Oops! Error in subs invoices

Members should recently have received invoices for annual subsciptions and associated fees. You may have noticed that the dates in the Terms section refer to 2016 instead of 2017. Of course the last payment date to qualify for a $50 Accommodation Voucher is 15 January 2017 and you can use it any time during 2017. The due date and dates for late fees are also in 2017.

The items on the invoice and amounts payable are not affected.

If you require an ammended invoice, please contact Jennifer Noye at ProAcct:
   jnoye@proacct.com.au
   03 9880 9699

2017 Resort Entry Season Pass deal closes 16 December

Resort Management has announced that there will be no Early Bird resort entry season pass in 2017. Instead they are offering a 2017 pass at the same price as 2016 if you pay your deposit by 16 December. That's $99 in December and $196 by 31 March.

They are saying that there will be no other discounted resort entry season passes (except for over 65s). There are no hints about what the 2017 price will be.

More info

Hero Pass deadline extended to Monday

Apparently they had some technical problems with the online store so the lift company has extended the deadline for Hero Passes to Monday 17 October. (I haven't seen a time, but probably safe to assume 5pm as it was for the original deadline).

Only $99 now and $650 in April ($49 + $380 for kids and seniors).

Spa renovation begins

The spa area has been crying out for some love (and money). As the debt for the lodge renovation dwindles, the committee has decided that we can now afford to give the spa area a light and bright makeover.

• The dark (and slippery) slate will be replaced with lighter tiles with a high non-slip rating.
• The spa will be re-tiled in light blue tiles.
• New cedar paneling will be installed, with some feature sections with rock effects.
• The old shower area will become a new toilet stall.
• The old toilet stall will become an open shower.

A hardy crew braved the landslides and floods on the weekend after season close to begin the project by stripping out the old materials.

Andrew & Tony R cleaning out the slate rubble

Justin C admiring the mess he's made

Andrew & Myra reappointed

The committee is very pleased to announce that Andrew & Myra Rist have been successful in applying for the new lodge manager contract.

With the growing vibrancy of green season at Falls Creek, Andrew & Myra intend to live at the lodge in summer as well. Andrew can give you tips on mountain bike trails, watersports, bushwalks and pizza making at the community wood-fired oven.

Peaks Challenge March 2017 - get in quick

The Peaks Challenge (formerly 3 Peaks) cycling event is big. Hundreds of cyclists stay at Falls Creek before and after the grueling circuit ride that takes them down the mountain, across Tawonga Gap, over Mt Hotham, down to Omeo and back up to Falls.

Falls Creek Resort Management encourages all lodges to make beds available for this event.

In 2015 & 2016 the club worked with Falls Creek Central Reservations to enable competitors to become Summer Associates and stay at the lodge for the weekend. It was very successful and we will do the same again. As well as contributing to the development of green season, this event bought a healthy injection of summer revenue to the club.

We expect that all rooms will be booked well before the event.

So if you or your friends and family are intending on coming to the lodge for that weekend, BOOK NOW

Special arrangements for Peaks Challenge weekend

• Bookings are for 3 nights starting Friday 10 March
• Linen is provided
• If you book through the club, costs are Members $210, AAC $240, Guests $270
• There is no discount for children
• Bookings through Central Reservations will attract a higher fee.
• Bookings for members are open immediately. Beds will soon be made available guests through Central Reservations.
• The games room and TV rooms will not be available - they are reserved for bike storage

Summer specials

The committee understands that for many members, the $300 minimum fee in summer is a deterrent. While we can't get rid of it all together (getting the lodge up and running does cost a bit), we are continuing the trial of selected weekends/holiday periods having no minimum fee.

For this summer, you can stay without fear of minimum fee on

• Ignition Mountain Bike weekend - 18-20 November
• Christmas/New Year week
• Easter

The committee hope to be able to announce one or more extra times for 2017, probably to coincide with mountain bike shuttles.

IGNITION - opening of the MTB season

November 19 - 20 is when the MTB trails reopen and Blue Dirt are putting on a special weekend.

The focus is on  the new Flowtown trail from Gully to Howmans which will open for the first time. Combined with the existing Frying Pan Spur, Thunderbolt and Wishing Well trails, that will make a 10km single track all the way from Summit to Howmans.

• Shuttles to take you up to the top of the trails
• Organised backcountry rides all the way down to Mt Beauty with a shuttle return
• Skills sessions
• Demo Specialized bikes
• If you've still got some energy there will be sunset rides and even a night ride on Flowtown
• Music, food, bands, beer hall
• $130 for both days (single day tickets too but they don't include everything)

More info at ignitionmtb.com.au

This should be a great weekend so why not book into the lodge with family or friends for only $40 per night per person. The $300 min booking fee will not apply for Ignition weekend

Blue Dirt Mountain Bike Shuttles

Mountain bike shuttles operate at Falls Creek roughly every second weekend from late November to late April. Shuttles take you up to the Summit, or to the Blue Dirt is the company who run them as well as the bike cafe and bike rental in Slalom St car park.

They also run shuttles at Kinglake, Mt Buller, Bright & Mt Beauty Last year they offered a season pass which covered all these locations.

Last year a day pass for the shuttles cost $50 and the season pass was $400, or $250 for an early bird pass. A nice deal if you intend doing a lot of shuttle assisted riding

I don't think they have announced the season pass yet this year, but stay tuned.

More info at bluedirt.com.au

AAC Interclub Races

This year the inter club races were held  at Thredbo, hosted by Southern Alps Ski Club. Unfortunately the number of competitors was down a bit this year. As they say, you can only beat the competitors on the day. Which is what AAC Falls Creek did.

In the Open race Falls Creek A took first place, Falls Creek B second.

Falls Creek A team: Ross B, Gerard GS, Mel C, Emma P

In the Masters Falls Creek also triumphed

Competitors at Kareela Chalet, the original AAC lodge at Thredbo - now a restaurant

Club Races

The annual club race was held on Saturday 6 August on Father Fosters race course

The winners won't be a big surprise!

Children

1. Matthew W
2. Ella B
3. Sophie W

Mens

1. Ross B
2. Gerard GS
3. Will C

Ladies

1. Emma P
2. Mel C
3. Louisa G

Hero Passes on sale

It's on again - if you are a frequent Falls Creek skier or boarder then this deal is too good to miss.

$749 for a 2017 season pass valid at Falls & Hotham. Kids & Seniors only $429.

Pay a $99 deposit by 13 October and the deposit in April

More info at fallscreek.com.au/heropass

Spring at AAC Falls

There is still over a metre of snow, especially on the south side. Spring skiing is sunny days, fast morning groomers, slush bumps and creamy off-piste corn.

There are still vacancies at the lodge, so why not take advantage of the spring conditions and spring specials and sneak in another trip before the long summer.

Booking system

Spring Specials

There are some good deals being offered by the lift company and FCRM

• Spring Lift pass - $399 ($249 for kids & seniors) 
• BFF plan - bring a beginner friend. If you have a valid lift pass they get one day free beginner lift, lesson & rental 
• Discounted resort entry if you stay at least 3 nights & buy online - $30 per night or $218 for the rest of the season 

See fallscreek.com.au/easyseason for more information

Season 2016 is up and runnng

Opening weekend was snowless but the snow clouds rolled in just after the solstice and the runs started opening up.

All the runs are now officially open, although Summit isn't groomed yet (except for Skyline & Village) and I'm guessing The Maze is only for the adventurous. International Poma isn't running yet. Cover in Sun Valley and the home trails is very good so there is plenty of great skiing to spread out the school holiday crowds. The lodge is buzzing with happy skiers and boarders.

 

Working Bee

The working bee was held on the weekend of 30th April. As usual there was much to be done, enthusiastic helpers and great company.
The big job of moving wood into the store under the lodge was made a bit easier this year. Some work to stabilise the steep slope above the lodge has made it less precarious for those handing wood down the slope. A builder's chute for some of the distance meant that we didn't need quite as many people. It's still a huge job in trying conditions. Think good thoughts about those intrepid members every time you put another log on the fire. Some of the other projects:

• Remodelling room 2 and preparing room 12 for renovation - more about these
• The dining tables have all been stripped back before revarnishing and they look great
• New splitable double beds in room 13 and14
• More manageable matting in the ski room
• Picture rails in corridors to make repainting easier in future
• New TV in the TV room
• Comfy chair for Room 14
• And lots of cleaning, gardening and maintenance tasks

Lodge Changes

Room 12 is now a twin room, like Room 5. It's lighter and brighter and sound insulation is much improved.

Since Room 5 was renovated with increased storage, it has been in strong demand from adults who are not couples. Older and less agile members are also very keen on twin rooms rather than bunks, and of course twin rooms are great for kids too.

The bunk has been removed from Room 2, leaving just a double bed and small storage area. This minimalist change will provide a room for couples who find the overhanging bunk a nuisance.

Room remodelling is based on  member feedback and analysis of booking data. We are aiming to make rooms more comfortable without losing booking flexibility.

Changes around the village

Tobogganing comes to the bowl

Some restaurants/cafes have new names and styles. In an earlier post we saw that the old Cafe Max has new owners and a new style. They will be open for brekky, lunch and dinner as well as selling bread, milk and specialty groceries. Winterhaven is now The Chophouse and Oishi Go has become Some Place Else. At night Husky has a Thai menu, although the daytime menu is similar to last year.

There will be a new street-trading cafe in the bowl, Easy Eats.

At Slalom St Plaza the street-trading outlets will be Snonuts, Monster Chicken and Alpine Ice Cream. Snonuts will also have an outlet at ATS.

Wombats Rambler - team night race

Heats Sun 17 July & Mon 18 July
Final Fri 22 July

This event was held for the first time last year and provided a fun challenge for some AAC Falls Creek members.

Race team extraordinaire #aacfalls #fallscreek

A photo posted by Rebecca McIntyre (@becmcintyre) on Aug 28, 2015 at 8:49pm PDT

It's a fun race down Wombat's Ramble, under lights.

If you are coming up that week, why not get a team together?

Transport Changes

First the good news: ATS (aka oversnow) price will be reduced by 20%.

Now the other bits.

1. From 23 June to 12 September, the village will be closed to guest vehicles whether or not there is snow on the road. No driving to the lodge during this period - it's ATS or walk.
2. Pedestrian access near ATS has been redesigned to give better separation between people and reversing oversnow vehicles. The boom gate across Falls Creek Rd will block access to pedestrians as well as cars. New steps on the opposite side to ATS will get pedestrians safely onto Falls Creek Rd. The will be a loading area near the steps for those that don't want to use ATS.
3. The loading area at the bottom of Slalom St will be expanded further up Slalom St. There will also be barriers to divert people skiing down from the lodges in that area.

Orry's Trail realignment

Orry's Trail is the home trail from the tanks to Schuss St. We don't use to get back to AAC but it's a good way of getting to other parts of the village.

It is a bit steep for beginners and it gets patchy. This year the trail is being realigned to make an easier trail that holds snow better. It will cross the aqueduct higher up and then run between Cedarwood and Sun Valley.

This hasn't actually been implemented yet.

AGM

The AGM went smoothly. The committee was expanded to 8 positions. All past committee members were re-elected plus Tony Ryder.

The June committee meeting elects the office bearers. These are unchanged from the previous year.
President: Nigel Cowie
Secretary: Bronwyn Sigmund
Treasurer: Michal Szkilnik

Lodge Supervisor: Justin Checcucci
Booking Officer: Alan Long
Membership & Marketing: Garry Hayes
Communications & IT: Jenny Hughes

Tony Ryder will have a chance to learn the ropes before being assigned a role.

Census Day Tue 9 August

The Census is taken every 5 years. This year it is on Tue 9 August.

If you are Falls Creek that night, you must fill out the census that day. You can do it online or use forms.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is encouraging people to do it online. Resort Management are negotiating with Telstra to get increased internet capacity to cope with this.

AGM 2016

The Annual General Meeting will be held

DATE:    Tuesday, 24 May, 2016
VENUE:    Royal Brighton Yacht Club
ADDRESS:    253 St. Kilda Street, Brighton

(refer Melway Map Reference 67, C10)
TIME:    7:30 p.m

The AGM is a great opportunity to hear about progress, contribute to the running of your club and meet with other members.

ANZAC Weekend - Mountain Bike 2 for 1

If you've been meaning to come and try the mountain bike trails, there's a special deal this weekend that might appeal.

It's the last mountain bike shuttle service until November. Normally shuttles are $50 per day or $90 for the weekend, but for Saturday and Sunday there is a 2 for 1 deal. Either 2 people for the price of 1 or 2 days for the price of one.

The shuttles go from Slalom carpark up to the top of the summit and run from 9am till 4pm.

There is also a beginner skills course available on the Saturday. Bike hire is available both days, from Slalom carpark or Fruehauf

Bookings are needed for shuttles, clinics and hire

More info

Easter 2016

After the success of the mountain bike weekend in January, all the participants returned to do it all again at Easter - and brought more friends along for a fun long weekend. Another long time member Clive B brought his extended family along too. Between these 2 groups we had a full lodge for Easter.

Clive's family were seen walking, riding and generally having a good time.

Our group of about 20 had many riders, but also a few who were more interested in walking or just relaxing and enjoying good food and good company. Mark R with wife Helen, daughter Kristo and friends Michelle, Dale and Brian arrived on Thursday so they could get some riding in on Friday. The rest came in in dribs and drabs on Friday, with many finding time for a stroll or short ride. Angie’s & John’s 14 month old granddaughter Holly charmed everyone with beautiful eyes and very sweet behaviour.

Mark R & daughter Kristo

On Saturday morning some rode the MTB trails, others opted for easier terrain and walkers enjoyed perfect weather. Garry H was surprised to find that a riding companion had kindly slipped several heavy rocks into his backpack to intensify his training. We all regrouped at the boat ramp for a picnic before splitting up for more riding, walking and scenic drives. The boat ramp area was abuzz with yachting, cyclists, picnics and people just enjoying our "beach".

Beautiful day for a ride around Sun Valley and beyond

The summit chair was running on Saturday and Sunday, for sightseeing and bike carrying. Garry H decided to use the chair to really work on those challenging trails around Summit and International on Sunday. Others split up much as they had the previous day, with drives, walking,  riding on roads, single track and fire trails. There were a few thrills and spills but no broken bones or stitches. Once again we met for lunch, this time for a huge barbecue at Raspberry Hill. Afterwards most headed back to the lodge or trails. Angie F, Bron S and Jenny H decided to ride back from Langfords West along the aqueduct trail so that they could properly admire Angie's beautiful bike and start plotting how to acquire something similar.

We had decided to share the food and cooking duties. Putting together meals for our big group was a bit of an undertaking, but it worked very well with everyone helping at times, and relaxing at others. We certainly ate well. Special thanks to Michelle and Mark R who oversaw most of the catering.

The village was pretty busy with families, runners, walkers and of course riders. Many places were open for lunches, dinners or drinks. The mountain bike trails are certainly helping to build green season visitor numbers, but the growing vibrancy is attracting non-riders too.

If you haven't visited the lodge in summer, get a group of friends together and give it a try

Community Pizza Oven

The tennis/social club at Falls Creek has just installed a wood-fired pizza oven in the barbecue area near the playground.  The intention is make it available to the wider community, especially ski clubs. 

Details are still being worked out, but it is expected that for a modest fee (mainly to cover the cost of appropriate wood) and a bit of notice, the pizza oven will be available to club members who wish to use it.

AGM - save the date

The Annual General Meeting will be on Tue May 24th, venue to be advised.


Don't forget that AGM notices and associated documents will now be sent by email, not post.

Make sure that your correct email address and mobile number are registered with the club. You can do this online or contact ProAcct jnoye@proacct.com.au or 0398809600.

Working Bee

This year's working bee will be

Fri 29 April - Sunday 1 May

Working Bee weekend is the time when we get the lodge ready for the upcoming season. Professional services are used for major items, but we rely on members to do many of the tasks. We usually make a few improvements, but much of the work is maintaining and replenishing.

Attendance is optional. People with trade skills are particularly welcome, but all willing hands are appreciated.

Most people arrive late on Friday night. Andrew & Myra provide brekkie & lunch on Saturday & Sunday as well as Saturday dinner. It's great to stock up your locker and catch up with people before the season. For new members it is a great opportunity to meet old hands and quickly feel at home in the lodge. However it is first and foremost a working weekend.


The tasks very from year to year but typically would include

• moving firewood into the store (a big job for many hands)
• stocktaking (eg cereal, juice, toilet paper)
• painting (eg walls, railings)
• cleaning & organising the kitchen cupboards & contents
• turning mattresses & mending protectors
• minor repairs
• small carpentry jobs
• checking & replacing light globes
• cleaning bathroom fans
• tidying & cleaning boiler room, ski room
• weeding and other gardening

If you can help this year, please contact our Lodge Supervisor Justin Checcucci

Peaks Weekend

Once again all rooms in the lodge were booked for the Peaks cycling weekend and all our guests seemed very happy with the facilities.

Peaks Challenge Falls Creek is the 235 gruelling kilometre loop from Falls Creek, over Tawonga Gap, Mt Hotham and the Bogong High Plain - in a 13 hour time limit. Held on the Labour Day weekend in March each year this event is huge and needs every bed that the village can provide.

This is a welcome boost to summer income but it's also an important step in the overall growth of Falls Creek as a summer destination.

As Myra said

"It's a crazy busy weekend. It is the biggest event that Falls Creek sees all year.
Great atmosphere in the village. Finish line was a great spot to be."

a drone captured this amazing picture of the pre-dawn start - click picture for larger version

The lodge books out very early for this event, so if you'd like to come up and part of the festive atmosphere (or participate in the ride) you need to book early. There is no longer an opening date for summer bookings, so don't wait till spring. There is a special package for the lodge for the event: minimum 3 nights with linen and cleaning provided.

New Swichboard

The original electrical switchboard was practically at capacity and needed to be replaced. This would be a costly but necessary exercise for the future safety of the lodge. This work was undertaken in late January - early February. We now have a modern switchboard with capacity to cater for future growth. All the electrical circuits including switches and power points have been labelled and some minor faults rectified. As an added bonus, many of the power points in the lodge (including in the lounge and mezzanine) now have additional USB power points to cater for our ever increasing number of phones, tablets and laptops.

The new switchboard

Early Bird Resort Entry Season Passs

Resort Entry Season permits are available online until 5pm on 30 April for $295, less than the price of 7 days. So if you think you might be able to squeeze in more than a week's skiing, this is a a deal not to be missed

After 30 April the price goes up to $325.

This offer is only for online sales.

More

6 Day Anytime Lift Tickets

If you can't justify a season ticket but want some flexibility, the 6 Day Any Day lift ticket might be what you are after

$499 for adults,
$279 for kids and seniors

and now kids up to 17 are still charged as kids
valid for Hotahm as well as Falls Creek

only available until 31 March

More

Booking at other AAC lodges - made easy

Have you sometimes thought about booking at other AAC lodges but never quite got around to it? The online booking system makes this a lot easier. Anton at Hotham, AAC Dinner Plain and AAC Perisher all use the same booking system as AAC Falls Creek. You can see when there are vacancies and make bookings. There will be some differences in the detail, but the process should be very similar.

Check out the User Instructions to see how to automatically register at another lodge and then switch to its booking system.

Bookings Open Monday 1 Feb

This year the online booking system will be available for winter bookings from 1 February.

The exception is for June/July Victorian school holidays (26 June to 9 July). Bookings for this high demand period should be made using the old forms. After 1 March any vacancies in that period can be booked online.

There have been some refinements to the booking system and the user guide has been revised to reflect these.

Please use the online system wherever possible for your bookings.

Booking System Improvements

There are some changes to the online booking system. Simple bookings should be quicker and simpler to make.

• Some changes have been made to make it clearer which buttons to click, often in lime green. Most importantly, the system works best when you use the occupancy grid to select dates for your stay, so this has been highlighted.
• You can now select beds as well as dates in the occupancy grid by clicking and dragging on the beds. When you click Make a Booking with your Selection, it takes you to the booking page with the beds already highlighted, ready for you fill in details for each member/guest. 

Making a booking online is easy.
Here is a Quick Start Guide for simple bookings

1. Logon and read the information on the Welcome screen
2. On the Occupancy and Make Bookings page, check if there are vacancies for the dates you want. 
3. Click and drag in the grid to "paint" the dates and beds you want.
4. Click Make a booking with your Selection to go to the Booking page.
5. Verify your Contact Details, especially email address
6. In the Booking Details, for each person you are booking for
   a.    Click on one of the chosen (highlighted) bed in the grid
   b.    Type the Guest Name
   c.    Use Select Group to specify which age/gender group they belong to
   d.    In Comments add children’s ages, or any other pertinent information
   e.    Use the Fee Selector to specify the appropriate tariff for that person
7. If paying by Credit Card, fill in your details and click Charge Card and Save Booking.
8. If paying by EFT (Direct Deposit), note the EFT details, including the booking reference and, click Save Booking and Pay Later . When contacted by the Booking Officer,  make the payment using your bank’s internet banking website or other facility.
9. You will soon receive an automated email to say that your booking request has been received by the system. Your booking is not confirmed until payment has been verified and the Booking Officer sends you an email with the door code. This may take some days (or weeks if prior to opening of bookings).

If the system does not want to allow your booking, please check that your request complies with the booking rules. Most booking problems are due to these rules not being strictly met Eg Is it a standard length booking (week, 5 day midweek or weekend)? For a week booking,does it begin on a Sunday?  Does a 5 day booking begin on a Sunday? Is a weekend booking being made no more than 19 days ahead (Mon) for members , or no more than 15 days (Fri) ahead for guests?

Bookings that do not comply with the booking rules will need to be discussed with the booking officer.

For more detailed instructions, see  User Guide for AAC Falls Creek Booking System

Cycling Weekend - what a great time

Thanks to Angie for organising our first mountain bike weekend and for this report. Thanks to Garry for the pictures.

If you like the sound of this, there is another minimum-fee-exempt weekend on Feb 12-14 and Blue Dirt shuttles will be operating if you want some help getting to the top.

And if you can't come that weekend, Blue Dirt have announced extra dates when shuttles will run (normal summer minimum fee applies)

Cross country skiers set the bench marks – 2016 MTB weekend at AAC-Falls. 

The first AAC- Falls Creek mountain bike (MTB) event was a huge success. A group of AAC-Falls members spent the second weekend of January testing their personal fitness, balance, strength and bikes on the new Falls Creek MTB trails – none were found wanting.

John G has set the bench mark for AAC-Falls by riding from Mt Beauty to the Nordic Bowl (in one day), backing up the following day with a ride up to Cloud Nine, and then descending initially via a single track, and then the road all the way to Mt Beauty.

Angie F gained the highest peak by bike (Mt Mackay) via single track ascent to Cloud Nine and then the road, backing this up the following day with a ride from the lodge to Mt Beauty and a ride from Raspberry Hill to the lodge; her bike’s attraction to the many puddles along this route setting the bench mark for the muddiest bike rider. As John and Angie are both Nordic skiers the challenge has been laid down to Alpine skiers and boarders to beat these bench marks next year.

Additional awards go to Garry H for the longest distance in a single day and the highest number of descents from the Lodge to Mt Beauty (3). However, Garry hasn’t achieved the highest ratio of km to words – that honour goes to Bron.

Falls Creek Management have completed a good number of the new MTB trail network. These include heart thumping elevation changes (Plaza to Cloud Nine and Gully to Summit), and adrenaline pumping descents (you may use your imagination here). For the less experienced (or less fool hardy) there is a very pretty network of “green” trails going in around the Nordic Bowl which are easily accessed from the aqueduct (also rated green). Riders can also cross the dam wall and follow the road and / or aqueduct out to Wallace’s and Cope’s huts.

The social aspects of the weekend deserve a mention. All enjoyed Jenny H's fabulous cooking, Garry and Marks’ ongoing narration of the weekend, Myra’s fabulous organisation of picnic and BBQs, Bron’s bruising walks and Brian’s impressive personal best ride. Mark’s unexpected (and belated) bah mitzvah was toasted and Elvis Presley’s 83 birthday was celebrated karaoke style. 

The committee is to be thanked for supporting MTB at Falls via waiving the $300 min fee for the January weekend, the weekend of Feb 13/14, and Easter. MTB at Falls is a lot of fun. If you aren’t into MTB you can road ride, or simply walk the High Planes and enjoy the Wild Flowers. We look forward to more MTB events. 

More pics

and if you don't know the people involved, we were a mix of downhill skiers, snow boarders and xc skiers. The xc skiers might have been the fittest but we all had a great time

A new cafe in the bowl

We have a new food business in the bowl - Cafe Max (briefly @1542) is now under new management and renamed "be foodstore". They have been open over summer holidays and quickly become very popular with the locals for coffee, cakes, healthy juices and afternoon drinks. (Not sure about their opening hours now)

New proprietors Jason & Melissa have been running Altitude Apartments for quite a while. Initially they are just doing drinks and treats but they plan to serve meals in winter. What's more they plan to stock bread and milk as well as specialty groceries and packaged grog. Hooray!

Room Conversions

The member survey showed that many respondents put a high priority on remodelling more rooms to be twins or doubles rather than the double plus single bunk configuration. The upgrade to Room 5 (twin) has been very popular. There seems to be an increasing demand for twin rooms, especially for members who are less nimble than they once were. Many couples are also not keen on the overhanging bunks.

The committee will move very carefully in converting rooms. We do not want to lose the great flexibility provided by the double plus single bunk configuration. However, data from the booking system shows us that in the last 2 seasons we could still have accommodated the same bookings with less 3 bed rooms, and made staying at the lodge even better for some guests.

Before the winter, Room 12 will be converted to a twin like Room 5, with under-bed storage bins and a wall unit. Sound insulation and lighting will also be improved.

Planning is also underway to convert another 3 bed room, (most likely Room 2) to just a double. Hopefully this can be done this autumn too.

When you go to book online the third beds in those rooms will be not be visible.

The committee will analyse booking data and consider member feedback before considering any further conversions.

AGM Email Communications - Reminder

Don't forget to check that we have your correct email and mobile phone numbers so that you can receive AGM and other notices.

Thanks to those who have already updated.