“Happy New Year!!” was the most common greeting heard at North Peak Lodge the first week of January as Prime Time Ski Club members returned to the slopes of Sunday River after a summer-long hiatus. Although some members ski in November and December, many don’t start their ski season until after the holidays. However, the numbers at the North Peak meeting place were down this year compared to the past few years due to below zero temperatures for most of the first week of the new year. Yet not everyone stayed inside to read a good book by the fireplace — a hardcore group of skiers showed up each weekday morning and skied well into the afternoon, thanks to occasional warm-up rides inside the cabin of the chondola. Those who ventured onto the slopes found excellent ski conditions, including fresh powder and uncrowded trails.
The Prime Time Ski Club is for those 50 years or older and its main mission is to make sure that “no one ever needs to ski alone.” The club boasts a membership of more than 125 skiers and non-skiing spouses or partners. Our active skiers range in age from 50 to 80 plus. Anyone looking for someone to ski with should meet at North Peak Lodge at 10 a.m. (upper level, right hand side past the bar.) After a brief time for announcements, members usually break into small groups of four to eight skiers, based mostly on skiing ability and speed and terrain preference.
Although Prime Time is primarily a ski club, the past few years it has become more of a year-round social and outdoor activity club as well. From the end of last year’s ski season in April to the opening ski days in November, many Prime Time members have participated in a number of activities with other club members. Some activities are informal like gathering at someone’s lake house for an afternoon of swimming and boating or getting together to kayak or bike. Other activities are more structured like a lobster bake held the end of the summer in a member’s yard under a rented tent. Twenty-something members spent three or four days in Bar Harbor in June hiking, biking, kayaking, shopping and relaxing.
However, now it’s time to think snow and skiing although social activities still dot the Prime Time calendar. There are monthly pot luck dinners, Go50 Week activities the end of January, trips to other mountains and informal game nights as well as the camaraderie of skiing partners to make the lift rides seem shorter and the ski runs more enjoyable. Check out our web site at www.primetimeskiclub.com for membership information and a schedule of activities. If you are looking for someone to ski with, come join us for a few runs. We hope to see you.
