the roanoke skier & adventurer · dalal how much fun they had! each night people shared stories...
TRANSCRIPT
The Roanoke Skier & Adventurer The Monthly Newsletter for the Roanoke Ski & Adventure Club
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May 2019
Valle Nevado Santiago, Chile
President’s Message
Hello to everyone...
I'm sending this message from Versailles, France. Lois and I just arrived
recently and will be traveling from here to the Loire Valley and subsequently up
the Seine River to Normandy for a 75th anniversary visit to the beaches that
played such an important role in the making of our country and of the world that
we know today.
We plan our return to the States for May 2nd. This will surely complicate my
first month as president of the RSAC, but hopefully not by too much. I am
certainly appreciative of all the good wishes and help being afforded me during
this transition period as my knowledge of the internal workings of the club are
currently at a bare minimum. At this time, I can only hope that the trust placed
in me as your new president will be seen as the first of many good choices made
in the upcoming years.
Don Hanley
President
To actively promote and engage our members' appreciation of the outdoors,
our love of skiing, travel, and adventure.
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Upcoming Events:
Happy Hours
• Wednesday May 15 at 5:30 p.m.
• Mac and Bob's
• 316 East Main Street
• Salem, VA
• Hosted by Emily Hurst
• Tuesday, June 4 at 5:30 p.m.
• 419 West
• 3865 Electric Road
• Roanoke, VA
• Hosted by Emily Hurst
Be on the lookout and/or Save the Date!
• Saturday, June 8 at 3:30 p.m.
• D-Day Memorial Tour/Beales Brewery
• Hosted by Bill Fleshman
• Saturday, July 13, details TBD
• New River trip and potluck
• Hosted by the Phlegars
• August - Linda Harrison is planning a Fincastle Winery visit.
• Keep an eye on the Facebook page for impromptu adventures. With the weather improving for outside activities, I’ll be getting out more, especially on the Roanoke River, greenway and about town. If you want to join along, the more the merrier! Dorothy-
Keep an eye on the Facebook page for last minute events we may put together!
Click the dates to easily add the events to your Google calendar!
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2019 - 2020 TRIPS
Well, with the exception of our newly added trip to Chile, our Ski Trips are complete now. But
we have two Adventure trips to go. Our much-anticipated Amsterdam/Rhine River cruise
departs on May 22nd and in the Fall, we have two very exciting African Safari/Cape Town trips
that will conclude the 2019 trip season. Thanks to the trip leaders who led these trips, and
thanks to our members for supporting the Club’s trips!
A Preview to Next Year’s Trips
Work is well underway on next season’s trip lineup, as determined by your responses to the trip
surveys! We had 88 members respond to the Ski Trip Survey and 194 members filled out the
Adventure Trip Survey. These results add up to a very exciting 2019 - 2020 trip season. The ski
destinations have been selected for next year, but we are still refining dates:
• Banff
• Snowmass
• Steamboat
• Double Trip (Snowmass/Steamboat)
• Big Sky
• Local Ski trip (due to the uncertainty of Timberline opening Shelly is exploring some other local options)
Our Adventure trips are less mature, but are in the planning stages, so keep your fingers crossed they come in with favorable costs and itineraries. Due to the number of Very Interested and Somewhat Interested responses to the Adventure Survey we are going to offer four trips this year. Your highest Adventure Trip votes for 2020 are:
• Kiawah Island, SC
• Australia/New Zealand
• Lisbon and Duoro River Cruise from Portugal to Spain
• The Magnificent Tour of Switzerland & Italy by Train
Pricing and other details will be provided in the July Newsletter, the Trip Brochure, and at the Trip Presentation party at Loch Haven Lake on Sunday, July14. So, look forward to the dates for your favorite trips!
Bill Fleshman Trip Director
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TRIP LINEUP FOR 2018 – 2019
The following is a summary of the 2018-2019 trips. See the following pages for more
detail and for links to the full-color flyer on the RSAC website or visit our website at
http://roanokeskiclub.org/trips.htm.
Ski Trips • Canaan Jan 27-Jan 30 Shelly Gibson
• Deer Valley & Sundance Feb 2-9 Marla Kemsey
• Snowbird & Alta Feb 9-16 Marla Kemsey
• Back to back (Deer Valley/Snowbird) Feb 2-16 Marla Kemsey
• Jackson Hole Feb 23-Mar 2 Jack Orsinger
• Alpe d’Huez/Paris Mar 16-26 Dave Cohan
Non-Ski Trips • Beach Trip Oct 8-13 Pat Oberlin
• Amsterdam/Rhine River cruise May 22-31 Bill Fleshman
• African Safari/Cape Town Oct 17-27 Melinda Cohan *Check out notice in trip description!
Bill Fleshman,
Trip Director
BEACH TRIP – KIAWAH ISLAND, SC October 8-13, 2018 (Monday – Saturday)
Trip Leader: Pat Oberlin [email protected]
Completed!
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TIMBERLINE/CANAAN VALLEY, WV January 27-30, 2019 (Sunday – Wednesday)
Trip Leader: Shelley Gibson
Completed!
DEER VALLEY with SUNDANCE, UT
February 2 – 9, 2019
Trip Leader: Marla Kemsey [email protected]
Completed!
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SNOWBIRD/ALTA, UT February 9-16, 2019
Trip Leader: Marla Kemsey [email protected]
Completed!
BACK TO BACK TRIP
DEER VALLEY/SUNDANCE – SNOWBIRD/ALTA
February 2-16, 2019 Trip Leader: Marla Kemsey
Completed!
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JACKSON HOLE with GRAND TARGHEE, WY February 23-March 2, 2019
Trip Leader: Jack Orsinger [email protected]
Completed!
ALPE d’HUEZ and PARIS
March 16-26, 2019
Trip Leader: Dave Cohan [email protected]
Completed – Read the following Summary!
"It's the ski trip of a lifetime! It's
awesome!" - Linda Corbitt
"Of all the places I've travelled,
this is in my Top 10 for sure!" -
Kate Steinbacher
"I'd come back here in a
heartbeat!" - Roger Ehrich
"It's our new favorite ski resort
- even over Telluride and
Snowmass!" - Melinda & Dave
Cohan
"Trip of a lifetime!" - Dee Provan
"This is the first ski trip I've done with a group of people [and my first trip with the RSC], and I
loved it from day one. I'd highly recommend it!" - Jack Greenspoon
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These are just a few of the comments from our 38 participants, many of whom said Alpe d’Huez was their
new favorite resort, and they couldn’t wait to return. On March 16-23, the club took its first trip to Alpe
d’Huez, France - and we don't think it will be the last. Although it was voted the #1 ski resort in Europe,
most people in the U.S. aren't familiar with this amazing destination - it's better known for the iconic climb
up 21 switchbacks in the Tour de France. But our participants loved everything about the resort - the ski
terrain with its 70+ lifts connecting 5 villages, the 4-star lodging, the amazing food and wine, the après
ski, the stunning panoramic views, and the variety of non-ski activities. For our skiers and non-skiers
alike, everyone loved this trip.
The resort received 11 inches of snow two days
before we arrived, and then it snowed upon our
arrival. So, early the next morning, we had good
conditions to start our trip. The rest of the trip
was bluebird spring skiing! With Les Grandes
Rousses Hotel being ski-in, ski-out, and right in
the heart of the village, everyone could easily
access whatever they desired to do on any given
day. The hotel's beautiful lobby with its
stunning views of the Alps, a large wraparound
bar, and a self-serve wine bar made for great happy hours and frequent group gatherings throughout the
week. Each day the group had opportunities to gather to share stories and plan the next day's activities -
be it the large indoor spa, a group dinner at the Michelin Star restaurant inside the hotel, an epic après ski
party on the mountain, a sunset group dinner of fondue and raclette at the top of one of the slopes, or a
dinner at one of the local hot spots in the village.
On Wednesday we experienced what had to be the club's most fun après ski party of all time. La Folie
Douce is an iconic mid-mountain après-ski party that brings together clubbing music, a DJ, singers,
dancers, and even a trumpet player along
with hundreds of people, many of whom were
dressed in crazy costumes! Nearly our entire
group gathered for great music, food, drink,
and lots of dancing - on the tables!!! It was a
party not to be missed! You’ll have to ask
Lori Strauss, Marilyn Donato, and Soon Hee
Dalal how much fun they had!
Each night people shared stories about going
through the ice cave at mid-mountain, dog
sledding, snowmobiling, helicopter tours,
walking trails around the mountain, taking the
gondola to the summit to view the incredible
panoramic beauty of the French Alps, attempting to sledge (sled) down one of the slopes (Rusty can tell
you more about this), or the unexpected surprises, shops, and great restaurants they encountered in the
village. And most of us gathered in the beautiful wellness spa at the end of the day to enjoy the soaking
pool, hot tubs, sauna, and steam room (of course all with stunning views of the Alps).
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Of course, we ended with our fun Awards - we tracked the funny,
quirky, crazy things that happened to our participants throughout
the week and made sure to acknowledge them at the final group
happy hour at the week's end. Everyone walked away with some
great prizes and fun swag!
As if the week spent in Alpe d’Huez was not amazing enough, 22
of us travelled on to Paris for the 3-day add-on, March 23-26.
Halfway through our charter bus trip from the Alps to Paris we
stopped in Beaune, France - the wine capital of the Burgundy
region where we had a private, exclusive tasting of several wines
in an underground cave that is now a restaurant and wine
cellar. We learned a great deal about wine making and the wines
from that region while we enjoyed a delicious meal paired
perfectly with the wines we were
tasting.
Then there was Paris… Ooh la la! Our
4-star hotel was perfectly located for whatever anyone wanted to do – whether
it was seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, touring Saint Chapelle, visiting
the Louvre and other museums, seeing a string quartet at Opera Garnier, or
just strolling along the banks of the Seine. Many of us encountered Notre
Dame at some level - walking through her gardens,
touring the inside, or seeing her beauty from our
group dinner cruise on the Seine. We’re grateful
for the memories we had just a few short weeks
prior to the tragic fire and we’re grateful that the damage did not destroy her
entirely.
Our final group activity was a group dinner
cruise on the Seine River - a gourmet dinner
paired with lovely French wines and delicious
desserts on a glass top boat. What a way to
have fun with great people and see some of
the great highlights Paris has to offer.
Each and every one of our participants was wonderful to have on the trip and helped create a great
experience for everyone. We are both also grateful that we could support the ski & adventure club in
creating these great adventures for our members to experience. Thanks to everyone on the trip that
helped make it amazing.
A good time was had by all!
Dave & Melinda Cohan
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AMSTERDAM and RHINE RIVER CRUISE
Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland May 22-31, 2019
$3,188* per person, double occupancy
Trip Leader: Bill Fleshman [email protected]
Sold Out—Wait List – Contact Trip Leader!
SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARI and CAPE TOWN October 17-27, 2019
$2,690 per person dbl. occ + airfare*
(*airfare approx. $1500)
Trip Leader: Melinda Cohan [email protected]
ANNOUNCING:
TWO SPOTS HAVE JUST OPENED UP! FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!
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Membership:
Welcome to our newest members!
Francine Noel Ford and Jeffrey Ford and children Alex, Benny, Quentin, and Kaylie
Bob Grogan Laura Hunter
Betty McCrary L.C. Miller
Marjorie and Anderson Stone
Membership dues are: $35 for individual, $50 for family and $40 single family. Our Membership year runs from July 1st through June 30th of the following year. Membership applications received on or after April 1st will extend through June 30th of the following year. Please remember that your membership must be up-to-date before registering for any trips.
Applications can be obtained via the Club website under the Membership tab or you can click here. We need the application completed and signed even if you are a returning member!
Marketing:
Pictures! Pictures! Pictures! As we continue into 2019 and our wonderful ski and
adventure trips continue, please email me your best pictures. We are updating the back
wall of our event tent and would like to show off the fantastic trips the Club offers.
Please email me at: [email protected]
Cheers,
Heidi
CHECK THIS OUT!
We will post our events to our new Facebook page so make sure you follow it
and share with your friends! Now if you're wondering how to conquer any of
these tasks, you'll be relieved to hear we will share these actions plus a few
more at an upcoming membership meeting. Stay tuned!
Click the logo on the left for a direct link! Have you checked it out yet?!?
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Treasurer’s Report: March 2019
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THAT’S ALL FOLKS!
Stay tuned for next month’s news and activities.
WE ARE NOT JUST A SKI CLUB!
CHECK OUT OUR YEAR-ROUND ACTIVITIES AT:
www.roanokeskiclub.org
And click here to follow us on Facebook!
Roanoke Ski & Adventure Club Board Members:
Contact us at [email protected]
OFFICE NAME
President Don Hanley
Vice President Linda Harrison
Treasurer Steve Worman
Secretary Cathy Kern
Newsletter Clive Hillyard
Marketing Director Heidi Marer
Membership Director Rita Purut
Activities Director Dorothy Pryse
Program Director Karen Saunders
Trip Director Bill Fleshman
Webmaster Bill Hamill
Past Director Marla Kemsey