To All Lions Ski Club Members At the EGM on Sunday 13 th September 2015, a vote of members present unanimously approved the two resolutions put forward to the membership; as outlined in our previous email. Thus, from the 1 st October 2015 the details of the agreed partnership with Snozone will begin to be put in place and the new pricing structure will take effect. The full proposal ( Option 1 ) is available to view in the linked document http://1drv.ms/1ocn2ld. This gives details of all the changes that will occur over the next few months, a list of FAQ s, Snozone membership terms and prices and advice on how to get the most out of a Snozone membership. A summary of the key details are given below: Transition Period - From 1 st October to 30 th November 2015. Sunday Sessions - Anyone attending a Lion s Sunday session will need to purchase a pass from the Snozone counter. These will be charged at 15.99 for Snozone members and 19.99 for non-snozone members. You will then need to pay Lion s sub s of 5 at sign in and collect bibs. The logistics in terms of the Lion s front desk operations are under review, in order to streamline the process, but please expect this to be broadly similar to the current process initially. Monday Sessions Please proceed as normal but be aware that the slope pass pricing will be the same as outlined for Sunday sessions (above) and 5 sub s will need paying to Margaret by all members race training. The committee is currently looking at the structure of Monday night instructor training and until there is further guidance there will be no sub s payable by instructors attending for instructor training or free skiing. Full Partnership Adoption From 1 st December 2015. As long as Lion s members have generated at least 90 Snozone memberships, the partnership agreement will be enacted and the pricing structure outlined in Option 1 will take effect. Everything will remain as per the above Transition Period other than the cost of the slope pass from the Snozone counter. Slope passes for Snozone members will cost between 13.99 and 15.99 (dependent upon the number of Snozone memberships generated by current Lion s members) and anyone who is not a Snozone member will be charged the prevailing standard two hour slope pass rate as set by Snozone. Sub s will still be payable to Lions by anyone training within the Lion s sessions. The above rates apply to both Sunday and Monday sessions. Anyone who becomes a Snozone member will be eligible for a free Lion s session in July 2016 and free Lion s race training sessions (eligibility criteria as per the Lion s website) in December 2015. If 90 memberships are not achieved then the partnership will not be enacted. If this is the case, anyone who has purchased a Snozone membership, for the primary reason of attending Lion s sessions, will have the option to have their membership refunded by Snozone. Purchasing a Snozone Membership. In order for our members to receive the lowest slope pass rate, they will also need to become Snozone members. All the details and benefits have been discussed in the previous email and at the EGM, and are outlined in the linked document. For the partnership to be formally put in place we need at least 90 current Lion s members to become Snozone members prior to 1 st December 2015. We will receive a further reduction in slope pass rate if we achieve 150 memberships and again at 200 memberships.
If you are considering purchasing a Snozone membership, in order to receive the discounted Lion s rate and the other benefits of Snozone membership, please see page 8 of the linked document for further advice and please purchase your membership prior to 30 th November 2015. Instructors and Coaches. If you intend to continue instructing or coaching at Lion s sessions from 1 st October 2015, unfortunately you will be required to have a Snozone membership. As a club we realise that this is a big commitment, but please bear in mind that you will also be eligible for all the benefits of Snozone membership. We are currently looking at ways to offer greater value to our instructors, including new instructor training sessions/programmes and making the free July 2016 session a family fun day, when instructors will be free of instructing duties for the day. Any instructor or coach who attends Sunday Lion s session for the reason of instructing or coaching trainees in that session, will be entitled to a free slope pass and will not be required to pay subs. Five coaches will be similarly entitled on a Monday evening. In terms of logistics, all instructors/coaches will be required to visit the Snozone front desk and show a valid license in order to obtain a free slope pass for either Sunday mornings or for coaches at Monday sessions (Monday coach passes limited to 5). In order for a free pass to be issued, these individuals must already be entered into the Snozone ticketing system, which requires all instructors/coaches to send a copy of their license/s to julian@lions-skiclub.org (or a photocopy by hand) prior to October 1 st 2015. IMPORTANT: please do let us know if you are already a Snozone member or when you buy a membership; it would be a great shame if some memberships were overlooked when our ongoing slope rate is calculated on 30 th November 2015. The club understands that these are significant, and at times complicated, changes to what our members are used to. This new structure, although not something we went looking for, offers security for the club to operate at Snozone Castleford, whilst still allowing us to provide great value and high quality tuition to our members and guests. Please read this information carefully and work out the best options for your own family, but should you have any questions please email julian@lions-skiclub.org. For specific details of Snozone membership, please contact Snozone directly. Regards Julian Nowell (Treasurer) on behalf of Lions Ski Club Committee. PS. There has been a problem with Hotmail accounts receiving emails with attachments from the club; this is why the attachments have now been made available via the cloud. Should you be having any difficulty accessing this information from the cloud, please respond to this email requesting a PDF copy via email.
LIONS@SNOZONE Partnership Agreement. Terms to become applicable 01/10/15: 1. The name of Lions Ski Club will change to Lions@Snozone. This name will be used for all future branding and promotion, and as the SSE affiliation name of the Club. 2. It will be a requirement for members of Lions@Snozone (currently Lions Ski Club) to also hold a Snozone membership in order to obtain the preferential Lions@Snozone session rate. Lions@Snozone members who are not Snozone members will be required to pay Snozone s standard rate to participate in Lions@Snozone sessions after 30/11/15. All ticketing will take place through the Snozone front desk. 3. All Lions@Snozone members who are also Snozone members will have the same rights as any Snozone member to the benefits of the Snozone membership scheme. They will also be entitled to a complimentary Sunday session in July 2016 if the club generates 90 Snozone memberships by 30/11/15. 4. Lions@Snozone will no longer charge an annual membership fee but will require all participants in sessions to be registered as members of the club (unless guests), with a one off registration fee of 5 per person payable. Current Lions Ski Club members will be exempt from this charge. 5. Lions@Snozone will continue to operate the two training sessions, as currently carried out by Lions Ski Club, and will retain control of session content, instruction and administration through the club committee. 6. Snozone will assume the right to nominate one named member of their staff to the Lions@Snozone committee. 7. Lions@Snozone instructors and coaches will be required to have a Snozone membership, but will be exempt from slope fees for any session in which they act in an instructing capacity. All coaches/instructors will need to register their licenses with Lions@Snozone (by providing a copy) prior to being entered into the Snozone ticketing system. A valid license should be carried whilst coaching or instructing on the Snozone slope. Monday night free coach passes are currently restricted to five. 8. The preferential Lions@Snozone slope fee for club sessions will be set on 30/11/15 according to the following scale - based on the number of Snozone memberships on 30/11/15 associated with current Lions Ski Club members. In the interim period, 01/10/15 30/11/15, the slope fee will be set at 15.99 for Snozone members and 19.99 for non Snozone members (plus Lion s subs). Number of Snozone memberships generated from Lions Ski Club members. Preferential Lions@Snozone session rate charged by Snozone.* * Lion s subs will be payable in addition to this rate. 90 150 200 15.99 14.99 13.99 9. The agreed session fee, as determined above, will be fixed until 01/10/17, subject to 90 memberships being achieved by 30/11/15. 10. No Snozone membership promotions can be used to further reduce the cost of attending a Lions@Snozone session, although free slope time gained as part of joining the Snozone membership scheme may be redeemed for use in a Lions@Snozone session. 11. Lions@Snozone will be free to set and charge a subscription fee, subs, on top of the slope fee in order to cover the costs of operating the club. All those attending a Lions@Snozone session will be required to pay subs. This will likely be set at 5 per session initially. Instructors and coaches will not be required to pay. 12. Guests will be allowed to attend Lions@Snozone for a maximum of two sessions per annum (as determined by the SSE Club Insurance Policy T&C s). Guests will not be required to join the club. Guests who are Snozone members will pay the agreed Lions@Snozone slope fee. Guests who are not Snozone members will be expected to pay the prevailing Snozone standard rate for their slope pass. All guests will be required to pay Lions@Snozone subs. 13. All Lions@Snozone members will be subject to the membership rules of Lions@Snozone. Snozone members will also be subject to the membership rules of Snozone Ltd. Each organisation will be free to carry out disciplinary action independently according to their rules. Anyone using the Snozone slope will be subject to the standard slope use terms of Snozone Ltd.
LIONS@SNOZONE FAQ s 1. Why are these changes happening? - Snozone outlined their intent to reduce third party sessions on their slope around two years ago. Lion s were notified of this intent and were aware that a closer relationship, or integration, with Snozone would be expected at some point in the future. Snozone have recently moved forward with these plans, addressing the use of their slope by external clubs at both their Castleford and Milton Keynes sites. As the most significant third party user at the Castleford site, Lions have been offered a partnership deal, which will create a closer working relationship with Snozone and secure Lion s future as the preferred external ski club at Snozone Castleford. 2. Is this a good deal for Lions? - The short answer is yes! Since Snozone outlined their integration plans, there has been uncertainty for all external clubs at Snozone, making it difficult for Lions to plan for the future. Lions have always been privileged to have such good access to this great indoor facility and the freedom to operate as an independent ski club. This partnership deal will secure this independence and assure continuity for the club at this venue. Although some members will be negatively affected, mainly financially, overall this is the best deal for the club in general. We must remember that although we are a successful club and a valued source of income to Snozone, we do not own the snow we ski on! 3. Is there another option? - As outlined in Option 2, Lions do have the choice to continue without a partnership deal with Snozone. This would allow Lions to continue to operate in a similar fashion to now, but would mean a significant increase in slope fees for all members and further uncertainty about a secure future for Lions at Snozone Castleford. If Lions do not take up the partnership deal, there is a strong chance that Snozone would partner with another external club, again undermining Lions position at the site. There is though no option to stay exactly as we are now. Over the next couple of months there will be important changes whatever option we choose. 4. What is the Lions Ski Club committee s view on the proposal? The committee unanimously endorsed the calling of an EGM in order to allow the members to decide the future direction of the club. The committee also unanimously agreed to endorse, support and promote Option 1 as the best overall deal for the future of the club. Whilst there is an understanding that this option will not be of direct benefit to every current member of the club, in general it would offer the best outcome for the majority of members and help secure the long term viability of Lions Ski Club and its continued existence at Snozone Castleford. 5. How will this affect me? If the partnership deal is agreed, Lion s sessions will continue to operate as they do currently. There will be some administrative changes, most significantly that all ticketing for the sessions will be carried out by the Snozone front desk (this will be the case for Option 2 also). Lions will continue to collect subs, issue bibs, be responsible for running the sessions and all instructors will continue to be Lion s volunteers. The key changes, which will affect everyone are: 1) the slope fee charged to those skiing within a Lion s session will be dependent upon Snozone membership the fee for a Snozone member will be significantly lower than for a non-snozone member, 2) Lions will remove its charge for membership in order to partially offset the cost of Snozone membership, 3) Lions will have to increase the subs it charges to participants in its sessions in order to partly make up for the loss of Lion s membership fees. 6. Will I have to pay more to ski in Lion s sessions? - The answer to this depends upon individual circumstances, some people will pay less for their ski training over a typical year and some will pay more. It is impossible to cover all the possible scenarios in this document but all the information required to work this out for your own situation will be made available. In general, those that visit Lions/Snozone more regularly, purchase a Snozone membership and utilise the membership benefits, will likely save money, whereas those that visit infrequently will see an increase in their overall costs. In the most typical scenarios for Option 1, the breakeven point will be at around 15 visits to Lions for those purchasing a Snozone membership this number of visits would be lower for those who also use Snozone for sessions, coaching and general skiing. Although the cost of Snozone membership is higher than the traditional cost of Lion s membership, there are a number of benefits included in the membership, such as free slope passes and discounts, which can help
offset the cost. See the Snozone membership T&C s for full details also in the past year Snozone have offered a free ski week to members and sizeable discounts on slope passes through flash sales. In addition to the listed membership benefits, if the partnership is confirmed, Snozone will also offer a free Lion s session in July 16 and free race training in Dec 15 (to those eligible), to all Lion s members purchasing a Snozone membership. In essence, the more an individual skis at Lions and Snozone, the more value they will gain from these proposed changes. 7. How much will it cost to ski in a Lion s session if Lions become Snozone partners? This will depend upon a number of factors, but primarily whether you become a Snozone member and the number of Lion s members who take out a Snozone membership prior to 30/11/15 (see Option 1 for sliding scale). Generally, those who take out a Snozone membership will see a significantly lower price than those who do not. See below for a summary of the likely pricing (Lion s rate applies to both children and adults). Snozone Yes No No Yes Member? Lions@Snozone Yes Yes No No Member? Slope Fee Lions rate ( 13.99 to 15.99) Prevailing Snozone Headline Rate* Prevailing Snozone Headline Rate* Lions rate ( 13.99 to 15.99) Lions Subs 5 5 5 5 Cost of session 18.99 to 20.99 34.99 to 39.99* 34.99 to 39.99* 18.99 to 20.99 Notes - - Would need to join Lions after two sessions as a guest to be insured * Based on peak season rate which applies from 1 st Oct 15 at 29.99 (J) and 34.99 (A) for a two hour session. 8. How much does a Snozone membership cost and what are the benefits? - Please see the Snozone membership terms & prices PDF. 9. Will all Lions@Snozone members have to buy a Snozone membership? No! As outlined elsewhere in this document, a Snozone membership is only required to get the preferential Lions@Snozone slope rate when skiing in a Lion s session; as well as the other benefits associated with the membership. Generally, a Snozone membership should only be purchased by Lions@Snozone members who actually participate within training sessions. 10. Can children have a stand alone junior Snozone membership? All children can have an individual membership, but any child under 12 must be linked to a parent or guardian s adult membership or be part of a family membership (please see Snozone membership T&C s). This rule will affect many of our junior skiers and Lion s understand that some adults will need to purchase a Snozone membership in order that their children can become Snozone members. Although not ideal for all, this has been factored in to the breakeven point outlined above; please though, do calculate how this will affect your individual situation. Please also consider that Lion s do offer adult tuition, instructor training and free-skiing within their sessions and any adult joining Snozone with their children, in order to attain the reduced slope fee, will be eligible for all the benefits of Snozone membership. 11. Should I buy individual memberships or a family membership? Again this depends on individual circumstances. Whereas historically families have paid for a Lion s family membership, even if only the children ski with Lions, this would generally not be the best approach when purchasing Snozone memberships. Families should consider who will actually use the slope and buy Snozone memberships accordingly. A family can all be Lions@Snozone members but have only selected family members with a Snozone membership. Due to the Snozone membership referral system, whereby any individual member referring a new member will receive a free one hour slope pass, in most instances it is better value for a family to join as individual members, referring one another. It is also of benefit to the club for people to join as individuals, as the ongoing Lions@Snozone rate will be set on 30/11/15 according to a sliding scale based on the number of Lion s members who have a purchased a Snozone membership a family membership will only count as one membership in this calculation, whereas four individual memberships count as four.
12. Why bother joining Lions@Snozone at all, why not just join Snozone? Fundamentally, joining the Snozone membership scheme will affect the price that members pay to ski in a Lion s session. Lion s membership is still required though, as it is this that provides insurance cover for the session and affiliation to Snowsports England. Whether you are a Snozone member or not, following a maximum of two guest visits you will be required to join Lions@Snozone in order to continue attending Lions@Snozone sessions. As outlined in the partnership proposal document (Option 1), being a member of Lions@Snozone will no longer incur payment of an ongoing annual membership fee. A 5pp registration/ administration fee will be charged to all new members, but all current Lions Ski Club members will be exempt from this charge. 13. Should I go out and buy a Snozone membership straightaway? A good number of Lion s members are already Snozone members too, as they use the slope for skiing outside of Lion s sessions and enjoy the discounts and free slope time provided by the Snozone membership. If this sounds like you, then it may well be a good idea to buy a Snozone membership too. In general though, the club s recommendation is to wait until after the EGM in order to see whether the partnership is agreed. If it is, the club will provide further information to all members on the best way to go about obtaining a Snozone membership and maximising the number of free hours credited to a membership. 14. What if I buy a Snozone membership and the partnership doesn t happen? If you buy a Snozone membership prior to 30/11/15 and the partnership does not come to fruition, Snozone will refund the membership fee. 15. Should I renew my Lion s membership as normal? No. Please wait until after the EGM and further information from the club. If Option 1 is supported there will be no need to renew your Lion s membership as this will happen automatically at no cost. If Option 2 is supported, the club will require renewal of Lion s membership from 1/10/15 and will issue instructions accordingly. 16. I am an instructor or coach, do I need a Snozone membership? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. All instructors and coaches will need a Snozone membership to teach within a Lions@Snozone session but will not be charged slope fees or subs for those sessions. All instructors and coaches will receive the same benefits as any other Snozone member with regard to free sessions and hours, and any other discounts and benefits. The club will be looking at further ways to add value for instructors and coaches, once the status of the club is decided upon. 17. Will my current Lion s jacket/ clothing need replacing if we become Lions@Snozone? - Should the partnership be approved, rebranding of the club would not happen overnight. It is unlikely that there would be a need for current clothing to be replaced during the current cycle. The club is already looking at the possibility for jackets etc to have additional branding added. 18. Where do I get further information? If you have further questions about these changes please email julian@lions-skiclub.org. If you have specific queries regarding costs, terms or benefits of Snozone membership please contact Snozone directly.
Thank you for joining the Snozone membership scheme. Membership: 1) Members qualify for a 25% saving on recreational passes, group lessons, sledging sessions and coaching activities in season (Oct 1 st April 30th) and a 50% saving in our off season (May 1 st -September 30 th ). These savings apply to standard prices and may exclude certain events and sessions held at Snozone. 2) Membership is non transferable and non refundable and is valid for 12 months from the day of purchase. Membership discount is only applicable for the membership holder. The membership card must be shown on ticket collection at all times otherwise a discount will not be given. The membership card must also be shown to our bar and restaurant staff to enable discount on our food and beverage range. 3) Your membership is a one-off payment at the beginning of the membership with no monthly fees to pay and the term is for 12 months. After this period, we would like you to re-join, but it is not a rolling membership. We will therefore contact you approaching the 12 months completion. 4) These are your benefits and are only applicable upon production of your membership card. Free one hour main slope pass for every member you refer, so you need never pay as you go again! 2 free 1 hour main slope passes upon joining 15% off the SnoAcademy 15% off all shop merchandise 15% off all private lessons 15% off all products in our restaurant (excluding alcohol and confectionary) 15% off all children s parties and SnoCamps No booking fees when booking online Free parking at Milton Keynes when purchasing a lesson, recreational pass or coaching session ticket Free locker tokens (collected on arrival at site) 3% off the total of all holidays booked through Crystal 25% off taxi fares with Euro Car Taxis (Castleford only) A free wax and edge line for your ski s and snowboards once every 3 weeks. Plus regular members offers throughout the year
5) Please note replacement membership cards cost 5 each. 6) Membership discounts do not apply to certain special offers or where double discounts occur. 7) Proof of habitation or cohabitation must be provided upon joining. This may constitute a utility bill or bank statement, with photographic proof from either a passport or driving licence. The membership card is linked to photo-id so we will need to take your photograph upon joining. For student membership, students must produce a valid NUS card or other relevant student ID that that clearly states student status is valid for the whole membership term. 8) Junior memberships are available to children over 12 years of age. We re sorry but we do not sell stand alone memberships to children under 12 years of age. All children under 12 years must be linked to their parent s membership, either through a family membership or a single adult membership. I agree to these terms and conditions. NAME: SIGNATURE NAME: SIGNATURE (2 nd adult for family membership) ADDRESS: POSTCODE TELEPHONE No.. EMAIL ADDRESS.. DATE OF JOINING CATEGORY OF MEMBERSHIP.. CARD NUMBER.. WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US?... TAKEN ON BEHALF OF SNOZONE: NAME SIGNATURE Please do read the Terms and Conditions carefully. If you are not sure about anything, please ask one of our team! If we can assist you with anything throughout your visit or during the term of your membership, please ask at the reception desk and we will provide immediate help. We really hope you enjoy your membership and we re delighted you ve joined our club
Snozone Membership Prices For Annual Membership. (Prepared by Lions Ski Club valid at September 2015). Membership Type Adult membership (16 years and above) Junior Membership (15 years and under) Student Membership (16 and over with valid student ID) Cost Notes* 118 70 All children under 12 MUST be linked to a parent or guardian s adult or family membership. 80 Please enquire further with Snozone. Senior Membership 75 Please enquire further with Snozone. Family Membership (2 adults + 2 juniors) 298 Family add-ons: Child 3 = 47, Child 4 = 42 *Please see Snozone membership T&C s for full details, alternatively enquire with Snozone.
Important Points To Note When Purchasing A Snozone Membership. If you are considering purchasing a Snozone membership, in order to receive the discounted Lion s rate and the other benefits of Snozone membership, please be aware of the following and please purchase your membership before 30 th November 2015: Only buy a Snozone membership for those people that actually ski on the slope and can benefit from the price reduction and membership benefits. (See note below re: Under 12 memberships). In most cases individual memberships for family members will work out cheaper than a family membership. We have very few families where all family members participate in either our sessions or with Snozone. Lions will benefit most by people buying individual memberships rather than family memberships, as both an individual and a family membership count as 1 towards our total number of memberships generated. Make the most of Snozone s referral system whereby any member referring a new member will have a free slope pass credited to their account. So, when you first purchase a membership make sure you are referred by an existing Snozone member and when purchasing a number of individual memberships for family members, ensure you refer each other. If one individual is likely to ski more than other family members, they should be the main referrer; as any individual can make multiple referrals and be credited with multiple free slope passes. Talk to your fellow Lions and agree referring from family to family. Snozone requires that all under 12 s having an individual Snozone membership must be associated with the adult membership of a parent or guardian. For many of our members this rule will apply and although this may seem restrictive, please bear in mind that the adult member will also receive all of the benefits of Snozone membership and be eligible for the heavily discounted Lion s session rate. Also be aware that Lion s sessions are not just for children, we offer great value and high quality ski tuition to adults every Sunday morning! We also offer a training pathway for parents to become qualified instructors at Lions, allowing instructing on the slope for free on a Sunday morning and the eligibility for attendance on Monday evenings for either instructor training or just free skiing. Use free membership hours when they are worth the most to you. Slope pass prices are much higher in season (Oct-Apr) than off season (May-Sept), so try to use free hours in season. You can use free hours to offset the cost of a Lion s session, but since Lion s sessions are very heavily discounted against the standard rate, this is unlikely to be the best value option. Slope tickets are reduced by 50% in the off season (25% in season) with a Snozone membership. Make the most of skiing for as little as 10 when the slope is at its quietest. Try to print off the membership forms and complete them prior to your arrival at Snozone and remember to take along the required ID documents. Where possible, also try to avoid joining on a Sunday morning prior to the session, as this is likely to lead to lengthy queues. Use your membership to get discounts at the bar and shop, and don t forget the Lion s Sunday morning breakfast deal, 3.99 for a hot drink and breakfast sandwich before 11am. When you buy a Snozone membership, make sure Snozone are aware you are a Lion s member. Also please let Lions know that you have now joined Snozone. The more Snozone memberships bought by Lion s members, the lower our ongoing session price will be. DO NOT renew your Lion s membership as this is no longer necessary. Note: this will be reviewed should we not generate 90 Snozone memberships and fail to enact the partnership. Hope this helps!