NEWSLETTER. Highlights of This Issue Writers Sonya Benson, Ellyn Lanz, Jerry Prochaska and Suzanne Sherman

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1 NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 Highlights of This Issue Writers Sonya Benson, Ellyn Lanz, Jerry Prochaska and Suzanne Sherman Club 50 s Banff Trip: A Rookie's Perspective by Jerry Prochaska (In the photo to the right, Jerry is the one in orange right in the middle, back row.) OK, so I'm new to the club, joining right after last fall's ski show. The trip looked interesting, I d met many members at the pizza party, I'd never been to Banff, and the price looked like a real deal. (Great job, Dave!) The first clue that the trip would be special came on the bus ride from Calgary. Peering out the windows, seeing all the stars and the moon rising dimly lighting up the mountains, I knew we were in for some stunning daylight views. Daybreak Sunday at Chateau Lake Louise - BAM! - such an inspiring vista! All week, everywhere you looked, fantastic snow-capped mountains all around. So much for the scenery. What about the people? A big group, so eventually skiers found others who preferred similar slopes. And then the magic happened for me. For the past 15 years, I've worked remotely from company HQ, but now this trip provided a live audience for my humor. What a crew! Good-natured people on and off the slopes, watching out for each other and laughing at my various antics. Plus, the skiing kept getting better each day; I had a fantastic final two days of skiing. My first Club 50 trip in one word: AWESOME!

2 What Made Club 50 s Lake Louise/Banff Trip So Special? See if you can get a sense of the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies from these three photos. In the one to the right with the lone Lake Louise ski guide in yellow, you ll see Lake Louise in the center of the photo as a white frozen disk, half in shadow. Our hotel, the Chateau Lake Louise, is the faint speck on the lake s bottom edge. The second photo of our hotel was taken from far out on that frozen lake, the Lake Louise ski area in the background. How about that breakfast view of the sun-kissed peaks? Crampon Adventure by Sonya Benson A few weeks ago many of the Club 50 members made their way to beautiful Chateau Lake Louise and Banff, Canada. On the trip I, like several other members, was fortunate to have the chance to follow Sue Cole and Paul, a local guide, hiking icy trails in the forest up to a beautiful cascading waterfall. It was a spectacular event. Our guide gave a very interesting presentation as we carefully navigated our way. Paul provided the group with crampons for our boots so the hike could be accomplished with relative ease. We passed many hikers who had to turn away and slide back down the trail because they were not adequately prepared for the intimidating ice. The sun peaked out every once in a while, making the frozen river even more beautiful. Thanks, Sue, for organizing such a delightful event.

3 You Don t Have to Ski! by Ellyn Lanz An important lesson was learned by all this winter in Banff, Canada! You didn t have to be on the slopes to enjoy the beauty and wonder of the Canadian Alps. Just talk to Peggy, Gail, Mark, Pam and Sharon, and you ll get an earful about what there was to do in Lake Louise and Banff that involved, yes, ice hikes, snow and cold temps, but also museums, evenings by the fire pit, shopping, high tea, gondola rides and soaking in the hot springs. Have you ever frequented an outside bar made out of ice where the vodka is the perfect temperature? Just look at this picture of Pam Prest, and you ll know how fine it was! Skiing Snowmass by Suzanne and Fred Sherman What is the best skiing bang for the buck? Why, Snowmass, of course! With ski-in, skiout ease our old friend, the Mountain Chalet, complete with its incomparable breakfasts and lunches, provides a welcome haven for our merry band of Chicagoland skiers at the end of a challenging day on the slopes. The area had experienced its driest January on record, but you d never know it from our sojourn in early February. It s the easiest mountain to maneuver with multiple ways to ride from one huge area to the next. Snowmaking is prevalent, and grooming occurs throughout the mountain every late afternoon and evening so bare spots were never to be found. Several mornings found 3-4 inches of new snow over the corduroy.

4 We enjoyed skiing with an intimate group of old friends and new, but that is a given. It was always exciting to see who would show up for the daily noon groom and who could tell the tallest tales at the nightly wine and cheese parties. That s Chicagoland Club 50 at its finest, folks. Come join us! Club 50 Group Tries Out Mt. Bachelor by Ellyn Lanz A group of nine Club 50 skiers joined 120 others from various local ski clubs this winter to try out Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council s (CMSC) Chicago Week ski trip to Mt. Bachelor, staying at Sunriver, Oregon. Several Club 50 members have gone on CMSC s European ski trips but never has a group from our club gone on one of their US trips. The group reported back well-organized, fun activities including lunch and après-ski on the mountain, Hawaiian dinner with hula dancers, a falcon demonstration, dinner and tours at the High Desert Museum and a pub crawl. Overall, this was a great trip with a favorable price point. Might Club 50 choose CMSC s Chicago Week trip in 2016 to Whistler, British Columbia, as one of our 2016 trips? We ll just have to see. Growing in Popularity by Ellyn Lanz If we re not careful, we re going to become a bowling and hiking club! Club 50 s bowling group and hikers consistently number about a dozen whether striking and sparing at Pinstripes once a month or taking in the bracing winter air as we explore the forest preserves of the collar counties. Bowling will take a summer break but the hikers would love to have you join us this summer and fall. Watch your for our next hiking event.

5 Club 50 Hikes Ryerson Woods Forest Preserve New Members Nancy Besch Gilberts, IL Jim Considine Lincolnwood, IL Carl Egner Chicago, IL Pat Henson Lake-in-the-Hills, IL Roni Kincaid Hilton Head Island, SC The Faces and Goggles of Club 50

6 Executive Board: President Vice President Secretary Newsletter Editor Website Editor Database Advisers to Executive Board: Membership Treasurer Adviser to Board Adviser to Board Adviser to Board Chicagoland Club 50 Ski & Sports Dave Utley Andy Thallemer Sharon Mikula Elizabeth Norris Ellyn Lanz Jim Vey Myrna Ramsey Jo Day Peggy Simonsen Lindy Berggreen Rosemary Cook Tom Dardis Dean Ramsey Walt Sienkiewicz Chicagoland Club 50 Ski & Sports is for active people aged 50 and over. Primarily a ski club, Club 50 organizes year-round activities for its fun-loving, energetic membership. Monthly Sunday evening dinner meetings are held at various restaurants throughout the Chicagoland area.