HAPPY
BIRTHDAY!
Happy
101st birthday to ski legend, and Aspen
local - Klaus Obermeyer!
Klaus still attends the SIA Show each
year, and skis his run, “Klaus' Way”
on Buttermilk Mountain. He has inspired
many by his positivity, innovation in
skiing and athleticism.
A
BIG WIN FOR MIKAELA: On December 14th,
a beautiful day in Courchevel, France,
Mikaela Shiffrin made her triumphant and
emotional return to the top step on the
podium in a FIS World Cup. Heavy snow
fell on Saturday, and then Sunday’s
scheduled giant slalom was postponed,
leaving a hard and fast track for the
women on Monday under blazing sunlight.
However, it was worth the wait to see
Mikaela take her first World Cup win in
almost a year. It was a beautiful moment
when she crossed the finish line ahead
of the field, taking her first win after
her father’s sudden passing earlier this
year. Emotions ran even higher when she
stepped off the podium and into her
mom’s arms, as she cried through her
post-race interview. Congratulations,
Mikaela, and to AJ Hurt, who took home
her first World Cup giant slalom points,
and top-20, in 18th place.
SNOW
SPORTS MUSEUM:
Tahoe-Truckee
Skiers Nominated to the 2020-21 U.S. Ski
& Snowboard Teams include: Squaw
Valley skiers - Bryce Bennett and Travis
Ganong, both nominated to the men’s
Alpine “A” team, while Squaw Valley’s
Keely Cashman, joins the women’s “B”
team and Squaw Valley’s AJ Hurt competes
on the women’s “C” team. Sugar Bowl’s
Ainsley Proffit, a Missouri native, and
Squaw Valley’s Alix Wilkinson, who hails
from Mammoth Lakes, CA, will be training
and competing on the Alpine Development
Team. DID YOU KNOW -- Tamara McKinney,
a member of the SNOW Sports Museum
Advisory Board, was the first U.S. woman
skier to win the World Cup Overall
Championship. In addition to that
landmark triumph in 1983, McKinney won
18 World Cup races during her stellar
career.
LAS
VEGAS HAS MORE THAN GAMING: The Las Vegas ski area’s Lee
Canyon has been given the green
light by the U.S. Forest Service to move
forward with expansion plans to add two
new lifts, 23 ski runs, mountain bike
trails, a mountain coaster, additional
parking, a zipline, and other
amenities. Located only an hour north of
Las Vegas, this expansion is highly
anticipated as Las Vegas’s area of
interest in outdoor recreation has
increased. Las Vegas tourism has
always been centered around gaming and
luxury, but this expansion appeals to a
new market in Southern Nevada tourism.
While Lee Canyon has occupied its
785-acre area since 1964, this expansion
will allow them to accommodate the
growing interest in Winter activities
and the growing population in Clark
County.
FAR WEST CONVENTION – 6
MONTHS! AND COUNTING: The San Diego
Council of Ski Clubs has been busy
making plans for the 88th
Annual Far West Convention. The dates
are set for June 10-13, 2021, at the San
Diego Marriott Mission Valley. There
will be some
interesting Educational Seminars, and we
are currently seeking Public Affairs
speakers and a Keynote speaker. One of
our favorite events, the Golf
tournament, which is now the 13th
Annual Michael German Memorial, will be
at the Riverwalk Golf Club, on Friday,
June 11th. Barbara Blasé is
set to head this event up, with
assistance from Mike and Eileen Sanford,
and a few other North Islanders.
Michael was a long-time Board member of
Far West, and a past recipient of the J.
Stanley Mullen award in 2004. Michael
left us in 2006.
FAR WEST TRAVEL
FWSA
SUN VALLEY SKI WEEK 2021: Still
Happening! FWSA Councils are still
selling the 2021 Sun Valley Ski Week
January 30—February 6th. Contact your
Council Trip Leader to reserve your
lodging. We are selling hotel rooms at
Sun Valley Inn and Sun Valley Lodge, as
well as 2 & 3-bedroom Lodge
Apartments. Trip package includes
lodging and FWSA and Council parties.
Additional costs for lift tickets, group
air/ground, and Council Challenge races
are up to the individual. Free shuttle
to town, ski hill, and activities for
non-skiers/boarders! Go to: www.fwsa.org for
Trip Leader contact information or
contact Nancy Ellis, fwsatra...@sbcglobal.net.
FWSA ZERMATT
MINI SKI WEEK: Postponed
to 2022. The Zermatt
Utah Resort Mini Trip has been
postponed until March 20--25,
2022. Participants will have the option
to ski/ride Deer Valley, Park City,
and Sundance Resorts. Contact
Gloria Raminha, Trip Leader: garsk...@gmail.com;
661-800-8229. Stay tuned for further
Information.
FWSA 2021 INSIDE PASSAGE
CRUISE TO ALASKA: Still
Happening! There's still plenty of
time to sign up for the Denali Tour
and Alaska Cruise June 19--30,
2021. Participants can sign up for the
Denali Tour or Alaska Cruise or for the
combined two trips. The Denali Trip
starts with two days in Fairbanks, AK,
followed by two days in Denali, and ends
in Anchorage for those doing this
portion only. The Inside passage Alaska
Cruise starts in Whittier and travels
southward with stops in Skagway, Juneau,
and Ketchikan before docking in
Vancouver, BC. Trip information and
registration available on the FWSA.org
website or contact Nancy Ellis, VP North
American Travel, fwsatra...@sbcglobal.net;
(530) 414-8261.
FAR
WEST 2021 DIVE TRIP: Coming Up! The
2021 Dive Trip will be October 9-16,
2021 to the wonderful Anthony’s Key
Resort in Roatan, Honduras. We
have great pricing for their
top-of-the-line Key Deluxe lodging,
meals, and 6 days of 3 tank boat dives.
The registration forms and additional
information are available on the website
or contacting Randy Lew at dive...@fwsa.org
FWSA
SKI WEEEK 2022: Aspen/Snowmass
Resort will
be the destination January 22—29, 2022
for the annual Far West Ski Week. We
will be staying in Snowmass Resort and
participants have a choice of ski in/ski
out lodging or units a short walk to the
ski hill. The Snowmass base area has
many new restaurants, lodging, and
activities such as a climbing wall and
ice rink. The Alpine "Breath-taker"
Mountain Coaster now traverses the
mountain slopes. Put the dates of the
trip on your calendar and watch for sign
up information to be available in March
2021.
FAR WEST
COUNCILS
INTERMOUNTAIN SKI COUNCIL: Intermountain
Ski Council’s trip to Sun Valley, is
still planned for Jan 3-13, 2021. The
Council is holding a Silent Auction for
the rest of the month. Feeling lucky? This is the best
year EVER to buy raffle tickets from
Bogus Basin Ski Club! They have these
marvelous items up for auction,
and
because we can't sell the tickets in
person, there's fewer tickets being
sold. THAT increases your chances to
win!!! Here are a few items being
auctioned:
- A Bogus Basin Ski Pass --
a $499 value you can use this year or
next!
- A Ski Package at
Schweitzer in Northern Idaho -- *Three
nights lodging for two at the Hotel
Ruby in Sandpoint/Ponderay, AND *Two
days skiing at Schweitzer Mountain
Resort and a $30 meal voucher.
- An All-inclusive 7-day
Package to Club Med (1 of 4
resorts--Ixtapa, Cancun, Punta Cana,
Sandpiper Bay)
Proceeds
from this raffle prize will go toward
the Bob Greenwood Athletic
Scholarship, to help deserving
young ski racers. Purchase $1 raffle
tickets in the 2021 BBSC Raffle
Registration below in allotments of $5,
$10, $15 or $20 by entering the
registration on the link provided and
then designate them to any or all of the
prizes above. The drawing for these
prizes will be on January 9, 2021,
and winners will be notified. You do not
need to be present to win! https://www.bogusbasinskiclub.org/news_article/show/1132762.
FAR WEST SKI FOUNDATION
FWSA 90th ANNIVERSARY
HISTORY BOOK: FWSA
has published its history on the 90th anniversary
of its birth in San Francisco as the
California Ski Association, a division
of the National Ski Association. The
book is 80 pages in magazine format and
includes invited papers from noted
historians on California, Arizona,
Washington, Utah, Idaho and Oregon ski
history, notably Ingrid Wicken
of the California Ski Library, John
Lundin, Seattle, Jane Jackson,
Flagstaff, Mike Korologos, Salt
Lake City, Eve Chandler, Boise,
and Emilio Trampuz, Portland.
Association scholars include Barbara
Razo, NSPS, Orange, Jane
Wyckoff, Irvine, George Eachus,
Costa Mesa, Steve Reneker NSPS,
Riverside, and Chuck Morse, La
Habra. The book benefited by help from
Robin Morning, Mammoth Lakes and Randy
Lew, Battle Ground, Washington. Limited
quantities of this outstanding
publication will be available for
purchase on www.fwsa.org for
$20.
FAR WEST
MEMBER BENEFITS
NEW! LODGING PARTNER:
The Tahoe
Biltmore, in Crystal Bay, Nevada
is our newest lodging partner. Check
them out, along with the many other
lodging partners shown on our Member
Benefits Page on the Far West website.
There are a lot of great deals to be had
this season.
TIPS FOR SKIING &
BOARDING IN 2021
NEW YORK TIMES TIPS FOR SKIING IN
THE NEW YEAR:
For those of us wanting to ski
this season, the New York Times
offered some helpful hints in their Nov.
25th issue. A number of our industry
partners are mentioned in these
articles. Here’s
a summary, some of which you may already
know.
“8
Rules for Skiing This Season” by
Elisabeth Vincentelli:
- Think ahead. Many resorts
aren’t offering walk-up ticket sales.
Food may be available on a limited
basis or you may have to bring your
own. Access to such amenities as
parking, rentals, and locker rooms may
also be limited or require
reservations.
- Make the most of newly
flexible policies.Many airlines and
lodging properties are altering or
eliminating their change and
cancellation fees.Being a member of a
ski club helps since they work closely
with
- Check the state’s
restrictions. Check the state’s
official website since restrictions
have been changing over time.
- Think small. Brad Wilson,
Bogus Basin’s General Manager,
was quoted as saying, “nationally,
there is a sense that small resorts
will get a bump in business this year.
It’s the soul of skiing.”
- Bring your own.This includes
gear, lunch, sunscreen, water, etc.,
as you may have no or limited access
to a resort’s food and shops.
- Plan for lunch al fresco.
Expect to eat outside or in your
vehicle whether you bring your own or
take advantage of food trucks on the
mountain.
- Book a lesson. This could help
secure access during busy times. Check
with the resort to find out what kind
of lessons are available.
- If all else fails . . . Book
an entire resort. Utah’s Eagle Point
can be rented for $15,000 per day for
those days it’s not “open to the
public”. This includes lift tickets,
rentals and staff for up to 200 people.
Check out some of the
“under-the-radar resorts” who offer
plenty of room to turn, and plenty of
challenge amid a winter of social
distancing. Some of these include: Sugar
Bowl, California; Monarch
Mountain, Colorado;
Schweitzer
Mountain Resort,
Idaho; Whitefish Mountain Resort,
Montana, and Brian Head Resort,
Utah.
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