The Battle Creek Ski Club (BCSC) is a non-profit organization. The Club is located in Battle Creek, Michigan and serves the greater Battle Creek and Kalamazoo areas. BCSC is a civic minded, family-oriented club promoting alpine (downhill skiing and snowboarding) snow sports. The founding members established the club's charter in 1954. No one can remember if the club had a President during the first three years of its existence. Today, we have over 350 club members, and have expanded our club's activities to all four seasons. The board of directors adopted new club slogan a few years ago to reflect the club’s beginnings. This logo also reflects what we like to do. Hence the slogan "Going downhill since 1954" was born.  

The club holds a General Membership meeting the second Tuesday of each month starting in September and runs through April. The theme changes with each month's general meeting. The first is presentations and member registration for the upcoming ski trips, then a ski fitness presentation, Winter Ski Apparel Fashion Show, the Christmas party, ski tuning clinic, annual club auction, Club elections, spring wrap-up meeting. The Board of Directors operational business meeting is the third Tuesday of each month, and is open to any active club member. The club host an "Uprising" party to get everybody psyched up for the upcoming ski season in October. In addition, we host a down rising party to warp up the ski season in the spring. The club sponsors a number of activities during the summer months to keep our "ski" legs in shape. The sponsored events range from biking the local areas, in-line and roller skating, country line dancing, canoeing, rafting, tubing, swimming and beach parties, "Dragon-boat" racing, and golfing. Take the time to check our Events web page for the meeting locations, and club activities.

Our membership has grown from a few local fledgling pioneers to 350 plus members from all over the United States. The success of our club is threefold. First, the dedication of our officers and directors to improve and promote the club. Second, the club has reportedly one of the lowest membership due in the United States. Third, the camaraderie of our club members ranks as one of the members’ highest ideals. Our members' backgrounds are many and varied, just like our skiing abilities. However, one thing you can always count on, we look for the first snow, and look forward to each year's ski season.

Just as ski equipment technology has drastically changed over the years, so has BCSC. At first, the club's ski trips consisted of plodding up to Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls, MI with our wooden skis, leather lace-up boots and bamboo poles. Today, we still go to Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands. However, we now embrace snow boarders (riders) and skiers (two-trackers) with the traditional and the latest high tech equipment (shaped skis, boot warmers, two way radios, and thin graphite poles).

In spite of everything, the old days (1960's) at the Harbor Inn in Harbor Springs, MI was very good. Our members had their resolve tested with snow blowing through the windows at the Inn and cold, refreshing showers in morning. However, the "new" days are just as exciting. Things like the cost of new equipment, cost of daily lift passes, the latest "cool" fashions, lodging and the slopes continue challenge our club's membership.

Our club sponsors one local Midwest ski trip per month (December through March). We start the ski season with a "Skier Improvement" weekend at Shanty Creek or Boyne Highlands, host weekend and days trips in Jan, Feb and March to the slopes in Michigan or Canada. Our March trip is the "big Western" trip. We have skied destinations like, Whistler, Lake Tahoe, Lake Louise / Banff, Salt Lake City, Breckenridge, Summit County in Colorado, France and Austria. We wrap up our season with an annual Spring trip to Winter Park, Colorado. The club has been taking 60 to 90 skiers of all ages to Winter Park (WIP) by Amtrak to enjoy the snow and powder before the ski season ends. And, sometimes the BCSC "bunny brigade" is on the slopes handing out candy when this trip occurs around Easter. The "bunny brigade" has become quite popular at WIP and has been a good ambassador for the club. Check the club's newsletter and ski trip web pages in this site for this year's trips and other club information.

One of the most popular weekly local events in January and February is the Downhill Race League at Bittersweet Resort in Otsego, MI, north of Kalamazoo, MI. Our club usually enters four 6- person teams to compete in a coed recreational race league co-sponsored by Bittersweet and WQLR 106.5 FM radio station. The club's teams have taken first place five out of the last six years. A very special team, the Dinosaurs, has had the honors of taking first place for the last two years. The "Dinosaur" team members have to have a minimum age of 50. This team is had to catch and harder to beat.  

The race league gave rise to the club sponsoring its first annual " Club Championship Race" in 1989. Club members gather at Boyne Mountain or Boyne Highlands in January for race day. These races have become the most highly contested event during the year and members vie for the coveted bragging rights. The club honors the victors at the evening awards banquet. Trophies and medals are awarded for the "Fastest" actual time, for male, female and child racers. We also award racers based on the NASTAR timing system. This NASTAR adds a handicap to racers based on age and sex of the person to make the results more competitive for all.

We thank you for visiting our site. You must enjoy the winter sports, and we are honored to have you as a member of the Battle Creek Ski Club. You can contact the club by mail. Our address is Battle Creek Ski Club PO Box 652, Battle Creek, MI 49016, or you can contact any of the officers or board members by E-mail, see below.