Chicago Week 2014 ~ Wrap-Up
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With a theme of Mardi Gras for Chicago Week 2014, the good times rolled in Big Sky, Montana, this year. Big Sky isn't the easiest place to get to or from, but once you are there, the rewards are great: a small laid-back ski village with a huge mountain and no lift lines. Our group enjoyed great snow, with a few inches of powder almost every day. The resort's "Biggest Skiing in America" includes the former Moonlight Basin ski area, recently acquired by Big Sky and incorporated into the larger resort as the "Northern Exposure." Our group took full advantage of Big Sky's extensive terrain and excellent conditions. Meanwhile the cross country skiers on the trip explored the network of Nordic trails at nearby Lone Mountain Ranch. This year's Chicago Week group consisted of 16 CMSC clubs: Alpine, Chicago Friars, Duneland, Fort Wayne, Hustlers, Inland, Joliet, Lake Shore, Omaha, Piccadilly, Powder Dogs, Sitzmark (Chicago), Skihasen, Skunk Hollow, SUDS, and Thunderbirds. Our contingent was comprised of 272 people, ages 5 to 85, from 2 countries, 18 states and 2 provinces. The participants arrived in waves on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, flying into both Billings and Bozeman, Montana, from Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Omaha on CMSC flights and driving or flying on their own from a myriad of other cities. Upon arrival the clubs settled into either the Big Horn condos or the venerable Huntley Lodge (the latter renowned for its generous daily breakfast buffet). The Lodge bears the name of the late Chet Huntley, respected NBC journalist and founding father of Big Sky. The resort is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year so it was the perfect place for a party. CMSC's week-long Mardi Gras celebration began on Sunday night with a Welcome Reception featuring snacks and dessert. Big Sky staff were on hand to welcome everyone and provide information on discounted rentals and lessons. Mardi Gras beads in the traditional colors of green, gold, and purple were distributed then and throughout the week, and many clubs brought their own festive attire as well. In addition to beads, each club was given a two-color set of ribbons to attach to ski clothes or equipment, making them easy to identify on the slopes. We were a very colorful group all week. Monday featured a Fun Race followed by a group lunch at the Huntley. CWers' mingled at two well-attended Apres Ski events at the base with pizza on Monday night and Tex-Mex on Tuesday. At the latter event many people flaunted their race medals earned the day before. During the week, quite a few people took advantage of Big Sky's proximity to Yellowstone National Park, less than 2 hours away. They enjoyed snowmobile and snowcat excursions into the park, mostly on Wednesday. Other folks used that day to relax or to try activities such as snowshoeing, zip lining, tubing, and fly fishing. Still others skied six days straight, making the most of Big Sky’s gift of powder. Wednesday evening brought a new off-hill challenge: the Chicago Week Pub Crawl. Nine teams and their groupies worked their way through four fine drinking establishments, looking for answers to a trivia scavenger hunt, with questions like "What date was Chet born?", "Where was Whiskey Jack last seen?" and "What country is the duck stamp from?" At the last stop, results were tallied and a winning team was announced amidst some spirited but good-natured controversy (another time-honored Chicago Week tradition). Thursday night everyone came together again for the Dinner Banquet held at the Huntley Lodge Dining Room. The Mardi Gras theme was much in evidence with decorations, colorful hats, masks, costumes and an abundance of Mardi Gras beads. The evening featured a traditional New Orleans king cake for dessert, door prizes, a DJ and dancing, a slideshow of photos taken during the week, and a preview of CW15 in Mt Bachelor. In addition to the full-group activities, many clubs had their own dinner events during the week either cooking in or eating out. It was a very full week with plenty to do on and on the slopes. To view more of the week's colorful social activities as well as group photos, action shots, and on-hill scenic photos, see the Chicago Week 2014 photo gallery. Many many thanks are due to:  Assistant Tripleader Glenn Yoshimura; Fun Race Coordinator Ed Gordon; Chicago Week Photographer Rick Drew; Chicago Week "Door Men"; Randy Baustert and Gary Kaufman and their crack team of "enforcers"; Shari and Karl Winter of our tour operator Winter Ski and Sport; Big Sky Resort, especially our primary contact Senior Sales Manager Victor DeLeo, as well as Margo Humphries (Events), Anna Burkhardt (Reservations) and Ben Brosseau (Racing); all the dedicated club tripleaders—Frank Stadler (Alpine), Jill Hronek (Chicago Friars), Cheryl Wytovicz (Duneland), Larry Trumbull and Mike Findley (Fort Wayne), Carl Buss (Hustlers), Jim Szyszka (Inland), Dean Foster (Joliet), Christine Frank (Lake Shore), Teri Hammon (Omaha), Vicki Schutz (Piccadilly), Jeannie Conway (Powder Dogs), Dawn Ahlgren (Sitzmark), Cal Wheeler (Skihasen), Don "Blaze"; Blazowski (Skunk Hollow), Bob Waddell (SUDS), Evelyn Fitzgerald (Thunderbirds); and to all 272 participants for their good spirits which allowed Chicago Week to "Laissez les bons temps roulez." If you missed this one, plan on joining us for Chicago Week 2015 in Mt. Bachelor or on another CW soon thereafter. Mary Kreinbring Chicago Week Tripleader 2014 |
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$1550 - $2065* |
| * Club prices varied based on air and lodging options. Departure/return dates varied slightly from club to club. |
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