DOD Policy (aka Deposit Open Date Policy)

By Jodee Pring

Wow!! Fall, what a great time of the year. And what a great Indian summer we are having. The cooler weather and the beautiful colors of the leaves make me think of the season that is yet to come: WINTER!!  

This year is going to be a great season for the Cheyenne Ski Club!! Those of you that have been members of the club within the past few years are familiar with our DOD (deposit open date) policy.

The 2009-2010 season will be the fourth year that the board has instituted this policy. This policy has helped trip captains plan trips more effectively and helped you, our members, spread out the cost of trips a bit more throughout the year.   

Before the DOD policy was established, when a member was interested in going on a ski trip with the club, a deposit was made to “hold” that member’s spot on the trip. The deposit could be made any time prior to the date of the trip, including at the annual Chili Supper. The board found that some folks signed up for too many trips too early, ultimately creating uncertainty about final head counts for our trip captains and refund puzzles for the Board.  

To remedy these headaches, the board instituted the DOD policy and here is how it works. The trip captains for each of the trips will not accept deposits for their trip before the designated deposit open date. Those deposit open dates coincide with our meeting dates (1st and 3rd Thursday of the month) and are as follows:  

Winter Park – October 23 (Chili Supper)

Telluride - OCTOBER 1 DEADLINE (see below)

Jackson - November 18

Vail/Beaver Creek - January 6

Arapahoe Basin - February 3

So what does this all really mean? This means that at the Chili Supper, you will be able to make a deposit on the Copper Mountain trip only.  The trip captains for the other three trips will have an expression of interest list for their trips. If you are interested in any of the other trips, please put your name and phone number on that list.  Then when the deposit open date comes up for the trip in which you are interested, you must pay the deposit to hold your spot for that trip. Please be aware that your name on the expression of interest list does not guarantee you a spot on the trip. Only your deposit can do that. Then you must pay the balance of the trip cost by the final payment due date.   With this policy in place, it will provide ample time and opportunity for members to plan and budget for those ski trips throughout the year. Please also be sure to review the refund policy that is printed on the back of the membership form. This policy only applies to alpine trips. Trip captains for the Nordic trips will take your deposit at any time, but be aware these trips fill quickly and space is limited. Descriptions and dates of both Alpine and Nordic trips can be found here on the website along with names and phone numbers of the trip captains. If you have any questions concerning this policy, please feel free to contact Jodee Pring at 637-6944 or talk to any of your board members. See you at the Chili Supper on October 23!!

Note: Telluride is a trip in conjunction with the Intermountain Ski Council, and we'll join several other clubs from the Council as well as the added fun of those clubs in the Arizona Ski Council.  Registration is thus through their website,  which will enable your signup and credit card payment through the web.  Be aware that the initial payment of $250 per person must be made by October 1.