FWSA News May 2008
Benefits to belonging to FWSA
· Columbine Inn and Conference Center, Taos Ski Valley, NM. Get a 10% discount when you present your FWSA membership card. Call 888.884.5723, on-line www.columbineinntao s.com, or email psgeilen@taosnet. com.
· Hampton Inn and Suites, Truckee, CA. Present your FWSA membership card and get special discounted rates at the Hampton Inn and Suites. Call 530.587.1197 for reservations (mention FWSA).
Travel
· 2008 Annual Far West Ski Association Convention will be held June 5-8 in Bellevue, WA at the Westin Bellevue and the Meydenbauer Center. Northwest Ski Club Council will host the event.
· Alaskan Cruise June 8—15, 2008 departing from Seattle, WA, Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM following the 2008 FWSA Convention. Openings still available with a slight increase in price. The Norwegian Pearl will sail from Seattle through the Inside Passage to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay Ketchikan, Victoria and return back to Seattle. The final date to sign up for the cruise has been extended to February 4th, 2008. Check the www.fwsa.org website to open the flyer and click on The Cruise Company link to book your reservations. For more information contact Gloria Raminha at fwsa.natravel@ sbcglobal. org.
· 2008 Greek Island Tour Oct 1—17 with an optional extension to Turkey Oct 17—24. Contact Norm Azevedo at 925.944.0420.
· Keystone Nationals—FWRA— Dec 10-13, 2008. Keystone is the perfect setting for an early season racing experience. Even if you don't race, you'll enjoy wonderful snow and no crowds along with parties and meeting skiers from all over the country. Contact Bob Ellis at 530.582-0566.
· FWSA 2009 ski week will be in Big Sky, Montana January 24 to 31. Council Trip Leaders are taking sign-ups. Check the Big Sky flyer for Trip Leader contact information at www.fwsa.org.
Convention 2008 Bellevue, Washington
· The voting delegates at the 2008 annul meeting will be asked to approve a streamlined set of bylaws that are the result of an 18 month committee effort. The Associations' Board of Directors in April 2008 unanimously recommended an approval by the delegates to the annual meeting. We ask for your vote to approve the streamlined bylaws.
· To vote, you must send in your Delegate Pre-registration Form and your payment must have been received by the Convention Registrar. Your club must send in a roster listing all club members' names and the Credentials Form.
Public Affairs
· Revelstoke Mountain Resort (Revelstoke, BC Canada) opened for business in December 2007 with an 8 person gondola and a high speed quad chairlift servicing 4,735 vertical feet of lift serviced terrain; 1,500 acres of skiing and 27 ski runs. This brand new resort is expected to have North America's longest lift serviced vertical at 5,263 feet next winter. Ultimately, the mountain will have over 20 lifts and more than 100 runs. www.revelstokemount ainresort. com.
· U.S. won a national record 5 World Cup titles (Bode Miller-overall, combined; Lindsey Vonn-overall, downhill; Ted Ligety-giant slalom) including both overall crowns which only has happened 9 times in 41 years. The last time U.S. won both overall titles in the same year was 1983 (Phil Mahre & Tamara McKinney) when U.S. won a total of 4 World Cup titles.
· Overall dollar sales for the entire winter sports market (August 2007 to February 2008) increased 11% in dollars to $2.75 billion with equipment sales of $768 million, apparel sales of $1.1 billion and accessories sales of $895 million according to SIA (Snowsports Industries America). Specialty shops accounted for 63% ($1.7 billion), chain stores 21% ($574 million) and Internet 16% ($453 million) of snow sport sales. In specialty shops unit sales of skis increased about 1.5% to 436,133 and snowboard unit sales decreased about 2% while in chain stores equipment unit sales declined 11% and in Internet equipment unit sales increased by 60%.
Athletic Scholarship
· Eligibility Requirements: any competitor who is currently a United States Ski Association (USSA) licensed J1, J2, or J3 athlete, competing in a USSA affiliated Alpine Ski Racing program. Applicants must reside in or compete with an Alpine Ski Racing club or Team within the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming. Click here for application guide and forms.
Club and Council Legacy Recognition Program
· FWSA has inaugurated a program to collect club, league and council histories. These will go to make up an historic collection available to researchers—and who knows? - maybe a book of histories from the standpoint of organized skiing. Your submission must be on CD/DVD with 5 copies and one hard copy. Notify John Watson, FWSA Historian at geospace@pacbell. net.
St. Patrick's Day, Chinese Downhill at Squaw Valley
· Of all the alpine ski races ever organized in the Sierra Nevada, none became as infamous as the St. Patrick's Day showdown held annually for five years in the early 1970's. The mass start was on the ridgeline of Siberia Bowl and the finish was at the Beer Garden in the bottom floor of the Olympic House. Cheating was allowed. The race featured a vertical drop of over 2,850 feet and a distance close to three miles. Skiers popped out of their bindings in front of the gondola and sprinted down the alleyway past Le Chamois into the Olympic House. The winning prize became a bottle of commemorative Tequila.
· Another crazy race is the Mad Cow Downhill, an annual top to bottom high speed downhill at Alpine Meadows the end of April. The Mad Cow combines speed, skill, questionable thinking, and a season pass for the winner. Mad Cow is best known for being the springtime event that lasts for a mere 60 seconds!
Skis—Base Bevels
· This video clip briefly outlines the most common technique used to establish a base bevel using Sun Valley Ski Tools' The Final Cut, a precision tool to create accurate degree bevels. The base bevel is an intricate part of how a ski will perform.
Councils' Man and Woman of the Year Program
· It's time for each club and council to select its Man and Woman of the Year. At the FWSA Convention each year a panel of judges selects an outstanding man and woman from candidates nominated by their councils. Sponsors Big White and Silver Star donate trips to the honorees. For more information go to: fwsa.org or contact Donn Bryant at membership@fwsa. org.
Intermountain Ski Council (ISC)
· The dates of Feb 26—Mar 1, 2009 have been chosen for the ISC trip to Steamboat Springs. The plan is to provide bus service from Pocatello and Salt Lake City, lodging at Steamboat and three days of skiing. Watch for more details at the website: www.intermountainsk icouncil. com.
· Bogus Basin (Boise, ID) is going through the application process to join ISC. Several ISC members plan to attend the FWSA annual convention.
Snowsports Leadership Academy
The Association is launching a multi-year curriculum for club officers to support them in the ever more complex issues in club leadership and management. The curriculum is experience-based and will draw on speakers within the Association as well as experts brought in from industry. Registrants will receive a certificate for each of the 1-2 hour modules attended. The curriculum currently consists of eight modules and would take 4 years to complete in person. Attendees will receive takeaways for their journal and it is anticipated that the curriculum modules will be available online. The first two modules are scheduled for the 2008 annual meeting.
1. "I'm elected, now what do I do?" This introduces the curriculum and gives a nuts and bolts introduction to the components of a ski organization, resources available, record-keeping, financial management and travel programs.
2. Recruiting and retention. Assessing and sustaining interest; membership records and cards; communications are all-important, using print and electronic media; other resources available.
3. "Tripping out." Creation and operation of a travel program; responsibilities of the travel chair and the trip leaders; codes of conduct; currency risks; controlling the flow of money and tracking it; financial risks; selection of providers; insurances; requirements by your home state,
4. Ethical responsibilities. Skiers pledge; conflicts of interest and avoiding them; fiduciary responsibilities; product trade-outs and the rules for disposition of them; conduct as an officer representing your club; relations with travel providers and FAM trips; relations with resorts and manufacturers.
5. Risk management. The liability and litigation landscape; use of multiple signatories; travel program exposure; trip leader awareness; summer programs; waivers; directors and officers coverage and limitations; bonding.
6. "Taking credit for your community support activity." Getting involved in humanitarian and community support activity; fund raising for charities or the charity you develop; media exposure; shared use of logos; keeping records.
7. "Those who came before." You are snowsports history; learn about those who preceded you and made snowsports what they are today; making your contribution to history; available resources.
8. "Your personal equipment." Get refreshed on essential equipment for snowsports and state of the art in these essentials; safety requirements; emergency situations; weather and the effects on the human body.
Council Websites
