National Ski Club Newsletter
Join a Ski Club and Make It Happen!

For a number of years this was the place to visit for the National Ski Club Newsletter.
Content is from the site's 2016 archived pages providing a brief glimpse of what this site offered its readship.

For the most up to date National Ski Club News, go to the Ski Federation's website: https://skifederation.org/category/national-ski-club-newsletter/
The National Ski Council Federation was formally established in 1999. It consists of the largest 29 ski councils in the United States and boasts a total membership of approximately 300,000 snowsports enthusiasts.

Don’t Just Dream of an Exciting Life . . . .
Join a Ski Club and Make It Happen!

WELCOME:

Now addressing the officers of 2,200 U.S. ski clubs containing 700,000 skiing members in all 50 states in 4 print issues each season. The magazine is published to coincide with the ski clubs’ purchasing timeline in November, January, March, and May. These "Issues" can be accessed by clicking on the link listed below. Plus we publish monthly e-mailed "News Flash" year-round. The latest "News Flash" can be accessed by clicking on the link listed below.

"I've been a subscriber to The National Ski Club Newsletter for several years now, and it never fails to impress me. The detailed coverage of ski clubs across all 50 states, especially insights into local events and unique trip offerings, really helps in planning my skiing adventures. I particularly enjoyed the feature on the Texas Ski Council's trip to Egypt - it's great to see how clubs are diversifying beyond just ski trips. However, I did notice some delays in the online updates. It might be time for the management to update FoxPro & modernize their system to ensure smoother and more efficient digital communications. Keep up the great work, though!" Janine Meyer

ABOUT US:

AMERICA’S 2,200 SKI CLUBS AND 45 COUNCILS

America’s ski clubs are located in all 50 states and the annually elected officers of just over 2,200 clubs have been reading The National Ski Club Newsletter since 1987. Those 2,200 or so clubs contain about 700,000 members. Approximately half of these clubs belong to one or more of 45 ski councils -- or umbrella organizations -- most of which are geographically centered (i.e., the Texas Ski Council, the Florida Ski Council, etc.) and 25 of those councils belong to The National Ski Council Federation.

Most ski clubs are also social clubs and many members literally center their social lives around “the club”. The clubs typically host happy hours, meetings that often look a lot like happy hours, theme parties, weekend trips, destination trips, and organize team sports for their members.

Initially organized to take advantage of group rates on lift tickets, lodging, etc. for ski trips, the clubs travel worldwide to ski -- Usually about 40% of their trips ski in Colorado and an average of 10% of their trips ski in Europe.

Many of the clubs are now organizing non-ski trips and year-round group vacations for their members. A case in point would be the Texas Ski Council which had 350 members signed up to tour Egypt in September of 2010. Most of their European ski trips offer pre- or post-trips to European cities as the clubs have discovered that touring in Europe during the winter is not only a lot less crowded -- but an excellent value as well.

2016 ISSUES

May - June 2016

March-April 2016

January-February 2016

ISSUE October 2016

latest NEWSFLASH:

Thursday, October 06, 2016

The National Ski Club Officers' Newsflash is emailed each month to America's ski club officers by TheNational Ski Club Newsletter on a year-round basis. If you wish additional club officers to receive the Newsflash, please email their names, club name, their office within the club, and email addresses to wilbanks@ski- club.net.

THE U.S. IS NOW THE MOST POPULAR SKI DESTINATION IN THE WORLD GROUSE MOUNTAIN FOR SALE WATERVILLE VALLEY ADDS 10 NEW RUNS POWDER MOUNTAIN ADDING TWO LIFTS END OF THE ROAD FOR IDAHO’S TAMARACK SKI AREA? ZELL AM SEE RE-OPENS OLD TERRAIN TO BE PART OF AUSTRIA’S NEXT BIGGEST SKI AREA AUSTRIA’S KAPRUN ADDS NEW LIFT NEW SKI TRIP TO KYRGYZSTAN IS FOR YOUR TRULY TOUGH AND ADVENTUROUS SKIERS

THE U.S. IS NOW THE MOST POPULAR SKI DESTINATION IN THE WORLD
Poor snow in France has resulted in the United States becoming the world’s favorite ski destination during the 2015-16 season. According to the data from the French ski industry authority, Domaines Skiables de France, the US had a 6 % hike to 53.9 million skier days, and French had 52 million -- about three percent less than the past year. The United States held the top spot from 2008 to 2011. But, for the past four years, France has been fiercely boasting the top spot. France continues to be the top ski destination in Europe, however. Austria ended its ski season with 49.9 million -- 4 percent below last year. However, the coming season may bring some good news for Europe as US visitors are likely to increase due to the favorable exchange rates.

GROUSE MOUNTAIN FOR SALE
The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) reports that British Columbia’s Grouse Mountain near Vancouver, , after four decades of ownership by the McLaughlin family, is for sale – including its ski operations and 1,200 acres of property. The popular mountain, which draws 1.3 million visitors annually, has 26 runs and four chairlifts, as well as summer activities.

WATERVILLE VALLEY ADDS 10 NEW RUNS
Patrick Thorne, The Snow Hunter, reports that, Waterville Valley in New Hampshire is working on the first phase of its Green Peak Expansion project which will see 10 new trails cut to provide 45 new acres of skiing and riding this season, serviced by a fixed grip chairlift. This will be Waterville Valley Resort’s biggest expansion project in more than 30 years.

POWDER MOUNTAIN ADDING TWO LIFTS
Utah’s Powder Mountain ski area is hoping to add two new lifts for the 2016-2017 ski season.

The resort’s proposed new “Village Lift,” would run up Lefty’s Canyon to a planned mountain village development

VAIL ADDS THREE QUADS TO WILMOT MOUNTAIN Vail Resorts are reported to have spent $13 million on a complete overhaul of their recently acquired Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin. The historic ski area is one of several smaller Eastern US ski areas (the others are in Minnesota and Michigan) Vail Resorts has acquired as a means of encouraging skiers and boarders to visit Vail’s better known international. Skiers at Wilmot Mountain can now purchase Vail’s ‘Epic Local Pass’ for a similar price to what Wilmotonly passes were in the past, but the ticket also now gives them access to world-class skiing at Vail Resorts’ nine western resorts, plus Australia’s largest resort, Perisher. The three quad chairlifts from Colorado are replacing existing lifts at Wilmot and there are now also two new carpet lifts and a new rope tow as part of a redesigned learning area and a new terrain park – altogether increasing the area’s uplift by almost a half.

NEW SKI TRIP TO KYRGYZSTAN IS FOR YOUR TRULY TOUGH AND ADVENTUROUS SKIERS Snoworks, a British ski tour operator, has added skiing the mountains of Kyrgyzstan for the coming winter. The ski adventure to Kyrgyzstan next February, with accommodation based in traditional yurts, is open to competent skiers who are comfortable on black runs and can ski off-piste. The skiing is exclusively ski touring based and located in the Tian Shan Mountain range, part of the old Silk Road route between the Mediterranean and Asia. The skiing will all be accessed via snowmobiles from the yurt camp and the tour operator says that there’s opportunities to explore some of the country and take in some of the culture too. The trip begins on February 11, 2017 and costs just under $3,000 per person -- which includes 6.5 days ski touring with local guides and a Snoworks Instructor, 10 nights accommodation, most lunches and evening meals, return transfers from the Bishkek Airport and transfers to all ski areas. However, the price does not include flights to Kyrgyzstan. See snoworks.com for more information.

END OF THE ROAD FOR IDAHO’S TAMARACK SKI AREA? Patrick Thorne, The Snow Hunter, reports Tamarack, launched with a $1.5 billion price tag in 2004 in Idaho, the ski area looks to be going out of business permanently with the news that its remaining chairlifts are set to be auctioned off October 17 for unpaid property taxes. The area was dealt a near terminal blow in 2008 with the global property crash but has managed to remain partially open for most of the past decade thanks to the support of private property owners at the ski area. However local authorities said that land taxes for the ski area have not been paid for three years and now amount to more than a quarter of a million dollars, hence the sale of remaining buildings and lifts valued at over $5 million. If the taxes are paid in time the auction will be called off, but apparently that’s unlikely.

ZELL AM SEE RE-OPENS OLD TERRAIN TO BE PART OF AUSTRIA’S NEXT BIGGEST SKI AREA Aistroa’s Zell am See has a new lift that will allow it to re-open terrain not used for more than three decades. The zellamseeXpress 10 seater lift, the first stage in a two year plan to (re)connect Zell am See to the Saalbach- Hinterglemm-Fieberbrunn again, will make Zell am See part of one of Austria’s next largest ski areas. The new lift runs to the top station of the Salersbachköpfl at 1,920 meters, reopening access to once popular downhill runs to the Glemm Valley that resort managers say were used for 50 years between 1930 and 1980. More upgrades are planned in the area for the 2018/19 season as part of the 25 million euro project creating further slopes and an additional cable car connection from and into Glemmtal.

AUSTRIA’S KAPRUN ADDS NEW LIFT Austria’s Kaprun, has the new Schmiedingerbahn lift that replaces the Schmiedinger glacier lifts on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, becoming SalzburgerLand's highest chairlift. Operating between 2,530 meters and 2,775 meters, the modern 8-seater will include heated seats and pull-down weather-protection hoods.

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