You want adventure? You want thrills? You want socializing! Or maybe just plain fun mixed with some exercise? The Toledo Ski Club (TSC) has it all. TSC is not just for challenging and conquering the slopes, it’s also for playing tennis, golf, volleyball and maybe even a trip to Put-In-Bay. Every year they also make charity part of their mission.
Variety of activities
The TSC’s website, toledoskiclub.net states they also “host and attend parties and events. It is not unusual for members to meet at local watering holes and festivals for food and drinks, for friendship and camaraderie. We are more than just a ski club, we are a social club.”
Rick Popiolek, TSC President boasts of the Club’s 70th anniversary celebration, explaining “we have 340 members, around 225 families and around 100 single people and single parents. Anyone over the age of 21 can join.”
Using the Club’s lodge
The location of the lodge is 47 South Shore, Boyne City, Michigan, with the closest slope being “Boyne Mountain which is 7 miles away, 14 miles away is Boyne Highland and there’s another one called Nubs Nob also about 14 miles away. More people go up there for skiing no doubt, but there are really great golf courses up there. Six of Michigan’s top ten golf courses are within a ½ hour drive (from the TSC lodge),” said Popiolek.
The lodge is cozy and “members can go up all year long as long as they make a reservation. Reservations range from $13 to $44 dollars a night. Christmas time is the busiest and then usually MLK weekend and President’s Day weekend are always full during that time. We have 12 bedrooms, there are 2 men’s restrooms, 2 women’s restrooms and 12 showers,” Popiolek relates.
Though skiing is the key missing of the club, TSC’s Vice President Sandy Hamilton ,a retired lawyer and a TSC member since 1992, said, “I don’t ski as much but the social events that we have like the mixers, usually on Friday nights, are a lot of fun.” Ms. Hamilton is also active in the TSC Tennis League explaining “we play Sunday nights and it’s been going on for years and years. A couple arrange it with Shadow Valley every year and we play starting in October, take a little break at Christmas, and then start up again in January.”
Good for the community
The TSC is also benevolent as the Club does fundraisers at Christmas time, selecting a charity and donating the proceeds to them, according to Popiolek. The latest charity to receive the TSC’s generosity was Maumee Valley Save-A-Pet.
“Membership dues are really reasonable” said Ms. Hamilton and according to their website, a single membership is $48.27, single parent (1 adult and their children under 21) is $64.35 and a family membership (2 adults and their children under 21) is $80.44. The membership year is September 1 thru August 31.
Skiing time
According to The National Ski Areas Association website (nsaa.org), January is “Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month” and details information on ski safety, using protective gear and cautioning about chairlift safety.
With almost 10 million skiers and snowboarders in the USA (according to statista.com), there is a constant need for ski and snowboard equipment and gear. TSC has a Ski Swap once a year, selling used used ski equipment and clothing, held at Mountain Man at 2735 Reynolds Road.
