Mainline Ski Club, Member Discounts and Benefits

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Member Benefits

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Member Benefits

Main Line Ski Club Membership Benefits

You have national benefits available to you as a Main Line Ski Club member. The following benefits are provided through Eastern Pennsylvania Ski Council membership in the National Ski Council Federation.

Breeze Ski Rentals/Max Snowboard Rentals
60 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
30% discount off the walk-in rate. Groups of 10 or more must reserve in advance.

Christy Sports
Multiple locations through western ski country. 20% discount on rentals.

Sports Express
Ships sports equipment and luggage from your home to your destination and back.
Members receive a $5.00/item discount.
Ordering online at www.sportsexpress.com you can receive an additional $5.00 off your entire order.

Sports Basement
$25.00 one-time gift certificate plus an ongoing 10% discount.
Online at www.sportsbasement.com

Resort Quest International
15% discount off their lodging and properties.
web site - www.resortquest.com/fam-fly-free.cfm

BELLAYRE MT--$10.00 off Lift Ticket

Show Ski Club Membership Card and receive $10.00 of price of Lift Ticket—any day of the week!!! NO Blackout Dates!!!!!!!!!!!

HERTZ—US AND CANADA (TO GET DISCOUNT, MUST USE CDP # 1467605)
· 20% discount on Hertz Daily Member Benefit Rates (US-car classes A-F)
· 10% Discount on Hertz Standard Daily, Weekend, Weekly & Monthly Rates (all car classes)
· 5% or greater Discount on Hertz Leisure Daily, Weekend, Weekly & Monthly Rates (all car classes)
· 5% Discount on Vehicle Promotional Rates

RENTSKIS.COM—25% Off Daily Ski & Snowboard Rentals must rent in advance via www.rentskis.com/nscf
Over 100 locations throughout the West

GEARDIRECT.COM—5-7% OFF ALL MERCHANDISE
· Full Line of outdoor sporting gear available on-line at www.GearDirect.com or www.BuySkis.com

TERRY SPORTS—STEAMBOAT & TAOS RETAIL STORES or on-line at www.terrysports.com
· 20% off Ski & Snowboard purchases (at stores or on-line)
· 25% off rental equipment
· 25% off shop services
· 20% off general merchandise purchases (stores only)

BOLLE HELMETS & GOGGLES/SPORTS STAR PRO SALES

LEEDOM HELMETS

Both these companies are offering "pro" pricing on children and adult helmets to Ski Club/NSCF members. Contact Frank Cressman for details at 610-793-6959 or fcress@earthlink.net

Special Discounts

Discounts for Club Members

Trip and Event Reports

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Trip and Event Reports

MLSC Trip to Athens, the Islands and Istanbul

Trip Report by Jack Behrle

After almost two years of anticipation, 33 MLSC members boarded planes for Athens on September 23, 2009, and after an uneventful 10 hour-flight, landed in Athens. Included in the trip were 2 nights in Athens, a 7-day/night cruise on the Windstar Cruise Line’s Wind Spirit and four nights in Istanbul.

Note: The photos that accompanied this article did not travel well to this page, but can be found in the Group email PDF file that was sent to members October 12, 2009. Additional photos and larger ones can be seen in the Photo Galleries tab on the horizontal bar at the top of the window.

Our tour started in Athens where we were met by Wulfie, our Tour Guide for the entire trip. Athens was warm, busy and surprisingly walk-able. We toured the Acropolis, saw the Parthenon and the new Acropolis museum, and enjoyed more than a few tavernas. Our dinner on the last night in Athens was a marathon with way too much food, but heck, we are tough and can take it!

On Saturday morning, we assembled, boarded our bus and went to the Port of Athens, Piraeus. Our ship, the Wind Spirit, awaited us, gorgeous and gleaming - with the Captain and First Mate personally welcoming us onboard. After a quick check-in, most of us reported directly to the Pool Bar for libations in preparation for our sail away! Marion, Maddy, Judy and Jean always seemed to find time to report here!

We sailed away at dusk and began one of the most pleasant weeks most of us have ever had. The service was amazing, the food, even better.

The winds were fresh and we headed to Mykinos but due to the strength and direction, we diverted instead to Milos, famous for the Venus de Milo found in the Louvre. We explored the capital, Plaka, a lovely place for most of the day before returning to the Wind Spirit and our next destination, Santorini. That night, we enjoyed the relaxed and delightful dining in the dining room, preceded by cocktails in the lounges, etc. We were all quickly getting used to this life!

Santorini was stunning, with clear skies, warm temps and spectacular scenery. An extinct volcano, the slopes on the harbor are steep so some of us rented a donkey to take us to the top of the cone. Chase and Sue rented two spectacularly odiferous beasts and managed to reach the top with little damage to either them or said beasts! (I did not interview the donkeys but they appeared unfazed by the whole trek.)

Following a colorful sail away from Santorini, we headed for Rhodes and a ferry ride to Symi. This island was about 45 minutes from Rhodes, but all agreed, a stunningly beautiful little town with one of the most beautiful harbors in Greece. On either side of the steep-sided fjord rise tier upon tier of houses, some painted white but many in pastels, all with neo-classical pediments, a reminder that 100 years ago, this town was one of Greece’s most prosperous islands. Used by the Nazis as a sub base in WWII, many of the houses were destroyed but rebuilt beautifully following the war.

Our next port was Bodrum, in Turkey where we toured ruins of the towns of Didyma, Miletus and Priene. Stunning when we realized we were looking back over 3000 years with some of these towns! Miletus is now surrounded by arid plains but once was a prosperous sea port before the rivers silted up and the port simply fell into disuse since it no longer connected to the Adriatic.

Next day found us in Kusadasi, Turkey and a tour of Ephesus, including the Library (photo) one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. This city once had 250,000 inhabitants making it the third largest city in the world at that time. Following our tours, we had lunch at a local buffet restaurant and managed to get back to our ship in time for dinner! (This is not easy duty!)

Our sixth day was at sea, threading our way thru the Dardanelles, past the Gallipoli battlefields of WWI and into the sea of Marmora and ultimately arriving in Istanbul on Saturday morning.

Istanbul was universally loved by all! What a fascinating city with some 14 million plus inhabitants, sitting at the juncture of Asia and Europe on the Bosporus. We had a full-day tour upon arrival where we visited the Blue Mosque, Topkapi palace, Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar plus much more. Most of us visited the Harem, but found none of the original inhabitants available. By dinner, we were all worn out! Our hotel, the Blue House, was located directly across from the Blue Mosque and we all enjoyed the five daily calls to worship from the Mosque!

We shopped ‘til we dropped and managed to dent Turkey’s almost inexhaustible supply of fine leather clothing and incredibly detailed woven rugs. The Grand Bazaar was suitably named and unbelievable, a city under roof with almost 4000 shop keepers, all vying for our business. Ann, Sue and Maddy managed to make a positive contribution to Turkey’s balance of payments!

On Sunday, Wulfie arranged a tour of the Bosporus for us all and we almost made it into the Black Sea. We all had lunch in Asia before returning to our hotel and more shopping. On Monday and Tuesday, the touring and shopping continued until we either ran out of credit, legs or just plain endurance.

We departed early on Wednesday morning and made it back to Philly by late afternoon. All agreed this was one of the most spectacular trips ever. I am worried how we will top this one however.

Any ideas ???

Jack Behrle

Note: The photos that accompanied this article did not travel well to this page, but can be found in the Group email PDF file that was sent to members October 12, 2009. Additional photos and larger ones can be seen in the Photo Galleries tab on the horizontal bar at the top of the window.

Jay Minnick's Skiing Tips form the Dec. '09 Meeting

News Report: Ski Areas Overstate Snowfall Amounts

Main Line Racers Succeed at Breck!

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Main Line Racers Succeed at Breck!
March 6 to 11, 2011
by Kerwin Nailor

We had a great week of skiing at Breckenridge from March 6 to 11, 2011. Lots of blue skies and great snow had everyone in high spirits. As always, there are those of us who just have to test our skill and competitive ability on the race course. Always ready to provide the chance, NASTAR, the long-running recreational racing organization, was there to give us the chance to excel.

First try was on Monday, when Fletcher and Sally Swanson, and Kerwin and Jorie Nailor ran the Green and Yellow courses on intermediate Sundown Trail. Even with perfect conditions, there was disappointment, when only one medal was garnered. Kerwin got a Silver, but nobody else scored - big surprise, since all had won at least Bronze medals on prior years’ tries. Oh well, there are more days ahead.

On Thursday, Kerwin and Jorie went back to the hill to see if Jorie could ski faster after a few days on the slopes. Well, she felt faster, but the officials did not announce her time after the race. We did not find out the results until we called later in the day. Bronze it was! Kerwin skied the course again, too, with another Silver time. During the phone call, the race director offered us complimentary runs the next day to make up for the staff error and inconvenience.

Needing to go to the course anyway, to get Jorie's medal, and having the complementary offer, we were eager to have one last shot at the hill on Friday morning. At the 10am opening, we were near the front of the racers lined up at the starting gates. Jorie went first, psyched up a little more by yesterday's Bronze medal now in her pocket. No surprise, then, that she got Bronze again! Next up, Kerwin, hoping to break out of the Silver rut, ran the course. Success again - he won the Gold!

Fletcher and Sally were skiing Friday with John Wilusz and Sandy Pyle. They all got to the course around noon, inspired by Kerwin and Jorie's success. Their first runs were great, too and all won Bronze medals. As is typical of competitive people, Fletcher and Sally just had to try again; maybe that Silver was within reach. So, back to the course before it closed they went. Giving it the old college try, both moved up a notch and won their first Silver medals!

Kerwin and Jorie Nailor Reflecting on this racing success, it is the first time we can remember of 6 people all moving up one level in medals, and two people moving up 2 levels—for a total of 11 medals. This fits right in with the club's tradition of racing success with Council Cup, ASRA, and national NASTAR competition. Congratulations to all.

A photo of the six MLSC medalists at NASTAR at Breckenridge follows: MLSC Six Medalists at NASTAR at Breckenridge: John Wilusz and Sandy Pyle, Kerwin and Jorie Nailor, Fletcher and Sally Swanson Note: Kerwin Nailor has been invited to the NASTAR finals at Winter Park, CO the weekend of March 25-26, 2011. So, looking at the list of 10 or so competitors in the male 70-74 Silver category, he says he has a chance to be famous.

Follow-up Note: Last month we noted that based on his winning NASTAR results at Breckenridge, Kerwin Nailor was invited to the NASTAR finals at Winter Park, CO. the weekend of March 25-26, 2011. Kerwin Nailor received a Bronze metal at Winter Park – third in the country in his age bracket.

Main Line Ski Team Takes the Spoils

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Main Line Ski Team Takes the Spoils

Submitted by Pam DeCampli

Main Line Ski Team scored two critical wins in the 2010-2011 racing season defending and capturing their 20th National American Ski Racing Alliance (ASRA) championship title and their 18th Eastern Pennsylvania Ski Council (EPSC) championship.

The 2011 EPSC Council Cup Race, held March 6th at Bear Creek, was attended by 61 racers representing 5 Ski Clubs and 12 teams. Main Line fielded 4 “A-cup” contender teams. The Master’s team rules were modified February 2011 by the Ski Council to only include participants age 60 and older; therefore, Main Line did not enter a Masters’ Team.

The foggy, drizzly weather was a major challenge during the two-run modified dual slalom but when the rain stopped and the times were added up, the Main Line Ski Team finished in first place taking the “A” cup. This earned the team the right to hold the coveted and ancient, but one-of-a-kind trophy for the year. The “A” cup competition standings resulted in the following times: Main Line (229.81), Main Line B (237.13) and Flying Dutchmen (243.37). The Main Line team of Alice Harper, Pam DeCampli, David Moore, Jim Neel, Jason Smith, and Jeff Frey took home bragging rights for the year.

The fastest men’s single run for the day went to Main Lines’ David Moore with a blazing run of 26.65 followed by Flying Dutchman’s Roman Matusinski (27.58). Main Line’s Jason Smith and Ted Lacki tied for third place (27.84). The fastest woman’s single run for the day went to Main Line’s Alice Harper with a speedy run of 31.33 followed by Flying Dutchman’s Nancy Brandi (32.72) and Main Line’s Kristin Lamb (32.83). The Cressman Cup, created to honour the memory of long time MLSC member and racer, Frank C. Cressman, was awarded to the fastest racer over the age of 60, Joe Mazurek, for a blazing fast time of 30.41.

The 2011 ASRA finals were held at Belleayre Mountain Resort in upstate New York March 11th and 12th. Twenty-three ski clubs, competing from December 2010 thru March 2011, went head to head to claim the ASRA Championship title. When it was all said and done, the Main Line Ski Team landed solidly in first place with total season team points of 10,073. The second place team, Grumman, followed in second place with season total points of 6,973. This represents the 20th time Main Line has won the much coveted ASRA Championship.

Two Main Line men racers, David Moore - second place and Jim Neel - seventh place, secured top ten ASRA season point standings. Three Main Line women racers including Melanie Foy - second place, Kristin Buchholz - third place, and Alice Harper - seventh place, claimed top ten ASRA season point standings.

The season culminated in an over one-minute, two-run, gruelling Giant Slalom race held on March 12th. At the conclusion, numerous Main Line racers were individually recognized for placing in the top five of their eligibility handicapped group. These individual racers included David Moore - third place Super Elite A, Wolfgang Bauer - second place Super Seniors, Jason Smith - third place Super Elite B, Jim Neel - first place Elite, Patrick Peron - first place Class A, Jacques Boudin - fourth place Class A, and Didier Peron - fourth place Class B.

In the women’s standings: Alice Harper - first place Elite, Tracy Dreher - fourth place Class A, Liliana Peron - first place Class B, and Pam DeCampli - second place Class B.

Congratulations to all Main Line racers who contributed to the team for making this year such a success!

Main Line Ski Team Scores Big in 2012

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Main Line Ski Team Scores Big in 2012

Main Line Ski Team Scores Big at
EPSC Council Races and
ASRA 2012 Finals

Submitted by Pam DeCampli

Main Line Ski Team scored several critical wins in the 2011-2012 racing season. The Team repeated another Eastern Pennsylvania Ski Council (EPSC) championship win making this the 19th time Main Line won the EPSC prized Council Cup. They also captured the Master’s Cup in a head to head race against defending champions from the Mack Ski Club. Main Line placed second overall in the American Ski Racing Alliance (ASRA) race series.

The 2012 EPSC Council Cup Race, held March 4th at Bear Creek, was attended by 73 racers representing 6 Ski Clubs and 16 teams. Main Line fielded 4 “A-cup” contender teams and one Master’s Team. The lack of snow this season created a minor challenge during the two-run modified dual slalom and spring like conditions created major ruts in the courses. When all times were added up, the Main Line Ski Team finished in first place taking the “A” cup. This earned the team the right to hold the coveted and ancient, but one-of-a-kind trophy for the year. Main Line’s next A team finished in second place with a margin of only 0.10 seconds separating the two Main Line teams. The Main Line team of Melanie Foy, Kristin Buchholz, David Moore, Jim Neel, Jason Smith, and Jeff Frey took home the bragging rights for the year.

The Fastest Man Award went to Main Lines’ Jordan Goldsmith with a blazing combined two run time of 59.64. Jordan was closely followed by Main Line’s Dave Moore (60.47), Jason Smith (60.53), Jim Neel (61.63) and Rick Durofchalk (62.06). This is the first time in Council history that all five top men racers represented one Council team. It was a Top 5 Main Line sweep.

The Fastest Woman Award went to Main Line’s Jenn Haas with a speedy run of 66.94 followed by Main Line’s Kristin Buchholz (68.07), Stacy Kearney (68.69), and Melanie Foy (69.35). Main Line’s women scored four of the top five podium positions.

Masters Trophy

The Main Line Master’s Team, comprised of Ellen Reap, Wolfgang Bauer, Jacques Boudin, John Foy, and Didier Peron won the Trophy soundly from last year’s winning team, the Mack Ski Club, by 15.73 seconds.

Cressman Cup

The Cressman Cup, created to honour the memory of long-time MLSC member and racer, Frank C. Cressman, is awarded to the fastest racer over the age of 60. This year’s Cressman Cup was granted to Main Line’s Jacques Boudin for a single fastest run time of 32.55. Joe Mazurek, the 2011 winner from the Mack Ski Club, was 0.10 seconds behind Jacques with a time of 32.65. Main Line’s Ellen Reap won the Fastest Woman Master’s trophy.

ASRA 2012 Finals

The 2012 ASRA finals were held at Pico Mountain Resort in Killington, VT March 10th and 11th. Twenty-five ski clubs, competing from December 2011 thru March 2012, went head to head to claim the ASRA Championship title. The Mine Ski Team took second place with total season team points of 7,781. The first place team, and long-standing Main Line rival, Grumman, took first place honours with season total points of 8,321.

Two Main Line men racers, David Moore, third place, and Jim Neel, sixth place, secured Top Ten Men 2012 season point standings. Two Main Line women racers, Melanie Foy, third place and Meghan Silvia, tenth place, claimed Top Ten Woman season point standings.

The season culminated in an over-one-minute, two-run, Giant Slalom Individual Competition Race. At the conclusion, numerous Main Line racers were individually recognized for placing in the top 5 of their eligibility handicapped group. These individuals included: David Moore, third place Super Elite; Wolfgang Bauer, first place Super Seniors; Patrick Peron, first place Elite; Robert Lett, Jr., second place Elite; Jason Gladstone, third place Elite; Bill Surette first place Class A; Alex MacLean, fifth place Class B.; Didier Peron, first place Class C.

In the women’s standings, Main Line top 5 racers included: Melanie Foy, fourth place Elite; Meghan Silvia, fourth place Class A; Liliana Peron, third place Class B; and Pam DeCampli, fifth place, Class B.

Congratulations to all Main Line racers who contributed to the Team for making this year such a success! It was truly a great season.

Note: The photos that accompanied this article did not travel well to this page, but can be found in the Group email PDF file that is being sent to MLSC members.

Saalbach, Austria 2013--A Trip to Remember!

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Saalbach, Austria 2013--A Trip to Remember!

Saalbach, Austria 2013--
A Trip to Remember!

With 30 signed on for our adventure, 29 eventually made it (Sorry, Don!) to the airport for the 6 hr. flight to Frankfurt. After a brief layover, we were on to Munich and our bus to Saalbach!

While we had heavy traffic in Germany, as soon as we crossed into Austria, the road opened up. By 3:30 or so, we arrived. After unloading, all of us unpacked, freshened up and eventually ended up in the bar for the 6PM welcoming from the Breitfuss family, owners of the Hotel Neuhaus. Beautiful hors d'oeuvres, Champagne, wine and beer flowed and before we knew it, time for dinner!

Dinner at the Hotel Neuhaus is an event. Normally 2 hours + long and 6 courses, the food was gourmet! Our rooms also thrilled us since not only were they huge but many had walk in closets, big screen TV's and sitting areas.

Sunday was gorgeous and we had plenty of terrain to explore so most of us were on the slopes by 9:30 AM or so. Saalbach ski areas have 55 lifts with most of the larger detachable (6 and 8 passenger) having heated seats! Most of the group stayed in the Saalbach and Hinterglemm areas for the first day. With all of the terrain, it was hard to repeat your travels. The walk to the lifts was short with four major lifts situated close to our hotel.

Dinner was at 7:00PM and most of us struggled to bed by 9:30 or so. Monday dawned cloudy but that did not stop all from further exploring. Some of us made it all the way to Leogang on the extreme right side of the area. With time short before a massage appointment, four of us decided to take a cab back from Leogang at 3PM. Since we were on the other side of two mountains, the cab ride was 35 minutes and $81 back to the Neuhaus! (We decided next time we would take the chairlifts!) Lift tickets were 200 Euros for 5 out of 7 days...this is about $54/day!

A gala Austrian specialty meal of six courses was one of the many highlights for the week.

Overall, Saalbach is famed for a wide variety of intermediate/advanced terrain with little beginner or true expert. Huttes or restaurants were everywhere on the slopes and all enjoyed more than a few schnapps, gluhweins and beers during the week. Many of the runs stretch for miles and it is easy to go from area to area without worrying about getting lost.

The biggest challenge was the cloudy conditions on 2 of the 5 ski days that made the skiing challenging when the snow clouds and fog moved in. All of the trails were very well marked, however, mostly wide and expansive. Conditions ranged from firm packed to perhaps 3 inches of fresh twice during the week. We did not hear any complaints about conditions or crowds. The longest lift line wait was about 2 minutes and many times we skied directly to the chairs.

On Wednesday, 28 of us went on a chartered bus into Salzburg, an easy 1.5 hour ride from Saalbach. Following a gala lunch at the Stiftskeller/St Peters (opened in 803AD and generally regarded as the oldest restaurant in the world) we all explored this charming town. Mozart was born here and some of the group visited his birth home. Others visited the Bishops castle towering over the old town. We all arrived back to Saalbach around 7PM and another amazing meal.

Thursday and Friday found more terrific skiing with some clouds on top but nothing to detract from the overall time.

On Saturday, some of our group headed for Munich and the flight home. 21 of us however went to Vienna, a 4.5 hour bus ride east. We stayed at the Hotel Wandl right in the heart of the old town walking area. After 3 nights in Vienna, we headed back to the airport, connected in Munich and arrived back in Philly on time at 3:30PM. With the very special hotel Neuhaus, everyone wants to return so put this trip on your list in a few years...we WILL return!

See Photo Gallery for photos of this trip!

Jack Behrle
Euro Trip Leader