SWA Ski & Snowboard Club

Is it winter yet?
Welcome to October and another update from the Southwest Airlines Ski and Snowboard Club.
 The big news for this issue is that registration is now open for our first NAASF Ski Week in Big Sky, MT! (January 17-22)
 Another announcement is that you’ll register via the new NAASF webiste. The registration process is very simple. You just need to navigate your way to the Ski Weeks tab, then to the Big Sky banner. From there, you’ll see the option to “register now”. Simply add the desired level and amounts to your cart. You’ll have a few info items to complete…please be sure to select the correct airline and relation..before proceeding to the checkout.
 After you’ve sucessfully paid, you’ve also created your new account in this new website. You can find your way to the member profile section and fill in all the details. You can even add a profile picture so we know what you look like!
 Your paid registration also unlocks access to the discount links for lodging, lift tickets, transportation, rentals and lessons. When I was browsing, I found it necessary to right click the Big Sky Ski discount lodging discount to open it in a separate window. The other links seemed to work normally.
 There is sure to be some growing pains in the new website so please let us know if you have any issues. Just remember that your old login info no longer works. You’ll create a new login and profile when you register for a ski week.
 While you’re shopping for ski week registrations, check out all of the 50th anniversary merch for sale in the shop. Plus, raffle tickets for one of 4 full Ikon passes to be awarded on October 25th. $20 gets you one ticket, buy 10 tickets, get one free…and the purchase of any “Stio” 50th anniversary item (vest or fleece items) gets you one raffle ticket!
 Check out all of the details on the website.
 Summer is starting to lose its grip on us. But, winter is still at level 11 in the Chilean Andes. Valle Nevado has extended their season until October 18th with several significant storms still forecasted over the next two weeks. I could be persuaded to go back for closing weekend if anyone wants to join me. Maybe October 15-18.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. See you soon!

Check out all of the shopping options on http://www.naasf.com.

4 full Ikon passes will be raffled on October 25th via a live zoom call. Just $20 gets you a chance to win. Buy 10 tickets, get one free! And, you’ll receive one free raffle ticket with every NAASF 50th anniversary apparel item from Stio, (vest and fleece).

I’m no math surgeon, but I know savings when I see it!
NAASF has negotiated a group discount for the Ikon Pass. We’ve had this  before but this year, our group discount beats even the early renewal price! This discount is available to anyone and everyone…employees, retirees, friends, family, dog-sitters…anyone!
Here are the cost differences for the Ikon and the Ikon Base passes.
Ikon Full Pass: On-Line/Our Group/Renew
Adult (23+): $1,399/$1,279/$1,349
YA (13-22): $999/$929/$959
Child (5-12): $399/*$299/*$299
4& under: $199/$199/$199
Ikon Bass Pass: On-Line/Our Group/Renew
Adult (23+): $949/$909/$924
YA (13-22): $679/$649/$659
Child (5-12): $299/*$249/*$249
4& under: $149/$149/$149
*The spring child promotion is $100 off the child pass with the purchase of a new Ikon Pass or $50 off the child pass with an Ikon Base adult pass.
discount!
View instructions on the NAASF website. You’ll find the “how-to” under the 2026 Ski Weeks banner.
All you do is, send an email to the wonderful NAASF board member Mer Doessinger, in your email, please give full name, DOB, and email associated with each Ikon pass to Mer to get your code. Codes will be distributed by Mer in the evenings. If you have any questions or need assistance you may also text Mer at (716) 348-8423. (mdoess@hotmail.com)
I’ll point out that all three NAASF Ski Weeks scheduled for next season are at Ikon resorts. Additionally, our SWA Ski & Snowboard Club’s No-Brainer is at Brighton, Utah, another Ikon resort. Send your email asap! Prices are set to increase next month.

Happy Shopping!

The IASF started it all way back in 1960 with just Air France and Swissair competing in a ski carnival race in Artic Valley, Alaska. They kept coming back to Artic Valley. Eventually growing and moving to Mt. Alyeska. Then on to Mt. Hood, OR.  In 1977, the International Airlines Ski Federation became a non-profit and the first World Airlines Ski Championships took place in Les Diablerets, Switzerland.
The booming U.S. airline industry of the 1970’s and early 80’s produced nearly as many Airline Ski Clubs as there were airlines. The North American Airlines Ski Federation came into existence much in the same way as the IASF. It was out of necessity that a governing body be formed to coordinate the masses of Airline Skiing enthusiasts. In 1983, the 501(c)(3) NAASF Foundation was formed to provide financial grants to promising young racers.
 I’ve presented you with this brief history of NAASF and IASF to show you that racing has been the catalyst that has brought us together then, and continues to bring us together now. It’s not hyperbole when I say…ad infinitum, “our Airline Ski Week competitions are the reason we get to enjoy these wonderful experiences on snow covered mountains all over the world.”

What are the competitions?
 Skiers and riders of every skill level are welcomed to attend our Ski Weeks. And, by no coincidence, skiers and riders of every skill level are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the competitions. 
Skiers have slalom and giant slalom, in women’s and men’s groups. They are further grouped into a “B” category for the novice and beginners. And an “A” category for the more advanced skiers.
Snowboarders are easy… women’s and men’s categories…pretty much the same course as the B racers.

Participation trophy?
 Winners get individual and Team bragging rights. Podium winners might receive some sort of monetary or novelty award in the forms of gift cards or souvenir prizes. All Ski Clubs are chasing the end of season trophies. If you weren’t aware, we have one of those trophies. Our Snowboard Team brought home the Shredder’s Cup at the end of last season.
 The Bob Power’s Cup is the points total of all A racers. Delta won that last season. We were over 500 points behind in fourth place.
 The Chuck Wagner Cup is an individual award for the top men’s A racer. Kevin Vaughan made one appearance last season at Big Sky. That got him tied for 15th in the final points tally.
 The NAASF Cup is the everything cup. It’s all racers, skiers, boarders, women’s, men’s A, B, slalom, and giant slalom. Delta, American then United were the top three. We grabbed fourth again.
 Our Shredder’s Cup victory was by the narrowest of margins, just 26 points ahead of Delta. I’ll admit that it felt good to be the spoiler to Delta’s repeating their hat trick of season ending trophy grabs. 
 You should know that we won the Shredder’s Cup with only one first place finish. Of course, we had several other top 5 finishes, along with some top 10 and top 20. Our strategy was simple…show up, finish the race, repeat at the next event.

How do we win?
 I believe that we can duplicate that strategy this coming season and get our paws on some of the other trophies. To do this, we need to be consistent. We need to have full teams at each event to get all the points possible. Leaving points on the table is a sure-fire way to come in at a distant 4th place.

How can I help?
 I’m so glad that you’ve finally asked me this. Give it a try…commit to competing in at least one race at each Ski Week you attend. You might find that you enjoy the adreniline rush. I personally enjoy all of the camaraderie among the competitors. You can try to achieve a new personal best…try getting a better time than that one person from that other Airline…Most importantly, you’ll have fun doing it!
Have I talked you into competing? I hope so. Feel free to send me any questions.
Also, if you made it this far into my email. Thank you!! And, I promise to buy a drink for all racers this season at each NAASF Ski Week!
Thanks for reading!
Woody

History

Anyone that has been to one of our ski weeks, especially one of the international ski weeks, has seen this before. Allow me to describe the situation.
It’s the first night of an international ski week. We’re all gathering for the Parade of Teams, and the opening ceremony. We’re in the meeting area laughing, talking, having a great time. We’ll see a group approaching, the group looks awesome! They’re all dressed up in their club jackets and pants. It’s attention getting, eye catching, awe inspiring, you get the picture.
Even at our national ski weeks, all of the other clubs are sporting new club gear. It gets noticed, starts conversations. It brings attention to our ski clubs, the NAASF and the IASF.
Since I have been your club president, we have had 3 different club jackets/coats. The original “dynamo” coat from Spyder was a long time mainstay for our club. Its orange/red/yellow custom ordered color combination was so recognizable that, even with just a small SWA wings insignia on a lapel, we were known by the jackets alone.
Then, there was the long Spyder coat. Finally, the most recent is the black Spyder hooded jacket with our “snowflake” logo. These latter two were met with limited success. Plus, the most recent jacket is now nearly 5 years old!
We think that it’s time for a new look.
Kelli McDonald and Kevin Vaughan have worked diligently on this project for several weeks. Kevin himself has wear tested several cloth swatches during his water polo league games. (It was truly a sight to behold).
They have chosen gear from Arctica. Specifically, the “Comp” jacket, and the “Scrambler” jacket, both in Midnight Blue. Plus, the “Adult Side Zip” pants in Red. The color choices are a slight hint to our new Heart color scheme.

You can read more about the items here, https://arctica.com/
I encourage you to find a local retailer in order to choose your best fit.

https://arctica.com/size-charts/All three items are available in sizes XS to XXL And, are also available in men’s and women’s sizes.

The costs include embroidery and shipping charges.
The Comp jacket is $215. The Scrambler jacket is $165. And, the pants are $140.

Hats! 

The Tri-Colored beanies are handmade just for us by Samantha! She has some other options on her Etsy page as well. Please order directly from Samantha on the link below.

Tri-Colored Beanie $30.24

Tri-Color Adult Beanie-Southwest Inspired