Articles by: Harriet Wallis

The Alf Engen Ski Museum in Park City opened the Stein Eriksen exhibit this month.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Stein Eriksen: Secret Tales Of His Life

The Ski Industry Remembers His Humor And Tenderness. Iconic Stein Eriksen was famous for his stylish and graceful ski turns. Generation of skiers tried to mimic him. “Stein made the turns we all wish we could make,” said Tom Kelly, vice president of communications for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association. “Everyone who met him came away with a[Read More…]

by July 27, 2016 1 comment Ski Heroes
Ouch.  Another major retail chain bites the dust and with it goes the famous "sniagrab" sales.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

A Western Tradition Bites The Dust

The “Sniagrab” Is Gone Forever. “Sniagrab” is the word “bargains” spelled backwards. More than just a catchy name, Sniagrab was the famous Labor Day blowout sale held by sporting goods retailer Sports Authority. Everything –skis, boards, boots, and all gear and clothing – left over from last season was assembled in a warehouse-type setting and sold at rock bottom prices. People[Read More…]

by June 27, 2016 2 comments Features
Harriet is getting back in shape after hip surgery

Holy Cow! Harriet’s Got Two New Hips!

How To Be A Good Friend While Your Friend Heals. Like many seniors, I’m rebuilt with mechanical parts. For me it was two knees and now it’s two new hips. I’m a heap of stainless steel. While my hips learn what they’re supposed to do, I’m mostly stranded at home with a lot of pain, inability to do what I[Read More…]

by April 6, 2016 1 comment Features
Correspondent Harriet Wallis bribed son Cal, daughter Alison, and best ski buddy Laurie to demonstrate warm ups at the top of a Deer Valley lift.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Stretching vs Dynamic Warm-Ups

Are you tuning or terrifying your body? Some experts say stretching before exercise helps performance and lessens injuries. Others say stretching can cause damage. So what should you do? “Skiers who stretch at the top of a lift are crazy!” says Jo Garuccio, a PSIA Examiner, Snowbird ski instructor and Triathlon World Champion. “They’ve been on a cold lift and[Read More…]

by February 16, 2016 2 comments Conditioning
Deer Valley at the top with a view of Jordanelle Reservoir.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Deer Valley Sets The Gold Standard

It’s the Deer Valley Difference. When Deer Valley opened 35 years ago, it was a novel concept to commit to top notch service in skiing, dining and lodging. Today it’s the gold standard. The resort is known for its impeccable grooming, incredible dining and attention to every detail. Senior skiers really like that. How to start your day right. Uniformed[Read More…]

by February 3, 2016 5 comments Resort Reviews, West, Home Top Box 2
Alta is all about open slopes and big vistas. Here is Big Dipper, a beautiful "blue" level run.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Alta, Skiers’ Paradise

It’s Vast Open Space And Powder. Alta is the granddaddy of powder skiing. It averages 500 inches of snow a year which earns it the nickname: Skiers’ Paradise. It has wide, wide open bowls with groomed trails, but everywhere you look slopes are left au natural and full of powder. That’s ample for most senior skiers. But it also has[Read More…]

by January 26, 2016 12 comments Home Top Box 3, Resort Reviews, West
Organic spinach, carrots and lamb topped with a wildflower. 
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Dine On A Local Cow—Or Lamb—Or Carrot

Locally Sourced Foods Are Catching On. At Snowbasin, Utah, chefs have embraced locally sourced meats including beef, lamb and elk, vegetables, cheeses and honey. Their dinner creations get rave reviews. Every bite comes from less than 50 miles away. Other resorts also find that local fare makes sense. Ask around in your area to learn which resort restaurants are going[Read More…]

by January 18, 2016 1 comment Nutrition, West
Five Senior-Favored Products

Five Senior-Favored Products

I found them at the Outdoor Retailers Winter Market. It’s the largest show of its kind in the U.S., and it’s where manufacturers strut their stuff and retailers place orders for next year. The show is the launch pad for innovative products as well as redos of existing products. I was on the hunt for products that would appeal to senior[Read More…]

by January 12, 2016 0 comments Accessories
Practical and inexpensive, this De-Icer Windshield Washer can save your day.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Stocking Stuffer: Low Temperature Windshield Washer Fluid

Okay. It’s too big for a stocking, but it doesn’t need wrapped. A cheap but practical gift is a jug of low temperature windshield washer fluid with de-icer. Look on the label for a temperature rating that is -25 or -30 or lower. A gallon jug costs less than $5. There are some days when a certain mix of temperature[Read More…]

by December 15, 2015 0 comments Accessories, Home Top Box 2
Stocking Stuffer: Field Trip Jerky

Stocking Stuffer: Field Trip Jerky

A Healthy Chew For The Holidays. I love jerky, but most of it tastes like over-seasoned cardboard.  On the other hand, Field Trip Jerky is yummy, and it’s different—lightly seasoned and just the right “chew.” It’s all-natural, gluten-free, MSG and nitrate-free, and it’s packed with protein. Refuel while out on the trail, on your bike or out for a ski tour.[Read More…]

by December 10, 2015 0 comments Nutrition
Luke Larsen, owner of the Lift House in Salt Lake City, demonstrates the Hestra brand of heated mittens. Hestra also makes heated gloves.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Are Heated Gloves Worth It?

Some Things To Consider Before You Buy. If you google “heated gloves”, you’ll find two dozen brands in all price ranges. And more brands are advertised in ski magazines. It seems that many companies have jumped into the heated glove market. To make matters confusing, the descriptions all sound alike. “Heated gloves that work well cost about $300 – $400”[Read More…]

by December 2, 2015 2 comments Accessories
Ski Archives glittering gala was held on Nov. 5 at the Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Ski History Gala Awards Top Honors

And SeniorsSkiing.com Makes A Contribution. The country’s largest ski history and research organization, Ski Archives, held its annual gala and fundraiser that helps support its mission. And SeniorSkiing.com contributed four gifts to the silent fund raising auction. Each SeniorSkiing gift included ski socks by Darn Tough of Vermont, a GripPro hand strength trainer, and a Boot Horn that slides your[Read More…]

by November 17, 2015 0 comments Features, Ski Heroes
Carol and Nick Bowling of Washougal, Washington, tune up now for ski season.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Lunge Toward Ski Season: Start Now

You don’t need a gym. You can lunge around the neighborhood. Nick and Carol Bowling are enthusiastic senior-age Alta skiers who enjoy staying fit year round. They just added lunges to their pre-season fitness routine, and they’ve become lunge junkies. But there’s a learning curve to doing lunges correctly, and they’re still working on it. “Lunges use your own body weight[Read More…]

by September 2, 2015 5 comments Conditioning, Home Top Box 1
Outdoor Retailers Show in Salt Lake is the largest outdoor sports show of its kind.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Outdoor Retailers Show: Harriet’s Three Hot Product Picks

It’s Like Christmas In August. The annual Outdoor Retailers Show is going on in Salt Lake City right now (August 5-8), and it showcases gear for all outdoor enthusiasts. It’s a sneak peek at brand new innovative products as well a upgrades in existing products. The massive trade show has more than 1,500 exhibitors from around the world. Some exhibitors[Read More…]

by August 6, 2015 0 comments Features, Accessories
Snowbird founder Dick Bass had a fabulous collection of oriental rugs.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Remembering Dick Bass: “The Big Mouth Bass”

SeniorsSkiing.com Correspondent Harriet Wallis Recalls Dick’s Uniqueness Dick Bass was always enthusiastic about everything. He was witty and lively, and he always seemed to be in a jovial mood. He often spent time at his loved Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, and you could always tell when he was there because he’d be in the center of a group and[Read More…]

by July 29, 2015 0 comments Ski Heroes
Harriet Wallis conquers the trail to the top of Emigration Canyon.  Check.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Harriet Wallis’ Great Idea: Perhaps You Need A “Pail List”

SeniorsSkiing.com Correspondent Harriet Wallis Has A New “Pail List” It’s summer and half my friends are traveling the planet. They’re checking off places on their bucket list. I get emails from exotic locations. They send photos of elephants and penguins, mountain peaks and crystal clear lakes. So I ask: “What’s wrong with me? Why don’t I have a big bucket[Read More…]

by July 23, 2015 2 comments Home Top Box 1, West
Breaking News: Boyne, Intrawest, Powdr Launch M.A.X. Pass

Breaking News: Boyne, Intrawest, Powdr Launch M.A.X. Pass

Ski & ride 22 resorts five times each for total of 110 days. The Multi Alpine Experience (M.A.X.) Pass is a brand new, groundbreaking ski pass giving access to 22 mountains all over North America. M.A.X. passholders will get five days of skiing or riding at each of the 22 participating resorts for the 2015/2016 ski season. Resorts include: Blue[Read More…]

by March 17, 2015 0 comments Destinations
Lift Mechanic Jamill Sami puts finishing touches on his department's gigantic ninja turtle.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

St. Patrick’s Day Snow Art At Brighton, Utah

Everyone enjoys trailside sculptures in annual tradition. The snow sculpture competition is an annual St. Patrick’s Day event at Brighton Resort, Utah. The competition pits departments against each other in a good natured contest. During the night as grooming equipment manicures the slopes for the next day, they scoop up a pile of snow for each department. Lifties who run the[Read More…]

by March 17, 2015 4 comments Destinations, West
Brighton Resort ski instructors Lenny Bernstein and Amanda Cimini check the phone. Lenny is wearing ThinOptics.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Product Update: ThinOptics Now has Bold Colors, New Magnification

You’ll Always Have These Readers With You. Finally, you can read your cell phone, trail maps and restaurant menus with ease because you can always have these very cool reading glasses with you. And the case snaps onto your Smartphone for ready access. Now isn’t that novel! ThinOptics readers solve the problem that has plagued seniors since Smartphones were invented. The[Read More…]

by March 10, 2015 1 comment Gear, Accessories
Back country warnings are there for a reason.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Serious Stuff: There Is No Such Thing As “Side Country”

And There Is No Such Thing As Being A Little Bit Dead. Yesterday we rode the chairlift with a bozo. Okay. Maybe he wasn’t a bozo. Maybe he was just clueless. All the way up he yapped about his skiing prowess. And near the top he phoned home to give his wife his location. “She worries about me,” he said.[Read More…]

by March 9, 2015 5 comments West, Home Top Box 3, Features
SeniorsSkiing.com is proud to spotlight George Jedenhoff, 97,  who skis Alta every year.
Credit: Ski Utah

SuperSeniorSpotlight: George Jedenoff Shreds Alta At 97

SeniorsSkiing Honors A Legend Who’s Skied Alta For 55 Years. How’s the spring in your legs?  Here’s George Jedenoff, a 97-year old from Oakland, CA, who has been skiing Alta, UT, since 1960.  With a lifetime season pass and a healthy lifestyle, George shows us that skiing can be a part of any stage of life. Here’s a short video of George[Read More…]

by February 23, 2015 0 comments West
Not exotic fruit, fellas.  It's a blossoming stem cell that can be used in healing senior skier joint ailments.;

Adult Stem Cell Therapy For Skiers

Is This Trendy Therapy Right For What Hurts? Just a week ago, a skier friend underwent stem cell therapy for his painful knee. Ever since, he’s been sending me emails extolling the wonders of this cutting edge technology. We’re all skiers and our knees take a beating over time, so when he began singing praises about adult stem cell therapy,[Read More…]

by February 18, 2015 6 comments MedTech
BLIZZard, no longer BlizzARD.  Talk like a native.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Sound Like A Local

Here’s How To Talk The Talk. Every region has its own pronunciations, so if you take a western ski trip you might want to brush up on a few words and say them the way the local say them. Word 1: Alta. This popular ski-only resort in Utah is the granddaddy of powder skiing. It averages 500 inches of snow[Read More…]

by January 28, 2015 3 comments West
Knee Replacement—What Do I Do Now? Part 5

Knee Replacement—What Do I Do Now? Part 5

If you want to get back to skiing, learn to love your physical therapy. It took my expert knee replacement surgeon one hour to cut, saw, hammer and install each new knee. It took me a year to rehab them. I was astounded by how long it took. I was in good physical condition before surgery, and I had the[Read More…]

by January 6, 2015 7 comments Health, MedTech, Home Top Box 4
Correspondent Harriet Wallis chose Dr. Beck for many reasons.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Knee Replacement—How I Chose My Surgeon: Part 4

How To Identify An Athletically-Empathic Surgeon. I’m lucky to live in Salt Lake City. There are 10 ski resorts nearby, and there are opportunities for an active lifestyle year-round. Because of that, there are many top surgeons here who put athletes back together when they get injured or need replacement parts. But when I needed to have my knees replaced, I[Read More…]

by December 15, 2014 1 comment Health, MedTech, Home Top Box 3