This trip tested the resilience of the TOHG and we performed miraculously- off course. It seems everything that could go wrong did go wrong and we dealt with it. Upon arrival, the Mountaineer Inn said it did not have our reservation for Monday night. But our trip leader pulled out the receipt which showed our arrival date as Monday. So they had a few rooms ready, and they still needed to clean some other rooms, but they handed out key cards and we came in. Also last year the facility had a restaurant with a bar menu and a liquor license, so arrivals expected to be able to buy food per our published trip description. The facility did not tell our trip leader that they stopped operating the restaurant. But with the news that we could bring our own beverages, members took the initiative to go out and buy some wine which was then shared at our opening happy hour.
Then, where this trip was advertised as located close to cross country skiing, we learned that the Timber Creek Cross Country area was closed. So those that were not planning on downhill skiing huddled up and identified other nearby areas with either skiing or snow shoeing and found a few nice areas. This included the Prospect Ski area, a former downhill area that had been converted to snowshoe and cross country ski use. Further, the second day we learned that there was another ski group from the Hudson River area arriving that evening. The parking lot was already filled with our cars. Instead of going out to dinner, we decided to keep our cars parked in their spots, so as not to lose our parking spots. We ordered delivery Pizza and salads for dinner that night. We did learn that the Hudson Group was told to drop off their bags at the hotel and then park their cars at the ski area and take the shuttle bus back to the hotel. We were glad we foresaw that potential problem and avoided it. But some cars parked across the entry to the front door, making entry and exit of the facility difficult-which caused one guest from the Hudson group to leave early in a huff. Definitely too much drama.
There were even more troubles at the mountain. Mount Snow would not honor a rain check that had been issued to one of our members and wanted him to pay $400 for tickets purchased at the window. So instead that person left early. An inattentive lift operator nearly lead to a catastrophe. One of our members fell and literally got run over by the lift. Members nearby screamed at the operator to turn the lift off. With quick thinking by the person who fell, she managed to roll flat and as she was petite, the lift cleared going over her. So fortunately, it did not result in any serious injury. But it was a dangerous situation. Then, there was only one easy slope open. It turned out the snow making equipment had not operated properly and had deposited a massive amount of ice on the power line and took out the power to the mid-mountain lift that fed the easy slopes. There was no quick repair. The lift to the easy area was out of commission for our whole trip. So one skier just joined the snow shoe group after the first couple of days.
But in spite of the adversity, we had a wonderful ski vacation together. There was a great sense of camaraderie. We held our happy hour each night in the function room in the basement dedicated to our group, and people made plans where to eat dinner each night. Continental breakfast was available each morning in the former dining room. At breakfast people shared their plans for the day. Those going to Mount Snow rode the Moover, the cow painted shuttle, to the mountain. Members grabbed a space in the ski lodge for our group, and people met up at that location for lunch and breaks from skiing. Also there was an outdoor hot tub to enjoy. Members got to meet members of the Hudson Valley Ski group and share stories of ski trips. We coordinated with that group to double-park some cars among friends to improve the parking situation. So we were able to go out to dinner together for the rest of the trip. After dinner some people met up in the library. And there was a game room in the loft where some people worked on puzzles. At each gathering, there was more news and discussion about all the happenings of the day as well as all the good stories and camaraderie we typically share.
From Trip Leader Maryann D: "An enormous Thank You to all the TOHG members who joined me at The Mountaineer, for their patience, understanding, helpfulness, cooperation and good humor. They made the trip the best it could be!"
Anne W.
