Early Pricing Discounts for Ikon & Epic Passes Ending Soon!

Deadlines are coming up quickly. The Ikon pass early pricing at $659 is still available to members of SWC to August 31. This offer is not available on the regular Ikon site. The Epic Local pass is available for $729 to September 6. Both may be purchased through www.swcweb.org. You’ve had the summer to think about it… so hopefully you have made the best decision for you. If a pass is in your future, act now, don’t be left out, having forgotten.
Whether traveling west for big mountain skiing or staying local, the Epic and/or Ikon offer a great value. Typically, just 5 or 6 days’ skiing pays for the pass and every day after that is savings. Remember, your 2020-21 SWC membership is free if you buy a pass thru the SWC website.

 Work Weekend
We will be having a work weekend Thursday, September 17, through Monday, September 21. It will permit members to contribute to the work projects and maintain social distancing. We need carpenters and painters. All are welcome with any skill set. Each day of work will generate a free night’s stay at the lodge. Or use it as a credit towards a weekly rental. Of course, Chef Earl and Mark will be in the kitchen.

Board Elections
We are opening up elections for board members. You can nominate yourself by notifying Ellen at ebidell@yahoo.com. An email for will be sent to members to vote online through survey monkey.
 
Current Candidates:
John Bidell – President
Ellen Bidell – Activities Chair
Don Streed – Treasurer
Bill Simmons – Downhill Chair
Karen Simmons – Secretary
Bob Miller – Programs Chair (would like a replacement)
Sue Knapik – Nordic Chair
Bill Kornrumpf – Clubhouse Chair
Bill Schaefer – At Large
Margaret Parks – At Large
 
Representatives from our affiliated clubs:
Bill Rack – Mohawk Hikers
Ed Greiner – NNYP
 
We have minutes of our board meetings and our financials that will be posted on the website.
This is to maintain as much transparency as possible. We could use help on the website.

 Ski Season at the Lodge
We had a successful summer booking exclusive weeks at the SWC lodge. We had great feedback that everyone had a great time, the house was super clean and everyone felt comfortable.
As we move into the fall, we will continue the current $500 per week for exclusive use of the house. You can rest assured that no one else will be at the lodge. Vermont is a top destination for fall foliage, and the lodge is a perfect affordable getaway.  You can book your vacation through December 1st by emailing Ellen Bidell at ebidell@yahoo.com. There are a few regulations that we have to follow in bookings:
•     The maximum number of people that can stay at the house is 25.
•     Check the travel guidelines to see if you can travel to Vermont without quarantining. This list is updated every Friday: https://accd.vermont.gov/covid-19/restart/cross-state-travel
•     Everyone will have to complete a health affidavit at the time of booking and again upon arrival.
 
What will ski season look like?
The Board discussed how to move forward with reservations during the upcoming ski season. The major issues include:
•     Cleaning costs (which will probably triple for a weekly cleaning; the cleaning company has trained their employees in CDC cleaning guidelines and will clean weekly instead of biweekly).
•     Use of common areas
 
Winter Reservations
You will now book a room, not a bed. There will be no more sharing of rooms with anyone not in your party.
There may be an additional cleaning fee.
We are considering keeping the weekly exclusive rental for up to 25 of your friends and family.
Another possibility is to have open reservations for hosted weekends. The hosts would assign specific tasks in various time slots to members (cleaning touch points, bathrooms, washing dishes). The host would be there the whole week, and people could reserve individual rooms.
Please don’t try to book for the winter yet until we decide on this issue!
 
Thoughts?
These are difficult decisions for the Board and we want your input. Keep in mind the cleaning costs are one of the major factors (probably in the neighborhood of $150+ per week). Send your thoughts to ebidell@yahoo.com.

 Clubhouse Visits
The SWC ski house is in great shape. Lots of cleaning has been done to meet new COVID standards. And recent visitors have offered very positive reviews! The fall work weekend will make it even better. In the interest of maximum safety, an exclusive weekly rental has been implemented into fall (see the article above). With the knowledge gained, plans are being considered to offer minimum two-night stays for individuals, families and small groups. Watch future issues of the Chatter for more information.

SWC Ikon Salt Lake City Trip Closing Soon
February 6-13, SWC members will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah for great IKON Pass skiing at Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude and maybe even Deer Valley. We are not making this a huge trip this fall, as the number of rooms reserved is limited and nearly full. We have a great group of folks traveling at the very affordable price of $545 for seven nights’ lodging, grab & go breakfast, and two evening events.
In this strange year, a strange twist. So many people are arranging their own transportation (extended stays, using airline vouchers, driving west, etc.), group air pricing no longer applied to the remaining travelers. Therefore, each traveler will book their own transportation to and from Salt Lake City.
Our group will be staying at the Crystal Inn Midvalley. For those flying into SLC, the hotel offers a free shuttle pick up. Skiers will utilize the municipal UTA buses or their own vehicles for the short ride to these five great ski resorts. Utah snow is always light and often deep!

 Breckenridge Deadline Approaching!
The SWC EPIC trip to Breckenridge, Colorado is an amazing deal. Early-bird pricing is almost over. February 27-March 6, SWC travelers will be enjoying true ski-in/ski-out access of the amazing Beaver Run Resort condo/hotel property. SWC members will have six days of great skiing and winter adventure. Located right on the slopes of Breckenridge Ski Resort, Beaver Run is at the base of Peak 9, just steps away from Breck’s Beaver Run Super Chair. Breck boasts 34 lifts servicing 3,400 feet vertical on 2,900 skiable acres.
And the Breckenridge Nordic Center offers 1,400 acres of Cross Country Nordic and Snowshoeing trails through the town’s protected Cucumber Gulch Preserve with its pristine legendary forests and soaring mountain views.
The trip is for all winter sports people, no matter what winter sport you love. Enjoy the variety!
The trip includes round trip air from Albany to Denver, ground transportation (including luggage handling) to Beaver Run Resort, 7 nights in a 2-bedroom/2-bath suite, as well many fun activities such as happy hours and a group dinner. All this for $1375. Air prices are at an all-time low right now, but we can only hold our reservations for a couple weeks longer before we hit a deadline. Go to www.swcweb.org for more information and an application, and mail in your $175 deposit to reserve your spot on this great trip opportunity.
 
So now you have the facts. The decisions are yours. Multi-mountain passes at pre-season prices. The SWC Clubhouse in Waterbury Center for great eastern skiing. Great air prices for those who decide early to go west ... And you can’t beat the hotel deals!
 Hope to see you on the slopes, eastern or western. Remember the western slopes are bigger, so it is easier to social distance. The mountains are lonely and calling.

John’s Corner
by John Bidell
We will continue the $500 Clubhouse weekly rental into the ski season. At some point, we will be offering weekly hosted weeks that will permit reserving individual days, not the entire week. This is still being planned and anybody interested in taking on a 5 to 7 day stretch at the house as host, please contact me. You would be compensated with a weekly rental in the summer of 2021 for only $150. Not a bad deal.

The finances of the club will need people with innovative ideas to help us through these tough times. If possible, make sure friends are renewing their membership, we also have the house rental available for $500. Two couples, a long weekend for $500 at Stowe, nobody else in the house. Sounds good to me.
Contact me if you can make the work weekend or if you have any questions.
johnbidell@yahoo.com

Reservations
(You cannot do it by yourself)If you would like to make reservations for later in the summer or fall, email Ellen Bidell at swsctreasurer123@gmail.com as she is the only person who can make those reservations for you. Tell her what you would like to do in your email, and she will make it happen.
 
Change of Address Notices
Change of Address notices should be sent to:
John Boscarino* boscarino126@aol.com
126 Polsin Dr, Schenectady, NY 12303-2516

 

Submissions for the Chatter
Content submissions for the SWC Newsletter should be emailed to swcchatter@gmail.com by the 15th of the month and should include a contact name and phone number. Content that needs to be run in subsequent Newsletters must be resubmitted each month.

Board of Directors:
John Bidell, President C 518-207-5961
Bob Miller, Programs Chair   H 518-861-6034
Susan Knapik, VP Nordic    sbknapik@yahoo.com
George Astle, VP Activities  C 508-735-2116
Karen Simmons, VP Alpine
Ed Greiner, NNYP President  C 518-421-2947
Keith Freeman, Secretary H 518-861-1019
Ellen Bidell, Treasurer
Bill Kornrumpf, Clubhouse Director C 518-209-3244
& Host Coordinator wkornrum@nycap.rr.com
Bill Schaefer, at large  H 518-728-9395
Margaret Parks, at large
John Rack, Mohawk Valley Hiking Club H 518-399-5081
Dorie Valenti, Past President                 
Others:
John Boscarino, MembershipC 518-355-7319
Bridget Barrett, Newsletter Editor   C 518-300-0163
David Bensley, Newsletter Editor   C 845-750-0780   Contact: swcchatter@gmail.com
Clubhouse at Waterbury Center     H 802-244-8918