JUNE SKI CLUB NEWSFLASH
Thursday, June 05, 2008 |
Be Cautious if You Are
Considering Changing to One Large Bag Due to Airlines $25 Second-Bag Rule. OK, ski clubs fought the airlines’ second bag surcharge, we lost, and it’s now gotten tougher. Today, nine out of the ten airlines we checked with are charging the $25 second bag fee and American Airlines now charges $15 for your first bag. But the per bag surcharge is no longer our main concern about luggage on airlines. There can be costlier luggage issues about which you should be aware. In late May, The NSCN surveyed 10 North American airlines about surcharges for multiple bags, as well for oversized and overweight bag charges on domestic coach-class flights. The good news was that, of the airlines surveyed, only Air Canada counts a ski bag and a boot bag as two bags. The other nine airlines count a ski bag and boot bag as one bag (with some restrictions). But, with the exception of your ski bag’s length, the airlines are enforcing weight and size surcharges – and some of those charges can be substantial! Traveling with just one bag that’s 63 inches in combined length, width, and height and which weighs over 50 pounds can cost you a $100 to $400 surcharge for a roundtrip flight! (For example, United or Air Canada charge $100 for bags over 50 lbs plus $100 for being over 62" (not counting ski bag’s length) and each fee is charged for both inbound and outbound flights -- or a $400 total.) While it probably won’t apply to most skiers, for REALLY large or heavy bags, Delta charges $600 and American charges up to $530 per roundtrip flight for a bag that’s over 70 pounds and larger than 62" in total dimensions! Basically, our luggage needs
to be under 62" dimensions and under 50 pounds. Check the airline’s website just prior to departure to see
if the rules have changed recently – then make sure that trip leaders pass the
information on to their participants.
Two small bags (or one bag plus a ski and boot bag) will usually be
cheaper than one oversize and/or overweight bag. We also suggest that clubs
equip trip leaders with a hand-held luggage scale to check participants’ bags
for the return trip -- in case vacation purchases tip their bags to
overweight. (Participants can
check their own bags on the bathroom scale at home – but probably not at the
resort – and the scales cost just $10-$30 each.) We all probably need to learn
to pack lighter on future ski trips, but we still should expect to pay
more.
Could
The sia’s Winter Trails Program Help Recruit New ski club Members? The SIA announced that their 14th annual Winter Trails Program
will be held January 10, 2009. The
event is where people new to snow sports can try snowshoeing and cross country
skiing free at participating locations in the 24 states where the weather
cooperates. Could your club use
this program to attract new skiers and members? "Besides the
collaborative nature of Winter Trails, the beauty part of this program is the
fact that it works for host venues and product suppliers as a program that can
bring new participants into snow sports and sell product," said Mary Jo
Tarallo, director of Education for SIA. "This program has broad appeal for
Nordic Centers, public lands and even alpine resorts who want to offer
something else to guests aside from alpine skiing, snowboarding and even
tubing." (Those of you who have been around ski clubs and councils a few
decades may remember Mary Jo Tarallo as the president of the Baltimore Ski Club
and of the Blue Ridge Ski Council back in the late 1970’s.) Winter Trails is
organized through a partnership of the SIA, Cross Country Ski Areas Association
and the American Hiking Society. Last year more than 80 venues hosted more than
11,000 kids and adults at a Winter Trails event including locations at Nordic
Centers and on U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Park Service land. Sponsors of Winter Trails include Alpina, Atlas Snow-Shoes, Atomic, Columbia, Exel, Fischer, Grabber, Kahtoola, Karhu, Mountain Safety Research, Nature Valley, PEPSICO, Redfeather, Rossignol, Salomon, Sorel, SWIX, Tubbs, Turtle Fur, Whitewoods, W.L. Gore and Associates, and Yukon Charlie’s with media partners Cross Country Skier magazine, OnTheSnow.com, Snowshoemagazine.com, Trax and XCSkiresorts.com. See www.wintertrails.org. for the locations and details of the program.
The new BreckConnect gondola Photo by Aaron Dodds and Courtesy of Vail Resorts, copyright 2008. Breckenridge To
Unveil New Peak 7 Base This Season This season, Breckenridge Ski Resort will open its first base area since the development of Peak 9 in 1971. Facilities at the new base area will include high-end lodging at the new Crystal Peak Lodge, ski school, lift ticket sales and equipment rentals, and restaurant called Sevens. The Breck Connect gondola -- which begins in the downtown parking lot -- will have a new stop at the Peak 7 base area, for easier access to intermediate terrain on Peak 7 and the expert above treeline terrain on Peaks 7 and 8, accessed by the T-Bar. THE
FAR WEST SKI ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL CONVENTION Auction to be held JUNE 6. The Far West Ski Association – the umbrella organization for 170 ski clubs in 11 regional councils from Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Colorado and Washington, will hold a ski show, silent auction and dance at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington on June 6. The event features over 60 ski-related booths and a silent auction where over $90,000 in ski vacation packages and hard goods will be sold – usually at really bargain prices – and the public is invited to attend. See www.FWSA.org for more information. More
Ideas From Other Clubs: Toledo Ski Club (OH) While many ski clubs across
the U.S. hold annual ski swaps where members and sometimes ski shops sell ski
clothing and equipment, the Toledo Ski Club held what was described as their
first annual inline skate and bicycle swap in May on the parking lot of a local
sporting goods store.
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