Summer News and Archives

Hello Members!

June 24th

A few updates:

It is trip sign-up time!  Remember that our trips can fill up fast, so sign up early.   Word has it that the December trip to Steamboat already has more than 199 people signed up.   Early sign-up is the new normal, because ski resorts are requiring early booking, and have limited lodging availability. So don't delay!

July is coming up soon, so don't forget the Membership meeting on July 8th, and the annual lake party at the Pendley's on July 19th, so get that on your calendar and RSVP to Cindy.  The lake party is always a great time.

July is also the best month to  join the club, or renew your membership for 2025/26.   Your membership will then carry you through August of 2026.  For current members, you can renew now, but be sure to renew before November 11th (or pay full price).  

Let it be known that the Alaska Cruise and Land Trip was a great success.   We had a good turnout, and all of the he arrangements and tours were top notch.  FYI, we are now booking for the Portugal Douro river cruise next year, and there are only a few spots left.

June 12th

 Come join us on June 21st  at the Hagood Mill in Pickens for the Americana Folk Festival, then later enjoy a Happy Hour at The Silos in Easley.   The festival starts at 10AM, but the music won't start until mid-day.  So arrive whenever, and look for our group.  We will plan on meeting up at 5:00PM at the Silos for Happy Hour, so you can come to either or both events. 

If you have never been to either place, they are both unique, historic, and fun venues.

The festival admission is $5, and you can purchase tickets online.  There will be music, food, and historic tours.  Bring a chair, and sun protection. 

May 11th

Well the Low Country Boil was a fun event, and the food was outstanding!  Lisa and Steve outdid themselves as usual.  While it sprinkled rain for a bit, this was a rain-or-shine event, and Lisa and Steve were well prepared for an indoor-outdoor feast.  The  rain didn't dampen the party.  Thanks again to the Chasteens (and other PSOC elves)  for all the hard work, and  to all the members that made the party.  We all got to meet new members Kess and Jay, and hope we will see them often.

 May 3, 2025

Don't forget the Low Country Boil Party coming up next Saturday, May 10th!  We also have a club meeting on the 13th,  which is the same day that many of our members will be traveling to Alaska for the Alaska Cruise Trip.  Bon Voyage!  

Also, it is already time to start planning for your winter and Spring trips with PSOC.  Hopefully our members took advantage of the special Ikon and Epic pricing via Sports America, but if not, now is still a good time to buy. Now is the time to  visit the Trip pages to learn about the upcoming ski and travel trips.  Many cool trips set for the upcoming ski and travel seasons, including Steamboat, Whitefish, Mammoth, and Portugal. Sign-ups begin on June 1st, less than 30 days away! So plan now! 

March 18, 2025 - Ikon and Epic Ski passes now  available  at club discounts! 

All active club members should have received proprietary links via email today.  Check your spam folder if you did not receive it.  You may also contact our trip leader Michelle for details and the links at skibumlong@aol.com

March  9,  2025 -  Schweitzer Ski Trip Report:

Wow!  Another fantastic Palmetto Ski and Outing Club Spring ski trip  is in the books.   29 club members made the trip to Schweitzer, Idaho for some beautiful skiing (and snowboarding).   The week started off with the whole gang flying into Spokane, WA, where a shuttle picked us up for the comfortable  90 mile drive to Schweitzer.   We arrived mid-afternoon, and checked-in to the Selkirk Lodge, a ski-in-ski-out hotel in the center of the village.  The temperatures were warm and spring-like, but we were favored with a 70” base, as well as a couple of bluebird days and several inches of snow while we were there.  Spring skiing at its best!

Schweitzer was a treat.  A huge resort, with everything from mild green runs to double pucker-factor black steeps.  The restaurants on site were good, and we had several well-organized club après events, including an Idaho potato bar feast, with all the fixings, a wine and cheese tasting, and a group Italian dinner.   The hospitality  and staff could not have been better.

Thanks go out to our recuperating trip leader, Michelle, as well as Sports  America, for a great event.  Special thanks also go out to Rich Mead, who stepped up to handle things on the ground, and did a great job herding us cats and keeping things organized.

January 27, 2025

A few dozen of our active Palmetto members just returned from a fantastic week at Big Sky, Montana.  Our members were part of a club ski trip that was organized by the Crescent Ski Council (CSC), which is a collective of 18 ski clubs in the Southeast.  This trip was a glorious week of bluebird skiing and pow!.  The week started out a bit chilly (-21 degrees F), but that didbn't seem to phase our hearty bunch of southerners.   In total we had 177 people from 13 clubs represented.   Next up is Schweitzer, Idaho, March 8-15.   

Speaking of cold weather and powder, the second scheduled race of the season was held at Sugar Mountain, January 11 & 12. There was a snowstorm that moved in Friday and continued into Saturday. Coupled with the cold temperatures and high winds, it was a very cold start to the race season. Then Sunday was the complete opposite; cool and sunny with no winds – perfect skiing conditions. PSOC did well over the weekend, finishing in second place in the Western Division.

We had 15 racers Saturday with 10 racers reaching the podium and 17 on Sunday.  This resulted in  7 PSOC racers reaching the podium!  Go team!

PSOC is now in 2nd place in the Western Division after the first completed race this year. Great job to all of you who braved the elements and placed us here. We have a little work to do to regain 1st place, but have three more races to do it, so keep up the great work.

Our next race is at Appalachian Mountain, February 1 & 2, followed by Winterplace, WV race February 8 & 11. We are looking for all our racers to come out and have a great time. Club members who would like to ski but not race are welcome to come up and take advantage of the reduced lift ticket prices on the weekends that we are racing - you just need to let your race director know ahead of time so we can get your names on the list. So, please contact our race director Dan Hudson at  psocracers@gmail.com if you are interested in going as a racer OR  as a skier.  

See the Club Calendar for up-to-date info on activities,