Thank you so much to those of you who have already generously donated to our Prime the Pump fundraising campaign for our new high capacity well for snowmaking! If you haven't yet donated to support this capstone piece in our snowmaking infrastructure, we would welcome your support in creating snow opportunities at our club for decades to come. Donate here.
A BART family has generously offered to match up to $5,000 for the snowmaking campaign. Acknowledging that BART has high requirements for snowmaking and will greatly benefit from it, they feel it is important for BART families to contribute financially. BART members who would like to take advantage of this wonderful offer should add a note about the BART match when contributing. Huge thank you to this considerate family!
Order Blackhawk gear by 12/19
Purchase awesome Blackhawk Ski Club clothing and gear and support our snowmaking capital campaign at the same time! Shop at our club store by 12/19!
Blackhawk buffs for sale
As another way to fundraise for the capital campaign, we’re selling buffs (neck gators) for $10/each. See a board member at alpine lessons or ask your program director if you’d like to buy one. Payment can be made by check or credit card via the donation tab on our website (please put "BH buffs" in the notes).
35% off at Enjoy Winter website
EnjoyWinter, a local distributor of bike and ski gear, has offered Blackhawk Ski Club members a 35% discount on in-stock items. EnjoyWinter carries Bliz eyewear & helmets, Swenor roller-skis and Start brand ski wax. Visit EnjoyWinter https://enjoywinter.com/ and use the discount code you received in your December member newsletter at checkout. Pick up at EnjoyWinter warehouse on the East side or ship to your house for a small fee.
Need more gear? Visit our Facebook page for swapping ski and snowboard equipment.
Ski Patrol Safety Tips
Blackhawk Ski Patrol asks all members to please abide by the skier's code of conduct, safety guidelines, followed by skiers around the world to keep themselves and their fellow skiers safe and to follow these additional safety tips:
-wear a helmet (required for children and instructors)
-yield to the skier in front of you and only pass FAR to their left or right IF it is safe to do so
-make multiple turns as you descend the hill and maintain control of yourself the entire time
-calmly and safely join the rope tow line
Parents, we count on you to repeatedly communicate these safety expectations to your children and to work together with Blackhawk ski patrollers, instructors, ambassadors, and other skiers to keep everyone safe. Thank you!
Thank a Snowmaker!
HUGE THANKS to our snowmakers, who put in many long hours, often in the freezing cold middle of the night, to fill our hills and paths with snow. Thank you to Joe House, Chair of our Facilities and Operations Committee; Don Wiley, Dan Osborne, Max Vavilov, Rick Hardy, Matt Ginder-Vogel, Dave McMurray, Steve Bagwell, Craig Kleinstieber, Jill Stevenson, Matt Walsh, Sarah Taylor, Pete Reinhard, Chris Lawn, and Jasper Rothenberg (and probably more!). Thanks also to Chris Eisenhauer who assembled the shed that protects the Leonard’s Way (Hill 5) snowmaking equipment and Jeff Pike who donated walkie-talkies for easier communication!
We’d also like to warmly welcome lead snowmaker Casey Bingham! Casey brings 12 years of snowmaking and grooming experience at operations from a small hill in Wisconsin to Breckenridge in Colorado. Welcome, Casey! We’re so happy to have you here.
If you’re interested in thermodynamics, are fascinated by the properties of water, really like mechanical stuff, or just think this would be a fun way to volunteer and be a hero, we could use more volunteer snowmakers. Please email amy.grunewald@blackhawkskiclub.org if you’re interested in snowmaking. Email kelsey.berg@blackhawkskiclub.org if you are interested in any of our other volunteer needs.
Cross Country Google Group forming now!
Join our xc google group to hear the lastest in xc news around the club, connect with skiers, volunteer and more! Email xc@blackhawkskiclub.org to join.
4WD Notice/Parking
Reminder that you can only descend the dirt road to the ski jump, Nordic, and Biathlon areas in a 4WD vehicle. If your vehicle does not have 4WD, please park in the East or West Chalet lots and walk (or xc ski) down. Check out the new perimeter trail from the West Chalet parking lot to make this easier!
Parking near Biathlon Haus is limited to biathletes during practices, Tue, Wed & Thur, 5-8pm. Please use caution if walking from the large parking lot to the biathlon area (we recommend skiing!)
Parking tags for new members and those who hadn’t received theirs yet, along with 2021-2022 stickers, have arrived in many mailboxes! Let us know if you do not receive yours soon.
Summer Mountain Bike Trails Closed
Once we have natural snow on the trails, fat biking season begins.
Open Hours and Winter Maps
Open ski hours and winter maps can be found here. https://www.blackhawkskiclub.org/about/facilities-hours
Use of the trails in the winter: As winter approaches, our trails will be covered with snow -- great for skiing, snow shoeing, or fat biking as designated. But they are not good for hiking with regular shoes or boots, as this damages the trails and makes more work for our groomers and other volunteers. There are a few places you can walk, such as on the roads (with caution!) and up/down the "Perimeter Hiking Trail" along the west side of the ski slopes. If you do want to use the trails, please use snowshoes, skis, or a fat bike (with tires more than 3.8 inches wide). And please watch for signs as some trails are closed, or 2-way during the winter months.
News from the Otter Den
Dec. 22, 6-7 pm at the East Chalet. Join fellow magic makers to craft treats for the birds. We’ll take a short hike to hang up our treats. ‘Tis the season to spread our generosity! Sign up here to donate supplies.
Thanks to the 100 people who joined us in November for our full moon hike! We hope to see you again soon.
Welcome to Lily Hubanks, our first Nature Exploration intern! Lily is a freshman at St. Olaf College in MN and is interested in learning more about environmental education. She was a Blackhawk Nordic Ski Team member and will be helping to plan and communicate Nature Exploration events for the coming year.
Thank you to Cabela's for donating $250 towards snowshoes for our Nature Exploration program. Stay tuned for Blackhawk snowshoe adventures this winter!
If you are a woodworker (or related to one), we are assembling a volunteer "Blackhawk Woodworkers Guild". Membership allows you the opportunity to make creative and beautiful projects needed by the ski club, such as benches, snowshoe signs (see below photo), and nature exploration playthings. Please contact Jill Stevenson at jill.stevenson@blackhawkskiclub.org to be added to this unique and satisfying volunteer group. Thank you!
News from Around the Club
Intro to Ski Jumping Classes Available
Is your young skier looking for a new challenge or something different to do this winter? Skiers who can easily ski down Hill 2, usually ages five and older, are welcome to try ski jumping. Blackhawk offers an Introduction to Ski Jumping class on Tuesday evenings at 5:30, Saturday mornings at 10:15, and Sundays at 12:30. Beginning ski jumpers will learn the basics of ski jumping in their alpine equipment. When athletes are confident on the ski jumps, coaches will help transition kids to jumping equipment that the program provides. New jumpers have a chance to participate in Blackhawk’s home tournament each February. As young jumpers progress, they can choose to join the Blackhawk Ski Jumping Team. Helmets and a sense of adventure are the only requirements.
More information on ski jumping at Blackhawk can be found on our Youth Programs Ski Jumping page.
Questions? Contact Girly Gessner at jumping@blackhawkskiclub.org
Blackhawk Ski Jumper Anna Hoffman at Olympic Trials
Blackhawk ski jumper Anna Hoffman will participate in the ski jumping Olympic trials in Lake Placid, New York on Dec 25 at 11am CST. Hoffmann began ski jumping at Blackhawk Ski Club with her siblings at age 2, and she trained and competed with Blackhawk’s team until she graduated from Madison Memorial in 2018. Hoffmann won the 2018 and 2016 Junior Nationals and went on to represent the US at Junior Worlds in Oberwiesenthal, Germany, in 2020; Lahti, Finland, in 2019; Kandersteg, Switzerland, in 2018; and Park City, Utah, in 2017. Now 21, Hoffmann is a junior at the University of Utah. Watch Anna Hoffman at the Olympic trials (times are EST)!
See you soon!
The Blackhawk Board of Directors
