As we have discussed at the last several troop meetings, our next troop trip is our ski trip on February 8 and 9. We will need to meet at the church at 3:45 p.m. and plan to leave at 4:00 p.m. in order to get to our destination at a reasonable hour. Supper will be fast food on the road. We will be spending the night at Grace Lutheran Church in Boone, NC. They will allow us use of their basement where we will have access to bathrooms and plenty of floor space for sleeping. Please plan your sleeping gear accordingly. As usual, the great snorers in our group will be assigned their own special area. Saturday's breakfast will be planned, purchased and packed for eating at the church.
We will be skiing at Sugar Mountain Resort which is only 13 miles from the church. For groups like ours, the total cost for each person for a one day equipment rental and lift ticket is $55.00 which includes $2.00 insurance in case of any damage or loss to the equipment. We will want to be at the resort early to get our lift tickets and ski rentals arranged so we are ready to ski when the lifts first open. This is a good trip for all scouts and parents who have not skiied before. One hour group lessons are offered every hour from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. for a fee of $13.00. Experienced adult and scout skiers will also be available to assist anyone who needs help.
Unfortunately, the only real option for lunch is to eat at the resort where prices are pretty steep. Most common burger and drink type lunches will be in the $8.00 range with other items priced similarly. We do plan to return to Watkinsville on Saturday with supper again on the road. This means that we expect to eat out three times so food costs will be higher than on most trips. The total food costs including everyone's share of the breakfast cost should be $20.00 or less so that the total trip costs will be under $80.00.
This is always a fun trip. The resort at Sugar Mountain has ski runs that are well suited for everyone from the beginner to the intermediate skiier, while the more advanced can still have fun helping to pick everyone else out of the snow.
Please plan to let me know at our meeting on January 29 if you plan to go. However, the resort is very accomodating to us, even up to the last minute, so feel free to join in at the planning session at our meeting on February 5 if you find at the last minute that you can go . Please also let me know if you would like to sign up for lessons so I can give the resort a body count for lessons as well. Finally, everyone should plan to wear clothing for skiing that WILL GET WET!!