FWSA Convention 2022 - Portland

What a great long weekend of events, starting with a tour of Mt. Hood, a  pub crawl, then wine tasting, golf (almost – got rained out), and then the party really started!  Friday night’s silent auction of trips, tours, adventure trips, and fun events – valued at over $50,000; sold at auction for just over $22000.  Everyone had time to speak with our travel partners (tour operators, hotels, ski resorts, and adventure resorts).  Then we moved to Saturday’s events of mountain travel symposium lectures on travel and succession planning, voting on the volunteer of the year, a luncheon with guest speakers – Phil and Steve Mahre!!   What great guys they are.   A few more lectures and then the banquet dinner dance, and announcements of many of the awards that are always a highlight of this weekend.

 Historic Ski Clubs (50 years or more):  All Seasons Ski Club, Apres Ski & Social Club, and Rusty Bindings Ski Club

 Communications:

Website:  Masters:  3rd place – Unrecables, Dee Armstrong as Webmaster

Website:  Novice:   3rd place – Los Angeles Council, Sandy Blackwell as Webmaster

 Newsletter:  Wentworth Outstanding Publication – Council   1st place, Gordon Cardona as Editor

Newsletter:  Wentworth Outstanding Publication – Club -2nd place, Gordon Cardona as Editor

 Social Media:  Facebook:   Northwest Ski Club Council – 1st place; Reno Ski & Recreation Cub – 2nd place; and Get Off Your Rockers Ski Club – 3rd place.  Los Angeles Council – it was noted that “we were VERY close!”  We will work at doing better!

 Then after a great Saturday night dinner and dance, with the Band – Thrillride; and we danced until midnight – we moved into Sunday and the one of the last official meetings of Far West Ski Association.   A few other awards were given, and then the new officers were elected: 

 More Awards:

President’s Award (by Gloria Raminha):  Joe Harvis

Volunteer of the Year:  Fran Long

Tommy Tindell Award:  Aspen Snowmass

Bill Mackey Award:    Michael Bollingall (Big White)

Jimmie Huega Award:  Dr. John Gray (Unrecables)

Jordan Reilly Award:  Heidi Logose (Mt. Hood)

Snow Sports Builder Award: 

·        Drake Family – Mt. Hood Meadows

·        Kirk Hanna - Mt. Hood Ski Bowl

·        Kahnstamin Family – Timberline

J. Stanley Mullin Award:  John Reinhardt

Elizabeth “Shotzi” Wood Award:  Sandra Blackwell (LAC)

Hans George Award:  Sheri Parshall

All these volunteers are so deserving of these awards presented to them by their peers. 

NEW FWSA OFFICERS:

President:  Linda Westlund
Secretary:  Tina Lyons
Treasurer:  Randy Lew
Trustees:  Jo Simpson and Fran Long
VP Communications:  Joe Harvis
VP International travel:  Debbie Stewart
VP North American Travel:  Nancy Ellis
VP Marketing:  Debbi Kor
VP Membership:  Jean McCasey
VP Racing:  Bob Ellis
One last meeting for Officers and Council Presidents, to update on specific items, and then Poof – it’s over.   It was a great weekend of fun, friendship, business and gathering together towards keeping the fun and industry of skiing alive! 

Sandy Blackwell, LAC President