Jeffersonville, Vt. ? It was a day for the die-hards: light rain, crunchy snow and a parking lot thick with mud.

But a little weather wouldn’t deter the Smugglers’ 55+ Club on its last ski day of the season.

“We’re weatherproof,” said Jules Eberhard, who founded the senior ski club 11 years ago.

They come for the sport and relish the camaraderie.

“God, I wouldn’t miss it,” said Dick Messier, of Williston. “I’m here in the rain. … It’s the camaraderie; it’s the people, it’s the place.”

The social aspect of the club draws skiers and nonskiers alike. Some of the 152 members are former skiers or spouses of skiers. Others cross-country ski or snowshoe. From late November to March, they meet at 9 a.m. every Wednesday at Smugglers’ Notch for coffee and doughnuts, a morning of skiing and snowshoeing, and an afternoon of speakers, films and impromptu auctions to benefit various causes.

“Skiing is our common denominator. It is the snow that actually links us,” Eberhard said. “But there is a social component. To me this is equally as important as the skiing itself. The purpose is to bring people together, to bring them out of their four walls, to get them a chance to meet people. Some are alone and some are lonely.”

About 55 of them met for the last day of the club’s 11th season, and enjoyed a relay race and barbecue. As anticipation grew about the race, the 10 teams talked strategy and had to be hushed like children as the rules were explained.

Racers ran from the lodge around the slope, ripping paper numbers off racing gates that they returned to their teammates. Some jogged part way up the hill in the thick granular snow, carrying their skis. They strapped them on and angled across the slope to snag a number on the right side of the hill. Others snowshoed or cross-country skied to other gates.

As the race wore on, competitors peered outside through the windows of the lodge to keep track of their teammates on the course.

“I don’t think we’re winning,” said one woman.

Doug Stuart, center, explains the ski relay course to Ed Matthews, second from right, and Brooke Conger, right, as part of the Smuggler's Notch 55+ Club events. The club met for team competition at Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort, in Jeffersonville, Vt.

James Thompson, wearing a tasseled plaid cap, watched the race from inside. At 85, he is one of the oldest and best skiers of the group. He served on the Smugglers’ ski patrol for 30 years and is a member of a national 70-plus ski group that organizes ski trips around the country and in Europe. He usually wears a necktie while skiing.

“I can ski. I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t,” he said. “I hope I’m skiing when I’m 90.”

The group includes former ski patrollers, ski instructors and racers. Beginners are there too, people who credit the club with teaching them how to ski.

“They’re very enthusiastic and supportive,” Louise Mathews said of the other members. She took up skiing several years ago after she retired.

Members pay $25 in dues for the season. Those 70 or older ski for free and the others who are at least 55 get half-price lift tickets.

Each week, the group splits into smaller groups based on ability. One group may set off to ski moguls while another tries the glades. Vacationers at Smugglers’ Notch can join in for the day.

“There’s such a wide range of abilities,” said Carolyn Leighton, of Underhill. “It’s so inspiring to see people so active, not sitting at home.”

Dick Dodge, 60, of Essex Junction, Vt., runs in his ski boots during a ski relay race. The 55+ Club boasts 152 members 55 years old or older.

They are a hardy bunch. Frigid temperatures, snowstorms or the rain did not scare off core members this season.

“This is a die-hard group. Monday, Wednesday, Friday — you can find some of them here,” said 61-year-old Margaret McIntosh, a former ski patroller.

There is little to slow them down.

“A lot of folks have artificial hips and artificial knees,” said McIntosh, who had a knee replaced. “The proverbial thing is we are all hard of hearing. So if it’s not artificial joints, it’s hearing aids.”

This season the group auctioned off bottles of wine, parkas and note cards, and raised more than $700 to benefit the Vermont Children’s Aid Society. In other years, the group has collected money for the Green Mountain Club, animal shelters and for people who cannot pay their fuel bills.

Their activities do not end when the snow melts. They’re planning a canoe trip in June and their regular hiking, biking and golfing days in the summer.