January 2025

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President's Notes

The Events page of our website list a variety of options to choose from and offer us opportunities to keep moving throughout the year. A January event that I hope everyone will consider is our quarterly membership meeting, scheduled for Thursday January 16 2025. We have reserved the Clifton Park Senior Community Center from 5:30 - 7:30. The evening will include an update on all things SWC by your Board, Jim Schaefer has agreed to stop by with an introduction to a special project that I believe will be very exciting to pursue, and we’ll host our famous chili cook off. 

Your Board is working to schedule a variety of activities for 2025 and would very much appreciate your suggestions for events that would be of interest. I look forward to seeing you at the membership meeting and voting for my favorite chili (full disclosure….I’m a fan of Gina K’s vegetarian option).

Karen

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Hi Clubhouse Fans!

Please be aware the main Reservation volunteer is heading off to Cortina Italy for a ski trip on January 25, returning February 2!  

Dorie Valenti and Rick Cobello are the main backups for booking software and website questions; Karen Simmons is the backup for hosting questions and anything else that comes up. 

• Read your emails and ask questions using swcbookingstowe@gmail.com

• Make sure the WRP emails do not go to your spam folder

• Print or bookmark important emails like the Confirmation and Pre-Arrival

• Always Sign In to WRP using the same email. It allows you to see your existing Reservations, and from there you can Modify or Cancel.

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SWC Calendar of Events for 2025

See swcweb.org/events to view this beautiful and comprehensive Calendar

Upcoming SWC Events

See swcweb.org homepage to view a list of upcoming SWC Events

Save the Date: SWC Quarterly Meeting January 16

A Chili Cook off competition will be sponsored with all the fixings...for more information see swcweb.org

More Alpine Events around the Capital District

For information on ski areas in the Adirondacks, Catskills and Hudson Valley see swcweb.org/news  (Scroll down to the last few pages.)

Visit swcweb.org.

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SWC Early Season Ski Clinic                                                                           Submitted by Bill Kornrumpf                                            

This year’s Ski Clinic at Stowe enjoyed new snow and the new 6 passenger Sun Rise high speed chairlift on good learning terrain.   We had a good group of previous and new attendees for the lessons with some of Stowe’s best instructors.  There was new snow Friday night that allowed Stowe to open more of the mountain for instruction on Sat & Sun. 

The Clinic started with a welcome party at the SWC Clubhouse where we all gathered and socialized talking about the skiing and what we had done during the summer.  For some, this was going to be the first-time skiing Stowe and for others a time to renew old friendships.  

Our maximum class size this year was 5 and as usual, my instructor was able to erase some bad habits I had from last year. I had been blaming it on my January ski crash but it’s really due to lack of focus on my part.  

The classes started Friday at 9:00 AM in the Mansfield main lodge where we met the instructors and had our first warmup runs down the mountain.  Then it was time to split up into classes and the instruction began on both Mt Mansfield and Spruce Peak depending on the class abilities. A late morning break for lunch was followed by more instruction.  By then, we had skied about 2,000 feet of vertical and some called it a day, and some took a few more runs with the instructor.  Saturday started at 9:00 again and the classes ate lunch together with more instruction in the afternoon.  Some skied till 3:00 while others tried to save their legs for Sunday AM class.  Sunday saw some drop out due to a long drive home while others of us got in some last morning instruction.  

I admit that my body was not quite as responsive as I was hoping for.  But I had a good time on the mountain, and I learned some new ways to improve my skiing.  As Walt Kangas has said in the past, the Ski Clinic Instruction has improved my skiing and enables me to ski the whole mountain with confidence but not as much speed as I had in the 70’s.

We all thank Karen Simmons & Brenda Streed for stepping in when Bill Romania had to drop out of the Clinic leadership.  They had to interface with Stowe Mountain Resort (Vail Inc) and Stowe Motel on short notice and had never participated in one of the Clinics in the past.  The Clinic came off without a hitch and is now on the SWC schedule for December 11-14.  Mark your calendar and make sure this year is the year that you start off the season with new skiing skills. 

You can find some photos of the Clinic at https://www.swcweb.org/Review-Early-Season-Ski-Clinic-2024#ESSC .   Below is an email from Bryant George, a first time Clinic participant.

Hello Bill –

Cindy and I had an amazing time this past weekend, we are so appreciative of the club. Our instructor’s name was Erik Timmerman.  I will send a text with the picture we took with him. Thank you for the warm and welcoming atmosphere the club and the lodge have. We look forward to spending time together again. Best wishes and happy holidays.

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Skiing the Underhill Glades by way of the Four Runner Quad

When Stowe still had club days, and the lift tickets were cheap, a group of hardy SWCers decided to take the Four Runner Quad to the top and then hike to the “nose” of Mansfield so we could ski the glades of Underhill.

This awesome idea had been talked about at length the season before over cocktails during après.  So, in the summer of 2009, myself and a few others hiked to the top of Mansfield from the Underhill State Park, hiking up the trails to the “forehead” and then along the ridge line to the “nose”.  This is near the top of Toll Rd.  Finding the intersection, we got the GPS coordinates for where we would start our descent.

The ski season of 2009-2010 was good; there was a deep base by March, around 8’ at the snow stake! Stowe club days in mid-March looked like the prefect time to go on this adventure. It was a 5-day club discount and many of us who often skied together were there for all 5 days.   After our 1^st few days on the hill we had the plan together for our adventure.  I called the afternoon before to find a taxi that would pick us up in Underhill State Park and bring us back to the SWC House.  Thinking I’d have to explain, I was surprised when the response was “oh yeah you are skiing down from the Stowe side, we do that a lot.”  Having our ride sorted we started to plan for the next day.

As the sun rose in the morning so did we.  Having a wonderful club breakfast and packing our gear, our group headed to the mountain.  We planned to ski in the morning then ride up the Forerunner to gather for the hike up the Toll Rd around noon.  After we all made it up, hiking in ski boots and carrying packs, we took a rest and started to look for the trailhead to Underhill - interesting what 8’ of snow does to the tree line. The path that was clearly visible and marked in the summer was hiding amongst the tops of trees. The group fanned out and calling back and forth to each other managed to find our way to the “glades” (maintained by volunteers). It was a warm day, and the snowpack was a bit punky and rotten, but we found the goods!

With much cheering and great enthusiasm, we were on our way! The glades of Underhill are beautiful, open and have a great pitch. It was a great run, with ear-to-ear smiles from everyone. As the vertical started to level out, we started to make our way skiers left to cut out some walking on the access road.  It’s closed to vehicles in the winter, and we needed to meet our taxi at the trailhead.  After several minutes of walking, in ski boots with skis over our shoulders, we made it!  

One of our party had packed beers for the group. (Yes, he was very popular!) We all toasted to a ride that would live in our collective memories for a lifetime.  After, on the way back to the House we relived all the moments and again there were laughs and smiles all around.

Sandy (Leith) Culver

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Rest and Relaxation after Hard Skiing
Submitted by Bill Kornrumpf

The only issue that I had with the Ski Clinic is that I skied hard and hadn’t trained well.  My 82-year-old body was sore after the Early Ski Season Clinic this year and needed rejuvenation.  So, Gina and I took a 5-day relaxation trip to Berkeley Springs West Virginia to relax in the hot mineral spring water and let my sore muscles relax.  These are not sulfur springs but clear mineral springs that are 74^o (not really hot) and were used by the Indians and early settlers.  George Washington found them so soothing in 1748 that he built a house in town to use when he visited the spring to relax.

In the 1800’s a bath house was built resembling a Roman Bath with private individual baths fed with heated spring water.  It is now part of the Berkeley Springs State Park where they have a spa, a pool and the Roman Baths. The best part is each private bath holds 750 gallons of water and is emptied and sanitized before refilling for the next user.  You can ask for any temperature up to 105^o which we found to be very relaxing and soothed my shoulder and knees.   

If you are ever traveling south on I-81 west of Washington DC I recommend a stop at Berkeley Springs to have a soak (make a reservation).  It is an easy 6-hour drive and the scenery along I-81 is great. 

                                                                                          

 

Berkeley Springs Old Roman Bath House 

George Washington relaxed here

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Variable - Adirondack 46er Ski Documentary — Krate 

THE FILM 

VARIABLE chronicles the 10 year journey of two brothers as they attempt to backcountry ski the Adirondack 46ers - a rugged collection of 46 mountains rising to 4,000ft and higher - in a quest to become the first to ski all 81 of the classic high peaks of the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains. The duo face an uphill battle skiing to the summits, navigating through complex terrain of ice, rock, thick trees, and a seesaw of harsh and unpredictable winter conditions.

Physical injury in the mountains, a midnight rescue across thin lake ice, and the tragic loss of a spouse, all test the brothers’ commitment. In a landscape where climate change now has the final say on what form winter takes, the two find themselves racing against the clock, and a disappearing snowpack, to finish skiing the last peaks before the decade-long goal melts beneath their skis. 

Mountain Gazette called their accomplishment “a New York skiing achievement like no other.” 

SCREENINGS 

For up-to-date information see https://www.kratedesign.com/variable

New Paltz, NY  
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Rock & Snow (Annex) 
28 Main St, New Paltz, NY 
7 pm doors, 7:30 presentation & film screening with Q+A after Free admission, first come

Boulder, CO 
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 
Zeal Optics 
1230 Spruce St, Boulder, CO 
5 pm doors, 5:30 film screening with Q+A after 

Hunter, NY 
Thursday, January 23, 2025 
Doctorow Center for the Arts 
Mountain Cinema
6 pm presentation & film screening with Q+A after 

Saratoga Springs, NY 
Sunday, February 2, 2025 
Skidmore College 
presentation & film screening with Q+A after 

Livingston Manor, NY 
Saturday, February 15, 2025 
Old Souls 
presentation & film screening with Q+A after 

Bartlett, NH 
Friday, February 21, 2025 
Mt. Washington Backcountry Ski Festival 
Ledge Brewing 
Presented by The North Face 

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