Our first bus tour of the season to Sun Peaks was a smashing success. We were lucky enough to have Norm as our driver and both journeys were uneventful and trouble free, with only a small wait in Golden on the way home. Sun Peaks has been incorporated as a village since our last visit and the new mayor, Al Raines, visited our welcoming wine and cheese party.

The weather was cold but sunny and on Wednesday we had a temperature inversion which made skiing at the top warmer than the village. The conditions were good and we appreciated the groomers’ efforts each night.

Our group dinner at Masa’s was excellent and attended by all. The size of our group facilitated socializing together. We were able to have another wine and cheese on Thursday evening and were joined by Senator Nancy Green and Elli Terwiel, one of Canada’s upcoming young female skiers who is currently ranked 41^st on the world cup circuit. She is also on scholarship for 3 years at the University of Vermont where she is also racing NCAA.

As always, the staff at the Cahilty made our stay very pleasant. Both Nancy and Al were on hand Friday morning to bid us farewell. All in all, a great trip!

Winter officially started with our Sunshine Tour, although conditions were more spring like rather than the usual December freeze. White buttons were evident everywhere – on the slopes, in the hotel and even in the pool! The trip was a great way to welcome our new members and reconnecting with club friends. The hotel staff were delightful and went out of their way to make our stay wonderful. The provision of our own reception and dining areas made for great merriment or perhaps protection for the other hotel guests. A special thank you to Budge for all his hard work in the organization and negotiations which made our trip so successful.

Sunshine Ski Tour (April 12-14, 2011)
We had an amazingly good time at Sunshine this April due to Budge Burrow's unwavering negotiating, Sunshine's desire to impress us, and Mother Nature’s gift of February snow in April. Thirty-five members enjoyed either all or part of our three days at Sunshine, which included, as usual, the ambiance of staying on the mountain and soaking in the largest hot tub around. What was new this year was a hotel catered first night reception in the sports lounge and, on our second night, a prepaid group dinner buffet. The food was all delicious and plentiful. Finding coffee makers in many of the rooms was also a pleasant change. The sun shone and Assiniboine was in clear view for the first two days; on our third ski day we were blesses with 15 cm of fresh powder to delight and challenge us. The sentiment as we all headed home on Thursday was "We'll be back!"

Fifty members, new and old, again took part in the annual trip to Jasper and the Marmot Ski Hill. All were more than prompt at the gathering and we left ahead of time to pick up two at Canmore. Hot cross buns, fresh from the Glamorgan Bakery that morning, were then served to cries of ecstasy. Most of the way we traveled in sunshine enabling us to enjoy the awesome views of this outstanding journey.

At the Best Western Jasper Inn that evening, the Wine and Cheese party provided the usual convivial start to the trip, while all pronounced themselves comfortably accommodated. Busing to and from the hill each day eased us gently into and out of each day’s skiing, on a hill that provided something for all levels, and was in keeping with the outstanding snow conditions we have become accustomed to this year.

The same number returned as had departed – always a plus for the host - with the minimum of bumps and bruises, the only dangerous part of the four days being the parking lot at the Valley View Golf Course. Once again, the Marmot/Jasper trip maintained its traditional place in the SASC “must do” list.

Sun Peaks II Ski Tour (March 7–11, 2011)
We had 54 skiers and great skiing for three days; fresh snow and perfect weather—everyone had a good time. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped with set-up and clean-up for both wine and cheese evenings.
Norm, as usual, was a blessing.
Rick Madsen’s help loading the bus in Calgary was appreciated. It was a very tight pack! Jacques Lambert and his able-bodied helpers did a wonderful job getting it all back in for the trip home.
The staff at Sun Peaks Resort were exceptional in every aspect. Thank you all.
Judy Creed, Tour Host

Kimberley Ski Tour (February 14–17, 2011)
Ten centimeters of new snow the first day—awesome! Sunshine and still soft snow the second day. The third day we had a little bit of everything including a snow squall which brought us a couple of centimeters in the afternoon.
The movie A Life Ascending (which won 3 awards including best picture at the Banff Mountain Film Festival) was shown on the bus ride home and was enjoyed by many.
Lois Henderson, Tour Host

Schweitzer Basin Ski Tour (January 24–28, 2011)
We SASC members are extremely lucky that we have both health and good fortune enabling us to live at least part of our lives each winter on ski hills.
The trip to Schweitzer in January was part of that good fortune. What didn’t we love? Great skiing, superb grooming, picturesque setting, the best hill hospitality imaginable, lots of food and laughs, and a good bunch of friends with whom to share it all.
We can hardly wait to go back next year.
Louise Nielsen, Tour Host

Sun Peaks I Ski Tour… our Revelstuck Adventure! (January 10–14, 2011)
On January 10—a cold winter morning—43 of us set out for Sun Peaks. We'd just had a real blizzard and Anne Aalen, a new member from Saskatoon, had driven to her son's in Hanna on Saturday expecting to drive to Calgary on Sunday. She awoke on Sunday morning to five and six feet high snow-banks that completely blocked his street. Greyhound buses were cancelled and she had to wait for the roads to be cleared before she could drive to Calgary. It was great that she was able to fly on Tuesday to join us. Perhaps this should have been taken as an omen for our trip... !
The first day at Sun Peaks was pretty cold, but snow conditions were great! Tuesday night we got 25 cm of fresh snow and the weather warmed up. The powder hounds were in heaven! Nancy Greene and Al Raine spent the entire evening with us at our arrival Wine-and-Cheese Party and Nancy came back for our Farewell Party. This was a highlight for some of us! All in all, the first segment of our “Adventure” was enjoyed by everyone.
We left Sun Peaks on Friday at 8 am to return to Calgary. After a four hour wait for an avalanche to be cleared just past Three Valley Gap, we started to have some concerns about getting home. When we got to Revelstoke we headed for A&W… a very late lunch stop. While we were eating, a truck driver told Norm White (our driver) he had come through from Golden just prior to an avalanche at the Summit. So we rushed over to a hotel and got rooms for all of us, for we knew the Pass would not be open that night.
So began the start of “Revelstuck”, our educational study tour of avalanche activity. Fortunately, we had Colin Johnston, P Eng, on this trip… he had done research studies on avalanche control. At this point there were avalanches at the Summit, another between Lake Louise and Golden (a huge one set off by Park Services/Avalanche Control) and one on Highway 93, between Radium and Castle Junction.
So the next day we toured the snowy mountain town of Revelstoke, spending a second night there.
Early Sunday morning, when the Pass was cleared, we drove to Golden, down to Fernie, through Blairmore, up to Longview, and finally—after a very looong day—home.
In hindsight, I found it a very interesting trip and I think we can all agree that the congenial attitude of the group made it a good experience. A big thank you to Rick, Budge, Norm and Colin.
Donna Cornea, Tour Host

Lake Louise Ski Tour (December 14–16, 2010)
The fresh snow was beautiful, the hills were clear of people and the temperature was perfect. All this made for great skiing.
A group of 32 old and new friends joined in the Pizza/Beer/Wine “Get Together” reminiscing in a private room at Lake Louise Inn; lots of laughter and loud conversation. The next evening, we had an excellent Prime Rib/Chicken dinner with all the trimmings. It was very much appreciated by our entire group.
I thank Colleen Taylor from the Inn for the excellent job she did in helping us organize this trip. Also a ‘Thank you’ goes to Cassandra, Josh, Andrée-Anne and Will in the dining room for their excellent service.
This was a very successful trip.
Lise Hubbard, Tour Host

Sunshine Tour (April 13 – 15, 2010)
After a slow start, registrations for this tour picked up rapidly when the Club was able to offer food vouchers to participants. In the end, 27 people enjoyed three days of excellent skiing and fine weather in our beautiful National Park. Several more came to ski for a day, and we also met former Club members from Edmonton who had arranged their own trip to the area.
The Sunshine Village Inn has been attractively renovated and now bears the name Sunshine Mountain Lodge. It is superbly suited to couples sharing a queen size bed, but singles who share a room and sleep on the pull-out couch are less well accommodated.
On the slopes Fortuna was with us all along, blessing us with good snow, sunny skies and stunning scenery. Most of us skied in small groups, and on day two a friendly snow host took several of us all over the map for three hours straight! (We had no trouble sleeping that night.)
Après-ski for many was a relaxing soak and social in the large outdoor hot tub; for others, it was drinks and conversation at Mad Trappers Saloon. For our suppers we gathered in the cozy Chimney Corner restaurant. A large cake and strawberries, transported up the mountain (in a suitcase!) by the host, were consumed in a somewhat dark Fireside Room by those with a sweet tooth and/or a fruity taste.
In the evenings, Dan Cameron’s room parties proved very popular. The Club and some members contributed drinks and snacks, and soft music was played in the background. These gatherings rounded out our Sunshine experience and I thank Dan for his initiative.
I would like to express my appreciation to the tour director Peter Morgan for the opportunity of hosting this tour, to Marlon Bouman and his helpful staff at Sunshine for their assistance, and to all tour participants for their support and cooperation.
Marianne Steffens, Tour Host

Marmot Basin Tour (March 15 – 18, 2010)
Fifty nine club members participated in another great ski trip to Marmot. This year we changed accommodations to the Best Western Jasper Park Inn as a result of excessive cost increases at our former lodgings. The new hotel management and staff went out of their way to make our stay fantastic, including providing each room with a very nice bottle of wine. They did a super job on the group dinner and provided extra help for the Wine and Cheese party too. Everyone enjoyed the Wine and Cheese social and the left over snacks on our bus ride home.
Skiing was excellent. A lovely 33 cm snowfall prior to our arrival followed by additional snow on Tuesday evening provided great conditions.
I am sure that our final trip of the year to Sunshine will also be a great success and I am looking forward to seeing many Club members there in April.
Rick Madsen, Tour Host

Kimberley Tour (Feb 22 – 25, 2010)
The trip went smoothly, without a hitch and we enjoyed three full days of skiing with overall good weather, adequate but not excessive snow, and lots of partying amid the Vancouver Winter Olympics celebrations. We had four out-of-province, five out-of-town, three new, and a total of 42 fun-loving member participants on this trip.
We were blessed with extraordinary good weather and a clear blue sky outbound. An Ontario new member marveled at the snow capped Rockies scenery commenting that just the bus ride was worth the trip. We arrived in good time to have the Wine & Cheese (W&C) at 5:30 pm. Since the BC liquor laws require that alcohol be served by a bartender, that took a big chunk of our W&C budget and we had to self-cater the cheese portion. I was fortunate to be able to delegate this job to a new member, Helen Kwan, who came in with an abundant and splendid array of food… and under budget, too. Of course she couldn’t have accomplished this without the help of many members, and the Sandercock's especially. We had so much food left from the W&C that Susanne Gill/Judy Creed and Nancy Brown/Ron Watkins offered their adjoining rooms to host an après ski party. We had Olympic hockey on in one room and curling in the other.
Tuesday’s group dinner was a prime rib and seafood linguine buffet in the resort's relaxing and cozy private meeting room. A men’s Olympic hockey game was on in the background and we helped cheer them on to their win.
We celebrated the Olympics with lots of mingling and singing to Ron Watkins' harmonica yodeling. Shirley Roddick and Jim Bell were the avid photographers who captured the moments and many of their photos are posted on the Club’s website.
I thank all who helped out, those who brought along their 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics' memorabilia, and, most importantly, all of you for being such a fun- loving crowd. I enjoyed being your host tremendously. Thank you again.
Celia Chan, Tour Host

Silver Star Tour (February 1–5, 2010)
Good company… 49 in all, very good snow conditions, and mild temperatures were the hallmarks of this tour. Having said this we did not see too much sun and the fog settled around the Milky Way and Christmas Bowl areas each day. The beauty of Silver Star though is that the runs all lie within the tree line, so it is always possible to ski the trails on the front face with reasonable vision. Other areas of the mountain, particularly Silver Woods and Putnam Creek remained relatively clear. A gentle fall of new snow on the first day made for some fun powder skiing, and improved conditions for the following two days.
On the après ski side, a catered Wine & Nibbles reception was held at the Bugaboo Bakery. A good selection of Okanagan wines, neat savoury pastries and cheeses were enjoyed by all. A served roast beef or salmon dinner at the Mountain Katz Restaurant rounded out our Club sponsored events.
With Norm White as our Brewster bus driver, dry roads and light traffic made for a speedy trip in both directions. With the exception of a couple of twisted knees we all made it home safely.
Peter & Peggy Gillingham, Tour Hosts

Fly 'n Ski to Squaw Valley (January 24 – 29, 2010)
I loved Squaw Valley! And I love it that the Club endorses the Fly 'n Ski trips so that those who are interested can try new ski hills that are a bit farther afield. The first day, our Mountain Guide from the Ski School introduced us to the Siberia Ridge run by advising that everyone should have the chance to ski it in a white out. That we did… albeit some more contentedly than others! We rode the Funitel, a lift to the mid mountain, which we were told incorporated elements of the Japanese subway system and Russian underground. We saw, but did not climb to, the peaks where many Warren Miller spectaculars are filmed. We were amused by the signs in the cafeteria that requested we “recycle the silverware”.
While we honed our fog/rain skiing skills the first two days, we rejoiced in resplendent sunshine the last two. As Squaw Valley has 37 lifts, we were challenged in trying to ski as much of the resort as possible. Our “super seniors”, Peter and Jackie Morgan, John Eliuk & Krystyna Jahns, enjoyed the $20 lift ticket price at Alpine Meadows, a price they said they’d not seen since the late 1960’s! We were impressed by the courteousness, helpfulness and old fashioned good manners of the many boarders (who had come out to ride the powder) that we encountered on the lifts and hills. Richard Koslowski was of invaluable assistance to all of us with his thorough research of neighbouring ski hills and transportation systems. The experience was fabulous!
Louise Nielsen, Tour Host

Sun Peaks Tour (January 11–15, 2010)
For the almost 80 members on the Tour, the trip was much enjoyed. Three wine and cheese parties, including the birthday celebration, plus the group dinner kept us hopping every evening. Nancy and Al Greene came in to say ‘Hello’ at the Monday wine and cheese, and it was easy to see that Senatorship agrees with her.
Once we got our minds around the fact that we were not going to see the sun I think everyone enjoyed the skiing. The snow was good and even though there was a lot of heavy overcast, most of the time the light wasn’t too flat.
David Wayne, our driver, was very obliging and good humored even though driving to and from Kamloops was a challenge. We were late getting back due to a 2 hour wait re road conditions just east of the Rogers Pass Summit. Two movies on the way home helped to pass the time and as we approached Calgary we raffled off the remaining 7 unopened bottles of wine, a popular event!
Shirley Tajcnar, Tour Host

Sunshine Tour (December 15–17, 2009)
Once again, the “snow angel” took care of our Club! On December 14 the temperature was -35C and there had been no new snow for a week. But when we arrived at the base on December 15 it was -12C and warming rapidly. Despite a chilly wind and some reduced visibility, the new snow was fluffy. It was topped off that night with another 7 cm of new snow and even warmer temperatures. In all, the skiing was great.
We managed to organize tables in the Chimney Corner Lounge so we could all have dinner together and share the usual laughs and teasing. We enjoyed the company of two new members - Hubert Rielinger and Lauren Rendle. Other Club members joined us for either a day of skiing or a single overnight bringing the number of skiers to 30. Amazingly, those arriving later found members on the hill to ski with. Those white buttons really work!
We did have cancellations prior to the trip and we wish our ailing members a speedy recovery. While the numbers going to Sunshine were much lower than in previous years, we were all very happy with the services and kindness at the Inn and found the food to be very good. We will hope for a larger group to “kick start” the ski season next year.
Barb Stevenson, Tour Host

Sunshine Tour (March 31–April 2, 2009)
Starting on the last day of March, the Ski Club once again made their second trek to Sunshine Village. We had an excellent 3 days of skiing with a little fresh powder for the first 2 days. There were periodic times of flat light and restrictions to visibility but no one seem to be very upset… perhaps its because many of us can no longer see too far anyway. In all, counting the people who just came for a day, we had over 40 Club members on the hill (33 of whom stayed in the hotel). We did not have a group dinner or a wine and cheese party but all gathered in rooms or in the lounge for dehydration refreshments. Suppers were in the lounge and were attended by most of the Club members each night.
We were privileged to be able to celebrate Rita Andrews 92nd birthday at supper on the second night. On the third day several members joined Rita for several runs through the powder and a few trees. Rita, we have reserved a spot for you next year as this trip just would not be the same without you.
I am looking forward to seeing you all on the hill again next year for another successful ski season.
To Dick Wilson—I didn’t know there were so many tree runs at Sunshine!!!
Rick Madsen, Tour Host

Marmot Tour (March 9–12, 2009)
Are any of these tours routine? We seriously doubt it and suggest that Marmot 2009 was anything but routine; it was in fact exceptional. Our group of 53 skiers included six members from Quebec whose enthusiasm, curiosity and humour added a unique and pleasurable dimension to the trip. Our bus driver, Norm White treated us to the anecdotal history of Highway 93 which was not only interesting but seemed to shorten the trip. By the way, Norm has sold his collected histories of the highways that he has driven and these are available on www.TripTrivia.com.
The first morning, Tuesday, we awoke to -33C and needless to say it was too cold to ski; in fact the ski hill operators told us that they would not put anyone “in the air” until it warmed up to -24C. Pat McLeod, the hotel convention manager, arranged to have tables and a TV set up in the ballrooms for us, and so the games began: the bridge group of course, but also the “anything but bridge” gang (alias the ABB gang) who started some very noisy and hilarious games. In the afternoon we were treated to a bus tour of Jasper and area, arranged by Rick Madsen and driven, with commentary, by Norm.
Days 2 and 3 were relatively normal and although cool, the skies were sunny, the snow was good and you could still find some soft stuff in the trees and off the knob lift. By special arrangement, two hosts introduced / reintroduced our group to the hill and one led us through an adventurous double black after which we thought we had lost one of our Quebec skiers. We were in the patrol room reporting his disappearance when thankfully he turned up; he had thought we were meeting at the bottom of the lift, not the bottom of the hill.
The seniors of the SASC make the perfect role models for the soon-to-be-senior baby boomers. Many of them are dealing with a long list of handicaps and ailments and yet they still ski, snow shoe, paddle, bike and hike. They are an inspiration and the 2009 Marmot group was particularly amazing. It was a pleasure to help organize the trip for these members.
Ann Gammell and Nan Morrison, Tour Hosts

Kimberley Tour (February 23–26, 2009)
We left Calgary at the reasonable hour of 9 am with Dave, a new bus driver who carefully drove us through some nasty weather in the mountains.
We made the usual stops… coffee at the Invermere Tim Horton's and groceries at Kimberley. While shopping in Kimberley we had to call EMS as one of our group had medical problems and was transported to the Cranbrook Hospital. All our good wishes seem to have helped him get better and he was home by air before us.
The Kimberley group was small— only 31 of us on the bus— but obviously everyone had done a snow dance. Although there weren't big dumps, it snowed every night we were there. Conditions could not have been better! The temperatures were reasonable and the lift lines short.
There was enough food at the wine and cheese party that many of us went back to our rooms with "doggie boxes" provided to us by Trickle Creek Lodge. Kelsey's did a nice job with the group dinner on the Wednesday evening.
Because of some miss-communication, our bus did not arrive to pick us up at the appointed time on Thursday afternoon. After many phone calls— and with much help from Peter Morgan— Sun 'n Ski sent a bus from Cranbrook and paid the tab for a few hours in the Lounge.
We arrived back in Calgary, just after midnight, to some very cold, frozen vehicles but everyone was able to get home.
Many thanks to Rick Madsen, and other strong men, for their help with loading and unloading the bus.
Trish Remmers, Tour Host

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Sun Peaks Tour #2 (February 16–20, 2009)
We were a few skiers short of the required bus break-even number but we all enjoyed the comfort of all that space, not to mention that the skies were crystal and the views splendid in both directions. And that weather pretty well continued for our ski days too. A fresh snow fall would have been welcome but the conditions were very good nonetheless, especially for the ones of us who prefer the groomed ripples.
Having just one busload made the wine-and-cheese and the group dinner very comfortable affairs and we were particularly lucky that Nancy (Greene) was on a break from her Senate duties.
It was a week for birthdays too as Tom Whittaker, Anna Frank and Helga Pattison celebrated theirs. Masa's restaurant produced a delightful spur of the moment "cake" for Helga at our group dinner on the Wednesday.
As always, the whole trip was made more comfortable and fun because of all the willing help from all participants. Thank you all.
Dorothy Tyler, Tour Host

Sun Peaks Tour #1 (February 9–13, 2009)
Forty two members signed up for the Tour then we had forty four on the bus as we had two members who had to book privately and wanted to ride the bus too.
The weather was sunny for the most part but we did have 3 inches of new snow on the Monday night and some more on the Tuesday night. We really did luck out with the weather.
Forty members and “Norm” enjoyed the beef dinner at Masa's on Wednesday, and then on Thursday night the ladies organized a “Pot Luck Supper” in the Lodge party room to eat up the leftovers.
The highlight of the trip was, Nobody got Hurt!
Splitting the Sun Peaks tour into two separate weeks worked well as the party room wasn’t too crowded and there were enough ski locker spaces.
Roll on next year…
Peter Fisher, Tour Host

Steamboat Springs, Colorado (February 1–6, 2009)
Steamboat, Ski Town, USA did not disappoint the 23 SASC participants who skied four days on this great mountain.
With the exception of a few hours of cloud on the first two days, we had excellent sunny weather with good visibility. In the morning, good groomed tracks and certain glades and mogul runs offered good skiing. In the afternoon the snow softened without getting slushy. Steamboat has a wide variety of runs to cater to all levels.
One feature that added to the enjoyment of this skiing adventure was the excellent shuttle service provided by the Holiday Inn. The Inn also arranged for complimentary overnight storage of skis and poles at a store adjacent to the Gondola station. Another bonus was the guiding service provided by “The Over the Hill Gang”. The “OTHG” is a local club associated with the Steamboat Springs Resort that you have to be 50+ to join. The club provides a daily guiding service to visitors of similar age. They provided four guides for our group from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day and split us into three groups according to skiing levels. They all knew where the best snow was to be found and we skied great groomed slopes and glades, plus moguls and tree runs for those who were looking for more challenging runs. On Tuesday we were all invited to their weekly get together at The Ptarmigan.
Steamboat's Annual Winter Carnival started on the Wednesday so Lois Henderson and Louise Nielsen, while indulging in a rest day, arranged for a large group of us to have dinner at the “Steamboat Yacht Club” on Thursday evening so that we could watch the Carnival ski jumping competition. It was a great way to end our third Fly & Ski adventure.
Gary Davidge, Tour Host