Optical Illusions Ski Club

Who and What we are:

Optical Illusions (OI), the Michigan Blind Skiers Association, evolved in the early 1970s from a Chicago based group the "American Blind Skiing Foundation." By pairing a blind or visually impaired skier with a sighted guide OI opens the sport of downhill skiing to many who could not participate otherwise. This is made possible through the efforts of approximately 100 members, of varying levels of ability, from all over the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. OI is a 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit organization involved with many other worthwhile projects and charities.

OI skis each Sunday at Pine Knob during the months of January and February. Pine Knob has been a large contributor of the OI Ski Club and for this the club is truly grateful!

The club plans additional trips, throughout the ski season, to several northern Michigan resorts. For the past three seasons a bus has been arranged for these trips to take the entire group.

Anyone interested in joining the Optical Illusions Ski Club either as a guide, skier, or booster please drop us an email at membership@opticalillusionsski.org.

Affiliate Organizations:

The Optical Illusions Ski Club is proud to be one of many supporters of The Visually Impaired Information Center. The project leaders of this organization are members of OI. We would like to thank all of them for the information they make available to the visually impaired.

OI also joins over thirty (30) other clubs as proud members of the Metropolitan Detroit Ski Council (MDSC) .

Newsletters and Articles:

January2005

February2005

March2005

June2005

July2005

August2005

September/October2005

December2005

January2006

February2006

Membership Application - must be completed and signed by every member and guide before skiing

Group Picture of the Caberfae 2005 Weekend Trip

A Detroit News article on the Optical Illusions Ski Club (2002).

Executive Board:

§ President: Brian Stokely

§ Vice President: Kurt Grohs

§ Secretary: Dawn DeRose

§ Treasurer: Jim Lauer

§ Trustees: Lorainne Demchak, Gary Pruett, Dan Rouse

Note: This page is intentionally devoid of all imagery, tables and forms to facilitate the ease of use of screen readers used by the visually impaired such as Window-Eyes and JAWS.

Last updated on

1/16/2007

Webmaster: Jim Lauer