The National Ski Council Federation brings ski council presidents from across the nation and representatives from ski resorts, tour operators and service providers together yearly to discuss items of mutual interest. A chief topic of these meetings is club and council trips.

Industry and council leaders agree that clubs and councils should market trips as a good value for money spent. Going on a club trip can be compared to gassing up a car at the full service pump instead of self-service.

Pack your bags and show up at the airport where the trip leader hands you a plane ticket and off you go. Board a bus at the destination airport to the resort where the trip leader gives you lodging keys and lift tickets. No searching the Internet for the best package, arranging air and ground transportation, and searching for your lodging in the dark on arrival.

Bus trips can also be lots of fun if you are within a few hours of a resort. They can be less expensive than air trips and provide a rolling party to the slopes. U-drive trips are another popular option for short distance trips.

Use the bus ride to the resort for introductions. Have a mixer on arrival to let participants unwind and get further acquainted or reconnected. Resorts often provide a wine and cheese reception. If not, check ahead of time with the resort or tour operator about a nearby bar that can accommodate your group.

Skiing or riding is a more enjoyable experience on a club trip. Members can link up with people of similar skiing or riding ability, meet up with more friends at lunch and make plans for dinner. Some clubs include dinners, sleigh rides and other activities in trip packages.

As clubs and councils begin planning trips for next season, survey members to learn where they would like to go and what price points they are willing to pay. Programs are available to create on line surveys that don’t require higher order computer skills.

Provide participants with a quality experience. Remember, you are selling the trip based on value. Trip leaders can make or break a trip. Choose them carefully. Train potential trip leaders by having them assist experienced trip leaders. Have them lead a small trip before taking on a larger, more complicated one.

People often are attracted to join a club because of the variety of trips offered. If they have a good experience, they will become loyal members for many years and may take an active role. Trips are a great way to attract “new blood” into a club.

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In the words of Jim Gibbons, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, “ I will bet you get back more than you feel you ever gave. Volunteerism is as much for the volunteer as it is for the recipient of the volunteer service.”

As you know, Councils and Clubs could not exist without the work done by volunteers. By getting involved, volunteers can experience measurable health and social benefits as well as provide a greater sense of self-worth, trust, and lots of fun. This type of fulfillment and reward is not often taken into consideration when thinking about volunteering.

One benefit of volunteering is that it will connect you to other people. Volunteering allows you to connect to your club and make it better for you and for others. Dedicating our time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills. One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, because you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests. Once you have a momentum, it’s easier to branch out and make more friends and contacts.

Another advantage to volunteering is it provides many benefits to both mental and physical health; it’s good for your mind and body:

Getting involved in your Ski Club or Council can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Your role can give you a sense of pride in the work you accomplish. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.

Volunteering for the Club or Council is good for your health at any age, but especially as we age. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not, even when considering factors like the health of the participants. Volunteering has also been shown to lesson symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease.

Ever thought about advancing your career?  Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching your wings at work once you’ve honed these skills in a volunteer position first.

Just because volunteer work is unpaid does not mean the skills you learn are basic. Volunteering can also help you build upon skills you already have and use them to benefit your Club or Council.

In my opinion, I feel the best reason of all to get involved within your Club or Council is because it’s fun! Yes, there is work that goes along with that fun, but I wouldn’t trade my time I have spent working on the Council Board for any amount of money. I personally have learned new skills, made friends all over the state, traveled the world checking out ski resorts and other destinations and had so much fun doing it all that I’m surprised someone didn’t make me pay for it. Oh, I guess I did pay for it with my time, but I got so much more back than what I put in — and so will you.

So the next time someone asks you to serve on the Board of your Club or Council, say yes! I know it can be hard to find the time with our busy lives, but the benefits of volunteering are enormous for both you and those you serve. I guarantee you will get more out of the job than you ever put into it and have fun at the same time. Try it; you’re going to like it.

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The Birmingham Ski Club’s motto as expressed on the cover of their newsletter is Some people dream of an exciting life. We make it happen. That’s exactly what ski clubs are all about! Ski clubs can take a really dull lifesyle and fill it with excitement, travel, activities, sports, happy hours, parties, and adventure, and sometimes, maybe even romance.

Forget bragging about how much money we can save our members on ski trips. (Let’s face it, the Internet and the airlines are killing parts of that claim anyway.)

Forget telling folks that they might find a lover or spouse in the club. (That’s true, but let’s leave it to be discovered but not spoken.)

What ski clubs are all about is giving their members an exciting life. And who doesn’t want an exciting life?

Ski clubs schedule monthly and sometimes weekly happy hours, ski trips, travel to exciting places, camping trips, picnics, cultural events, charity events, opportunities to serve the community (and the club), not to mention new and interesting friends, and that makes an interesting lifestyle! Every ski club in the country should adopt some variation on this slogan!

I discussed the slogan idea with Gerry Hartshorn, marketing guru and former president of both the Ski Club of Washington D.C. and Denver’s Schussbaumer Ski Club and he came up with a variation on the theme with a call-to-action point:

Don’t just dream of having an exciting life.  Join (fill in club name here) & make it happen.

All you have to do is to insert the name of your club and surround it with some photos of your club activities  for an easy marketing program and slogan. Let’s show America that what ski clubs are offering is relief from a boring lifestyle.

America’s ski clubs are offering potential members an exciting lifestyle, so let’s tell the world about it!

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