News from Gelandesprung Ski Club in Green Bay, WI

August's Newsletter (click here)

Piette’s Post

This is often the time of year when things slow down for our trip planning.  This year is not that kind of summer. We have the ongoing planning process for Telluride and we are working to improve our presence on Social Media.

Our trip to Telluride will open Saturday, August 2^nd.  Many things have changed in this industry since I ran my first trip to Sun Peaks in 2018.  You are all aware that costs are up.  This is caused by substantial inflation.  Behind the scenes, what you don’t see is that airlines have become more difficult for us to work with.  The number of seats on a plane is usually limited to fewer than we need for a group of our size.  We were fortunate to resolve the seats issue by booking three different flights departing Green Bay and Milwaukee.  This will also eliminate the need for a bus ride in Wisconsin.  The difficult issue is that we will pay full price for any unused seats by mid-September.  Because of this, airline flights will be dropped before this penalty kicks in.  If you sign up late, we might not be able to help you with your transportation.  Please review the August newsletter for more information.

Our accommodations will be excellent.  Each bedroom in the condos is like having a hotel room with access to a common living area and kitchen.  Most beds are kings that split into twin beds.   If you have not been to Telluride, you will be in for a treat at a bucket List destination.

Our club is doing very well.  We have good membership numbers and we are filling our trips.  We have been going downhill since 1969.  We intend to assure that Gelandesprung stays relevant for a long time.  To that end, we will be updating our social media platform to reach out to people in the area that are not aware of us.  We believe this approach could add a few members this year and would likely increase our total membership over the coming years.  We are working to re-establish our public Facebook page and we will continue our Facebook group for use by our members.  I’ll cover this in more detail next month.

Telluride accepts the full Epic pass and Epic Day passes.  It does not accept Epic Military Passes or Local Passes.  Refer to trip information articles in the newsletter for details regarding the passes.  You should also consider all other skiing that you would like to enjoy next winter before you purchase your Epic pass.  For example, the Midwest trip might include a location that will accept the Epic pass.  These and similar questions will be resolved over the next several months.

Please share this information with your friends and acquaintances.  This is a “bucket list” location that might be the reason that someone joins our club.  We offer good trip planning at a good price.  You sign up, “write a check” and show up.  Yet, the people that we ski with are the greatest selling point.

For all of us, this is a great time to get out and ride our bikes.  The strength and fitness cycling provides can help us ski safely and avoid season-ending injuries.

One such opportunity to get together this summer, for all members and non-members, is Quick’s Bike Ride at noon, August 23 from Silarian Winery.  See the newsletter for detailed information. This is also a great opportunity to meet people and learn about Gelandesprung if you are considering becoming a member.

Thanks to all for supporting our Club.

Tom

July's Newsletter (click here)

Piette’s Post

As I write this post, I am thinking it would be a good day at the beach with the temperature in the 90’s. Yet, this is the time of the year that your Western Trip Committee members are working through the details of our trip to Telluride Colorado, January 10, 2026. We have secured good flights from Green Bay and Milwaukee which eliminates the need for bussing on this leg of the trip. Ron Quick, Frank Wickham, and Joe Kucharski are working through details of the trip in order to open the trip for sign up later in the summer.

Telluride accepts full Epic passes and Epic Day passes. It does not accept Epic Military passes or Local passes.  Refer to trip information articles in the newsletter for details regarding the passes. You should also consider all other skiing that you would like to enjoy next winter before you purchase your Epic pass. For example, the Midwest trip might include a location that will accept the Epic pass. These and similar questions will be resolved over the next several months. We are continuing to tentatively plan Saturday, August 2, as the first day to sign up. 

Telluride is a fabulous location for skiing and apre ski. The San Juan mountains are spectacular to view. It will likely be a very long time before we go back, so do your best to join us on the trip. We will be sending out more information via email and Facebook during the month. Please stay tuned.

Please share this information with your friends and acquaintances. This is a “bucket list” location that might be the reason that someone joins our club. We offer good trip planning at a good price. You sign up, “write a check” and show up. But the people that we ski with are the greatest selling point.

Finally, Rita and Gary are leading one of the most fun activities of the year on Wednesday, July 23^rd. It is the summer ride to Ledgestone Vineyard. Check the newsletter for details. Please note that if you are working, you can start riding a little later (5:30) or meet everyone at Ledgestone Vineyards & Gnarly Cedar Brewery. This is also a great opportunity to meet people and learn about Gelandesprung if you are considering becoming a member.

There is also the Quick bike ride on Saturday, August 23^rd. This is a fun and challenging ride. It starts at noon and begins and ends at Silarian Winery. This ride is a bit more challenging as it is on hilly roads and 20 miles long with one hydration stop at a local bar on the route. Food and drink will be available for purchase at the end of the ride. See Ron’s flier in this newsletter for more details.

For all of us, this is a great time to get out and ride our bikes. The strength and fitness cycling provides can help us to ski safely throughout the season.

Thanks to all for your support.

Tom Piette

June's Newsletter (click here)

Welcome to summer everyone.   I have been enjoying some golf and I’ll be on my bike this weekend.  This is a great time of the year and I intend to take advantage of warm weather over the next five months.  We do have a couple of bike rides planned and we might have another.  The Board also discussed having a picnic later in the summer along with the possibility of additional social activities.  A picnic would likely include the options of a group cycling event or golf at a local course.

Our Board met May 13.   I am pleased to share that we approved the recommendation of the Western Trip Committee to travel to Telluride January 10-17 for a great week of skiing.  If you have not been to Telluride, I can tell you that the San Juan Mountain range is one of the most beautiful you will see.  They are part of the Rocky Mountain range and were formed by volcanic activity about 35 million years ago.  Because they are young, the San Juan’s have not eroded to look like the Appalachians.

The skiing at Telluride has something for everyone.  One area is dedicated to well-groomed green and blue cruisers.  It is a great spot for building your skills.  Other areas include a mix of run types to satisfy any type of skiing that you prefer.  My choice of the best ski areas in the US and Canada include Telluride, Sun Peaks, and Vail, in no particular order. Yes, there are other great locations but this is my list based upon skiing, lodging, and the towns.

The town of Telluride is another draw.  It is an old mining town with great history.  You have an easy walk wherever you want to go.  There are shops to visit and some very good restaurants.  Easy access to the town is provided via the gondola that runs late into the night. 

The members of the Western Committee heard you.  We will be flying out of our local airports for Telluride with only one stop on the way to the Montrose airport.   Other options would have required a VERY early two to three-hour bus ride. 

The signup for this trip will be Saturday, August 2.  Keep your eyes on our newsletters and Facebook to stay up to date.

Finally, share this information with your friends and acquaintances.  We offer good trip planning at a good price.  You sign up, “write a check” and show up. But the people that we ski with are the greatest selling point.

Thanks to all for your support.

Tom Piette

May's Newsletter (click here)

We had a wonderful ski season. We started at Searchmont with excellent conditions and ended with a great trip to Beaver Creek and Vail, that also included plenty of good powder. Thank you to Adam Hansen and Frank Wickham (Searchmont) and Ron Quick and Kevin Klasen (Beaver Creek) for your leadership and to all of you that joined us on the trips. Each trip had as good of a group as we could hope to have. Thank you for trusting Gelandesprung with your ski trips. 

We had our annual business meeting at the Spring Banquet April 11^th. Your Board will include the same people for the next year. I was voted to a new 2-year term as president of your club.  Mark Heintzkill will be the secretary and Pia Heldt will be the social events coordinator for the next two years as well. Mark and Pia spoke to each other and decided each would prefer that move as well.  

We are working on our next trip. The Out-west Trip Committee has agreed to recommend Telluride. We expect to have a definitive decision for our western trip no later than the middle of May. At this point, I suggest that you keep January 10-17 available for our trip. 

We will also be providing more information regarding cycling rides hosted by some of our members and other summertime activities.

Please join our events during the summer and fall. It is a great way to get to see your friends and make new friends that enjoy the same activities. 

Finally, share your experiences with your friends and acquaintances. We offer good trip planning at a good price. You “write a check” and show up. But the people that we ski with are the greatest selling point.

Thanks to all for your support.

Tom Piette

April's Newsletter (click here)

Hi all,

In my last post I said I was looking forward to having great snow for our trip to Beaver Creek. It’s great when the snow comes as hoped with good conditions throughout the week and fresh powder on several days. We had a great group of people, a good trip leader (Ron Quick), and Kevin Klasen as a first-time assistant trip leader (start to finish). Kevin exhibited his excellent leadership skills throughout the week. Thank you Ron Quick and Kevin Klasen for all of the work to prepare and lead the trip.

Our Annual Meeting is at our Spring Banquet 6:00 PM April 11, at The Woods. Please sign up immediately and email Phil and Mark if you are signing up as you read this. Their emails are treasurer@gelandesprung.org and social@gelandesprung.org.

We will have elections for President, Secretary, and Social Events Coordinator. This is your club. Please consider participating as a Board Member or as a Chair to share your ideas to make us better. I started my time on the Board in 2014 and have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know many people through this activity.

In addition to elections to the Board, you will have the opportunity to vote to approve or disapprove the re-write of our bylaws that govern how our club operates. Our objective with this re-write of the bylaws to be concise and better organized without changing the content in any significant way from the guidelines that have led to our success over the years.

Claudia Elsner has determined that she will be able to continue to lead our marketing efforts. We will be cutting back on our participation in Farmers Markets to decrease the workload. Claudia has added a lot with her effort and I am pleased to have her continue. However, Claudia and the Board would like to find a volunteer that would be willing to help us to develop our presence on social media sites. As is, we do have a Facebook account that everyone can use to post trip photos and/or announce to friends that you are skiing and would like others to join you at a favorite location. Please make your interest known to us. This is not an elected position and Claudia would be happy to help you get started in this role.

Additionally, we will share the details of the policy that would allow a parent or guardian to take an 18-year-old adult on our ski trips, beginning next season. This is a change that has been requested for years by some parents. Our members demonstrated excellent support for this concept with an advisory vote during our Fall Social. The policy includes clear expectations to meet our objective of allowing young adults to participate without creating problems for trip leaders.

Finally, we award the Dick Wortiska Service Award at our Spring Banquet. This award is a high honor. The first step for this is to have one of our members submit a nomination to the Board. You may email the nominations to me at president@gelandesprung.org. Please review the award guidance in this newsletter.

Tom Piette

March Newsletter (click here)

Hi all,

As I sit to write this post, we are one week from our trip to Beaver Creek. Snow conditions are good and more is on the way. With luck, we will get one of those late-season weather systems dropping copious quantities of fresh powder, followed by blue skies. Yup, I want it all! Regardless, we have a good group and we will have a great time. Thank you Ron Quick and Kevin Klasen for all of the work you have put into prepping for the trip.

We are also closing in on our Annual Meeting at our Spring Banquet 6:00 PM April 11, at The Woods. We will have elections for President, Secretary, and Social Events Coordinator. This is your club. Please consider participating as a Board Member or as a Chair to share your ideas to make us better. I started my time on the Board in 2014 and have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know many people through this activity.

Claudia Elsner will be stepping away from her role as our Marketing Chair in a few months. I will miss her knowledge and dedication to raising awareness of Gelandesprung Ski Club.  We could use an energetic individual to continue Claudia’s great work. Please make your interest known to us. This is not an elected position and Claudia would be happy to help you get started in this role.

You will also have an opportunity to vote to approve or disapprove our rewritten By-Laws that govern our Club. 

Additionally, we will share the details of the policy that would allow a parent or guardian to take an 18-year-old adult on our ski trips, beginning next season. This is a change that has been requested for years by some parents. Our members demonstrated excellent support for this concept with an advisory vote during our Fall Social. The policy includes clear expectations to meet our objective of allowing young adults to participate without creating problems for trip leaders.

Finally, we award the Dick Wortiska Service Award at our Spring Banquet. This award is a very high honor.  The first step for this is to have one of our members submit a nomination to the Board. You may email those nominations to me at president@gelandesprung.org. Please review the award guidance in this newsletter.

Tom Piette

February's Newsletter (click here)

Piette's Post

Hi all,

How things change! A month ago, we were at the end of a very warm period that delayed the opening of ski areas in our region. The very cold weather recently has helped many of our ski hills to make plenty of snow. I have finally been able to go skiing more often. I have been to Granite Peak several times and I can tell you that it has almost all of its runs open and in good condition. The good news for Searchmont is that the area is getting the Lake effect snow that is expected and had a foot of snow the week that I am writing my post.  Those that signed up, will likely be skiing as you read this post.

The Beaver Creek trip is just a few weeks away. Those of us that are signed up are looking forward to a great time skiing two amazing ski resorts, Vail and Beaver Creek. This trip is also at wait list only status.

We will be ramping up our discussions and planning for 2026 during February, beginning with our Board Meeting February 11.  Please send your suggestions to Ron Quick (trip.chair@gelandesprung.org) and Scot Wederquist (vice.president@gelandesprung.org) to share your thoughts for the resort you would like to visit.

As long as we have to wait for the ski season, it passes so quickly.  We only have about nine weeks left in our favorite season. Ski while the skiing is great!

Tom Piette

January's Newsletter (click here)

Piette's Post

Happy New Year as we welcome 2025,

Winter has arrived and our regional ski areas are reaching full capacity. I know many of our friends have been making turns on our local slopes for weeks now. It is shaping up as a more normal winter versus last year, when many of our resorts suffered throughout the season.

Our trip to Searchmont is just around the corner, January 31 to February 2, 2025. Searchmont has been getting lake-effect snow over the last few weeks and it’s normal for this to continue throughout early winter.  With more than 700 ft. vertical drop and 100 acres of slopes, Searchmont is a great Midwest location for the weekend.

We have room on the bus for more skiers and boarders. Our deadline is January 10, 2025. We will be giving up any unused hotel rooms at that point. Sign up now to make sure you have a spot! Cross-country skiers will enjoy a good trail system at Searchmont and a local park. Check the newsletter for details.

It was fun to watch the professional downhill races on the Birds of Prey over the last couple of weeks. The women raced Birds of Prey for the first time ever before Christmas. It has me wondering on which part of the race course I would crash if I were trying to ski fast on that run. Yet, I expect to ski the run at my own, possibly glacial pace, when the club is at Beaver Creek and Vail from March 1 to March 8, 2025. This trip is wait-list only at this point. 

Looking ahead, we have elections for our Board coming up on April 11, 2025, at our Spring Banquet. The open positions are President, Secretary and Social Events Coordinator. If you are interested in any one of these positions, please let a current Board member know. There will also be an opening on our Volunteer Committee for a Marketing person. Please consider serving on the Board or on the Volunteer Committee, as it is a good opportunity to get to know more members and make our club better.   

Wishing you a great 2025. I hope to see you soon.

Tom Piette

December's Newsletter (click here)

Piette's Post

Hi all,

As I am writing this post, the first snowfall of the year has happened. It’s about time! Although I know we enjoy the warm weather and summer activities, I am looking forward to having a lot of fun on the slopes this year. The long-term forecast is calling for cooler weather and more snow than average. With luck, this will be true and we will all be able to enjoy local downhill and Nordic skiing.

Our first trip, back by popular demand, is to Searchmont from January 31 to February 2, 2025. Searchmont is known for excellent natural snow conditions due to lake effect snow, good lifts and great runs. We also stay in a nice hotel, the Water Tower Inn, with excellent restaurants close by. We will probably go elsewhere next ski season, so don’t miss your chance this year. Cross-country skiers will enjoy a good trail system at Searchmont and a local park. Check the newsletter for details.

Beaver Creek/Vail is March 1-8, 2025. I can’t wait. Beaver creek and its accommodations (The Charter) are great.  Beaver Creek is known for being an early stop for world cup skiing (Birds of Prey for downhill), great runs with beautiful grooming and bowls for those that want it steep and deep. The complimentary chocolate chip cookies are also a hit with our skiers. Being able to take a short inexpensive bus ride to Vail as often as I wish during the week is the cherry on top of a great trip. Vail is also a top ski resort. The frontside has every type of run from Green Groomers to steep bumps. Additionally, Vail takes bowl skiing to the next level with huge areas of groomed and ungroomed snow for all levels. Riva Ridge is my favorite last run of the day of anyplace I have ever skied. Almost four miles long, Riva Ridge is Vail Mountain's longest single-run ski trail and is fun from top to bottom. It doesn’t get any better.

Our Christmas party is right around the corner on December 10.  Along with a great menu of Chicken Cordon Bleu, Prime Rib, or grilled Salmon we will have Matt Buch (DPT) presenting injury prevention for skiers and snowboarders to our members. His presentation will go about 30 minutes and he will stay for questions after. 

You don’t want to miss this. If you did not sign up by November 30, and you want to go, it will still be possible to order food from the pub if necessary.

I’m looking forward to a great ski season. I hope to see all of you at the party.

Tom Piette

November's Newsletter (click here)

Piette's Post

Hi all,

We had a nice time at our Fall Social this year.  I thought using the approach of having a small-plates dinner was a nice change of pace.  I would like to hear from you, if you attended, to tell me what you thought of this type of meal.  Send a note to me at President@Gelandesprung.org to let me know.  I will share the feedback with the Board.

We had the usual discussions regarding the trips that our clubs have planned.  At the time of the Social, our trip to Beaver Creek already had 66 people signed up.  We have 11 “pillows” remaining and plenty of room on the flight out of Milwaukee.  The sign-up period will end November 29 because any unused rooms and seats on the flight must be given up at that time.  If you want to join us for an unforgettable time at Beaver Creek, sign up right away.

We have not discussed the idea of using “Ship Skis” to transfer ski gear in the past.  This is something that SkiGroup will be offering.  Ron will write an article for next month’s Newsletter to cover the details and cost of using this service instead of carrying and paying for our luggage onto the buses and planes.   Pia and Phil Heldt have used this approach and reported they love the simplicity and convenience of having luggage delivered to and picked up from the hotel.

Scot has done a great job of planning a trip to Searchmont, which is back by popular demand from people at the end of last year’s trip.  The bus will leave Green Bay the week before the Super Bowl, on January 31, 2025 and returns us home February 2, 2025.  The trip is open for sign-up now.  I hope to see you on the trip!

We asked people to fill out a survey regarding the question of allowing younger people to join our trips.  The surveys demonstrated very strong support to allow 18-year-old adults to join our trips.  The caveat is that they will be allowed only if they travel with a parent.  The reason for the parental limitation is that we allow alcoholic beverages on our buses and the National drinking age is 21.  Gelandesprung leaders would be placed in a no-win situation of “policing” minors regarding alcohol consumption without the parent.  The Board will move through a process to define how this will occur, assuming the Board approves this change.  We will have this addressed no later than the Holiday party in December.

Finally, I would like to get the word out that we have elections for the positions of Secretary, Social Events Coordinator and President at our Spring Banquet, which will be held at The Woods on Friday, April 11, 2025.  Please consider becoming involved with the club.  I have been on the Board for about ten years.  I can tell you that this experience has been worthwhile in many ways.  One of the greatest feelings is seeing people have so much fun at our events and trips.   You can talk to any one of us on the Board to express interest.  The Christmas party (Dec. 10) would be a great time to do that.

Tom Piette