Marin Ski Club - MSC Associates

Elite '09

149

257

jill j.

Mill Valley, CA

9/24/2007 1 photo

I've been to the Marin Ski Club lodge (as a guest only) a couple of times now.  The lodge was built by members in the mid-late 60's but has been very well maintained over the years.  Pride of membership is evident.  The lodge sleeps ~ 36 in 4 large bunkbed/dormitory-style rooms and has lockers and ski storage and an enormous wood-burning fireplace.  Nearby ski resorts include Sugar Bowl, Boreal, and Royal Gorge cross-country.  

The club seems to skirt the balance between exclusivity and co-op in a way only possible in Marin.  You must be sponsored by a current MSC member, attend a couple of meetings, and do one weekend of manual labor at the lodge in order to join; then you pay annual dues (of approx. $400, as I recall), and can stay at  the lodge for ~$10/night.  There is a checklist of clean-up duties (and opening and closing procedures) to complete before leaving the lodge.  Honestly, I always think this is kind of a drag -- the place is cleaner than my house by a long shot! -- and wonder why they don't just hire a cleaning service.  But the flip side is ... the place is cleaner than my house by a long shot, and that is definitely nice to come "home" to.  

You will never mistake this place for the Ritz, and one of the more senior members might give you a hard time about sleeping in (there are some old school HARD core skiers here), but it's a warm,  comfortable, well set-up place to rest your legs, take a hot shower, and cook a filling meal after a hard day in the snow.

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