Newsletter of the Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club Box 431 • Corvallis, Montana 59828

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January 13, 2011 @ 7:00 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church

1220 W Main Street, Hamilton

PROGRAM: Come sailing on a three-masted ship with Kirsten and Art Seifert as they share their adventures island hopping across the Mediterranean Sea and up the coast of Europe from England to Scandinavia. They will include information on the history of the ship itself, the best aspect of the trip.

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Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club

18th Annual Chief Joseph Extravaganza - A Gourmet Experience

This year there will be a second exceptional prize thanks to the support of the owners and employees of Triple Creek Ranch

and BXCSC members Patti and Ken Ferrin who helped arrange this wonderful donation.

Win a gourmet dinner for four and a night at the Gordon Reese Cabin ,

Saturday, February 26, 2011

This extra special gourmet dinner for four will be brought into the cabin for the winning hosts. The meal includes a special appetizer,

an entree, a dessert and very nice wine or beverage. The actual menu is designed after consulting with the party that wins the raffle.

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A night for two at the Triple Creek Ranch

Date Subject to Availability

The famous Triple Creek Ranch in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, merges natural

beauty with the height of comfort and personal service. Dinner, breakfast and an activity will be included.

Winner of the drawing gets their choice of the two prizes listed above

and

the second ticket drawn gets the remaining prize

Raffle Tickets: $1 Each or 6 Tickets for $5

Raffle Tickets for these extra-ordinary dining and skiing experience are available at the Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club Meetings (second Thursday of each month at the Presbyterian Church in Hamilton), the Gordon Reese Ski Hut and the following locations:

Darby: Little Blue Joint Restaurant, Naughty Moose

Florence: Caffe Firenze

Hamilton: Bob Ward & Son, Chapter 1 Bookstore, Valley Bike and Ski, Western Flies and Guides

Missoula: Trail Head, Bob Ward & Sons

Salmon: Last Chance Pizza

Stevensville: Blacksmith Brewing, Valley Drug

Sula: Sula Store

All proceeds benefit the Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club’s

Grooming Expenses at the Chief Joseph Ski Area

The Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club is a 501c3 organization ID: 16-1759193

Drawing will be on February 10, 2011 at the

Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club Meeting

You do not need to be present to win

For more information contact:

Carol Battcher Phone: (406) 821-0950

Earl Philips Phone: (406) 961-0101 E-mail: skihut@montana.com

Thank you for your support!

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I forgot to pay attention (normal for me) when someone said, “If you don’t want to be Club President, take one step backward.” So there I was, like a deer in the headlights, standing out front.

Now I find myself the president of this 20+ years old organization of those who share a love of cross- country skiing. Oops! How did this happen to a guy who moved to the Bitterroot Valley from southern Indiana and only learned to ski a few years ago? It must have something to do with my wonderful ski instructors, Bill McCrum plus Bill and Linda Stoudt.

Given the accomplishments of the Club’s past presidents, I’ll have to be at the top of my game to measure up. Whether I’ll manage, only time will tell. I promise to do my best as I follow a philosophy I’ve believed for most of my adult life —the higher a person is in any hierarchy the more support they should be providing to those they serve.

In this instance, it means I serve all the Club’s members. If you need my help or have suggestions which you believe would make the Club better able to serve its members, please let me know. The best way to contact me is by email - michael.hoyt at gmail.com.

If you haven’t visited the Chief Joseph ski trails this winter, you don’t know what you’re missing. Skiing is the best it’s been for several years. Plentiful snow and superb grooming!

/s/ Michael Hoyt

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TRAIL REPORT

Weekly new snow amounts have decreased and are similar to what we had in January/February last year. That has made grooming easier now that all the trails are open and we have a good base packed. It gives us a chance to work on the bumps and the side slopes, but I won’t put any money on the trend of last year to continue and expect we’ll soon be challenged to keep the trails in the conditions you’ve grown to expect. But then, that’s what you pay us these big bucks for!!

I hope everyone had a joyous Holiday Season and got out to try out your new skiing equipment, or just enjoyed the trails and the beautiful scenery at Chief Joe.

/s/ Mel Mooers

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Sign in!
This is to remind Club members (and anyone whose arm you can gently twist) to sign in at the trail register whenever you are using the Chief Joseph trails. The Forest Service uses these registers as part of their decisions on where to allocate recreation-related resources. The more people are seen using the Chief Joseph trails, the more willing the Forest Service folks will be to assign resources, attention and effort to the area.

/s/ Toddy Perryman

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One Member’s Suggestion:

It has been suggested that it would be nice if we put together a slide show of pictures taken by our members, skiing related of course. It would be shown at the spring potluck as great personalized entertainment. That would surely bring more people to the last meeting of the season, as if the wonderful food wasn’t enough of an attractant.

A few other members —polled by e-mail— like the idea. Therefore, it’s on. We will have a slide show of member-submitted pictures at the spring pot luck. Mark your calendars and start submitting your photos!

When you’re out skiing, hiking, working on trails, stacking firewood, or engaged in any other Club-related activity, be sure to carry your camera. For optimal entertainment value, be sure to include those “special shots” of people doing face-plants or sprawled in the snow at the bottom of a downhill.

The best format for submitting pictures is JPG (filename.jpg) in the highest resolution your camera is capable of producing. Send me your photos by email. Your e-mail provider may limit the number of shots you can attach to each message, so multiple messages are okay. Or, if you want, on a CD or memory chip (which I can return). If you have questions regarding your shots or how to submit them, contact me.

Please don’t wait until the last minute to make your submissions. I’d rather receive them as you take them, gradually over the next few months. michael.hoyt@gmail.com

/s/ Michael Hoyt

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DECEMBER 2010 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

December 9, 2010 by Barb Navarra

Vice President Earl Philips called the meeting to order at 7:05 P.M. There were approximately 56 in attendance.

The Famous Annual Potluck: Food and socializing were first on the agenda. The dinner was wonderful, as usual!

Treasurer’s Report: Jeane Lippert just had shoulder surgery this morning, so her report was read:

Income, $3,289; Expenses, $1,973.66; Net Income, $1,315.34; Checking, $5,222.50;

Membership: Jack Losensky reported that this time last year there were 301 members. Currently we have 255 (10 new individuals and 12 new families).

Upcoming Events:
January 22nd Ski Lessons January begins the sale of Extravaganza tickets.

February 26th Extravaganza

Trails Report: Mel Mooers reported that as of December 8 there were between 26 and 30 inches. They have groomed several times and there is a good base. Earl reported on the continuing work with the Forest Service regarding the Beetle Infestation Problem. A committee consisting of Mel, Earl, Jack Losensky, Sonny LaSalle and Jim Aronson met recently with the Forest Service. Earl felt that it was a highly productive meeting in which the Forest Service outlined several things they plan to do, such as removing many of the infested trees and spraying others. Mel informed everyone that he has information cards on Pine Bark Beetles, if anyone is interested.

Cancellation Program: Earl reported that he had one cancellation and was able to fill it. Remember to contact him at skihut@montana.com

New Business: Extravaganza Tickets will be available at the January meeting. Buy many and buy often!!

Elections: George Corn and Jeane Lippert were retiring after years of serving as officers, President and Treasurer, respectively. THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION! Earl thanked George and presented him with a cap and shirt with embroidered Ski Club emblems. George thanked everyone and pointed out that the Club is 21 years old. It is up to the members to keep it going. Due to Jeane’s surgery, she was not at the meeting and will be recognized later.
Mike Hoyt was elected to be the new President and Reine Hilton to be the new Treasurer. They were approved unanimously by the membership. Congratulations.

Program: Photohiker, Mike Hoyt, dazzled everyone again with his “Further Escapades Into the Bitterroot Summits” pictures and description of his adventures. He invited anyone interest in joining him to contact him.
Thanks, Mike, for another amazing program.

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