The Down Hill Only Club needs more dosh

A snowHead

Fans of the DHO (famous amongst sHs frpm 'On the Piste' were slightly shocked/pleased to see last year that the Club had moved from the wooden Curling Club hut by the ice rink to the rather plush quarters of the bar and balcony of the old Eiger Hotel by the railway station. They also get a small kitchen and office space thrown in. Some of us speculated how much that had all cost (we now know it was ChF 820,000 Shocked

) and thought the Club had done well to pay for it. Well, um, it hasn't. Not yet. It took out a bank loan of ChF 400,000, put in ChF 100,000 of its own - and borrowed the remaining ChF 320,000 from various members. Wow. However, they are now looking to raise ChF 450,000. Shocked

So... the annual sub goes up from £35 to £50, and they are hoping that each member will make a further contribution via a £30 levy for the next 3 years. Family membership rises form £90 to £105. Some members have already made donations, and the club is also Putting up on a board the names of the first 100 members who cough up donations of £1000 or more. And before you laugh, they already have 7 who qualify.

I know some of you have a stereotyped view of the Club from 'On the Piste' - but admin and I found them a friendly lot when we met up with them for a couple of evenings last year - I also had a very enjoyable day's skiing with them. Besides enjoying themselves, they also do a lot helping young British skiers of the future to be competitive. They have a long history, of course, at Wengen. As a new member, I wish them well - but am concerned at the level of debt they have racked up!

A snowHead

It's a shame about what has happened to them. They do a good job. However...

...I have to say that they deserve any trouble that the move causes them. Someone needs to answer some questions as to why they made such a financially stupid (ruinous?) decision. Given that most members of the club have been successful in life, you would have thought that someone might have suggested that a non-profit, membership organisation shouldn't be racking up hundreds of thousands of Swiss franks worth of debt.

If I can be brutally honest... I have no sympathy for them at all in this situation. Regardless of the good they have done. I had been looking into the club - enjoying, skiing (duh), Wengen and ski racing. Maybe not now...

I'm sure there will be groups waiting in the wings to help the little Marmots (sorry skiers... Wink

) develop...

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

skisimon, On what basis did you decide it was a financially stupid decision, as you say the membership consists of lots of people who have been successful in business life.

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achilles, On the basis that the president of those diaper dumpers physically shoved me out of a queue for a hot chocolate at a Wengen Evil or Very Mad

I'm content to let them dissolve in a puddle of their own urine.

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On the basis that they now have a considerable amount of debt and have had to put membership prices up by almost 50%. In addition to this, they are having to ask their members to essentially bail them out. Essentially, it bought a place for 820,000CHF, and has 720,000CHF of debt from doing so. A non-profit, membership organisation should never put its members in a position where the club has a balance sheet so tilted towards the red.

Will the 320,000CHF borrowed from members have to be repaid also? Presumably so, and in doing so they are asking their members to stump up extra cash and even make large donations. I've done this myself (the stumping up a large donation to get a club out of the doo-dah - I was not impressed with the committee that had got the club into that position in the first place though...) The fact that the membership will most likely be willing to add to the coffers and there will doubtless be many of the successful members who are perfectly happy to add even more, the idea that a club (of any description, except perhaps the Bullingdon Club... Laughing

) should put its members in that position, willingly or not, doesn't show great consideration for those 12yo skiers who are hoping that the DHO will help them reach the top.

Just my 2p worth. Not good practice for a club in my opinion, but if it is a widely popular move then so be it.

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Masque, is the president of the DHO David L? I didn't know that.

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

But shouldn't such a momentous decision have been put to the membership before they went ahead with it?

After all it is free

Dave Horsley, it may have been for all I know. When I joined up in March the move had already been done.

More about the new club room .

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achilles, may I ask where you are getting your info from?

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

If people who live in the most financially astute country in the world can get into this mess what hope is there for the rest of us Puzzled

The club members must have voted at a AGM or suchlike for this massive expenditure and subsequent dept, so the knew what they were getting into (unless all the clubs assets were in an Icelandic bank)

The club members may as well pay up one way or another, as they are probable liable for the dept if the club defaults on it Embarassed

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bargainbill, I am not at all clear that the club really is in a mess. Me being concerned is one thing - there being an actual problem is quite another. I dropped this note in because many sHs are aware of the DHO - and so I thought there would be an interest in how a bit of the world with which quite a few have rub shoulders is doing. DAB, DHO letter.

Achilles, I am also a member but never received any letter, maybe I am not important/wealthy enough?? Twisted Evil

You know it makes sense.

DAB, I am not only incredibly unimportant, so is my 'wealth'. Laughing

The letter arrived today - I guess yours will be with you in a day or so.

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

I'm a member of the DHO and got my letter today. I'd been thinking of cancelling my membership and this letter has convinced me that that's the right thing to do.

A snowHead

achilles, For background information, in October 2008 I received my copy of the DHO annual journal, which contained the following information in the section entitled President's Report:

"Our search for a larger, more comfortable Club premises continues. Nothing has yet been decided (but , you never know this may be out of date by the time you read this*). It is proving quite difficult but I will keep members posted on developments. There are certain criteria to be met: the premises must be located centrally, we must be able to buy outright or secure a long lease, we cannot contemplate a rental situation if it incurs a large capital outlay.

The whole exercise will be costly for the Club; for example if the capital cost - all up- is £500,000, we would be able to borrow 50% from the bank in Switzerland and need to raise £250,000 ourselves. I already have pledges of £150,000 so now need a further £100,000; this would be by way of loans to the Club, secured by the premises and our apartment in the Breithorn. You will recall that when we bought this we repaid our Club finance within 5 years so it was the correct thing to do. This is, of course, more ambitious, but we do need to secure the future of the DHO in Wengen for generations to come, just as Wengen itself is investing in modern lift systems and uphill transport to secure Wengen for the future. We now have over 1600 members and our present Club premises are far to small to accomodate comfortably all who turn up every evening after skiing. They are too cold, no facilities,and nowhere to display our cups and memorabilia - anyone interested in being part of the DHO Club Premises loan facility please do contact me."

*Note there was a late breaking news insert in the Journal that said "the club has reached an agreement to purchase the freehold of a substantial part of the ground floor space in the Eiger Hotel building. Given that the DHO was formed on February 7th 1925 in the Eiger Stubli restaurant it is perfectly proper that the Club should now, after 83 years of a somewhat peripatetic existence in the village, be in a position to acquire premises immediately above that location in the most prominent building in Wengen."

I believe this was discussed in some detail at the AGM in November 2008 (not that I attended, perhaps Telford Mike knows more about what happened at the AGM?)

Obviously it was a big decision for the DHO, but since the owners of the Eiger hotel were selling up it was presumably a window of opportunity which the club officers and committee members thought it appropriate to take. For my part I think it was an understandable decision, even though it will add to the cost of my membership, at least for the next few years. At the end of the day, the DHO has gained an excellent facility, which it will own.

Masque I'm sorry to hear about your experience in the chocolate queue Shocked

- I believe the President is called Max Davies but I've never met him. As achilles has said, I've found many in fact most of the DHO members I've met to be a friendly lot

, rather different to your experience Sad

. I suppose there might even be some unpleasant Snowheads, but I've not met them (yet! wink

)

A snowHead

Alastair Pink, thanks for that. If it was discussed at the AGM, then it seems fair enough to me. The location is glorious.

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

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Some random observation from an outsider:

1) The club borrowed money to buy some property! Shocked

Well, most properties are bought with loans, I believe they're called mortgage? So I don't see what's so unusual. Though the down payment (the money that was NOT borrowed from bank or members) seem a bit on the low side...

2) The country where most its members live are in deep trouble due to excessive mortgages. Why should the club members be any smarter?

3) From some of the comments I read on snowhead, Switzerland didn't have the property bubble as UK had. So presumably, the property the club purchase are still valued not significantly less than the purchase price. It's just a matter of having to pay back the loan as scheduled. So the rise of dues are probabaly long ago decided (before the purchase?), approved by the membership at the time.

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Alastair Pink, I didn't know who he was until after we exchanged 'words' later that evening in a hotel bar. Sorry, I shouldn't let my thoughts about one man influence me about the others in the club.

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Masque, are you feeling a tad unwell this morning?That was a remarkably mellow comment you just made Puzzled

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

After all it is free

PJSki, it was more of a handbags over a 'Breezer' type incident . . . but I was called an "common oik" and if you can reference the OED and not know it's content then you're an indolent one wink

DAB, it's just jet-lag loosening my grip on the perch

edit for fat fingers on minuscule keyboard

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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Masque, you know the full content of the OED? Shocked

PS Been consortin' with greengrocers since your return, 'ave yer? wink

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PJSki, We were in a long queue to a single barista when a second joined the service point; The sideways shove from behind by a hand on my shoulder was strong enough to drop me to a knee. It was not accidental Evil or Very Mad

There's a good chance I'm the older duffer Twisted Evil

Hurtle, It seems a suitable goal to assist in fending away the ageing process Neutral

You know it makes sense.

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

Masque, Knowing Max reasonably well I'd be very surprised if he really had pushed in, he's normally a very plesant very polite fellow, (though I can't say the sanme for every DHO member) are you sure it really was him and not someone just trying to get him into trouble ? coupl3e of pics of hime here http://www.downhillonly.com/pages/memresults20089.html

For regular visitors to Wengen especially if you go allone being a member of teh DHO has its advantages, firstly there's a good bar in the clubhouse that's free too all members, generally people bring a bottle of wine or some beers or similar once during the week and for the rest of the time you drink what you like. It offers excellent ski host facilities often at different levels of experience, in recent years during the busier times we have had twop resort reps, one will lead te faster skiers and one the slower. Because they are regulars in the resort they know the area well and can often find good conditions, again this is included in the membership fee, we also hope that teh clubroom will now be open for clubmembers to use during teh day if they do not wish to ski or are unable to do so, hopefully for teh coming season we will have TV and internet facilities available, finally of course there is the social scene you can take it or leave it but it's not bad.

We had to leave the curling club hut, it was too small, it got bloody cold as there was no heating except a small electric radiator at one end and quite frankly the current members of the curling club didn't really want us there, we used up too much of their space and they didn't like it, for the money we have an excellent new club hose, in probably the best location in the whole of Wengen, it's right by the station so everyone arriving in the village has to go by the front door. Do I like the fact that the membership fee has to go up to pay for it and that I will have to pay an additional amount, not really, will I pay it ? YES because I think it's worth it snowHead

A snowHead

A snowHead

looks like a car keys in the bowl crowd (though I aint sure it's worth it at those prices) Laughing

Masque, brother you shoulda just knocked him clean out (and to be fair you dont come off looking to great when you tell folk you got bumped outta the way by a dude like that!)

on the plus side, he looks like the perfect candidate for some tie dipping in the bar wink

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

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achilles, feel free to draw the inference of your choice. wink

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Hurtle, as I said I am surprised at you being personally offensive. Saying that people are hilarious isn't being indifferent. Bad day? Too much booze? Or is life just getting you down?

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achilles, don't keep on, there's a good chap.

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

After all it is free

PJSki, you too are simply hilarious and, for the record, I couldn't give a flying f--k what you infer from that.

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The Down Hill Only Club needs more dosh

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