Why is Bitburger the main beer on the bus?

We purchase Bitburger EXPORT, so there is no can deposit. This saves us money and time as we do not have to return the cans to the distributor. Additionally, cans are safer, easier to transport and dispose of, and take less room on the bus. Bottles require twice the room and are expensive to dispose of due to the high deposit. We do purchase other varieties in cans when they are available. However, their availability is not as reliable and on average they are a great deal more expensive.

Why aren’t our hotels closer to the lifts?

During ski season, European ski resorts book hotel rooms by the week. The “week” starts on a Saturday and ends on a Friday. TSC does its best to book hotels as close to the lifts as possible, while still maintaining excellent trip value. TSC trips bridge across two booking weeks, so most hotels will not book us; if they were willing to, they would charge exorbitant rates.

Why don’t we get to the lifts earlier?

We normally schedule our trip departures on a date and at a time that allows our members to work a full day. German law requires that bus drivers get eight hours of rest between duty days. So if the bus arrives late at our hotel and we are at a location where we must take the bus to the lifts, we must allow the driver to have the required eight hours of rest prior to leaving for the lifts.

Why doesn’t our bus take us to the lifts on the last day of skiing?

This has happened several times during the 2007-2008 season. New laws limit the bus driver’s duty day to 14 hours. If he takes us to the slopes in the morning on our day of departure, his duty day might run out before we get home. We will try to find other transportation options so you can get in that last half-day of skiing or boarding.

I can’t make it to the meetings. Can I have someone sign me up for a trip and pay by EFT?

We understand that some of you live further away, or are deployed, or have class, or works nights, but you still want to go on the best ski trips of your life. We can accept payment by electronic funds transfer. Please coordinate payment with the trip captains then email a copy of the transaction receipt to the club treasurer. This really helps us tremendously in keeping track of who paid what.

Why am I unable to get a full refund on a last minute cancellation?

Tannenbaum Ski Club is a non-profit, volunteer-run club. We book all of our trips through travel agencies months in advance. The travel agencies, hotels, and bus companies have strict cancellation policies that we must adhere to. The club does not have the funds to absorb the cancellation fees they charge, even when the cancellation is due to a short-notice TDY or deployment. We do our best to assist in finding you a replacement. Additionally, we try to work with the tour company for some type of refund but it’s not guaranteed and it’s typically not determined until after the trip when the final bill is consolidated. Contact your TC for further explanation.

How do I become a board member?

Our ski club—your ski club—is dependent on volunteers. Each year many of our board members depart              Germany for their next duty station and replacements are needed. If you are interested in a fun, rewarding, and, yes, sometimes challenging experience, check our website and contact our club president for information regarding open positions.

I took some great photos. How do I get them posted on the website?

We’d love to put your pictures on the TSC website. If you have pictures you want to share, simply burn them onto a CD-ROM, bring them to the next membership meeting, and give them to the webmeister or any of the other Tannenbaum board members.