New Ski Club of Great Britain chat forum

A snowHead

If I was launching any enterprise right now I'd want a 50% female board. This is no time for dinosaurs, and even if it was, you'd expect 50% of them to be female.

[That point could use illustration, but all I could find was a pair of dinosaurs having sex: http://hudsonvalleygeologist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/dinosaur-sex.html ]

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

And the longest-serving director
of the Ski Club of Great Britain is ...

... Gerry Aitken, who's served the SCGB board for two periods - 2005 (for 3 years) and 2011 (for 4 years).

Gerry's off on another apparent 'SCGB jolly' on Saturday, this time to La Grave for the 'Pure Gold' holiday. On expenses?

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/skiclubfreshtracks/holiday.aspx?holidayID=2727#.VNIaAixCjQo

The question is asked simply because Gerry stated, on 2 March 2013, just before jetting off on another trip ['Powder Performance 2', Gressoney]:

Quote:

"At least I'm trustworthy and loyal. I don't claim a penny in expenses, either as a Council member or for Leading in resort".

That comment, and the entire thread on which it was posted, was deleted from the SCGB forum shortly afterwards.

Coming soon: 10 Questions for Gerry Aitken.

Pure Goldsmith

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Question for the moderators: is it acceptable for snowHeads to be used as a platform for something which looks increasingly like a vendetta? Freely exchanging opinions, some of which might be fundamentally opposed, seems like a perfectly sensible thing for a forum like snowHeads. Even giving forum members the space to conduct what looks like a personal campaign might be acceptable as this place is fairly relaxed (rightly so, IMO). But the point at which the public platform provided by snowHeads is (ab)used in some sort of long-running vendetta against individuals or organisations it begins to bring the entire forum in to disrepute, IMO. Will be interested in the opinions of the Moderators on what is acceptable and what isn't.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@rob@rar, it's a fair question. The specific terms and conditions for posting on this forum are clear, and it's best to refer to them specifically ("vendetta" doesn't appear) to make your case, but this is essentially one of free speech ... and the gloves are off now ...

"You must not post or transmit through the snowHeads Site any defamatory, threatening, libellous, obscene, harmful or pornographic material or material which would violate or infringe in any way upon the rights of others (including intellectual property rights, rights of confidentiality, or rights of privacy) or cause distress or inconvenience or which do not comply with all relevant laws. You must not post messages that are vulgar, crude, sexist, racist, homophobic or otherwise offensive. Always treat other Users with respect."

Two points:
1. Gerry Aitken is at perfect liberty to comment on anything on snowHeads. He's been doing so, using various usernames, for 11 years.
2. This cuts both ways. Yes, this is personal to some extent. Recent issues from/to Gerry Aitken arose from the gratuitous (and most inappropriate) comment on the right. If you knew how this matter escalated, mainly offline, you'd know why ten questions will follow shortly. Gerry Aitken chose to become a director of the national skiers' club - the self-proclaimed 'voice of British skiers'. He will have ten questions to respond to, in relation to that duty.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Comedy Goldsmith, try and rationalise your actions as much as you like - to me it looks like a spiteful vendetta. You dont have any clear argument against the SCGB - you just scrabble about searching for bits of text, to cut and paste, that you think gives weight to your latest/re-hashed gripe against the Organisation.

Im not sure this reflects badly against SH though - IMO it just reflects badly on you.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@Comedy Goldsmith, from the implications of your questions it sounds like a horrible club; Why do you want to be a member ?

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

@Comedy Goldsmith, if you are indeed actually a member (which I doubt), why are you asking these questione here and not either on the Saga Club's forum or via whatever official channels thay have for doing these things? (Or you could just invite this Gerry chappie out to the pub and ask him in person. Admittedly I suppose he might slap you round the head for being a weirdo stalker, but you must be used to that by now.)

Wait, could it be because they booted you out for being incredibly irritating and refuse to let you in again? Could it, in fact, be that they have seen through your cunning plan to sneak your way back in and despite your protestations you are NOT A MEMBER AT ALL!! Laughing

This is quite flagrantly a vendetta against the Old Buffers Club in general and Gerry Whatsisname in particular. You are making yourself look ridiculous.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I didn't ask you for a view on the justice system, I asked you for a retraction and apology.

A snowHead

you spend your life trying to destroy the club that has done so much for my skiing ability and fun, and will do so in the future. Are you going to apologise to me?

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Comedy Goldsmith, I try to ignore your inane and petty ramblings but really feel that posting pictures of people you don't like and personalising your attacks in such a way is pushing it.

I've never met Gerry Aitken and know nothing about him. I have however skied with plenty of Ski Club leaders both on my own and with my family. I've always found them v helpful and a great resource. We've not been skiing all our lives and to have other people to ski with is a great resource, especially as we tend to self cater as can't afford chalet trips. To suggest he is going on an expenses paid 'jolly' next week shows your ignorance in relation to the service Leaders offer on a Freshtracks trip - have you ever skied with a Leader? If not, on what do you base your attacks. I spent last week in Val d'isere on a freshtracks course , the Leader was great and made a huge difference to the trip. Despite being unable to ski for the final couple of days due to an injury, he went above and beyond in making sure he was still around to help organise things and make sure everyone was happy.

I like being in the Ski Club and am v happy with the services it offers me. I'm very glad your not a member and can fully understand why!

As for demanding an apology from @Lizzard, you have to be joking.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Comedy Goldsmith, Not good enough, you have declared more than once that the club should be wound up, I'm still waiting for that apology. You keep harking back to your "golden age "between 1903 and the 1950's when in reality skiing was restricted to your privileged minority, not the great egalitarian hobby/pastime/passion it is now. The SCGB has moved on for the better since those days - maybe you should too?

After all it is free

I do read this thread and try to focus on the objectivity of it .. But I am sorry, ... it is now reaching a type of fever pitch. It like someone repeatedly saying the same thing over and over again to an audience of people who don't give a f+#k. And then the audience walks out one by one and the same old drivel is then shouted more desperately at those who remain ... It then becomes personal shrieking and finally the white coats are invited in to take the poor soul away as the last customers look on in open mouthed amazement that the management didn't close the show and turn off the lights earlier
...
...
...
Can't wait for the 100 page thread celebrations though !

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

After complaining around page 4 that this thread should be moved to a more appropriate topic, I recant.

It is like an old friend greeting me whenever I sign in.

The efforts to quieten Mr G seem desperate, and have made me think there's more to his (single minded) efforts than I previously gave him credit for.

Where this ends is anyone's guess. I shall watch with interest, and give full marks for (comedy) persistence.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@Comedy Goldsmith, Looks like it's between me and you for the annual snowheads "wind and p1ss" award.

My money is on you.

snow reports

@thecramps, Didn't think you'd give up so easily Laughing

To close to call.

You know it makes sense.

David , you have enough names to set up your own ski club. You can be president.

Lunatic, not a big insult, and in context not an insult.

I remember mrs FP 1, having an issue with being asked not to act like a c()nt, not called one, but for the next three weeks of of her life before the accident told everyone I had called her a cun+.

Nobody thinks you are a lunatic , do they? Shocked

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Full moon tonight.

A snowHead

"Lunatic" is an informal term referring to people who are considered mentally ill, dangerous, foolish or unpredictable; conditions once called lunacy. The term may be considered insulting in serious contexts, though is now more likely to be used in friendly jest. The word derives from lunaticus meaning "of the moon" or "moonstruck". The term was once commonly used in law.[1]

Just in case I am taken out of context.

A snowHead

@Comedy Goldsmith,

Do I think you have some valid points?

Quite possibly I know how corrupt some organisations can be, but the question you have to ask yourself here on an open forumis the following.

Is your manner of dialogue doing your cause any justice?

Unfortunatly for you the resounding answer is no !

It is a shame because any valid complaints/questions get lost in the general rant.

Fighting a one person campiagn is not only difficult and stressful and as such can push someone to rants, it is vary rare for a solo campaigner to win they need support they need people behind them. On this forum you are at present loosing any chance to gain any support.

So please if you do have valid complaints against the SCGB keep it polite try though it may be hard as it is a personal issue as well, to do your best to not come across as it being a vendetta, leave that to the otherside as it would then strengthen your case.

Your multiple personality posts on here really are destroying any credability you may have, or hope to have, so again delete them stick to being yourself work at showing valid points ask serious questions here and on any forum/website you hope may eventually gain an answer from those being asked.

You have asked some very pertinant questions but your problem is pretty much every time either later in that very same post or one shortly after you do a sterling job at destroying your own credability.

Your best hope of ever getting answers from the powers that be at the SCGB short of in a court of law is to gain enough support from existing members to force the questions to be answered and if not force those who refuse valid questions out. Read back on this thread and ask yourself those who have declared they are members how many are in full support of you? If the answer is not everyone of them you have to realise you are not doing the best you could do you are alienating the very people you need behind your cause from ever understanding and possibly openly supporting your cause.
Now if your cause is not just then all the above is irrelevent if not then please for your own sanity rethink your approach.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I can't help thinking that if DG had just kept quiet about his automated email invitation to rejoin and his response to it, the Direct Debit would probably have been processed and he would once more be a member. Perhaps not in good standing..... but a member. What then happened next would have been very interesting.

However, by alerting the SCGB by posting about it here so promptly the membership application process was halted and he remains out in the cold. If I understand things correctly.

I believe DG & GA have once previously agreed to a cease-fire on sH. There was definitely a lull in the cyber warfare for a period.

This time, we only have DG and his army of socks lobbing the questions (many of which are valid points) and his opinions. Bit one sided but probably the better for that. SCGB have stopped him using their own forums and FB. No way he will get useful responses from them on here. And any other responses would just tend to stir things up while solving nothing.
I'm with rob@rar in wondering if the time has come for some moderation of this topic (maybe there already is some - apart from crude blitzing of posts (which very very rarely happens on sH) it usually happens behind the scenes.) A thread lock - even if temporary - might help cool a few heads.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Self-moderation is always the best answer.

If you don't want to read it, then don't.
If you want it to die a natural death then stop posting on it and even DG will get bored eventually.

@Lizzard, if you seriously believe that DG has mental health issues (as you regularly assert), is your continual taunting appropriate? If you don't believe it, why the continual name calling?

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Ray Zorro, +1

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks very much to everyone - @trickygibbon, @thecramps, @halfhand, @Filthyphil30k, @speed098, @allanm, @Dubaian, @Ray Zorro and @Pedantica - for all the sterling contributions above.

I also accept Euros, by the way.

There are some very good points, all of which are absorbed into this brain ... which has been temporarily passed for health by my GP Dr Groucho Hackenbush, who will confirm that I am not currently on horse tablets, or any other prescription medication.

The last paragraph of speed098's post is most stimulating. You may be interested to know that very serious faults were identified in the SCGB's modus operandi some 25 years ago, when the membership slide (relative to the UK ski market) had already been going on for 25 years before that. The faults were identified by no fewer than 6 elected members of the SCGB Council who formed a breakaway group. There followed an unusually well-attended AGM - over 200 members present - which had to be moved from the usual location to the HQ of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders on Great Peter Street, SW1 (a short distance from the SCGB's previous home in Eaton Square). What happened next is hopefully recorded in a leather-bound volume of SCGB minutes.

At that time (late 1980s etc.), the SCGB was effectively being directed by a secret non-elected 'Executive Committee'. The British Establishment know how to control things when they feel they need to !

David, a.k.a. Comedy, Karl, SCGB Insider etc.
[apologies for the Karl episode last week. This was due to my being remote from this pooter and not having access to two dozen passwords needed to operate sH, so yet another new character was invented]

After all it is free

@RayZorro +2

Comedy Goldsmith may need a rethink on tactics though. He is now perceived as having a "Vendetta" by some. Maybe he has been over-egging the pudding?

As others have stated, his issues with the club are in danger of being overshadowed by the sheer volume of his posts. SCGB silence strategy seems to be in the ascendant at the moment.

As for calling plod, what an opportunity for those lazy bar stewards to avoid doing real work...

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Thanks, George.

As per the learned contributions above, your points will be reflected upon. You're right that this is no time to over-egg the pudding, over-fuel the inflagration or over-wave the willy.

As regards the communication with the Police, Gerry Aitken does (I'd have thought) have a responsibility to explain to his fellow directors (at the least) his action ... unless it was taken with the authorisation of the board. There was, incidentally, a preceding but unrelated warning from him towards me, in terms of threatening Police action. I had to explain - as should obviously be the case - that it would be totally out of character for me to do anything silly (illegal) in relation to another human being. My life record is 100% clean, non-violent, non-harrassing etc. etc.

That said, this is pretty deep now. It is a matter of record that the SCGB has threatened two levels of litigation at me (2013, now expired under the statute of limitations). Ten years before that, the SCGB officially accused me of misappropriating property - a total (incredible) slander, which had to be officially apologised for ... and, of course, we know that the SCGB has past history (2011) of threatening litigation towards snowHeads. The allegation, on that occasion, was trademark/copyright infringement or something - that sH was describing itself as "Ski Club" or "Ski Club 2.0" - as I believe it still does.

Who are the real naughty boys here - the errant ones? I shall leave that rhetorical question hanging in the air.

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