TSC Winter Shootout
February 21-28, 2004
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TSC Winter Shootout February 21-28, 2004 |
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Great Trip, Eh? Nineteen CLASC skiers and two Armadillo Ski Club members traveled to Kimberley, British Columbia for a fantastic week of skiing, Canadian-style, during the last week of February. We were part of 172 Texas Ski Council participants at the Winter Shootout.
We started off with an early morning flight to Calgary, with only one minor glitch - Richard Keller’s hanging bag went to Detroit instead. But Richard was a trooper - he skied in his jeans all week. (Don’t need no stinkin’ ski pants!) We sorted out the rest of the luggage, then settled in on our spacious bus for our "Scenic Tour of the Canadian Rockies, Part I”. We stopped off in Banff where we were treated to a reception sponsored by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (aka Ski Banff/Lake Louise), featuring free pizza and beer at the Ptarmigan Inn. We were also able to stock up on groceries and beverages before heading south to Kimberley. The weather was gorgeous and allowed us splendid views of the mountains and the abundant wildlife. We spotted quite a few elk, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and even a couple of bald eagles that followed us a ways along the Columbia River. Of course, a highlight of our trip was getting to the town of Skookumchuck, as we knew that meant we were almost there! The slopes of Kimberley were lit for night skiing as we arrived -- quite a beautiful site.
Our check-in at the Trickle Creek Residence Inn by Marriott was a bit hectic, as we had over 100 TSC skiers trying to get into their rooms with only one elevator available. The Marriott turned out to be a great place to stay, as it was true ski-in/ski-out (20 yards from the quad) and had a great hot breakfast available each morning. Mmmmm, waffles.... The outdoor hot tubs came in handy each day for those of us with sore leg muscles, as did the bar on the ground level. I'm not sure if any of our members had the extra energy to hit the gym, but it was at least available.
Our TSC Welcome Party on Sunday featured the local cowbell-ringing, yodeling accordion player, complete with Lederhosen. (Kimberley is, after all, the Bavarian city of the Canadian Rockies!) That guy sure got around, as we saw him playing all over town during the week. We were treated to lots of Bavarian bratwurst, along with soup, salad, and dessert. It also gave everyone a chance to check out and sign up for any of the numerous optional activities held during the week.
So, how was the skiing, you ask? Pretty darn great. We just missed the big powder dump the week or so before, so we started off the week with bright blue skies, mild temperatures, and plenty of snow on the ground. Most of our group joined one of the mountain tours on the first day to get the lay of the land. A highlight was visiting the "Bear Cave", which is an old mining test hole drilled about 10-15 meters horizontally into the mountain. Helmets came in handy, as it was only 4 to 5 feet high inside.
The mountain at Kimberley has some great, long cruisers on both the front and back sides, with lots of uncrowded bump and tree runs on the back side. At times it seemed as if we had the mountain to ourselves. Of course, that meant it was best not to ski alone, as it might be a while before anyone else came along should you get in trouble. Fortunately, we all avoided any serious injuries. That's especially fortunate for the Trip Leader, who was under spousal orders to avoid injury under the threat of death. Lift lines were virtually non-existent for most of the week. As is usual in Canada, most of the locals were amazed that there were so many Texans visiting their hill. They were all very friendly and helpful, Eh?
During the week, many club members found their way down to the Platzl, the pedestrian-only core of downtown Kimberley, which has some really great restaurants, and the world’s largest cuckoo clock. Most of the club had dinner at the Mozart House Inn & Restaurant on Monday, with absolutely wonderful food and ambiance. The Trip Leader was more than happy to indulge in his favorite type of wine: Free! (Compliments of his fellow club members' leftover carafes) Several club members joined the TSC Pub Crawl later during the week to check out the native watering holes and wildlife. Sadly, the Trip Leader was forced to buy his beverages this time.
On Tuesday, the majority of the TSC group hopped on buses for a day trip to the Fernie ski resort. To paraphrase Larry Grissom, "We gotta go back to Fernie!" This is a great mountain, with plenty of variety for everyone. There are five open bowls across the top of the mountain, with numerous cruisers, tree runs, mogul runs, and steep chutes arrayed below. While most members hooked up with one of the mountain hosts for an extended tour, the Trip Leader was most happy to have the Vegas Boys, also known as Terry Ledbetter and Gary George, to follow around. The snow at Fernie had received a lot of sun in the days before we got there, so conditions were "variable". Lots of soft snow to be found, but it took a bit of exploring to find the really good stuff. And if you're looking for some scare-yourself-silly terrain, Fernie has it in abundance. Just ask the Vegas Boys for the Trip Leader's unprintable comment while looking over the edge of a steep double diamond run there. When the clouds cooperated, we were also treated to some truly scenic views. At the end of the day, we were all tired but content to relax on the bus ride back to Kimberley.
Our club dinner was held that night at the Old Bauernhaus Restaurant, featuring a classic Bavarian Feast in a 350 year old house that had been transported from Bavaria and rebuilt in Kimberley. The food was simply fantastic and background music was provided, once again, by the cowbell-ringing, yodeling accordion player, who was serenading the Space City Ski Club in the next room. The dinner provided us with a great opportunity to get to know each other while discussing our latest mountain exploits.
Tuesday also brought with it sadness, as Dan Willett received word that evening that his father had passed away. Dan was able to fly home early the next morning, and his presence on the rest of our trip was sorely missed. Our deepest sympathies to Dan and his family.
On Wednesday, Larry Grissom and Sue Travis took off to try snowmobiling, where Larry learned all about angular momentum and the importance of proper turn radius calculation, not to mention the value of having a soft landing zone. Ken Stuchly decided to rest his sore knee and skip the TSC club races, along with Terry Ledbetter, who had slightly injured his … ummmm … well, let's just say, his troubles are behind him. Burt Hink was our cheering section for the day, while Malcolm "The Rookie" Thibodeaux worked on his ski technique elsewhere on the mountain. We'll get him on the race course next time! Our two Armadillos, Jack Naymik and Janet Ogden Calder, both raced for their club, with Jack winning a silver medal in both the club and individual races. CLASC finished second behind Austin in Division Two, with the Armadillos coming in third. We had three racers earn silver NASTAR medals: Gary George, Terry O'Neel, and Alice Snider. Six of our racers earned bronze medals: Gayle Brown, Barry Endsley, Suzanne Joyner, Velma Stuchly (Velma’s very first medal!), John Poffinbarger, and Richard Merrill. Glenda Hink and Yvonne Guy just missed earning medals, but earned valuable points for the club, and Kimberley Resort provided “participant medals” for those who didn’t get NASTAR medals. Later that afternoon, Alice, Suzanne, Gayle, and Richard participated in the TSC Individuals Race. Suzanne DQ’ed on her first run, but was able to come back in her second run and win a bronze NASTAR medal. Alice, Gayle, and Richard all earned silver medals. Alice placed third in the senior women division, while Gayle finished fourth in the women's open division and Richard was sixth in the men's open division. Congrats to all of the racers!
On Thursday, Richard Keller joined Yvonne and Sue and a horde of other TSC skiers for a day trip to the Panorama Ski Resort. They reported lots of great snow, with gorgeous views under sunny skies. Meanwhile, back at Kimberley, it was Powder Time! We started the day with several inches of fresh snow, with more to fall throughout the day. Eager to maintain his reputation, the Trip Leader was spotted at the front of the lift line waiting for the chair to start running that morning. His reward was first tracks on several runs on the back side of the mountain. Unfortunately, falling snow often involves clouds, which when they're low enough can pass for fog. You could still see smiles on everyone's faces once you got close enough. It was a good day to explore the many tree runs, provided you skied between the trees. We're not sure exactly how Jack managed to get a tree branch stuck down the neck of his jacket, but let's hope it didn't hurt! But then, Jack also wanted to establish ice hockey as a regular après' ski activity.
The regular version of après ski was held every afternoon at the bar at the Northstar center (or on the deck, if the sun was still out). Several very lively local bands entertained throughout the week.
The Final Awards Banquet was held on Thursday night, with dancing music provided by a live band, which led off their performance with a cover of "God Blessed Texas". Before the band started up, Kimberley's resident fire-eater and juggler (What? You mean not every resort has a juggler/fire-eater on staff?) treated all to a balancing and juggling act. Truly a sight to behold, as he juggled fire sticks while balancing on a snowboard on top of a makeshift tower. We kept waiting for the ceiling tiles to catch on fire. All of this followed a great buffet featuring prime rib, seafood, pasta, etc.
Friday brought our last ski day at Kimberley. With slopes nearly empty of people and full of soft snow, it was a perfect way to end a terrific week of skiing. That night, we ventured into town to watch a great hockey game, courtesy of the Mayor of Kimberley. It featured the Kimberley Dynamiters versus the Creston Valley Thundercats in a wild Junior Hockey League playoff game. The local kids whupped up on the Thundercats with a solid 7-1 victory, and a good time was had by all.
Our trip home on Saturday featured a leisurely mid-morning departure and "Scenic Tour, Part II" via the bus back to Calgary. After an extremely long check-in (Thanks, Air Canada! NOT!!!), we were rewarded with a free round of drinks on the plane. Richard Keller’s hanging bag finally finished its vacation 5 days after our return. Oh, the stories it could tell!?!
Gayle and I are both grateful to have had the opportunity to lead such a fun trip with absolutely wonderful participants. We’re also thankful for Ken and Velma Stuchly hosting our fabulous post-trip party! Until next season, Think SNOW!!!
