Think snow! Club 50′s has planned three week-long ski trips for next season.

We’re off to:
Vail, Colorado – January 8 to 15,
Snowmass, Colorado – February 5 to 12 and
Steamboat, Colorado – March 5 to 12, 2011.

Go to the Trips page and print the application for each trip. There’s good times ahead!

Summer isn’t over yet!

Club 50 has added two new September events. Be sure to sign up for Kayaking the Fox River on Saturday, September 11.

And spend Sunday, September 19 in Lake Geneva enjoying golf, hiking or shopping followed by a BBQ at the home of Carolyn and Jack Driscoll.

All the details are listed under “Upcoming Events”.

Not to be missed!

Dennis Lovick from Viking Ski Shop will speak at our next dinner meeting. Come hear the latest news in ski technology and equipment that can improve your skiing. If you haven’t made your reservation, do it now! Click on the event date on the right for all the details.

A long time friend of Club 50 members, Dennis is widely recognized for his knowledge and expertise is helping skiers select the skis and boots that are best suited to them.

Sunshine, a stiff breeze, good friends and a picnic lunch add up to a perfect day of sailing on Lake Michigan.

Skipper David Thiessen gives his short boat safety speech and Club 50 guests take turns with the sailing chores. Then it’s time to kick back, escape from civilization and enjoy the company. Commentary on passing sailboats is sure to include an entertaining discussion of wind speed, which boat has the right of way, navigation, and racing techniques.

David’s pristine Catalina 309 is outfitted with the latest radio and electronic equipment and the ample cabin includes a complete galley and sleeping accommodations. Pretty nifty!

Club members can call David to set up sailing dates for Wednesday and Thursday of each week — weather permitting, of course. His boat is kept in scenic Waukegan harbor, less than an hour’s drive from Chicago

Loyal Club 50 fans cheered and braved chilly breezes in the stands, but our group’s enthusiasm didn’t help the Cubs win their July 1 game at Wrigley.

The best (and warmest) part of the outing came after the game during the hike to Soprano’s restaurant for drinks and dinner around one large family-size table.

Good conversation and getting acquainted with a few new members made it a winning day.

Club 50 has group tickets to one more Cubs game this season – September 1st. Let’s hope our team does better next time.

There’s been a change in plans for the bike ride scheduled for July 17.

The group will gather in Geneva, Illinois, ride along the river to Aurora then back to Geneva. Lunch following will be at the Country House. Check the Upcoming Events listing for full details.

We’ve added another event to our busy summer schedule — a day at the races!

Mark your calendar for Thursday afternoon, July 22 at Arlington Park Race Track. Join the excitement and place your bets.

Dinner follows at Moretti’s Ristorante in nearby Schaumburg. You can join us just for dinner if you wish. Check the Upcoming Events list for all the details.

Note: When you click on an event, you may need to click again on the event title for the full story.

Plan now for Cubs games, cycling, golf, sailing, horseback riding, bowling, canoeing on the Kankakee River, restaurant dinners and our annual picnic/concert at Millennium Park!

Here’s what’s scheduled for warm weather outings.

Chicagoland Club 50 – May through August Activities (PDF)

And, the new, expanded Club 50 newsletter with lots of beautiful photos, ski trip memories and information you need to know is available, too. Go to Newsletter.

Club 50 celebrated early March skiing in Utah with lots of sunshine plus a day of challenging fresh powder. While most people chose to ski at Deer Valley (no snowboarders allowed) others enjoyed the slopes of Park City and The Canyons.

One day at a fancy mountain restaurant, none other than Stein Erickson (gold medal winner at 1952 Olympics for the Giant Slolam) came over to greet our group. He skis at Deer Valley almost every day and greets visitors.

For apre-ski, several skiers enjoyed sipping hot toddies and Irish coffee at “The Corner Store” where the manager provided an entertaining history of the resort and town.

Not satisfied with just skiing, two of our more daring members, David and George, decided to take a 4 man bobsled ride down the track used in the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics. They figured out the ride had fifteen 90-degree turns, cost $3.64 per second, and took less than a minute. But what a minute! Here’s a video of their once-in-a-lifetime trip!

David Thiessen – physicsman.photoshop.com

(Click on the link then the bobsled video. On the bar across the top, click on the largest of the three screen sizes indicated.)

A photographer’s view of the Park City ski trip

To document her first Club 50 adventure, a new member has created a distinctive album of photographs and comments on what it was like to spend a week with us enjoying spring skiing in Utah.

Just click and enjoy beautiful mountain views, skiing on perfectly groomed slopes, dining in the sunshine and good times in the evenings!

Alicja Stanczak – abcFolio

According to Elizabeth, trip leader, the annual February gathering at our favorite ski-in, ski-out B & B at Snowmass was the largest ever with 48 people attending.

First-timers on the trip joined right in – starting with the hot, filling breakfasts served every morning. Days of fast and leisurely skiing were followed by trips to the outdoor hot tub and nightly pre-dinner cheese and wine parties.

One tradition that gets better every year is the pizza party and talent show evening.

Seems everybody wants to get into the act! This year more people volunteered to show off their ski song parodies, joke-telling abilities and tall tales.

Check out more Snowmass 2010 photos from Bill Richardson – PBase. (Click on slideshow.)