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PSC Organization The PSC has a general membership of approximately 400 to 500. Anyone can join the club, provided he or she pays the yearly dues. See the Join Us page for membership information.
The CouncilThe Council is the administrative arm of the club. It is comprised of 9 to 12 members elected by the membership to serve three-year terms. Every year about a third of the positions are open for election. Elections are normally held at the final membership meeting of the year in April. Any member in good standing can run for a Council seat. The Council normally meets on a monthly basis from September through April. A list of current Council members is presented on the Contact Us page.
Club Officers The Council elects the president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. The president, with the approval of the Council, appoints committee chairs such as the trips committee and meetings committee.
The Council Organizes and Manages Ski TripsThe primary function of the Council is planning the club's ski trips. The process starts each year in about December with the development of a straw-man schedule for the following winter's trips. The initial schedule is based on the combined experience of Council members and the input provided by our skiers through the critique forms completed on each trip. After approval by the full Council, the schedule is sent out as a Request for Proposals to a selected set of tour operators. The tour operators are travel agents specializing in group ski trips that we use as contracting agents with the airlines, bus companies and ski resorts.
After the resulting proposals are received from the tour operators, the Council meets for a full-day "Summit" meeting, usually in late May or early June, to finalize the trip selection process. We review each proposal and select the specific tour operators and lodging properties for each trip that we feel offer the best value for the club. The final step involves appointing trip leaders. Each Council member normally leads a trip but, since we typically have more trips than Council members, we draw on our "Extended Council" for additional trip leaders. The Extended Council includes club members that volunteer to help run the club, and often includes former Council members who are experienced trip leaders, as well as prospective trip-leader trainees (see the related page on Becoming a Trip Leader). The Council then finalizes contracts with the tour operators and prepares the final list of trips to offer to the membership. Final arrangements sometimes continue throughout the summer and into the fall. The Summit meeting also affords an opportunity to approve an annual operating budget, to discuss club policies, and to conduct other club business.
The Council Manages the Club's Day-to-Day ActivitiesThe Council is also responsible for related club activities. These include organizing the membership meetings, arranging for food, reserving meeting rooms, collecting membership dues, welcoming new members, publicizing the club and its ski trips, overseeing the budget, filing federal and state tax returns, and promoting liaisons with other ski groups such as the Blue Ridge Ski Council. There are minutes to write and reports to prepare on finances, legal issues, and club policies. The PSC currently manages a budget of approximately $500,000. Council responsibilities are year round. Most Council members have been members of the PSC for many years and are happy to serve despite the required long hours. Council members enjoy great satisfaction in helping to keep the club going. They take pride in bringing a quality skiing experience to the membership.
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