Greetings East Iowa Ski Club members. Another successful Soup and Chili Cook-off is in the books. The weather was cold, windy and there wasn’t enough snow to do much outside, however the lodge was warm & it was enjoyable to visit with everyone. The meeting went well, the best soup & chili contests were fun, and the food was very good. The candidates running for the board all did a great job introducing themselves.
The Trip Surveys didn’t go out as planned due to some communication errors caused by the vice-president (he forgot about them). I am wondering about the effectiveness of our current surveys. It is limited to the members who attend the January meeting, so we may not be getting an accurate sampling. Last year’s ski survey indicated we wanted two ski trips and the top two destinations were Steamboat and Winter Park. We had great, enthusiastic Trip Leaders selling the trips since June and struggled to reach our minimum numbers on both trips. The surveys indicated interest in Midwest skiing and winter adventures and we couldn’t fill half of the rooms on the February Stillwater trip. Rest assured the members that are going on these trips will have a great time. We wish we had a few more members join us.
The Adventure Trip survey results were all over for the longer expeditions. There were almost twice as many Adventure trip surveys as opposed to Ski trip surveys turned in last year. This really shows the direction of the club. We need to refine this survey into topic categories to see if we can get better data. Camping and bicycle trips were the favorites on the shorter adventures. We have seen great success and have enjoyed some great times on these excursions. The camping committee (thank you Kim) has done a fantastic job finding campgrounds & coordinating with the bicycle trips. The local trail bike rides have had varying success. With the increase in e-bikes among our members and with the opening of more cool local trails, I expect the number of participants to increase in 2026.
The May 14th Texas bus trip is off to a strong start. Trip Leader, Cathy Dick is enthusiastic and doing a great job organizing this adventure. The EISC’s September 3rd Cosmos Highlights of Ireland and Scotland Tour of 2026 is getting started. This is a great opportunity to see a very special part of the world at a great price. If you are interested, please contact Diane Scholl, who is selling this trip for the club.
Thanks to Rosanne Van Cura, Cathy Dick and Lori Huff, this year’s nominating committee for the EISC board. There are six strong candidates (profiles in the Skiddoo) for four positions on the board. Thank you to the committee for their work and to all candidates who are running for the board. The voting will be at the February 21st meeting at the Knights of Columbus.
Thanks again to everyone who helped out and attended the EISC January Soup & Chili Cook-off. It is one of the club’s favorite events. There will be a couple of trip updates and the election at the February 21st Valentine’s themed meeting. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next EISC event.
Steve Cummings