Carve your own Space!
CLASC Trip to Schweitzer, Idaho
13 – 20 Mar 2010
Schweitzer locals will be quick to tell you,
“This place stinks!” They
go on to explain that with “long lift lines, crowded slopes, and
customer service that’s non-existent,” they would rather we not tell
anybody about their little diamond mine in the Idaho panhandle.
At least that’s what they say. None
of that is true, however.
There were no lift lines. Often we were the only ones on the slopes, and
United Airlines could take a lesson from the Schweitzer staff on
customer service!
It’s
understandable, though, that the locals would fib about Schweitzer since
it’s as unique as a single snowflake, and they want to protect it from
those who couldn’t appreciate this idyllic setting.
Schweitzer is superb!
Trip leader Rick Heiman and assistant Kent Yokley (with a little
help from Laura Heiman) set in motion a flawless trip of great skiing,
sumptuous food, and even better living accommodations.
Some say it has been their best trip…ever!
We should have had a premonition that everything would turn out just
perfect. The pre-trip party
held at the Heimans’ bayside home featuring filet mignon with all the
fixin’s was delicious and five-star!
Laura’s keen eye on Facebook resulted in tremendous savings on
lift tickets as we all took advantage of Monday through Friday skiing
for the Spring Fling Pass cost of $99.00 -- not bad when other resorts
charge nearly that much for a single day!
Our CLASC trip started bright and early on Saturday, March 13, from IAH.
A spectacularly scenic bus ride from Spokane up to the mountain
resort resulted in six cut-backs on the winding road (or was that 16???)
and moose sightings! Lots
of oohs and aahs!
The sun rose on Sunday to a beautiful mountain area full of wonderful
and challenging terrain.
After we all skied and boarded the slopes, Rick and Laura Heiman, Rick
Tate and Teresa Savage-Tate, Lewis Ludke and “JP” Poffinbarger, and
Terry O’Neel and Gail Rogers hosted a wonderful party Sunday night at
their lodge, Big Timber.
The panoramic views of the lake and mountains below were
complimented with awesome food prepared by Laura and Teresa.
The great folks at Schweitzer Mountain Resort, headed by Ms. Gwen
Victorson, Leisure Sales Manager, welcomed us Monday with a wonderful
après ski “Welcome Party!”
It was fun to mingle and hear how great all the runs were and how well
we had already being treated by the staff and the locals.
The food at various dining establishments in “The Village” on the
mountain was first-rate!
Skiing
on Tuesday was coupled with a bus trip down the mountain into Sandpoint
to enjoy the best Italian dining in all of Northern Idaho for the CLASC
club dinner at Ivano’s. The
food and wine selections were inviting, and the service was impeccable!
On
St. Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, we all wore some green for fear of a big
pinch! Most of us headed
for the Outback Bowl and enjoyed a CLASC gathering for lunch.
Yes, it’s official -- the loaded Idaho potatoes are huge!
New members were: Kathy
Quigley, who skis like a pro. (She was real happy to find that a run
aptly named Kathy’s Yard Sale was waiting just for her.)
Anne Cronin, who sailed down
runs on Outback Bowl as though she carved them herself.
Fashion plates David and Johnnie Person could be easily spotted
-- Johnnie in her beautiful colors and
David with an assortment of unique hats which even came with
sound effects!
Friday culminated in a CLASC Club Dinner in the Schweitzer Village
Selkirk Hotel. It was
wonderful to say the least.The adult beverages were plentiful, and the
food melted in your mouth. Rick, our leader, was quick to note
that this trip was all the better for the new CLASC members that joined
our "family".
Paula Leis floated down the hill like a fresh snowflake, while her
husband Tom Peeler, relatively new to skiing, went from the lower slopes
on the mountain to the Outback Bowl and ended up slaying the blue runs!
The weather and the snow were great.
Fresh snow fell during mid-week!
There was something for everyone.
Lewis had a little sniffle when we began and all his fun time on
the mountain just shooed it away!
Rick Tate and wife Teresa enjoyed another wonderful wedding
anniversary and were spotted canoodling in the village like they were on
their honeymoon!
Nikki Polly wisely went from a triple somersault with a half-twist on
her snowboard to carving her own space on the mountain with a pair of
performance skis! As she is
a natural athlete, we can now honestly say she bounces back from one to
the other real well. Longtime
CLASC members, Ken Stuchley and wife Velma Lee, took in all the sights
from the top of the summit most days.
They gave the best snow condition and weather reports during our
stay.
Keith Zimmerman earned well deserved recognition for his above and
beyond the call of duty efforts while assisting the Ski Patrol in
performing their responsibilities with one of our crew on Great Divide.
Kent Yokley was lost somewhere on the mountain dancing to the
tunes on his new iPod. The
Ski Patrol had to be told he wasn’t actually having a seizure.
Pam Henry joined many CLASC groups down the mountain and was slicing
down blues at one point with about 16 other CLASC members.
Next time we’ll put a torch in everyone’s hand and we’ll go night
skiing!
Still newly married, Terry and Gail proved that they would follow each other anywhere and showed us all the power of love on the mountain when Terry misdirected Gail down one slope.
Diane Mohr was the recipient of the “Florence Nightingale Award”
recognition as she now knows all the ins and outs of the medical and
security sectors of Sandpoint supporting one of our fallen skiers.
Rumor has it they let her drive the ambulance and play with the
siren!
Our resident speed demon Gary Mohr blistered every slope he could find and everyone else tried in vain to keep up. Seasoned skier, JP was found to be closely inspecting a blue run but there were so many black diamonds he skied, he probably won’t remember! He was awarded the coveted “Stomp Award” for his close attention to detail!
There was no mistake that CLASC was a hit on the slopes as everyone on
the mountain had to comment on how they liked our CLASC windsocks!
Unfortunately, we hit the slopes in more ways than one.
We can all shake our heads and laugh about it now but a few folks
were slightly injured. Two
separate trips to the hospital allowed everyone at Schweitzer and in
Sandpoint to see just how great the entire CLASC “family” is.
And upon our return we learned that another fall by a participant
may require surgery. Our
best wishes for speedy recoveries go to all!
Hopefully, everyone will heal quickly with no long term effects, just
some bruised egos (and those will heal quickly).
One thing that we all agreed on was that helmets are key to a
safe skiing experience and we came away with a saying introduced by Tom,
when he said that, “Life is hard, but it’s harder if you’re stupid!”
Schweitzer is a beautiful spot nestled just above Sandpoint, ID and
picturesque Lake Pend Oreille.
This is not a boring mountain, and the snow conditions changed
hourly, so all skill levels were fully engaged.
With 2900 acres of fun, everyone enjoyed themselves and couldn’t
even imagine why it has taken over 11 years for CLASC to return here!
Let’s go back!
Your Schweitzer Dudes…..Rick and Kent