Ski Club Discounts Attract Joiners and Go-It-Aloners : Vacations: Companionship and savings are two reasons for considering membership.

To club or not to club?

Southern California sustains scores of ski clubs, and most of them are at their most active right now, offering members discounts on transportation, lodging and equipment; promising companionship; and often touting off-season events such as volleyball, softball and wine-tasting. Many of these clubs serve parallel functions as singles organizations, which helps explain their off-season offerings. Does it make sense to join one? Maybe.

Debra Soukop, membership vice president for the Los Angeles Council of Ski Clubs, notes that in the interest of keeping things lively, some clubs specifically limit married memberships, and most Southern California clubs seem particularly eager to court members under 30. (Most clubs also limit membership to those at least age 21.)

Many clubs suggest that prospective members come along on one trip or social gathering before signing on formally. (Individual dues are typically $25-$35 per year.) Prospective joiners might ask these questions, as well: How many trips did the group arrange last season, and what did they cost? Does the group usually stay in hotels (which offer more amenities at higher prices) or vacation condos? Do members usually travel by air, bus or carpool?

For many, discounts are the single greatest attraction of a club. The following figures from the Los Angeles Council of Ski Clubs’ upcoming winter trip to Idaho give a general idea of the possible savings: The Jan. 31-Feb. 6 trip, expected to draw about 220 skiers, carries a price of $721-$729 (per person, double occupancy) and includes a flight from Los Angeles to Twin Falls, Ida.; ground transport to a vacation condo near the Sun Valley slopes; seven nights’ lodging; an introductory tour; a picnic; pub crawls; a banquet at Sun Valley Lodge, and races. Heidi Crawford, winter group sales manager for the Sun Valley Resort, reports that an individual traveler there would pay $690 for a shared room and lift tickets alone.

For those who would still rather travel independently, there are other options. One is Anaheim-based United States Recreational Ski Assn. (tel. 714-634-1050), which sells discount cards for $45 per year. The cards yield discounts on lodging, merchandise and lift tickets at more than 300 North American resorts. The association claims some 100,000 cardholders nationwide. (A sample: half-price midweek lift tickets at several Southern California resorts, and a Mammoth package of three nights’ lodging at the North Village Inn and three days’ lift tickets for $195 per person, double occupancy).

Here’s a sampling of large ski clubs in the Los Angeles area:

* Four Seasons West Ski Club (28817 N. Raintree Lane, Saugus 91350; tel. 310-645-5282). Membership of about 2,200, mostly African-American, affiliated with the National Brotherhood of Skiers. About a dozen ski trips every year, with additional off-season activities.

* Funseekers (4165 Miramonte Place, Riverside 92501; tel. 909-684-0936). A club primarily for married couples. About 150 members. Winter schedule includes five weekend trips to Mammoth, two races at Big Bear.

* Single Ski Club of Los Angeles (P.O. Box 2684, Culver City 90231-2684; tel. 213-463-6259). President Randy Benson counts about 175 active members and 135 associates (former members who have married). This winter, nine bus trips to Mammoth, one flight to Park City, one flight to Lake Tahoe.

* The Unrecables Ski Club (P.O. Box 24856, Los Angeles 90024). President Dee Armstrong estimates membership at about 120. Created about 15 years ago as a program to teach disabled people to ski, now evenly divided between disabled and non-disabled members. One trip per month, year-round (including plans for parasailing in August).

For more information about clubs and other programs, skiers in Los Angeles can turn to the Los Angeles Council of Ski Clubs (P.O. Box 83338, Los Angeles 90083), an umbrella organization that includes more than three dozen ski clubs in and near Los Angeles County.

Among the regional counterparts of the Los Angeles Council: The Orange Council of Ski Clubs (P.O. Box 26163, Santa Ana 92799; tel. 714-641-8513); the San Diego Council of Ski Clubs (P.O. Box 17496, San Diego 92117-7496); and the Inland Council of Ski Clubs (which covers a broad area from Pasadena to Riverside and San Bernardino counties; 4165 Miramonte Place, Riverside 92501; tel. 909-684-0936).

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Hawaiian Flight Correction: Using incorrect information from reservationists, I reported last week that Mahalo Air was offering Hawaiian inter-island fares for as little as $15 one way. In fact, that rate is available only to Hawaii residents; Mahalo’s inter-island rates for mainlanders begin at $42 until Dec. 16, $54 after that.

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Reynolds travels anonymously at the newspaper’s expense, accepting no special discounts or s ubsidized trips. To reach him, write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.