The ski trip is an annual event for Troop 216.  For those Scouts and Scout families who attend, this has traditionally been a fun event.  This is an outing where Scout parents and siblings are welcome to join us.  We will depart the Apex Crossing gathering place at 5 PM sharp for the approximately 4 hour drive to Beckley, WV which is about 20 minutes PAST WinterPlace.  Our accommodations are at St. Thomas De Sales Catholic Church.  We sleep in the school gym for the great price of a single $100 donation (paid by the Troop).  The Scouts and other male skiers will sleep on the gym floor.  Sleeping bags and pads or cots make for a good night sleep.  The females will have separate sleeping space in other available rooms in the gym/library.  Hot showers are available in the gym and we have access to the kitchen and refrigerator.  The facilities are heated and very comfortable.  We will all be housed in the same building and will not have to go outside.  The past three years we have had snow showers the weekend we were there – same date we are going this year.

The trip is a quick one with the drive up on Friday; skiing all day Saturday; drive home on Sunday morning.  Don’t plan on getting too much sleep because the Scouts are usually up until 11 PM on Friday and we have to be up at 5 AM on Saturday in order to make our 7 AM check-in time.  Skiing is until about 9:30 or 10 PM and the Scouts usually like to have pizza after we get back to the gym.  That means they are up until 11 or 12 PM.  It’s a sleepless weekend for the adults – the Scouts and siblings sleep in the cars on the way up and back.

We get a special Boy Scout group rate that includes rental equipment, lift ticket and a one hour lesson.  Skiing or snowboarding is available in the package.  Snow tubing is available at the resort, but is not included in the package and you are on your own if you want to engage in this sport.