Next Ski Trips
Mammoth Midweek Skiing 2008
Arrive on Sunday, leave on Friday.  Lodging at the Rodeway Sierra Nevada Inn near restaurants and stores.  Contact Warren B.

January 13-18         
February 10-15
March 9-14
April 6-11
Sign-up forms may be downloaded from the opening page of this website.

Stay tuned for OHGLA's announcement of the Park City December Ski School date and our Mammoth Midweek ski dates for January, February, March and April, 2009.
 

Additional Opportunities for 2009.  Feb 24 to March 7, 2009. St. Anton/Zurs/Lech. The Golden Gate Top of the Hill Gang.  The Gang from the San Francisco area is inviting us to join them on their ski trip to St. Anton/Zurs/Lech for 7 nights with an additional 3 nights in Prague pre trip.  The cost is $2275 with 4 course dinners in St. Anton, daily buffet breakfasts, airfare, (fuel surcharges and security fees not included).  LA travelers will need pre departure overnight in Munich - extra charge. Non- skier group will have its own program.  St. Anton has senior and super senior rates and even 2 hour ski tickets!  If interested contact Henry L.
 

February 14 to 22, 2009.  Courmayeur, Italy, with optional extension to Milan. Singles Ski Club.   OHGLA’s FWSA/LA Council Representative Joan Forman alerts members to the opportunity to ski Courmayeur, plus Chamonix and Cervinia on the other side of Zermatt, Verbier, Switzerland.  9,000 feet elevation and all ability levels. Price is $1,638 for nonmembers of the Single Ski Club.  For more information call Joan Forman or the sponsoring club’s leader directly, Sandra Mironesco, 310-441-9087.
 

March 25-25, 2009.  Taos Valley.  LA Council of Ski Clubs.  Come explore all that Taos Valley and the Santa Fe area has to offer.  Ski several resorts including Taos Resort/Angel Fire, Red River and Ski Santa Fe.  Explore the many Pueblos, Native American Museums and Art Work.  Come experience the Lourdes of New Mexico (El Posito) and more.  Reservation and information contact is: Iris Williams, LA Council VP, Travel at 310-466-4861.

Several members also participate in the 70+ Club ski trips IN 2008 that included Snowmass and the Salt Lake area.

Park City Ski School, December 2-8, 2007

It was the best of times, and really the best of times.  Four of us were first on top with a foot of new powder on a clear day.  Through the stillness we followed each other’s tracks and laughed with pleasure as we loaded onto the lift to do it again.

A Day at Mammoth
Starting out for the day, skiers meet on the snow behind Canyon Lodge and ski with people at their level – beginning, intermediate and advanced.  Discussion at the social hour at the end of the day at the Inn is often a hubbub of snow conditions, wind factors, venturesome runs and triumphs as members invite new challenges.  Elbows, knees, shoulders and thumbs occasionally rival for attention.  Groups are formed for dinner, and the choice to stay in for dinner is popular, too.

About Skiing/Boarding Activities
Skiing has been the primary activity of our club and was the common interest that fueled its founders.  Our schedule features a December trip to Park City, mid-week ski trips to Mammoth during January, February and March (and sometimes April), plus additional trips. The midweek conditions are especially attractive due to the relative absence of crowds and weekend snowboarders.

We think of Mammoth as “our” mountain.  Our lodgings at the Sierra Nevada Rodeway Inn accommodate our varied needs with kitchen suites as well as standard rooms that are offered at highly competitive rates.  Most of us arrange to have a roommate.  In addition, adjoining rooms that share one kitchen suite add to flexibility, comfort, and congeniality.

December Park City Ski School Report by Millie Grover
December 2-8, 2007.  A group of 18 left Los Angeles for Park City on Dec. 2 to participate in the week of ski college instruction.  It is a great way to get into shape for the ski season. Monday morning we went up the lift. The first thing our instructor had us do were the warm up exercises, and then on to having us ski. There was not a lot of snow so our lessons were confined to the lower runs, but that didn't preclude the instructors from giving us a great workout with various techniques to do. Our instructor had us do some synchronized skiing on several occasions near the end of the week and then we go t to see what it looked like on video. What fun!  There were three happy hour sessions to rehash the day's happenings, recharge our bodies with snacks, beverages and make plans for going out to dinner. The Puleos hosted two happy hours in their suite, and Thursday night when we had a lasagna dinner, the Tashimas' suite was the refreshment location. Richard Puleo and Ken Ando spent a lot of time in the kitchen dishing up the lasagna, and we thank them for their efforts. Thanks are in order to all those who brought different snacks and beverages to the happy hours.  The "Snow Gods" finally smiled down on Park City late Thursday and on Friday we had a few inches of powder snow to practice our technique in. Snow was still falling early Saturday morning when we got on the shuttle bus for Salt Lake for our flight home. It was a great trip and we thank Joanne Puleo for all the many hours, time, and effort that she spent in getting this trip together.

Mammoth Ski Trip Reports
January Mammoth Ski Trip, Jan. 13-18, 2007.  Our first ski trip of the season to Mammoth was welcomed with the blessing of good weather and good snow throughout the week, and we enjoyed skiing to our heart's content.  Also to our delight, we had altogether 30 participants, of which 16 were women and 14 were men folks.  To my memory, we never had a gender ratio as even as this time.  The men folks were having lots of fun, throwing their own spaghetti party, etc.  Our beloved vacation home of Sierra Nevada Inn reportedly will serve us another 4 years instead of 2 years before its conversion to condos.  More good news is that the longest and slowest chair 9 was converted to a high speed quad which shortened our chairlift ride to 7 minutes from 16 minutes.  On Wednesday night Loren Janes showed us movies in the lobby of his past productions, which we enjoyed.  In retrospect, it was one of the best Mammoth ski trips I can remember.  The awesome beauty of snow blanketed vistas of the Sierra mountains looked like nature's cathedral for us to feel more spiritual.  Perhaps, the healing we experienced on the Mammoth ski trip hopefully helps us to face the reality of the current stock market tumble, the fear of recession forecast and the raw politics of the presidential primary on the scene.  Enjoy.  Report by Bernadette H. Lee.

February 2007 Mammoth Ski Trip.  Our week in February was a little mixed. The first two days were really great. On Monday morning, there was about an inch of new snow over the groomed trails. I didn't try to go up high and some of the top was closed.  Tuesday was perfect. Almost everything was groomed and though there a lot of kids out of school, we didn't find it really crowded. Lee R. and I took the mountain tour with one of the hosts (hostess, actually) and it was fun. The rest of the party consisted of a nine year old and her 12 year old sister, along with their dad. We thought the kids would keep the trip under control but discovered they could both out ski us.  We covered the mountain from Chair15 to Chair 14. It was getting a bit windy on top but we survived. I recommend this tour -- it starts at Canyon at 10:30 (or at the Mill at the same time). Wednesday was very windy --so much so that we quit at noon. Thursday was a blizzard that got worse and worse as the day wore on so we skied even less. All in all though, it was a good week. On Wednesday, the Ventura Gang came to our party.  By Dick Y.

April 2007 Mammoth Ski Trip.  The fourth and the last Mammoth ski trip of the season turned out surprisingly good. A call from a friend encouraged us by announcing that there had been a sizable snow dump during the night and that more snow was predicted. That news apparently struck the fancy of other members as a total of about 17 would eventually show up from the original 8 that signed up. The first day Roger and Rose Marie, our hosts, had the get-together in their room where Roger had a roaring fire, which warmed our souls. Rose Marie did a fine job substituting for Marilyn Mansfield, who has our heartfelt prayers and best wishes for a good recovery. All the lodges were opened for business and the crowd was minimal. There was more than adequate snow coverage, which kept the major lifts operating, and most of the runs open. Even upper Panorama Gondola was running, although Chairs 9 and 25 were closed all week, as were the minor chairs. Monday was warm and sunny  (about 40 degrees for the high), so the runs in the morning were excellent, but got slushy later in the day. But by Tuesday afternoon the skies turned dark and the mountain got a trace of new snow. Wednesday and Thursday were cold  (about 25 degrees for the high) and windy, but nothing that hot chocolate, hand warmers and extra layers could not handle. The runs in the early morning were crusty, but they softened up by mid-morning.  he visibility would vacillate from good to poor during the day. Friday morning we awoke to a light and fluffy dusting of snow on the car. The mountain received 3 inches of new snow. Regrettably we had to go home. Hopefully, we did not have to end the ski season by missing a wonderful powder day. Happily, we can now start planning for the next ski season!  By Tom and Eileen

Out of State Trips -- Past Years. 
Report of the TellurideFar West Ski Association (FWSA) trip for 2006
Participants numbered 494. All the western states were represented, and Over the Hill Gang Los Angeles had 4 members attending. It was a great week with lots of activities included. Even with the large group from Far West, the ski runs were pretty empty and no lines at any of the lifts. Telluride is an old mining town that has retained its Victorian character. A car isn't necessary as everything is very compact. There is a gondola that runs from 7:00 a.m. until midnight that connects the old town with the new village on top of a bluff where all the ski lifts radiate from. The snow wasn't as deep as at Mammoth, but no bare spots were in evidence. The skies were clear and blue all week. There were races, two mountain barbeques, a "pub" night, and two other dinners with dancing. The price was right at $810 for 7 nights hotel, daily breakfast, evening happy hours, 5 day lift ticket, 2 mountain lunches and three dinners. Report by Joanne Puleo.

Sun Valley was the destination for a January trip in 2005.  The timing coincided with Sun Valley's "Prime Time" weeks that skiers 50 and over enjoy annually, complete with a big band dinner dance.

Other ski destinations have been Crested Butte in the Rocky Mountains, which will be repeated in 2006.   Whistler in British Columbia was enjoyed by a group two years ago.  Other ski trips have included Alaska and destinations in Colorado.  

European Trips.  Trips to experience skiing in Europe have included Morzine, France and Cortina, Italy.