Holiday Valley 2003 . . . . . Return to "Downhill Skiing"

February 12, 2003
Our ski trip started with great anticipation of fresh snow and camaraderie. The day began with a snowstorm, closing schools and slowing traffic to a crawl. As we drove past cars which had slid off into the median, we wondered if we were crazy. Halfway to Ellicottville the roads were clear and the sky was sunny. En route we had muffins, danish, and juice, and our leader Tom handed out granola bars as our fuel for skiing.

Holiday Valley is a fabulous place for skiers of all abilities. We had our choice of untracked powder, firmly groomed runs or powdery glades. Stu, Rich, Dave, Kathy, Wayne and Gail decided to conquer the powder-covered "Wall" first thing. Sue Q, Joyce, Mary, and Judy explored the scenic tree lined runs. Dianne, Dave B. and Flo tore up the bumps on Falcon. Other friendly faces included Colleen, Bob, Guy, Mike, Bud and John. Patricia and Alice did tricks on the whales in the terrain park. We had the resort and all that fresh snow to ourselves, with hardly anyone else on the hills. There were several lodges to choose from for breaks and lunch and also warming huts all over the mountain.

Several trip goers made contributions to the local economy by making purchases in the terrific ski shop. We left at 5 pm, just as the buses for the school ski clubs were unloading. Perfect timing. On the way home we snacked on cheese, crackers, veggies with dip, beer, wine and soda.

We thank Tom R. and family (Dick, Shirley and daughter Jessie) for hosting such an enjoyable trip and for doing such a bang up job. Special thanks to Bob D. and Dave W. for helping with the large cooler, loading it with soda, beer and ice, and of course assisting with the consumption of the beer. We were sorry none of us got to meet the trip co-leader Tom H., who couldn’t make the trip due to a suspected ski injury. (We heard he hobbled into the February meeting, however no one from the trip was there to document his presence.) We look forward to Tom running an equally successful trip next year.
- Gail U.


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Last modified: February 26, 2003