Bear Cabin Tentative 2011-12

Last season we leased a cabin in Dorrington on Highway 4 for winter snow play. It was a blast! You expressed interest (or we want you too!) in joining us next year so here is a DRAFT of the deal--

Bear Valley Ski Resort is a bit further up Highway 4, ~20 miles away, and offers downhill and cross-country ski areas. The downhill lifts typically open mid-December and are typically open through mid April. There are nearby Sno-Park areas allowing for more cross country skiing, sledding, and snowshoeing. Dorrington averages over 100 inches of snow a season and when there is snow on the ground at the cabin, there’s also snow play in nearby Big Trees State park. Sound great?

We’d like to share the cabin with other young snow friendly families willing to commit to regular use. What do you get for joining us?

· Savings: the per night cost versus renting a cabin or hotel room for visits is reduced.

· Convenience: you can bring your equipment up your first weekend and then leave it for the season. Subsequent trips you only need to throw the kids and food in the car and head out. No need to hunt down your goggles and ski hat, they’ll be waiting at the cabin for you! And

· Ambiance: there are fun, cool peeps to share your stay!

Last winter we rented a cabin for 16 weeks.

We are seeking families interested in committing to partnering with us for full- or part-time cabin usage this winter. (Or you may also choose to visit & pay on a per night basis.) Costs are inclusive of all utilities. We will not ask for more funds, it’s a done deal.

The soft stuff:

This is the cabin we rented last season, we liked it and may well just rent the same one again. It was well appointed for kids inside and out.

The house is a two story A-frame in Dorrington with a kitchen open to dining and living areas. It has three bedrooms (two queen rooms and two twins in the 3^rd) for sleeping six in beds There is room for more on air mattresses in the bedrooms or loft. Last season my daughter used the closet as her bedroom (a la Harry Potter?) so one twin was always free when we were there! When we had guests, they typically ensconced in the upper bedroom and loft. The upstairs bedroom is a queen and has floor space for the kiddies in the room or the loft.

This cabin has 1-1/2 bathrooms.

Your payment includes propane, electricity, local phone, garbage, water, cable TV, internet, firewood, and plowed parking. (We will pay actual propane and electricity use at season end so your judicious use is appreciated; no cranking to 75* please!) The fire wood is free so build a fire and plan on wearing a fleece indoors; this is winter in the mountains! Last season we typically heated the cabin well with just the wood stove after getting the chill off with the heater.

The cabin is nonsmoking, no pets. Visitors will need to bring their own linens (sheets and towels), which can stay at the cabin for the season. When you leave after each visit, beds should be stripped so the next partner family or guest can put on their own sheets. Store your sheets and towels with your clothing for next visit.

There is an outside shed for storing ski and sledding gear (sleds were included last year).

The cabin has a washer/dryer for occasional use; it is on a septic system so please do your regular laundry at home.

Please take your perishable food in the refrigerator except milk/eggs/butter which may be left if they will not pass the expiration date before the next group arrives. Your food staples can remain at the cabin. All food should be label unless it is considered community property.

The cabin has a phone. All calls were included last year. We have internet. Cell service in the area is poor, better if you’ve got Verizon. Ordering movies on cable is on your tab.

Visitors are expected leave the house tidy when they leave. This includes running the dishwasher, wiping counters, emptying perishables that expire before next group from refrigerator, and, when needed, a quick vacuum or sweep of floors and wipe down for bathrooms. The dishwasher can be run as you leave and the next person will unload it. In general, please leave the cabin as you would like to find it the next time you arrive. If supply of consumables (toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, DW and laundry detergent, dish soap, etc) is low, please purchase unscented products.

The hard numbers:

Below is the “industry typical” way of sharing a seasonal cabin. We are open to other plans - if interested parties have another idea that works for the group or if, e.g., you want to coordinate a partnership with another family for shared adventures. The dates are last season’s but give you an idea of how it could work. The rental could also end up being longer or shorter depending on the calendar (or if you want Thanksgiving or if school spring break means you want it longer, we can arrange)

Weekends (defined as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights) are divvyed according to the following schedule:

A	B	C		D
December 18, 2010	December 25, 2010 *	January 1, 2011 *		January 8, 2011
January 15, 2011 *	January 22, 2011	January 29, 2011		February 5, 2011
February 12, 2011	February 19, 2011 *	February 26, 2011		March 5, 2011
March 12, 2011	March 19, 2011	March 26, 2011		April 2, 2011

Quarter Shares: pick A, B, C or D weekends.
Half Shares: pick two sets of weekends from A, B, C, or D.
Full Shares: You get all weekends!

Asterisked dates may be school/work holiday weekends; check your own schedules to confirm. Not happy with all the weekends in your chosen group? Simply swap your weekends with other partners or with open weekends.

Weekdays are first priority to partners staying the prior weekend. We can maintain a group calendar on google for clarity. Note: based on initial feelers, we do not expect to “sell out” the partnerships and likely “swapping weekends” will be swapping with empty weekends, not negotiating with other families. That said, choose early and let us know preferences!

Below are the partner splits based on last season’s cost, these may adjust if rent changes or utility rates are much different. If there are excess funds at season end (due to lower utilities and/or extra guest fees beyond rental cost) then partners will receive a share of the excess back.

Season cost Usage

$2500 A full share – go anytime you want
$1380 A half share – 8 weekends plus any midweek days (16+nights)
$ 740 A quarter share – 4 weekends plus any midweek days (8+nights)

Partners are defined as a family unit: one or two adults and one to three children.

Guests are welcome if partner usage has not filled the house on any night. Guest fees are $100/night/family or $35/night per guest.

To pick your calendar dates, first come first served. Your partnership is secured with your security deposit of 25% season cost. Prepayment of 50% season lease is due December 10 with balance due January 31.

There is no guarantee of perfectly timed snow storms, clear roads, or glittering icicles. ß we had a great winter last year! Granted, it was an epic snow year. We did have a few power failures, but the woodstove kept the cabin warm and we made our meals on it too. One stormy day, the driveway plow was late getting to us if we had wanted to ski, but there was plenty of snow sledding, snowshoing, snowballs, and cocoa at the cabin.

Bear Related Data:

Season Pass $50 off code, good until season opener: 400more

Adult lesson and season pass deal: http://www.bearvalley.com/lessons-clinics/3-packs/

Kids lessons: http://www.bearvalley.com/lessons-clinics/child-lessons/lessons/

Prior Year Bear deals, not announced for 2010-2011 season yet:
$35 LIFT TICKETS TO Bear Valley on 01/15/2010 Enjoy 40% off skiing at Bear Valley. The entire cost of your ticket supports the Sierra Avalanche Center.

Sportsbasement, Helm, Mel Cottons, and REI: discount adult passes at $49/day

Get $12 lift tickets on Tuesdays for the month of March at Bear Valley.