Prime Time Ski Club News for Bethel Citizen 4/6/17
For further information contact:
Terri Messer at tmesser@aol.com or 207-671-0715
An April Fool’s Day storm that dropped over a foot of snow was no joke for Prime Time Ski Club members who have been enjoying Sunday River’s fresh powder and prime spring skiing conditions this past week. “Great day (and year) of skiing” was posted on Facebook by one of this year’s new members to accompany a photo of 11 club members at the top of Spruce Peak. Although some Prime Time Ski Club members will continue to ski until May 1, enjoying the new snow that has fallen this week, the beginning of April usually marks the end of ski season for most members, no matter how much snow is left and how good the conditions. Seasonal ski house rentals end, spring activities start up and “the other life” takes over.
For many members this time of year marks the last time they will see each other until next ski season. For others, however, it just marks a transition from winter activities to summer activities, many of which they will do with Prime Time friends. Members meet informally throughout the summer primarily in southern Maine and occasionally in the Bethel area for kayaking, biking and socializing. Last year more than 30 members participated in a four-day trip to Bar Harbor the end of June, enjoying hiking, biking, kayaking, golfing, shopping, eating, and lots of laughing. This year’s Downeast gathering is planned for June 21 – 25 with reservations already being accepted. Some club members will join together for one or multiple days to paddle the Androscoggin River, participating in Source to Sea events held throughout July and August. The club’s annual meeting weekend, September 15 – 17, kicks off the 2017-18 ski season. The event coincides with Bethel’s Harvestfest and Chowdah Cookoff and also includes biking, hiking, kayaking, golfing, a pot luck dinner, another group dinner and election of officers and planning for the upcoming year.
This is also the time of year that season passes are on sale for next year. It is also one of the few times people are happy to be old because Sunday River, like a lot of ski areas, offers discount skiing and season passes to those 65 and older with lower prices available until the end of April. Those 80 or older get to ski free with a small fee for processing a season pass. (The same is true of those 5 years old and younger.) Of Prime Time’s 142 members, 14 are 80 or older and get a free ski club membership as well as a Sunday River season pass. Ah, the perks of getting old!
This will be the last Prime Time Ski Club column until members start skiing again in December or early January. If you are 50 or older and want to enjoy the year-round activities that the Prime Time Ski Club offers, check out our website at www.primetimeskiclub.com. We hope you will consider joining. Soon it will be December and club members will be meeting (conditions permitting) at either 9 a.m. at the South Ridge lifts after booting up at the Mahoosuc Room or at North Peak Lodge at 10 a.m. Hope to see you then if not before!
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