FYI, If you are interested.

Greg


>Hello skaters,
>
>We send out a short email bulletin three or four times a year to people on
>our Zephyr Inline Skate Tours database. We send this "blind carbon copy" so
>that your privacy is maintained. If you would like to be removed from
>either this email mailing list or from our database entirely, please let me
>know personally by responding to this email. Please mention either email
>list or entire database removal. If you have moved recently and would like
>to remain on our postal mailing list to receive our 2003 catalog, please
>email me with your new address.
>
>Before I get into specific updates about our tours, let me say one thing.
>Some of you have been receiving these emails and our catalogs for years. I
>understand you have busy lives and many choices for your vacation time and
>dollars. However, we truly hope you can make 2003 the year you join us on a
>tour. Because we receive such high ratings from our tour participants and
>such a large number of repeat skaters, I am confident you will have a
>fabulous time on any tour you choose. However, I would like to take it a
>step farther. To have the absolute best vacation, you should choose the
>right skate tour based on your skating ability, preference for strenuous or
>relaxing activities, preference for pure skating or multisport, cost
>restrictions, age, and marital status. If you are interested in joining us
>in 2003, I would love to have you hit "reply" to this email (no one else
>will read it) and tell me a little about yourself. I can then give you some
>suggestions as to what tour would be the absolute best first tour for you.
>(If you know you won't ever take a tour, please also hit "reply" and tell
>me that so I can not bother you any more and remove you from our database.)
>
>On to the tour updates!
>
>1. Our 2002 season was a record year. We estimate that by the time we run
>our Florida Tour in December (there are still spaces available) we will have
>accommodated 288 participants on 15 tours this year. This is a new record
>and we hope to grow again next year.
>
>2. Our average number of people per tour in 2002 was 19 participants. You
>will hear from some tour companies that they specifically limit their groups
>to 16, 12, or even 8 people. Honestly, we believe larger tours tend to be
>more fun. Why? In a smaller group you have the risk that you just won't
>bond with anyone else in the group. With a larger group you get to meet
>skaters from all over and you will certainly meet others with interests
>similar to yours.
>
>3. Most of our skaters are still from the United States and Canada but we
>usually have a couple participants from other countries on each tour. We
>would love to hear from skaters in Europe, Japan, Australia, and elsewhere
>as to what we can do to get more of you on our tours.
>
>4. Our 2003 schedule is now online. Please go to http://www.skatetour.com.
>In 2002 we turned away dozens of skaters because of full tours. It is not
>too early to sign up now for 2003. We will send catalogs to those of you in
>North America in November. Sorry but to limit the prices of our tours we do
>not generally mail catalogs outside North America. The reality, however, is
>that our website has more complete information than we can put in a printed
>catalog.
>
>5. Our Multisport Tours were extremely popular in 2002. We ran Multisport
>Tours in Burgundy, France (hiking, biking, and skating) and Lake Tahoe,
>California (hiking, biking, kayaking, and skating). Next year we will add a
>second Tahoe tour and will also have a Switzerland Multisport tour (hiking,
>biking, river rafting, and skating). Remember that because you can bike
>rather than skate on any of our tours, your non-skating friends and spouses
>are always welcome!
>
>6. Our sister company, Active Culture Tours
>(http://www.ActiveCultureTours.com), is also expanding. Next year we will
>run two hiking and biking tours in China and one trekking tour in Tibet.
>There is little skatign in either China or Tibet but both are phenomenal
>places to travel. Sleeping on top of the Great Wall and trekking to Tibetan
>villages unvisited by any foreigners were two of the highlights of the year
>for me. See an article I wrote for our website on my first trek in Tibet
>for a better idea of what this trip entails
>(http://www.ActiveCultureTours.com/article.htm).
>
>7. Because we are growing, we are hiring two new full-time positions in our
>Red Lodge, Montana office. The positions are Office Manager and Website
>Marketing Specialist. Both positions also have responsibilties as a tour
>guide on both our skate tours and China/Tibet tours. Please see
>http://www.skatetour.com/work4us.htm for more information on these
>positions and how fun working for Zephyr can be. If these positions are
>not for you, spread the word!
>
>8. Speaking of our website, we have a number of interesting but little-read
>pages that we highly recommend if you have the time and interest. Check out
>our site for a reprinted article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune on our
>Skate Camps for adult beginners (http://www.skatetour.com/article.htm), an
>article on preparing for a skate tour
>(http://www.skatetour.com/prepare.htm), an article on why it is simple and
>fun to sign up for a tour by yourself
>(http://www.skatetour.com/goingsolo.htm), or a summary of our current skate
>tour guides (http://www.skatetour.com/skatetourguides.htm). It is also not
>too early to think about getting someone that perfect Christmas Gift and we
>have a page for you to buy gift certificates
>(http://www.skatetour.com/giftcertificate.htm).
>
>
>That is the news! I hope this email finds you well.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Allan Wright
>President
>_________________________
>Zephyr Adventures
>Inline Skating Tours and Biking & Hiking in China & Tibet
>http://www.skatetour.com and http://www.ActiveCultureTours.com
>P.O. Box 16
>Red Lodge, MT 59068
>1-406-446-0275 or 1-888-758-8687