very good ski area with a hotel that is within walking distance to the gondola that transports skiers to beautiful skiing primarily above the tree line. So how did we make this trip so cheap? Well, we’re experimenting. This is HISC’s version of Ryannair – stripped down. Your trip cost does not include food and beverages on the bus and Saturday night dinner. This affords you an opportunity to experiment with eating out and deciding whether you wish to package your own treats for the bus ride or rely on food and beverages at the mid-route rest stop. Flims-Laxx has extensive (220 km) and varied slopes that are ideal for intermediates. The lift system is impressive moving skiers quickly. The area is considered a snowboard hot spot. The terrain parks are some of the best in Europe.
Engelberg (26-28 Feb), Lauterbrunnen (12-14 Mar), and Val Thorens (3-10 and 10-17 Apr) still have space available but Lauterbrunnen is filling up quickly.
Engelberg (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. Engelberg 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 distance, early Sunday return, and low cost.
Lauterbrunnen (TC: Mag McGinley)
Lauterbrunnen affords trip participants to ski two adjacent areas – Kleine Scheidegg and Schilthorn - double the fun. We have not offered this ease of access to both areas in a number of years. The hotel is walking distance to the two cog trains that transport you to ski heaven. You can easily ski both the oldest and longest ski course on the World Cup circuit, the Lauberhorn, and the 12 km, 2000 meter descent Inferno run in one weekend. Additionally, you can enjoy lunch at the Piz Gloria, the rotating restaurant at Schilthorn that is well-know to James Bond fans. Finally, you can see where part of the movie "The Eiger Sanction" was filmed in the vicinity of Kleine Scheidegg. The high ski area elevation guarantees favorable ski conditions this time of year…should be snow sure long sunny days.
This week long vacation is a shared event with multiple U.S. ski clubs in Germany. Scherer Tours is our gracious host. Participants are picked-up at the Commissary Gate Park and Ride. Price varies based on the accommodation one chooses. This is a great outing to team up with other singles, couples or families to find the most cost efficient billeting arrangement. Val Thorens is the highest purpose built ski village in France’s Three Valley’s – the largest ski area in the world. Many of you may question the quality of skiing in mid-April. If my memory serves me correctly, other than glacier locations, Val Thorens is the last ski resort in Europe to close each year. People have returned from the trip and raved about the ski conditions. I’ve seen photos and video clips from trip participants attesting to the snow quality. This will be a great spring break outing.
Recently I received the following article which I think is worth sharing. There are three valuable lessons learned: 1) skis naturally slide down hill; 2) men, listen to the ladies in your ski group…don’t press your luck; 3) you never know who you’ll bump into in the hospital.
SO, HOW DID YOU BREAK YOUR ARM?
written by a New Orleans paper:
A friend just got back from a holiday skiing trip to Utah with the kind of story that warms the cockles of anybody's heart. Conditions were perfect...12 below, no feeling in the toes, basic numbness all over...the "Tell me when we're having fun" kind of day. One of the women in the group complained to her husband that she was in dire need of a rest room. He told her not to worry, that he was sure there was relief waiting at the top of the lift in the form of a powder room for female skiers in distress. He was wrong, of course, and the pain did not go away. If you've ever had nature hit its panic button in you, then you know that a temperature of 12 below doesn't help matters. With time running out, the woman weighed her options. Her husband, picking up on the intensity of the pain, suggested that since she was wearing an all-white ski outfit, she should go off in the woods and no one would even notice. He assured her, "The white will provide more than adequate camouflage."
So she headed for the tree line, began lowering her ski pants and proceeded to do her thing. If you've ever parked on the side of a slope, then you know there is a right way and wrong way to set your skis so you don't move.
Yup, you got it!!! She had them positioned the wrong way. Steep slopes are not forgiving...even during the most embarrassing moments. Without warning, the woman found herself skiing backward, out-of-control, racing through the trees...somehow missing all of them and onto another slope. Her derriere and the reverse side were still bare, her pants down around her knees, and she was picking up speed all the while. She continued backwards, totally out-of-control, creating an unusual vista for the other skiers. The woman skied back under the lift and finally collided violently with a pylon.
The bad news was that she broke her arm and was unable to pull up her ski pants. At long last her husband arrived, putting an end to her nudie show, then summoned the ski patrol. They transported her to a hospital. While in the emergency room, a man with an obviously broken leg was put in the bed next to hers. "So, how'd you break your leg?" she asked, making small talk. "It was the stupidest thing you ever saw," he said. "I was riding up this ski lift and suddenly, I couldn't believe my eyes! There was this crazy woman skiing backward, out-of-control, down the mountain, with her bare bottom hanging out of her pants. I leaned over to get a better look and fell out of the lift." ...
"So, how'd you break your arm?
With that, I’ll close. See you on the high ground…skis pointed downhill…no derriere exposed.
Thanks for supporting HISC and making our get togethers so much fun.
Let it snow…in the Alps.
Regards,
Al Rasper
HISC President