'There’s a lot of camaraderie': For Newport Ski Club, having fun is a group effort
NEWPORT – It started in 1955 with a group of engineers in and around Aquidneck Island who all liked to ski in the winter.
Around a dozen of them would rent a lodge up north and go skiing with their wives and families, Newport Ski Club Membership Chairman Bill Luderer said.
But these engineers did what many engineers do and designed their own ski house concept. By the late 1960s, the founding members bought a ski house within walking distance of the ski lifts at Okemo Mountain in Ludlow, Vermont.
Fast forward more than a half-century later and this little-known group has around 150 members, and a lodge that can sleep 44 people per night at a rate of $22 per night.
In essence, the NSC embraced the Airbnb-style concept before it was a thing.
“The club members and guests all pitch in to keep the rates down,” he said. ” It’s not the Ritz (Carlton) but it is certainly functional.”
“A lot of people are attracted to it,” Luderer also said. “There’s a lot of camaraderie in the club.”
How does the Newport Ski Club work?
Luderer and the website note there are people from all walks of life who are members of the club.
The concept is that members participate in social events regularly, pay modest annual dues and help maintain the lodge.
So families staying there are expected to prepare meals, clean and pitch in with any other work such as snow shoveling.
Members also take care of any carpentry, plumbing or electrical needs. Luckily, with people from so many different professions, NSC usually has someone who can fix a maintenance issue.
Aquidneck Island’s military personnel were attracted to it in the 1950s and 1960s for social reasons and to keep in touch with a great skiing opportunity after relocating to another part of the country, according to Luderer.
The perks include the opportunity to rent the lodge throughout the year, enjoying the fall foliage, bike riding and hiking in that area during the ski off-seasons, according to Luderer.
Winter, not surprisingly, is the most popular season.
“Ski weekends at the NSC are truly special – with up to 46 members, their children and guests pitching in to do everything, from taking reservations and ordering food, to meal prep, and cleanup,” according to the website. “Those lucky enough to ski midweek take advantage of a less-crowded lodge. With our well-established reservation system and lodge management traditions, the lodge continuously runs smoothly. “
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Luderer, of Tiverton, says he has been a member since 1978 and has vivid memories of driving through Connecticut to get to Okemo Mountain during that famous blizzard.
How to become a member
Since then, Luderer and his family have regularly visited the “cozy” red lodge, which is near the fourth-highest mountain in Vermont.
For the more adventurous types, they can snowboard or visit other area mountains. The NSC lodge is 40 minutes from Killington Mountain and the same distance from Stratton Mountain.
The lodge also contains a men’s section, a women’s section and a family section.
To become a member, one must attend a social event and stay at the lodge once.
For more information about the club or how to apply log into www.newportskiclub.org.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Newport Ski Club: Here's how membership works