Pam and I got our first shots of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine last Sunday. It was a big relief. The second round is scheduled for Valentine’s Day. She estimates spending about 20 hours over the previous weeks trying to get the appointment. That involved phone calls to places listed on New York State’s Covid website and to area hospitals. It also[Read More…]
One of the downsides of not skiing this season is that I am unable to experience some new and interesting products in a skiing environment. I make clear in each article I’ve written about these products that it is not a product review. These pieces may be about the product’s features and benefits and how I think it will benefit[Read More…]
A segment of the population is getting out of hand. We saw it at the Capitol, and we’re reading about it on airlplanes, in restaurants, and, now, of all places, ski areas. Pent up anger and resentment, stoked by misinformation and lies, is erupting in public places. It’s ugly, and it’s upsetting. Unfortunately, it’s not going away. Most ski[Read More…]
Friends in Vail recently got their Covid vaccinations. Colorado is making them available to people 70 and older. If we were in Utah where we have a place, my wife and I would be able to get shots on Monday, January 18. But we’re in NY where, over the past few days, the Governor announced that people 65+ are now[Read More…]
I recently had an online boot-fitting session with Dahu, the remarkable Swiss ski boot that advertises with SeniorsSkiing.com. Before sending a pair of loaners, the company asked for my street shoe size. I could have used their App to determine foot volume but didn’t go through that short step. As it turned out, the boots they sent were the correct[Read More…]
My deadline for wishing people Happy New Year is getting shorter. Centuries ago, when I worked in an office (remember when people worked in offices?), it seemed like New Year’s greetings extended through at least the first week of the year. You’d bump into a colleague and offer the obligatory phrase. Once, many weeks after the New Year, I said[Read More…]
This is our final issue of 2020. We’re not saddened to see the year go. Whatever your holiday of choice, please enjoy it safely. And celebrate the arrival of the New Year. It’s time to turn the page on so many things. Here’s wishing you a great season and many bright and promising days ahead! What Do Vaccines and[Read More…]
Last week’s column highlighted responses to a question posed to several friends: How much vertical footage is needed to have a satisfying day on the hill? For this week’s column, I posed the same question to all readers. Your input over the past several days says a lot about your passion for the sport. Not enough room to include all[Read More…]
This season will favor those living close to the mountain. Older skiers who aren’t a short walk or reasonable drive away probably will avoid the hassle and risk of commercial flights to get there. They’ll spend more time on local slopes. Currently, we’re in our place several miles north of New York City. The closest reasonable skiing is about 2.5[Read More…]
This week I participated in a media briefing about the coming season. It was organized by Ski Utah and featured presenters from most of the state’s areas. They confirmed what most of us already know. This will not be a normal season. Resort skiing will require more advance planning than we’re used to. Some of the details, as presented in[Read More…]
Every now and then, we give readers a status report on the state of the older skier and the status of SeniorsSkiing.com. It’s fair to say that we’re all doing well. The magazine started in the Fall of 2013 with exactly “0” subscribers. Today there are 17,000 of you, and the number is growing. We know from industry trade association[Read More…]
You don’t stop skiing when you get old. You get old when you stop skiing. Recently saw that bumper sticker statement on a few posters and T-shirts. It’s a wishful truism for senior skiers, cheering us on our snowy descents as we ascend to yet another year and another season. But like almost every other overly simplistic proclamation, it[Read More…]
This is the time of year when, with input from the Realskiers.com website, we publish SeniorsSkiing.com’s annual listing of the best new skis for older skiers. Arrival of the pandemic virtually wiped out implementation of the comprehensive women’s test. But Realskiers.com was able to collect sufficient data to pick the best models for senior male skiers. The 2021 Best Skis[Read More…]
The other night, on Netflix, we watched “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.” Sir David, 94 (93 when he narrated the film), is the British naturalist/broadcaster who has been filming and educating the broader public about the natural world since the 1950s. “A Life on Our Planet” is an incredibly beautiful visual statement. Sir David talks about and shows an[Read More…]
Something exceptional happened in our bedroom over the past several nights. Pam and I have been together for more than 50 years, and for at least 20 of them she’s had difficulty sleeping. It’s been made worse by my ability to sleep almost anywhere and at any time…a skill honed over decades on planes, in the back seats of cabs, and in[Read More…]
Cassandra came to mind last week as we took our first flight since the craziness began. In case you missed that part of Greek Mythology, after Apollo gave Cassandra the gift of prophecy, he turned it to a curse, causing her prophecies not to be believed. Stay with me on this one. The flight was one familiar to many Eastern[Read More…]
Maybe I’m becoming that grumpy old man, but the steady stream of videos about backcountry skiers being avalanched away, the drone videos of sharks swimming perilously close to surfers, and the reports of elk and buffalo attacking people with no common sense are getting to me. Who in their right mind would try to pet a large wild animal and[Read More…]
How often do you think about skiing? To my wife’s dismay, it’s always top of mind. A few months ago, camping in a remote, high mountain location with some fellow skiers, we realized we were simultaneously having the same thought: What would be the best line down those North-facing slopes? Chuckles and beers followed. Harder evidence trickled in throughout summer[Read More…]
Remember the old Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs? For many readers, those thick bibles of material culture were a fixture of my youth. The comprehensive, new Masterfit Buyer’s Guide is close to being their skiing equivalent. In addition to it’s gear reviews, the guide has numerous helpful articles about how skis and boots are reviewed, kids gear, packing for a day[Read More…]
It’s the skier’s truism. Boots are our single most important piece of equipment. While many consider their main function to be comfort and warmth, their primary role is the efficient transfer of energy and movement from skier to skis. A SeniorsSkiing.com reader survey conducted a few years ago showed that in a given season, 25% of you purchase new boots.[Read More…]
We are entering a season of uncertainty. Some resorts have discontinued walk-up ticket sales, some will require advance reservations, many will require masks and social distancing; for others, it will be business as usual. Some, unfortunately, will not open at all. Many resorts are bracing for a sharp reduction in the number of vacationers arriving by air. Air traffic is[Read More…]
A Fort Lauderdale resident asked, “Do you know where we Floridians go when we want to ski?” It was a joke. Her punch line: “The airport.” From the way things appear to be shaping up, fewer and fewer older skiers will be using planes to get to their favorite resorts. There’s a reluctance to get on planes until the virus[Read More…]
Over the past few weeks, we’ve received numerous emails from ski industry and other leaders supporting Black Lives Matter. Mike and I want to add our voices to this and to other expressions of social justice. Many of you will remember Bob Dylan’s 1964 song, “The Times They Are A Changin.” His anthem to social change and the consequences of[Read More…]
Based on the just completed SeniorsSkiing.com Reader Survey, 92% of you plan to go skiing next season. This, despite growing coronavirus concerns, especially within our age cohort. You also weighed in on the importance of preventive measures ski areas can take to control the virus: 86% of you consider continuous sanitizing in all public areas (e.g. dining, lodge, restrooms) to[Read More…]
Boris and Ivan have been skiing across the frozen steppe for many days. After too long on the front, they’re finally going home. Boris spent hours telling his colleague what he intends to do when, finally, he arrives home: hug his family, down a hearty meal, paint the dacha, tend the garden. “Ivan, what is your plan?,” he asks. “My[Read More…]
