~ March 2023 ~

Hello CVOA,

Greetings CVOA members,

Patti and I initially became CVOA members in order to join a ski trip to Copper Mountain. Not only was Copper a great ski adventure, we also broadened our group of friends. At each CVOA event we attended since then, we have added to our circle of friends. I don’t think we realized that even though we lived in Carrabassett Valley during the winter, we had been somewhat isolated. Although we went out and skied most days, and we had great conversations with strangers on the lifts, it rarely went beyond that. We have had many other CVOA members admit to the same situation. Friendships often come from sharing common experiences, and CVOA with its variety of outdoor activities and social gatherings provides many opportunities for this to occur.

Patti and I went on the CVOA Telluride ski trip, and I share some comments in the Telluride section of this newsletter.

Thom Johnston

Thank you for being a 2023 member of CVOA. More than sixty members have joined since the February Newsletter was sent making a total of 494 memberships. There are never enough CVOA members. Encourage family, friends, acquaintances to consider joining CVOA, to get involved and to enjoy many fun social events and outdoor activities.

New memberships have been keeping me busy the last few months.

Membership Secretary Patti Johnston

MARCH 2023

March 5 - Bowling at the SugarBowl 2-4pm

March 7 - Meet Ski Go 9am Whifftree Lift

March 11 - Yonder Knoll Hike 1pm

March 12 - Bowling at the SugarBowl 2-4pm

March 14 - Meet Ski Go 9am Whiffletree Lift

March 16 - 3rd Thursday Social 4:30-6:00pm at the Shipyard

March 19 - Bowling at the SugarBowl 2-4pm

March 21 - Meet Ski Go 9am Whiffletree Lift

March 26 - Bowling at the SugarBowl 2-4pm

March 28 - Meet Ski Go 9am Whifftree Lift

Check out the CVOA 2023 PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

CVOA Events Calendar

CVOA Bowling

Sundays at the SugarBowl

2:00 to 4:00pm

The SugarBowl reserves 2 lanes for CVOA members: 2:00-4:00pm

$10 includes shoes.

Come join the fun Sunday afternoons…..beginners welcome!

March 5,12,19, 26

**Reminder: Tufulio’s Sunday Twofers starts at 4:00.

Meet Ski Go Tuesday Mornings

March 7, 14, 21, 28 Promptly at 9:00am

Meet At Whiffletree Lift Area

Calling all CVOA skiers! 

Please join us for a "Ski Around The Mountain".

Join other CVOA members and ski your favorite trails for a few runs or a few hours.

No sign up…just Show and Go!!

Watch WSKI or go to the Sugarloaf website: https://www.sugarloaf.com/mountain-report to review the weather, trail and lift reports. If the mountain is having issues, we will not ski together as a group.

There will not be a weekly reminder for this event.

Yonder Knoll Hike

Saturday March 11, 2023

Show ‘N' Go Hike 

Trip Leader: Jan Mildram

Meet at the Stratton Brook Hut Parking lot, just north of the Loaf Access Road. Head out at 1:05pm. Cleats and/or snowshoes are recommended, depending on the amount of snow. Poles are important for navigating any uneven ground. We travel 15 minutes on the Narrow Gauge Pathway, then about 30 minutes up, some of which is moderately steep, but not tricky related to footing. We see the incredible view for 15 minutes or so. It’s an outstanding panorama of the Crockers, the Loaf, Burnt Mountain, and the peaks of Bigelow. The trip down is about 30 minutes. Total time is no more than 2 hours, so we will be back around 3:00 or so. This is a Show ‘N Go event, so there is no signup required.  We do this no matter the weather.

Friendly dogs are welcome.

Trip leader Jan Mildram...207-491-6798 

Hope you can make it!

3rd Thursday Social

March 16th at the Shipyard Brew Haus

4:30-6:00pm

☘️WEAR YOUR GREEN and Let The Shenanigans Begin☘️

Meet With Members, Join Your Friends, Make Some New Friends!

Food ~ Games ~ Door Prizes

Prize to the person who wears the most GREEN

Cash Bar...Appetizers provided by CVOA

Be considerate of your servers…tips greatly appreciated!

This will be the last 3rd Thursday Social of the season.

Jeannette Parker & Nancy Makin Shenanigan Organizers

CVOA Annual Meeting

Saturday April 1st--Put this date on your calendar 

Join fellow CVOA members at the Annual Meeting at the Shipyard

Saturday, April 1st 5:00 - 8:00

Social Time: 5:00 - 5:45

Italian Buffet: 5:45 - 6:30

Annual Meeting & Program: 6:30 - 8:00

Guest speaker David Cota will

talk about his incredible journey on the Pacific Crest Trail

Purchase beverages at the Shipyard Bar

Italian Buffet: Appetizers/Salad/Entrees/Dessert/Coffee/Tea

Dietary Restrictions can be accommodated with advance notice

$25.00 Per Person

Reservations and Payments are being accepted now through March 28th

RSVP to Elaine Smith at golfski@maine.rr.com or 207-237-7002

Your reservation is NOT CONFIRMED until payment is received 

Make your check out to CVOA and send to:

Elaine Smith

2425 Walden Circle

Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947

Plan to join us for this evening with friends, good food and fun!

Forty-two CVOA members had a great trip to America’s iconic ski area, Sun Valley, Idaho. The Sun Valley Inn, at the center of the Sun Valley village, was an excellent location, close to the town of Ketchum, Mt. Baldy, the larger of the resorts two ski hills, and Dollar Mountain. Although the area hadn’t had any recent snowfall prior to our arrival, and while we were there, the mountain’s groomers did a fantastic job day after day. The resort is known for "lonnnng" runs and varied terrain. The group managed to ski them all! For many in the group this was their first CVOA excursion. New friendships were made and everyone had a fun time with promises to do it again. Thanks to everyone that made this such a memorable time.

Here’s looking forward to more CVOA ski trips!

Mike Parker, Trip Leader

Thirty-two Sugarloafers set out on an incredible trip. We had no idea how amazing the next seven days would be thanks to our trip leader extraordinaire, Bonnie Farrar.

We settled into our accommodations at Mountain Lodge Saturday afternoon. The accommodations were great, condos right on the mountain! We gathered at The View Restaurant for a cocktail party and overview of the mountain presented by resort staff. Excitement was in the air. 

Sunday was a blue bird day, and a majority of the group met for a guided mountain tour where our incredible guides passed on tons of local knowledge about the town of Telluride, its mining history, geography, etc. We skied with them for two plus hours as they showed us around this unbelievable mountain. 

Some of us stopped at Goranno Ranch for live music and lunch outside. This cool spot had 100 plus Adirondack chairs positioned all around an old wood sided barn. Sunday evening was the Superbowl so It was nice having the two hour time difference. Snow was forecast for Monday through Wednesday! Monday night we met at High Pie Pizza and Taproom in downtown Telluride. Free gondolas take you from Mountain Village over the mountain to downtown Telluride, a great town with lots of shops, restaurants, bars, museums, and history. It snowed a total of 17” of fresh light powder over three days with literally no wind! The skiing was incredible. Our legs were dragging but our spirts were high. Wednesday night most of the group met at The View restaurant for a great meal with stories shared of favorite trails, lifts, restaurants, and coffee shops. Thursday and Friday were amazing bluebird days. You could see forever including the snowy peaks of Utah. Revelation bowl opened for the first time on Friday and many of us went there for 17” of fresh powder. 

Some final thoughts… Telluride has 17 lifts, and the longest lift line was 10 minutes so it was mostly ski on to the lift. Telluride is off the beaten path, a six hour drive from Denver. That’s what makes it so special and such a treasure. This was our first CVOA trip and it could not have been more fun. This was the best ski week of our lives, and we are so happy and fortunate to be able to look back on this week and the memories that we made. Thanks again to Bonnie for organizing such a fabulous experience!

Cheers, 

Brian & Paula Saabye

Varun & Debbie Avasthi

Comments from Thom Johnston, CVOA President

Have you been to Montrose recently, the airport serving Telluride Ski Area? We take for granted the conveniences that most airports have like indoor conveyor belts and carousels. You see, Montrose has a problem of being served by too many carriers – AA, DL, UA, and WN that all seem to arrive at the same time. It’s not that MTJ isn’t aware of the problem – construction is underway to expand the airport. But during the interim, baggage handling is outside, in a tent. Imagine flights from major cities scheduled to arrive between noon and 4pm. The baggage trains wind up carrying luggage from several planes, and it is all deposited (a generous description, the word ‘heaved’ comes to mind) into one pile – skis, boot bags, suitcases, boxes and miscellaneous stuff. Passengers start pawing through the mass, hauling off what they think may be theirs and being intercepted by others claiming ownership. You can imagine that after being cooped up in a narrow tube for hours, some passengers may not be in a forgiving mood.

Fortunately, our CVOA Telluride group fought off the hoards and there was only one misdirected ski bag that apparently it took a detour to a different airport, and it was delivered later that day. Most importantly the skiing was great, included three days of fresh snow, the accommodations were comfortable and convenient, and the group was a lot of fun. My impression of Telluride – Big and Steep! Worthy of repeating. Great scenery of the San Juan Mountains.

The Whitefish trip is leaving this week.

Trip Leader, Dan Hitchcock

Dan@wesmac.com

Usually, great skiing is the headline for a ski trip. I’m getting excited about skiing in March at Stoneham, Mount Sainte Anne and Le Massif. But, I’m also getting excited to see Quebec City again – it’s been a while.  As they say “Je me souviens”.

There may be a few spots available. If you’re interested, read through the brochure (click on it) and send in a reservation form. If you have any questions, please contact trip leader Thom Johnston as soon as possible..207-852-3595

Trip Leader: Thom Johnston

tandpjohnston@gmail.com

Range Members Charlie, Andrea, and Carly Beers

Hello Range and CVOA Members, 

Exciting News! Our own Charlie Beers is running for a seat on the NRA Board of Directors. Charlie has been a CVOA and Range Member for years, as well as a long time Sugarloafer! He and Andrea live in upstate NY and spend a lot of their free time here in Carrabassett Valley where Charlie volunteers for the local Fire & Rescue. He attended Maine Maritime Academy and has a deep love for Maine. He feels the Northeast is under represented on the Board and is hoping he can make a difference. If you are an NRA member and receive their monthly publication, you should see a voting ballot included. Please consider giving Charlie your support. To view Charlie's extensive and impressive full bio please got to the CVOA Shooting Range Facebook Page or our website, cvoarange.com.

Winter season is here. Trap, 5 Stand, and Archery have been put to bed for the winter, but you can still shoot on the Pistol and Rifle Ranges. Also, the heated bathroom is available.

Reminder that the gate code will remain the same throughout the Winter for those intrepid shooters!

If you are trying to renew your membership and having difficulty, please be advised we are aware and working to resolve the issue. Thank you for your patience.

Diane Stone

Range Secretary

CVOA.range@gmail.com

207-240-4752

Attention Members!

CVOA would like to gauge interest in a September Sept 19th and 20th Outing at the New England Outdoor Center, https://www.neoc.com. There's lots to do....rafting, kayaking, biking trails, hiking, and just riding around Baxter State Park. Sitting around the campfire, lakeside with Katahdin in our site with the moon and stars. There are lakeside cabins available both premiere and rustic with all amenities and a Restaurant on site. Nearby convenience store with homemade sandwiches and sweet goodies. Gift shop and the Golden Road Yacht Club bar overlooking two lakes. What do you think? I need to confirm cabins and details on cost by March 10th or asap.

Please respond to Margie Roberts if interested, mjaneroberts56@gmail.com or call 207 991 0667

The Sugarloaf 50+ Gang Celebratory Gathering

Sugarloafers since 1973 and earlier

Saturday, March 25th at the Sugarloaf Inn – 2:30 - 5:00

Social Time 2:30-3:30

Italian Lunch buffet 3:30 - 4:15

program of reminiscences 4:15 - 5:00: 

Cost of the event is $35* per person, all inclusive.

Have questions or need additional information contact: 

Tom Andrle, 1011 Little Bigelow Road, Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947

Cell: (207) 991-0760

Land line: (207) 235-2535

tandrle@gmail.com or fiftyyeargang@gmail.com

Yonder Knoll Hike

February 11th



Beautiful Fun Sunny Day! All six of us loved the easy walking (with snowshoes) up to this breathtaking spot.The first picture is a new view, with Yonder Knoll in the background. Looking forward to March’s hike, again on the second Saturday of the month.  March 11 at 1:00. 

Jan Mildram, leader

Meet Ski Go

The Tuesday morning Meet Ski Go has been very successful!! Many CVOA members including a few new members participated and had a great time. The Meet Ski Go will continue through the month of March. Come on out March 7, 14, 21 & 28 and enjoy the end of the season Meet Ski Go!! 

Photo of the happy group that skied February 7th

3rd Thursday Social

February 16th at the Shipyard

The 3rd Thursday Social was once again FUN and well attended! Mike Parker and Candy Andrle greeted forty-one members and four guests while writing name tags and door prize tickets. The use of name tags is helpful and appreciated. This monthly social event continues to attract members some joining us for the first time. 

Seven enthusiastic and competitive trivia teams competed for the triple treat candy prizes. Four guests also received a candy treat. In the raffle, The Valentine’s Day Basket was won by Meredith Friend and the $25 Shipyard gift card by Ross Horne. In addition, three pizzas were raffled off.

THANK YOU, again, to everyone who came and participated to make this event FUN! The last of our 3rd Thursday Socials will once again be at Shipyard on March 16th. Come join us!

MY OH MY

WE L❤️VE PIE!

Nothing makes your Social Committee team happier than bringing together 

CVOA friends…..smiling, laughing, talking AND Eating!!

CVOA's first Pie Social was held on Saturday, February 25th.

Twenty-six pies were enjoyed by the fifty members that attended.

Just to name a few of the fabulous, tasty array…

Dinner pies..... chicken pie, turkey pie, shepherds pie, pork pie, Polish potato babka pie, gluten free quiche, heart healthy quiche

Dessert pies….blueberry pie, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, chocolate cream pie, maple syrup pie, apple cranberry pie, apple tart cheesecake w/strawberries 

Door prize winners were Judi Hawkes & Marcel Poulin

They each won an almond pie

A big shout out of appreciation to all that helped with set-up and clean-up!

and to all the makers and bakers….we couldn’t have done it without YOU❤️

To see more photos of this wonderful event Click Here