End of Season House Cleaning

We’re moving out of Salt Lake City. Anyone who has gone through the exercise knows about getting rid of stuff. You categorize three ways: stuff you need; stuff you think you need; stuff you know you don’t. Which brings me to skis, boots, and clothes. I have seven pairs of skis and enjoy all of them. BUT, a few pairs haven’t seen snow in several years. At least one goes to the thrift store. There are two pairs of custom boots in the closet. The DaleBoots are the newest and fit best. I harvested the custom insoles from the old SureFits and hope a thrift store customer with my feet gets them for a lot less than I paid. The biggest dilemma? Parkas and pants. My wife shamed me into getting rid of Old Yella, it was dirty and way out of fashion. I have a few recent vintage parkas that cover most of my needs. They stay. The black one I picked up at a yard sale around 15 years ago still looks good and is great in powder. It’s only issue? Far too many zippered pockets. Finally, I’m giving up the pants that were waiting for my waist to change. A few still had tickets from 2003. And that black and silver Colmar one-piece? It’s a beaut, but it hasn’t been outside for more than a decade. Time for it to find a new home.

CALIFORNIA
Squaw Valley
is a pretty hot real estate market. 2016 showed an 8% increase in home sales and a 17% increase in dollar volume. Greg Rankin is a ski friend specializing in Squaw Valley real estate. His newsletter is GOSQUAW.com.

MONTANA

Big Sky set a record for skier visitation. Its last biggest season was ’15-’16.

QUEBEC

Most ski resort summer activity is in the form of music, rides, mountain biking, etc. Mont Tremblant offers those and more. Its Tonga Lumina is a sound and light show showcasing the mountain’s natural elements and inspired by the its history and legends.

OTHER

Epic Pass doesn’t offer senior discounts, but season passes for some of its affiliated ski areas do. For example, the Tahoe Value Pass gives those 65+ access to Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood for $389. Holidays, peak periods and Saturdays are excluded. For $439, seniors can ski Kirkwood only, with no restrictions. The threshold age for Minnesota’s Afton Alps is 62 and unrestricted skiing is $309 for the season. At Michigan’s Mt. Brighton, skiers 62+ ski unrestricted for the season for $369. Purchase before May 29, and you get two Buddy Tickets, each providing a fixed ticket price for a day at one of the Vail Resorts. A ticket at Vail/Beaver Creek would cost $116 with a Buddy Ticket; one at Park City would be $85. Stowe, Vail’s most recent acquisition, currently is not shown as part of the Epic Pass program. According to a Vail spokesperson, once the deal closes Stowe will be included.

Shred Optics, Sync Performance and Slytech are partnering on a discount program that delivers up to 50% off their brands. Shred makes helmets and goggles. Sync makes down items and other wearables. Slytech makes a variety of protection devices for the back, knees, arms, elbows, shins, etc. When visiting the sites, use discount code: NEWPARTNER.

6 Comments

  1. Carol Silverman says:

    So how do we push for a Park City (only) Senior Pass?

    • Jon Weisberg says:

      Wouldn’t that be nice! When we first moved to UT in 2000, people 65+ skied free (maybe it was 62, can’t remember). A year or two later they changed policy and charged 65 year olds $300 for the season. Numerous letter writers complained in the local paper to no avail. Now, with Vail in charge, it’s a different world and one that’s unlikely to change. $859 for the Epic Pass with unlimited access to all Vail resorts really isn’t that bad, especially compared to a single area season pass at an area like Stowe, which last season was $1860 (early) and $2313 (after 11/2)!

  2. mike cahn says:

    For our Colorado people over 70 : ABasin has a season pass that was $75.00 this year and Loveland is $99.00 next season and Monarch is a $20.00 season pass or a free daily ticket. Loveland closed this past Weekend and had great snow and ABasin will be open till mid June.

  3. Alison Rabinoff says:

    Please send your vintage gear and clothes to my Mom, Harriet Wallis! She’ll get it to me and I’ll ensure that it goes to a new, appreciative home through my eBay store! Happy Cleaning!

  4. Jon Weisberg says:

    Hi Alison, Love the idea. That way I can buy it all over again! Harriet is the best!! Jon

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