How To Start A Ski/Snowboard Club

By Iseult Devlin

Ski/snowboard clubs are a great way to go skiing or snowboarding. Clubs get discounts on lift tickets, lodging, lessons, and gear. And, when you belong to a club, you always have a pal to hang out with at the slopes.

If you don’t have a ski or snowboard club in your area, why not start one? It’s not as hard as you might think. Sometimes club start in someone’s house and then move to other locations when they get bigger. For instance, Albany’s Out of Control Ski Club started with a small group of people (42 years ago) and evolved into a 2200-member year-round outdoor and sports club. The group has been meeting at the Polish Community Center in Albany for 30 years.

To organize a club in your school, first find a teacher or parent who likes to ski and snowboard who could help you. If you belong to a community group or church, look for some winter enthusiasts to rally together a group. You can meet almost anywhere—churches and community clubs often have extra spaces. Some clubs, like the Hoboken Ski Club (NJ) picks a popular pub to hold events and/or meetings each month.

Promote the news you are starting a club by putting together a list of possible members. Send out an email and/or newsletter talking about belonging to a ski club and what sorts of trips the club will pursue for the winter. Trips could be day trips, night trips, or weekend trips to a local winter resort or weeklong trips to a bigger destination resort.

Organize a pre-winter meeting and talk about upcoming trips and the latest developments in the snow world. Invite a local shop to hold an event for your group. Ski and snowboard shops may offer discounts for the club—especially if it’s a large group. Local shops are always looking for a way to get new customers and the sales staff could speak to your group about the latest fashions or equipment trends.

Contact the group sales department at a ski resort to find out exactly what sort of deals they offer to ski clubs. Typically, a resort will give one lift ticket free for every 15 paying members. But, resorts vary and discounts may be possible for smaller numbers. If you have a large group and bring a lot of business to a resort, the ski area will work with your club on better discounts for lifts and lodging.

“Complimentary tickets will be issued to match the most frequent paid tickets. For example, the purchase of 10 adult 4-day tickets and 14 adult 3-day tickets will earn a comp of one adult 3-day ticket,” says Kim Owen, leisure sales manager at Mt. Snow resort in Vermont.

Midweek trips are much cheaper than on the weekends and if you are close to the resort, you could even do half-days or late afternoon/evening trips if the ski area has night skiing. Night skiing is common at smaller resorts close to large urban areas.

To get to the slopes, you can organize car pools or hire a bus. Most clubs run bus trips serving snacks and drinks on the way.

Clubs are a great way to make friends and have fun. So what are you waiting for—join a club near you (see sidebar) or take our advice and start one!