AAPU

Message from the president

Ross Decter, MD

All of us who attended the meeting last month at the Hapuna Prince Beach Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii enjoyed the camaraderie of a terrific meeting at a fabulous venue. I would like to again thank Irene McAleer for organizing yet another successful annual AAPU meeting.

All members also owe Eugene Minnevich a debt of gratitude not only for his ongoing efforts as our Secretary but also for achieving CME credits through his institution for our meetings.

I would like to tell you a little about next years meeting. Next years Ski meeting will be held at Crested Butte in Colorado. If you are like me you may never have heard of Crested Butte, but after checking out 3 sites in 3 states and trying to assess the pros and cons of each, I concluded Crested Butte will offer us a terrific meeting.

The meeting will be Tuesday 1/20/09 until Saturday 1/24/09 mark those dates down. Do it now, don't procrastinate, I wouldn't want you to miss it. You will have the option of staying at 1 of 2 different hotels, The Lodge at Mountaineer Square or The Elevation Hotel. The Lodge at Mountaineer Square (LMS) is condo type setup and The Elevation Hotel is a classic full service hotel. We have negotiated favorable rates for a variety of room types that you can chose from at either site so I hope that everyone will find something that suits their family and budget. The LMS is about 100 yards from the base ski lift and The Elevation is true ski in/ski out.

Crested Butte (CB) had the highest percentage of true Green and Blue runs of the places I visited so a novice or intermediate skier can really enjoy themselves. CB boasts a great ski school for kids and instruction for adults. Experts will be challenged but what I am told is a "highly technical mountain" (lots of scary black diamonds). Take a look at their site www.skicb.com to view the resort, runs, rooms and amenities. After you access the site hit on "Plan Your Trip" on the top bar, then either, "Premier Condominiums" or "Hotels/Lodges/Inns/B&Bs" to see details of our lodging choices.

I know we all tend to put off making reservations until the last minute but I want to encourage you to consider a change of habits. You can call 1-888-443-6715 to book your room, ask for the AAPU room block. Alternatively, you can also book on line at www.skicb.com/mygroup and then type in "AAPU" to book your choice. We have a set number of rooms at our guaranteed low rates. You can book until Monday December 1, 2008. After that date CB will try to fit you in BUT ONLY on a space and price available basis. So, if they are booked up for the dates of our meeting you are out of luck. Please don't put yourself in that position, book early to assure yourself the site and room that best serves your needs. Consider booking as soon as your kid's school calendar comes out to assure yourself a room. I will send out more information about the resort, world class spa, group lessons, lift tickets and events in future communications.

I look forward to seeing you all at Crested Butte.

Ross Decter, M.D.