Dragon Ski Club
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Issue Number 4
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September 2013
Dragon Ski Club 50th Anniversary Dinner
Trinity College
The final event of a fast and furious 50th anniversary year saw 135 Dragon skiers, ranging
from the very first of the sequence in 1962
through to members of the 2013 team, attend
the dinner held at Trinity College in April.
Simon Barnes came as a young Dragon in 1962
and also present from this group was Bev
MacInnes. From 1964 we had Robin Houghton
(aka “Lofty”) who vies with Genevieve Whipp for
the unwelcome distinction of having spent the
longest time in the Davos Hospital following a
broken leg.
Robin Frith, resplendent as the
Jolly Green Giant, launched the
proceedings with his especially
composed Dragon Ski Club
grace: Benedic nobis et his donis
quae ex liberalitate tua sumpturi
sumus, et dona nobis nivem novam, solem fulgentem, casas
tepidas et amicos concordes. Per
Iesum Christum, Dominum Nostrum. Amen. (Bless us and these
gifts which we are about to eat, and give us new
snow, a shining sun, warm schwendis and like-
www.smaugabroad.com/dragon-ski-club
Dragon Ski Club
minded friends. Through Jesus Christ, Our
Lord. Amen.)
Bev McInnes
Gil Woods
Bev MacInnes took the
opportunity of proposing
the loyal toast to show
us the latest in his line of
braces and our other
President, Gil Woods (a
veteran of pre-Davos
Dragon trips as a
Dragon) proposed a
toast to absent friends,
with particular reference
to the two Mikes: Barraclough (“Putty”) and
Gover (“Guv”) who together with Bev saw us
through the first 25
years.
Further speeches from
Desmond Devitt, accompanied by a genuine
Attendance list:
Skev & Meriel Antoniou
Jeff & Renee Aronson
Bill Baker
Paul Baker
Simon & Caroline Barnes
Jane Byam Shaw
Jennie Bethwaite
Zoran & Lisa Bozovic
Zinka Bozovic
Tom Bulford
Chris & Sue Burton
Will & Mel Campion
Justin & Claire Chippendale
Caroline Collins
Sandra Crampton Smith
Tom Crampton Smith
Susie Cummings
Ashley & Suzanne Deakin
Desmond Devitt
William & Anna Donger
Justin & Emma Dowley
Paula Eastwood
Mary Elphick
Margaret Eynon
Jean-Claude & Belinda Faudot
Nick & Shona Fisher
Jamie Frith
Robin & Peggy Frith
Inigo Glen
Stephen & Celia Glover
Davos T-bar, and Will Campion further delayed
the completion of an excellent meal. The suc-
Desmond Devitt
cess of it all was very much down to the tireless
planning and work of Jane Byam Shaw.
The evening saw a true reunion of like-minded
Dragon skiers and it occurs to us that we should
not necessarily await the passing of another 25
years before the next such occasion. Should
enough people indicate that they would support
more regular but lower-key gatherings
(every 5 years, say) then please email:
[email protected] !
Philip Greenfield
John Guest & Jane West
David Gye
Stan & Sasha Halcin
Clare Harbord
Richard & Naomi Hargreaves
Janet Hazelton
Robert Hazelton
Michael Henman
Di Hiddleston
Adam Holloway
Robin Houghton
Duncan & Vera Innes
Chris & Sara Jones
Gareth & Jemma Jones
John & Caroline Keenan
Mary Kinnear
Caroline Laing
Mark & Katie Lambert
Jamie & Jan Lawrie
Tom & Caroline Longrigg
Bev MacInnes
Chrissie Madden
Nickie Mathias
Ken & Ann Pelton
Robert & Judy Marsden
David & Angela Martin-Sperry
Steve & Susan McQueen
Ian Murchie & Kate Lee
Dee Murray
Angus Nicholson
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Will Campion
Stirling & Annie Page
David & Sarah Parkinson
Giles & Pippa Rooney
Andrew & Jane Power
David Richardson
Nicholas Richardson
Vicky Russell (Rowe)
Heather Sandison
Tom & Joyce Seaman
Gillian Shakespeare
Rupert & Millie Soames
Clare Strickland
Sally Stuart-Clark
Claire Taylor
David & Shan Temple
Sam & Ailsa Temple
Max & Jenny Thorneycroft
Julia Touloumbadjian
Natalie Touloumbadjian
David & Angela van Oss
Tony & Araminta Verdin
Kingsley & Jessie Went
Nick & Chrissie Wheeler
Andrew & Genevieve Whipp
Beverley Willcox
Kate Womersley
Gil & May Woods
Ray Wright
Dragon Ski Club
Monica Frei, Riet Frey, Beverley Willcox, Desmond Devitt, Annemarie Meyer, Katrin Frey, Peter Frei, Bev MacInnes
January 2013 in Davos
The climax to our week in Davos was a special
celebratory dinner for our group and Davos
guests. The reception before it was very kindly
sponsored by Peter and Monica Frei and the
recently retired owners of Hotel Meierhof, Riet
and Katrin Frey. Annemarie Meyer, Deputy
Director of the Davos Tourist Board, presented
us with a framed picture and certificate to mark
the occasion. Both Peter Frei and Riet Frey
made speeches which were to say the least
touching and we are so lucky to have such good
friends in Davos. Riet presented the Club with a
very special item of leaded stained-glass which
he had received from the canton to mark his
time and contribution to the life of Davos. He felt
that our 50 years topped that and insisted on
passing it on to us. We felt very honoured.
We were delighted to welcome a number of
other Davosers to join us: Hans Boss (Club
Hotel), George Ettinger (Ski shop) and Daniel
Ammann (Davos Ski School).
Dr Jeremy Rowbotham and his wife Penny
also joined us. They are regular visitors to
Davos at this time of year and Jeremy came on
a Dragon Ski Trip to Davos in 1950, an amazing
63 years ago. He recalled, “We set off down to
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the Parsennhutte run, where we had lunch. In
the afternoon we skied on down to Wolfgang,
and then took the train back to Davos. This trip
then took a whole day as skiing was much
slower. There was thick
snow and large moguls, as
piste bashers had not been
invented. We fell incessantly as we turned with
snowplough turns on the
old heavy long skis.”
Unfortunately there are few
Jeremy Rowbotham
excuses now for falling on
with Peggy Frith
the Parsennhutte run, or for
taking all morning doing it – there isn’t even a
schwendi in sight!
Present on the trip and at the dinner were Jeff
Aronson, Bill Baker, Paul Baker, Tom Bulford,
Jane Byam Shaw, Desmond Devitt, Margaret
Eynon, Jamie Frith, Robin & Peggy Frith, Anna
Layton (née Macdonald), Abby MacInnes, Bev
& Margaret MacInnes, Joanna More, Ken &
Anne Pelton, Beverley Willcox, Gil & May
Woods.
We were joined by other Dragon skiers who
were also in Davos at this time: Jeremy Andrews, Helen Price, Jeremy & Penny Row-
Dragon Ski Club
botham and Tom Seaman.
It was our pleasure to have as guests of the
Dragon Ski Club: Daniel Ammann, Hans Boss,
Susanne and Hans-Jörg Ettinger, Peter &
Monica Frei, Eduard Lohner, Riet & Kathrin
Frey.
Magic Memories …
to Peter Frei to have our skis and boots issued.
It seems that Peter never grows any older and
his warm welcome to old friends cancels any
sense of doing business with him. He and Eduard Lohner are Vice Presidents of the Ski Club
and have always been strong supporters of our
endeavours. This year Peter had been a particular ambassador for our celebrations, organising invitations for the Festive Dinner and an
interview with a local journalist.
Soon it is 7 p.m. and time for gathering in an
upstairs bedroom which doubles as our bar for
pre dinner drinks. Those familiar exchanges of
merriment between old friends are lubricated
with generous glasses and the mood is happy
as we go down to dinner. The hotel has new
management and we are cautious in our expectations but the food and service are excellent
and we clutch our newly issued ski passes and
head for bed.
Margaret Eynon, Jo More, Anna Layton
There is a particular magic about skiing in
Davos because for many of us it has been an
annual event and an annual return to the particular pleasures of the Davos mountains. This
year the reunion was special because we met
to mark 50 years of skiing in Davos with the
Dragon Ski Club. But something special happens every time we return to Davos. Let us rehearse the pleasures.
For me it now begins with coffee at a small
wooden house in Schmitten, 30 mins south of
Davos. There I end my drive from Italy to meet
with Eduard Lohner and reignite the friendship
that has grown over the last 20 years. Gone is
the bristly, cigar smoking and temperamental
manager of the Lohner Hotel; instead there is a
genial, self effacing friend who has emerged
from numerous traumas and marriages with energy and kindness.
Then I drove on to Hotel Meierhof where there
was no time to unload my cases and the supplies of Italian aperitivi before the bus arrived.
Everyone tumbled into welcome hugs and
greetings as though no time at all had elapsed
since our last meeting. Our Club Presidents, Gil
Wood and Bev MacInnes were both encircled
by friends from the previous decades and in orderly succession we were soon heading down
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During the week we explored all the familiar
slopes, of course using our own names for
some of the landmarks. Meet at the Alpine Gardens, at HQ or at the bottom of the Blue Bubbles are instructions we all know and understand; after snow mid week we made a wonderful pilgrimage to Kublis with hot chocolate before the train ride home. We had an outing to
Madrisa on a sunny day and a bus ride up to for
lunch at Sertig on the day when visibility was
much reduced. And of course we took the bus
to Rinerhorn, the Cable Car to Gotschna, the
black run from Gipfel Nord and after snow the
run to Wolfgang for Apfel Fritters.
Apres ski for some included swimming and a
spell in the sauna and of course the bridge
cards came out after dinner for those with energy for a hand or two.
With immaculate organisation tables were laid
for our Celebration Dinner and Davos friends
joined us to mark the 50 years. Riet Frei, former
owner of the Meierhof, wearing a tweed Hackett
jacket in honour of the occasion presented a
piece of stained glass from his family. Peter Frei
spoke warmly of the friendship and connection
begun by Dragon staff when his father in law
collaborated to help Dragons learn to
ski. Desmond produced for each of us one of
the original tickets printed for presentation as lift
passes and Bev MacInnes recalled the early
days, with long journeys, the fine cooking of Mrs
Dragon Ski Club
Lohner and the idiosyncrasies of Hotel Lohner.
Affection for Davos has not dimmed and it is
centred in the kindness and welcoming friendship we have experienced. Who can say what
draws us back? The slopes are more immaculate than ever, the mountain meals are hard to
resist, the familiar landmarks and the variety of
runs are all ingredients in the pleasure of our
winter rendezvous. But most of all we feel loved
and connected with the friends who have known
us during 50 years. We will be back.
Beverley Willcox
The Dragon 50th Anniversary Trip
Whereas a mere 25
went on the 1962 trip,
this year’s group
numbered 133. There
were a couple of special events to mark
the
occasion.
Whereas all sorts of
woolly hats were de
Freddie Walton
rigeur in the 1960s
nowadays the harder and faster pistes demand
the wearing of helmets. For better Dragon recognition on, or indeed under, the snow, Dragon
skiers were sporting “silks” for their helmets (as
jockeys have).
The week concluded on Rinerhorn with the
usual slalom races, followed by presentations
and a meal in the restaurant there. This was
followed by a torchlit descent of the mountain
(although it has to be admitted most of the
torches did not last the course). A truly memorable occasion – as described by Nicholas
Shakespeare:
“The official name for the event was “la
descente aux flambeaux”, but that seemed a
feeble description. At one giddy point, I couldn’t
help looking back at the line of flames jittering
down the mountain, and seeing them all join
together to elaborate – momentarily – one single, familiar, fire-breathing creature.”
Click here to read the full report: http://www.smaugabroad.com/public/downloads/Nick_Shakespears_Davos_report_2013.pdf
Dragon Ski Club Committee
Years such as this do not happen without a lot of work from a number of people. I would like to record
my sincere thanks to fellow committee members Jane Byam Shaw, Will Campion, Paul Dunleavy, Hugo
McNeile, and Nick Wheeler. With regards the Trinity dinner all the credit must go to Jane, aided and
abetted by Nick and Will.
Sadly Will Campion is now bowing out. His commitment and indeed generosity over a number of years
has been immense. Hopefully we can persuade him to come on occasional trip – or the Club Hotel bar
(not to say the Chesetta on the Schifer run – aka the Sancerre Schwendi – and indeed the whole Swiss
economy) will miss him dreadfully.
Desmond Devitt
Caroline Collins
We were all devastated to learn of the death of Caroline Collins on June 8th. This dinner was probably
the last time many of us saw her, and what a happy
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final memory this must be for all of us.
Our thoughts and sympathy continue to be with
Dominic and their children: Nellie, Cressie & Ben.
Dragon Ski Club
Smaug Abroad is the Dragon Ski Club’s preferred partner for the
organisation of ski trips, offering full ATOL and ABTOT financial protection.
The next trips to Davos are:
New Year Skiing for Dragon community families and individuals
29th December - 5th January 2014, Club Hotel
www.smaugabroad.com/tours/new-year-skiing-in-davos.html
January Skiing for adults only
5 - 12th January 2014, Hotel Meierhof
www.smaugabroad.com/tours/january-skiing.html
th
For more details, information and prices, please visit
www.smaugabroad.com
Tel. 01865 315 441, email [email protected]
Ski Abroad, a branch of Smaug Abroad your local specialist, proposes
tailor made ski trips, in all European resorts
www.skiabroad.co.uk
Tel. 01865 318 116, email [email protected]
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Dragon Ski Club
Smaug Abroad Ltd. Booking Form
New Year Ski trip 29th Dec 2013 - 5th Jan 2014
January Ski trip 5th – 12th January 2014
Please complete this booking and medical form and return it with a deposit of £500 per person.
•
•
•
Deposit can be paid by cheque to Smaug Abroad Ltd., The Lodge, Bardwell Rd, Oxford, OX2 6SS, United Kingdom.
via bank transfer to Barclay’s Bank, sort-code 20-65-18, acc no 40934836, reference: surname/tour name.
or by Credit* or Debit Card by phoning our office on +44 1865 315 441 (* 2% handling fee on Credit Card payment applies)
Applicant’s details
Applicant 1
Applicant 2
Title
First and middle name
(as on the passport)
Surname
(as on the passport)
Nationality
Date of birth
Passport Number
Issue date
Expiry date
Country of issue
Additional Information
Type of room
Applicant 1
Twin / Double / Single
YES
YES
Will you bring your own skis?
Will you bring your own boots?
/
/
NO
NO
Applicant 2
Twin / Double / Single
YES
YES
/
/
NO
NO
Please note any dietary requirements:
Applicant’s contact details
Postal address
Tel (home)
Mobile 1
Mobile 2
E-mail
Travel Insurance: Insurance is required for all expeditions and is included in the package price. Please indicate if you
have alternative travel insurance in place and you will receive a rebate on the final invoice.
Insurance company name
Policy number
Insurance company’s emergency tel. no.
Signature: ____________________________________
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Date: ______________________________