Slopes & Trails December March 20142008 www.buckridgeskiclub.org L O D G E U P D A T E What s New? Getting into the Lodge, that s what! At the fall work party we replaced the outside door lock with a keypad style deadbolt lock. No more waiting to get your key in the mail or dropping it in the snow! Reservation procedures remain the same: contact and send your payment to Lydia Hill, the Lodge Registrar (or the designated trip leader for scheduled lodge trips) to confirm availability and reserve your space. Lydia will provide you with an instruction sheet and the current access code for the lock. (Continued on page 5) C L U B N E W S & N O T E S Our annual Holiday Social moved to our regular meeting place as a hors d'oeuvres and drinks affair this year. It was well attended by about 35 members and guests; a 50-50 raffle was held for the benefit of the Woodbridge Lodge. Guests were treated to the ever popular Wicks fashion show judging from one of the models, skiing barefoot will be the in thing this season! U P C O M I N G P R O G R A M S Jan 14 Winter Board Meeting (no program) Feb 11 Travel the Route of the Mayans with Paula Kramp Mar 11 Program Needed Apr 8 Paddling Chesapeake Bay w/mike F; Election of officers May 13 Installation of officers, year in review, and preview of next season s plans Send any ideas to MaryAnn Thomas (mathomas476@gmail.com) Remember - no program at our regular January meeting. Board business and socializing!
NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS Slopes & Trails Deadline for articles for the Slopes and Trails is the 15 th of the month. Send submissions to: Mike Fernandez 1118 Kings Highway Swedesboro, NJ 08085 Phone: 609-254-8461 Email: amf.snj@gmail.com For a paper copy of the newsletter, please call or email to be placed on the mailing list, or download from the web site. Page 2 OFFICERS OF THE BUCK RIDGE SKI CLUB President Dan Aronson 215-643-7252 d.l.aronson@att.net Vice-President John Theodore 610-623-3737 johntheo9@yahoo.com Secretary Pat Beccia 610-664-9506 beccia2@verizon.net Treasurer Linda Bailey 610-789-6823 lbailey1@verizon.net COMMITTEE CHAIRS Activity Treasurer Dave Singer 856-261-7187 dsinger26@gmail.com Biking Chair Dan Aronson 215-643-7252 d.l.aronson@att.net Paddling Chair Mike Fernandez 609-254-8461 amf.snj@gmail.com Hiking Chair Mel Stiles 609-230-5046 melstiles435@comcast.net Lodge Chair Mike Fernandez 609-254-8461 amf.snj@gmail.com Program Chair MaryAnn Thomas 610-648-0249 mathomas476@gmail.com Ski Chair Dan Aronson 215-643-7252 d.l.aronson@att.net EPSC Council Rep. MaryAnn Thomas 610-648-0249 mathomas476@gmail.com WOODBRIDGE LODGE Lodge Reservation Chair Lydia Hill, 1701 School House Lane, Ambler, PA 19002 Ph: 215-760-3322 / email: brsc_lodge_lmh@comcast.net Lodge Telephone Number 802-464-6591 Only if you have been repeatedly unsuccessful contacting the reservation chair, or have a problem opening the lodge door, should you contact the following people: Mike Fernandez 609-254-8461 / Darcy Canu (978-314-1882) MEMBERSHIP BRSC is an outdoor club for people of all ages who enjoy companionship in outdoor activities. For a membership application and procedures for joining, visit our website (www.buckridgeskiclub.org) or contact: Mary Ann Popma, Membership Chair 1037 Warren Road, West Chester, PA 19382 email: mapopma@verizon.net / ph. 610-692-5928 CHANGE OF ADDRESS If you are moving or changing your email address and want to keep Slopes & Trails in your mailbox or inbox, please notify Mike Fernandez or Mary Ann Popma using contact information on this page. REGULAR MEETINGS ARE THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH, 8 pm AT SPRING VALLEY HALL (former Springfield Masonic Hall) on RT 420, SPRINGFIELD (DELAWARE CO.) PA. NO MEETING IN JUNE, JULY, OR AUGUST.
Slopes & Trails Page 3 A C T I V I T I E S & T R I P S SKIING The new ski season appears to be getting off to a good start. Many northern Vermont ski areas opened in mid November with top to bottom skiing, and the southern areas are all enjoying good early season snowfall to get completely open. We have several Lodge trips added to the schedule, including Mid-Winter Madness on Feb 20-22 to take advantage of EPSC Council Days and the Paddlers Weekend, when Philadelphia Canoe Club members typically get preference, is back on the schedule for March 13-15. If you are going to the Lodge, remember to check with Lydia Hill, Lodge Registrar if there is no scheduled trip or with the trip leader published in the schedule. We also have the Cross-Country weekend coming up. This year we have arranged with our neighbors at Timber Creek Cross Country area for a ski and soak package. For $30 you get your trail fee and use of the hot tub afterwards! Rentals and lessons are also available. The folks at Timber Creek do an excellent job grooming; if natural conditions are poor, Timber Creek can be the place to go! A new XC ski location with potential for more advanced skinny skiers was also found during HFS - read about it in the report on page 4. The western trip to Copper is full and may be one of our largest ever. And while the deadline has past, there may still be a chance to get in on the EPSC Winter Carnival to Sugarbush if you check with participating EPSC clubs. EPSC NEWS Don t forget to check the Eastern PA Ski Council website (www.easternpaskicouncil.org) for purchasing your discount lift ticket vouchers. All ordering is done on line, and you will need to create a user ID and log-in for purchase this year. Be sure to read the rules for any returns and conditions of use. Sunday, March 1 will be the EPSC Council Cup Race at Bear Creek Mountain. You don t need to race to come out - come to ski, enjoy the day, and cheer on your fa- (Continued on page 4) HIKING Our fall short hikes are done for the year - thanks to all who turned out and helped make them a success! Looks for them to start up again next spring. Wolf Hollow Hiking See you in the Spring!
Slopes & Trails Page 4 EPSC Council Appreciation Days At Mount Snow - Ski Cheep! In our last issue we published Council Appreciation Days for Stow, Sugarbush, Whiteface, and Killington. We now have the dates for Mount Snow: Friday, December 19 $35 Saturday, December 20 $40 Sunday, December 21 $35 Friday, February 20 $46 Saturday, February 21 $54 Sunday, February 22 $49 Friday, March 13 $46 Saturday, March 14 $54 Sunday, March 15 $49 The Council Days in February will be a Club trip to the Lodge - make your reservation early and bring a friend! To purchase discounted tickets, members must go to the Group Sales office. The Group Sales Office is located in the Clocktower Building Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM-1:00 PM and at the Sundance Base Lodge on weekends from 7:30 AM-1:00 PM. Members must present their ski club membership card with EPSC sticker to receive the discount rate. One discounted ticket is available per membership card per day. Mount Snow will not be able to honor the discount if you do not have your membership card. Tickets may be purchased on a per day basis, or for multi-day tickets the combined ticket rate will be used. Ticket rates are for all ages. EPSC News (Continued from page 3) vorite team! EPSC has also scheduled council appreciation days with several ski areas. Lift rates on council days are often lower than group rates and are a great deal! Dates for most New England ski areas were published in the last newsletter and should be available on the Buck Ridge or EPSC web site. The Mount Snow council appreciation days are posed above; a club trip to the Lodge has been scheduled for the February days. With all Council Appreciation Days, you MUST show your club membership card WITH EPSC sticker on the back, along with photo ID. Hunt For Snow I M o unt Sno w De live r s! This year s HFS offered some of the best skiing conditions ever for early December. With almost 24 of natural snow since Thanksgiving, even the trails at Mt Snow without snowmaking were open. In fact, with only a few exceptions all the trails on the North Face and main face were open; only the Sunbowl area completely closed. Conditions were what you would normally hope to find in mid-january! Folks who made it up for Friday could take advantage of a special 60 th Anniversary lift ticket rate of $12. And while the downside was it made for a crowded Friday, on Saturday lift lines were practically nonexistent and the mountain skied beautifully. We had several new faces at the Lodge and some great trips scheduled there let s hope this is a sign of a great season! Above: Easy Hunting at Mt Snow Before leaving HFS I had the chance to check out a potential new cross-country ski destination near the Lodge. Rice Hill Road, practically directly over the mountain to the east of the Lodge, dead-ends in the Dover Town Forest. Accessed from Valley View Road off Rte 100 in Dover, Rice Hill Road can be followed to the end of plowing. From there it continues as a woods road following a high elevation ridge, ultimately ending in Wardsboro. While the ski conditions were excellent, there were still a lot of open water crossings this early in the season. It has a lot of potential for the back-country skier, with some challenging downhill stretches. Arrangements were also made with Timber Creek XC area, across from the entrance to Mt Snow, for a ski n soak package for the upcoming XC weekend. If you have been curious about skinny skiing, it s a good time to learn - come on out in January!
Page 5 Lodge Update (Continued from page 1) On arrival at the Lodge, it is a simple matter of entering the access code on the 10-digit keypad and turning the thumbknob to the RIGHT (towards the hinges) to open the deadbolt. There is a conventional lever style doorknob below the deadbolt to open the door. The deadbolt will remain retracted so there is no risk of getting locked out. The deadbolt can be manually closed or opened from inside as needed, but must be closed from the OUTSIDE when leaving for the day or at the end of your stay. In order to engage the deadbolt and lock the door when leaving, you must enter the key code from the OUTSIDE after Slopes & Trails closing the door. After entering the code you should be able to hear the lock mechanism activate. Turn the thumbknob to the LEFT (towards the door opening). Confirm that the door is locked by trying to open it with the handle below the deadbolt. If it is not locked, repeat the procedure. You may need to allow a second or two for the lock mechanism to activate before turning the thumbknob. Once locked, the thumbknob will turn freely. The deadbolt lock has been placed behind a rubber shield to protect it from the weather. If it is dark when you arrive, pressing the Schlage button at the top of the keypad will light up the buttons for better visibility. Membership Updates New Members Welcome to the following new members: Marty Madeira 401 Greenwood Ave, Wyncote, PA 19095 (C) (215)990-9558; Email: Amgen-marty@comcast.net Act: S Gary Heyer 20 Red Oak Dr, Quakertown, PA 18951 Ph: (215)538-7708; email gsheyer@gmail.com Act: S Gary is a member of Upper Bucks Ski Club and has joined as a Lodge Partner as part of our effort to promote use of the Lodge with other EPSC clubs. New (and old) members are reminded that one of the best ways to communicate with club members is to join our Buck Ridge Yahoo Group. Click on the Yahoo Groups icon on the Buck Ridge web site (buckridgeskiclub.org) and follow the step by step instructions. Join today and become an informed Buck Ridger. You will be the first to get notice when newsletters are posted and other late-breaking news. Do it today! Coming out for the XC weekend? Here s a sure way to keep warm as you glide across the snow! Blueberry Tea for a Moonlit Ski 1 oz. Amaretto 2 oz. Grand Marnier Lemon Peel Hot Earl Gray Tea - Absolutely No Blueberries! Pour piping hot Earl Gray tea steeped with lemon peel into thermos. Add measurements of Amaretto and Grand Marnier for each full cup of tea. Gently swirl. Serve hot, while moving across snow, under the light of a shining moon. In Memoriam We note the passing of Harold Butch Byer in August of this year at age 71. A former employee of Weston Solutions, a national environmental engineering firm, he enjoyed geolo-gizing on our western trips that he and his wife Sue were regular attendees on. Also noted is the passing of longtime member Ruth Abronski this past summer; her husband dedicated a memorial garden to her in Alabama. George Houghton, formerly of Mullica Hill, NJ before moving to Kendal at Longwood in Kennett Square, PA, passed away on October 24 at age 81 after complications from surgery. Although in declining health for many years, he had been an active Buck Ridger and enjoyed skiing, hiking, camping, and Scottish Country Dancing. He was also an avid woodworker, beekeeper and gardener. Finally, long time club member and invaluable database manager Merle Roemer passed away on November 23 2014 at age 66 after an unflagging fight with cancer. Among Merle s interests were flying and golf; he was part of a group of serveral Buck Ridgers who retired to southern Delaware. His skill in managing our membership database will be hard to replace! We extend our condolences to his wife Ronnie and wish her well. HELP WANTED - DATABASE MANAGER As noted above, Merle Roemer, computer whiz and long time database manager, has passed away. If you have some spare time and would like to assist the club with this important task, we would love to hear from you. We have a copy of Merle s original templates, but anyone taking this on should feel free to adapt to whatever program they are comfortable with. Contact a board member if you feel you could be of assistance!
Slopes & Trails Page 6 WOODBRIDGE LODGE RESERVATION FORM Note: Ski season reservations may only be made after October 1. USAGE RATES (effective 11/1/2014) Season Nov 1 Apr 30 May 1 Oct 31 Members with Lodge Privilege $25.00 $15.00 Regular Members & Guests $35.00 $20.00 Rates are the same on weekends and weekdays. Children 6 and under are free. A family of three or more with Lodge Privileges pays a maximum of $75 per night, but all family members must be listed.. Member s Name Date: (nights) COST 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. TOTAL: GUESTS are welcome when accompanied by a member. Maximum three (3) guests per member. Guest s Name Accompanying Member Dates: (nights) COST 1. 2. 3. Name, phone number, or Email where you can be reached: TOTAL: Make checks payable to BRSC LODGE. Mail reservation form and payment to: Lydia Hill, 1701 School House Lane, Ambler, PA 19002 Upon receipt of payment Lydia will issue you the access code and instruction sheet for opening the Lodge. Only if you have trouble unlocking the door should you call Mike Fernandez (609-254-8461 or Darcy Canu (978-314-1882) Any questions, email Lydia at: brsc_lodge_lmh@comcast.net RESERVATIONS will be CONFIRMED after payment In full is received. PLEASE USE THIS FORM FOR ALL RESERVATION REQUESTS
Page 7 Slopes & Trails BUCK RIDGE SKI SCHEDULE 2014-2015 - UPDATED Dan Aronson, Ski Chair 215-643-7252 DATE TRIP NAME LOCATION LEADER LODGE PRIVILEGE RATE Jan 23-25 Fri-Sun Cross Country Weekend Vermont Lodge Mike Fernandez 609-254-8461 DEPOSITS* REGULAR MEMBER & GUEST RATE $50 $70 Jan 22-25 Sat-Sat EPSC Winter Carnival Sugarbush, VT Sue Sims (KOPSC) 484-844-9841 See Flyer - $586 per person Feb 1-6 Sun-Fri Feb 20-22 Fri-Sun Feb25-Mar1 Wed-Sun Mar 13-15 Fri-Sun Superbowl Mid Week Ramble in Vermont Midwinter Madness @ Mt Snow Family Weekend Paddlers Weekend Vermont Lodge TBA - contact lodge registrar $125 (or $25/nite) $175 (or $35/nite) Vermont Lodge Vermont Lodge Vermont Lodge Mike Fernandez 609-254-8461 Cheryl Amey 610-593-2467 Matt Kapsa (granitefpg@aol.com) 484-433-8333 $50 $70 $100 $140 $50 $70 Mar 15-22 Sun-Sun Mar 27-29 Fri-Sun Copper Mountain Ski Resort Summit County, CO Dan Aronson 215-643-7252 See Flyer - $1290 per person Hunt for Snow II Vermont Lodge TBA $50 $70 Woodbridge Lodge 2014-2015 Season * Lodge Privilege Rate $ 25.00 Per Night Winter * Regular Member & Guest Rate $ 35.00 Per Night Winter Lodge Privilege Rate for Family of three or more is $75 Per Night Winter To sign up for ski trips, please send a (signed) release form to the trip leader along with your registration form and deposit for each Buck Ridge ski trip. NOTE: Above deposits are based on the lodge fee times the maximum number of days in the trip. Please adjust deposit to account for the number nights that you will be staying. There is no deposit required for children six years of age and under, but the trip leader needs to know his/her name. TRIP NAME: REGISTRATION FORM DATE OF TRIP: NAME(S): ADDRESS: CONTACT EMAIL: TELEPHONE #: RELEASE FORM In consideration of the benefits derived by me from membership in the Buck Ridge Ski Club and the use of its facilities, I release said club and its members from all responsibility on account of personal injury to me or my minor children, or damage to my personal property which may occur by reason of my/our participation in the activities of the club. SIGNATURE(S): DATE: SPOUSE (or Guardian) SIGNATURE:
Slopes & Trails Page 8 In this issue: Club New & Notes - p. 1 Lodge Update / Upcoming Meetings Activities & Trips - p. 3 Ski Trip Update / EPSC News Council Appreciation Days - p. 4 Hunt for Snow Report - p. 4 Membership Updates & Memorials- p. 5 Database Help Wanted p. 5 UPDATED Lodge Res. Form - p. 6 UPDATED 2014-15 Ski Schedule p. 7 F a l l i n g t o w a r d s W i n t e r Buck Ridge Ski Club c/o M Fernandez 1118 Kings Hwy, Swedesboro, NJ 08085