New Lift ticket deals and Site relaunch

October 30, 2006

Over the last few weeks we have been furiously at work repaing for site relaunch and the release of live coupons. With the winter season upon us we are proud to announce that the service will have live and functioning registration by the 10th of November. When the site is re-released the ability to produce live coupons for our members will be operational.

This will also be the date that FREE memberships are no longer available. All services will then be available at $9.95 for the initial family member, $7.95 for each member in groeups of 2 - 5. $6.96 each at 6 - 9 and $5.95 each for groups of 10 or more. The Mountain Sports Club will also function as a fundraiser for many groups. Contact us for more information on promoting our memberships and raising money for your group.

New lift ticket deals continue to becme available. Several new offers are as listed:

• Loveland Ski Area Colorado - Save $7.00 Daily on adult ful day lift tickets.
  
• Echo Mountain Park in Colorado - Save 10% on lift tickets.
  
• Silver Mountain Idaho - Ski and Stay Packages with Free Children's Lift tickets.
  
• Hidden Valley, Pennsylvania - 2 for 1 repeat lift tickets Opening day till December 24, 2006. Save up to $55 daily!!! 2 for 1 lift tickets Wed, Thursday and Friday all season. Save up to $55 each time.
  
• Shawnee, Pennsylvania - Save up to $8.00 Daily on adult lift tickets valid every day including Holidays and Weekends!!!!

New deals in the tavel desk now features lift and lodging specials at resorts such as Aspen, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Snowmass, Winter Park, Telluride, Deer Valley, Park City, Whistler/Blackcomb, Stowe, Mt Tremblant and many more. Special members only savings on top of already discounted packages.

Kicking off 2006/07 Ski Season at Loveland

Monday October 30, 2006

Dateline Boulder, Colorado

Friday was the 24th time out of the last 28 October’s that I have had the good fortune of skiing and making turns in Colorado. I had the opportunity to get to Loveland Ski Area and check out the incredible early season snow. The ski season began early this year in the Colorado Rockies. Arapahoe Basin was the first to open Friday October 13 th, followed by Loveland Ski area the next day. Since then the state and central mountains have received several snow falls. The one that kicked the season into a higher gear was the middle of last week when most of the mountains received 18 – 14 inches of snow.

Loveland reported 22 inches of new snow last Thursday and opened an additional chair. On Friday under blue skies it felt like mid winter. The snow was soft and there were soft bumps appearing on blue and black runs. There are now 3lifts with 21 trails open. I have never skied such good winter soft snow and seen so much terrain open this early. It is time to wax the skis or snowboards and get a jump on this season. Loveland Ski Area will be offering a daily $7.00 lift ticket savings/discount on full day lift tickets this season to Mountain Sports Club members.

Arapahoe Basin reports 2 lifts open, 7 runs and top to bottom skiing and snowboarding. This week will see both Keystone and Copper Mountain open one week early for skiing and snowboarding. In Southwest Colorado Wolf Creek opened this past Friday.

See you on the mountain,

Ski area Openings, More Lift ticket deals and St Mary's Glacier

Fall sure is trying to move quickly into winter in the Colorado high country. The early snows and cold temperatures provided enough foundation and for good snowmaking weather to enable both Arapahoe Basin ( first in the nation on Friday 10.13) and Loveland Ski Area ( next day Saturday 10.14) to open for skiing and riding. This is one of the earliest I can remember having 2 areas open. It sure builds the excitement and enthusiasm for a good season.

We took a hike up to St. Mary's Glacier yesterday as well to get our legs ready for some high country winter treks and to take in the sites. This is and has been one of my favorite hikes and access points to the high country for almost 30 years.

Directions: To get there take I-70 west to exit 238 Fall River Road. Take RD 275 about 11 miles to you past the sign that you have gone over 10,000 feet. From there you will shortly see several parking and trail options. It is 3/4 of a mile to the base of the Glacier (tecnically a snowfield) and the lake.With recent snows of up to 2 feet in parts of the mountains, the glacier offered a significant, but narrow in places, run. At the top of the glacier there were kickers and rails that had been built with an very active backcountry park and jumping scene. There must have been 30 - 40 skiers and riders we saw making the hike and earning turns and jumps. It was sunny and warm making for an awesome October day of playing in the high country.

New spotlight deal for Mountain Sports Club Members this week included daily savings of up to $6.00 valid everyday of the season at Shawnee Peak in Maine.

New 2 for 1 Lift Ticket Deals and Travel discounts

The new site relaunch is going to happen in the next week. We are excited about unveiling the new look and functionality. Over 600 resorts with resort detail over 1,000 lodging properties with travel booking options and more lift tickets deals coming online and in the wings.

Strong values that have been confirmed include the following 2 for 1 lift tickets.

• Windham Mountain in the Catskills of New York is offering a 2 for 1 mid week non holiday for Mountain Sports Club members. This is a $46 value. Well worth the value of one's membership.
• Tenney Mountain in New Hampshire is offering Mountain Sports Club members 2 for 1 lift tickets daily on midweek non holiday lift tickets, representing a daily savings value of $15 each time you use your membership.

In the Mt. Washington Valley area of New Hampshire, Cranmore has commited to extending savings ranging from $5.00 daily to $10.00 daily savings on Adult Full day lift tickets.

These are several of the newer lift ticket savings that will be available in the coming weeks as well complete site relaunch.

Members can also now access various features of the Mountain Sports Club Travel desk to book lodging and more at our private label travel service powered by Travelocity.

New deals being listed weekly. Memberships are still FREE of charge. Hurry while offer lasts. With new discounts like those above coming in this offer will not last much longer. Over 30 additional resorts have committed to providing lift ticket values for our members by months end.

Monarch lift ticket deals, over 1,000 hotels and more savings

The last several weeks since traveling to the North east and Mid Atlantic states is bearing fruit for new members deals. Discounts on lift tickets now includes Monarch Mountain in Colorado with member savings of up to $8 daily on lift tickets. New personalized coupon capability will appear on the site by the middle of October as the site is relaunched with a new and improved look and feel.

A few new highlights of Mountain Sports Club members includes the following:

• Save up to 50% on lodging in Killington at The Cortina Inn and Resort.
• Save up to 20% on lodging in Hunter at Scribner Hollow Lodge.
• Save up to 25% on lodging in Jackson Hole at The Alpenhof Lodge.

When the site relaunches there will be resort information available on over 600 resorts and savings on lodging and lift ticket lodging packacges at most major destination resorts throughout North America. Mountain Sports Club members will be guaranteed the lowest rate at over 1,000 hotels and condominiums at your favorite resorts in Colorado, New England, Wyoming, Utah, Canada and more.

Send us your reviews and any updates on discounts you see in the marketplace.

Labor Day Sales, new retail offers and Jackson Hole Discount

September 4, 2006

Labor Day Ski and snowboard sales have launched the winter 2007 season from coast to coast. These preseason sales once were more pervasive than currently is the case. Preseason sales blowing out last year’s gear began in the weeks right after July 4th and hit their peak this weekend. They will continue sporadically though out the fall until around Columbus Day. These sales are often combined with swaps where you can bring you old gear and try to sell it and use the funds for the new upgrade you just got to have.

These sales surely can be a lot of fun and often combine a festival feel with resorts on hand selling season passes, discount cards and prepackaged sets of tickets at a discounted rate for committing to the local resort now. Colorado has traditionally and continues to be one of the leaders in great deals on gear and passes. The retail wars go back to the middle of last century when two retailers Gart Sports (Now The Sports Authority) and Cooks Sporting Goods would have competing sales. The two that now face off are TSA and Colorado Ski and Golf each Labor day Weekend – The sales are respectively called Sniagrab – bargains spelled backwards and Ski Rex. Great deals and many resort deals abound at each. Even the new gear tends to get discounted close to 20% on the opening weeks of this sale. One word of advice. If you are getting to one of these sales and the special you are looking for is sold out, make sure to get one of the sales reps to go digging for that item. They sometimes will pull one of these hot deals off the rack and hide them if the competitor dropped the price too far. I have personally worked at these sales and seen this done at Colorado Ski and Golf. Then they mysteriously re-appear at a higher price a few weeks later. Be insistent since they have advertised this special.

Keep looking at the deals as they add new ones for the first several weeks in September. Also many of the sales reps can make a deal with you to ensure you do not walk out, so always ask, “Is this the best you can do? Are there any other deals available?”

Now with the increased competition of online retailers ask for comparative pricing. Many will match or beat any verified price on an item that is the same make, year, model, size and color.

Hot deals at resorts: All Colorado Resorts and most nationwide are in the midst of season pass sales. If you are skiing and riding enough, buy them now. This is the best deal of the year and often includes bonus features. One great special on the marketplace is Steamboats Special early season sale offering discounts of up to 25% on lodging and lift tickets that are pre-purchased and prepaid. Steamboat really does not discount so this is a real value if you know you are headed to Steamboat.

Jackson Hole – I know, No TRAM and that is a travesty flat out. But the place still rocks and the skiing and riding is world class. Alpenhof Lodge at the base of Teton Village is offering a 25% discount on stays of 4 nights or more for Mountain Sports Club members.
This is truy a distinctive alpine Bavarian flavored mountain lodge. The dining is excellent and rooms are inviting and comfortable.

Northeast Ski Areas Summit, Travelocity Partnership and more...

Well as summer comes to a close, more and more deals are coming in the door for Mountain Sports Club Members. We just added a new retailer wth special offers in the marketplace - Mountains Plus is an outdoor specialty retailer offering great deals and savings for mebers on all the top brands. They specialize in backcountry, adventure travel and outdoor categories. In the marketplace we just loaded magazine subscriptions available at a discounted rate as well for members.

NorthEast Summit - Schedule a meeting at the upcoming North East Summit in Bretton Woods at Mount Washington - September 5 - 7. I will be in attendance at this event and scheduling meetings from Tuesday through Friday at the trade show and at resort locations. Call now to schedule a time to meet an discuss how best we can promote your resort this coming season.

Travel desk and service powered by Travelocity. The Mountain Sports Club is pleased to announce a partnership with Travelocity to power our online Travel Desk. This private label program will bring the wide selection, service and value offered by Travelocity to our branded Mountain Sports Club Travel Desk for our members. This service will be lanched in conjunction with our redesigned site scheduled for the middle of October. Just in time for the start of the new ski and snowboard season. This service will not only provide discounts on travel packages, but lodging, hotels, lift tickets, services and activities.

Antelope Access to Hall Ranch Ride - Lyons, Colorado

I finally made the trip and rode thye Antelope access to the Hall Ranch ride out of lyons, colodao on Sunday(8.13.06). After one year plus of several good riding buddies trying to convince me to ride the new access to Hall Ranch outside of Lyons, Colorado, I made the trip and ride. Living in Boulder, I often ride the south end of town due to time, but with the family gone, and no need for a permission slip out I went. We met first right on town just before the main drag turns right to Estes Park or left to the main Hall Ranch access, at the Barking Dog Cafe for Java and a scone.
This local coffee shop is a must do for the caffeine fans in the crowd. They have a wireless connection as well if you feel compelled to check your email.

To get to the Antelope Trail access one heads up 36 toward Estes Park out of town. As you head up the canyon look for Apple Valley Road on your left. This is the first turn, take it and follow a couple of miles till you see the next signs for the Antelope trail head access. The parking lot fills quick so more and more folks park in town and ride up. From the trail head it is a nice steady climb up to the main Hall Ranch trail, but nothing too narly. For this rider this approach was so much more doable, nd enjoyable, compared to the front side of Hall Ranch, which always does a number on me. I walk significant sections of the front side. Here I was comfortable yet challenged. The trail was much smoother and the entire ride was very enjoyable.

I will be back and make this a regular ride in the future.

Diamond Peak Lift Ticket offerings and Store offerings from BentGear.com

Last week saw two significant new additions to the members benefits in two different areas. On the resort side we published a daily $9 lift ticket savings for members valid all season except holiday periods. This repeat offer provides exceptional value for our members skiing and riding in the Tahoe area. In addition to this savings there are two for one lift ticket, beginner lesson packages available mid week non holiday. More details in the Diamond Peak Mountain Sports Club listing.

On the gear side of things new vendor BentGear.com, an online specialty ski, snowboard and outdoor retailer added savings and the entire online store for our members to browse and shop from. Currently a Back to School Sale is underway with an additional savings of 10% and FREE shipping . This relationship will be a foundation on which additional deep and extended product and service offerings will be provided to MountainSports Club members.

Currently we are still offering FREE memberships as a special introductory offer. Join now and Save Hundreds this winter ski and snnowboard season at resorts nationwide - From California to New York to Colorado to Vermont, Wyoming and more....