JR Ogden wrote a new blog post: COMMUNITY: EISC offers more than skiing

Two members of the Eastern Iowa Ski Club at the Rendezous Bowl in Jackson Hole, Wyo., last month. This was one of two trips the club takes every year out West. (Eastern Iowa Ski Club photo)

Editor?s note: Steve Cummings is president and trip coordinator for the Eastern Iowa Ski Club.

By Steve Cummings, community contributor

The Eastern Iowa Ski Club, which has been around since the 1970s, is not only about skiing.

Many of the 130 members do not ski and are in the club for the social aspect.

And even though winter is drawing to a close, the club remains active.

There are meetings monthly from September through April and the summer is filled with a variety of activities.

Downhill skiing is the club?s primary focus and it was formed to get better deals on lift tickets and lodging for our members. During the winter, when conditions allow, we schedule cross country ski and snowshoe days in the area every weekend.

The EISC tries to go on two major ski trips out West, as well as two or three Midwest trips each year.

This ski past season, the club spent seven days in Breckenridge, Colo., and we recently returned from a seven-day trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Each trip had about 28 club members in attendance. We were fortunate enough to have new snow and great skiing conditions on both.

The club does a ?learn to ski? day every year at Sundown Mountain in Dubuque in late December, where we try to introduce people to the sport. It has been very successful.

In mid-January, the club spent a weekend in Minneapolis where our members skied Wild Mountain ski resort one day and Welsh Village ski resort the next.

Several members of the Eastern Iowa Ski Club pose for a photo at the Bridger Gondola in Jackson Hole. (Eastern Iowa Ski Club photo)

Several members opted to go downtown or to the Mall of America as an alternative.

Besides skiing, the club likes to get together for EISC nights at area sporting events. We have a night at the RoughRiders this month, will attend a Titans game in May and the Kernels in June.

Many of our members also are avid bicyclists and we have rides throughout the summer. We enjoy the Cedar River Trail almost weekly and have trips planned to ride in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area and the Heritage trail in Dubuque.

In August, the club has a weekend trip planned to ride the Gandy Dancer Trail in the St. Croix Valley, while other members will make this a kayak/canoe trip on the St. Croix River.

Some of the club?s other activities include the annual EISC Golf Outing and we usually do a EISC wine tasting night.

Over the years, ski club members have enjoyed some of the best ski resorts in the United States. In 2010, the club had a ski/sightseeing trip to Austria and Switzerland. We were able to ski San Moritz, Kitzbuel and the Stubai Glacier on the same trip. Last year we spent a week at Beaver Creek, Colo., with a day trip to Vail and did a train trip in late February to Winter Park.

The club always is ready to welcome new members.

l Check the EISC at www.eastiowaskiclub.com

Source: http://thegazette.com/2013/03/17/community-eisc-offers-more-than-skiing/

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