Post Tagged with: "Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows"

Short Swings!

Short Swings!

In case you haven’t noticed, ageism hasn’t gone away. The only difference is that over the years we’ve become the object of this form of cultural disdain. That’s why I thought it would be good to pay respect to some really old timers. Last month, we hiked to a grove of Bristlecone Pines, the oldest trees on the planet. The ones[Read More…]

by August 30, 2019 3 comments Features
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

  Older skiers have older eyes, and all skiers eventually experience decrease in snow contrast sensitivity. The most common culprit is cataracts, the cloudiness that forms on our lenses, causing the eyes to lose clarity and decreasing the quality of light focused on the retina. Cataracts can start forming when we’re in our 40s and 50s, though they’re more commonplace[Read More…]

by March 8, 2019 2 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Before I get into this week’s topic, I’d like to thank each of you who donated to SeniorsSkiing.com. This is the second week of our second annual fund raiser. The response has been enthusiastic. Your gifts will help us get closer to covering expenses. As important, they are telling us that this effort to form a community of older snowsports[Read More…]

by February 15, 2019 2 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

There’s a pattern to most chairlift conversations. I usually start mine by asking: “Are you local?” My other go-to intros are a comment if it’s cold as hell or if it’s a bluebird day. Use any of these ice-breakers, and most people drop into the groove as easily as a needle on an old 78 (remember them?).  A double or[Read More…]

by January 18, 2019 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Last evening we celebrated our fifth year of publishing with a party in New York City. The crowd that showed up had a good time. Many walked away with raffle prizes.       The idea for a magazine dedicated to older skiers, boarders, and snowshoers developed over several years. Living in Park City, I saw that, midweek, almost everyone[Read More…]

by November 16, 2018 7 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

In my never-ending  battle with weight, I found myself wondering if we weigh more at sea level than we do in the mountains.  We do. It’s not a lot, but it is physically factual. The science of it has to do with gravitational pull, which is what weight is, and the size difference between the entire planet and you. Pretty[Read More…]

by September 21, 2018 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

My wife and I have a long-running gag. She’ll say, “Life is short,” to which I’ll respond, “So are you.” Life IS short.  A brief opinion piece last week in The New York Times makes the point that we should squeeze as much out of our time as possible. The author writes: “…the appreciation of our own lives has much to[Read More…]

by August 24, 2018 0 comments Short Swings!, Accessories
IKON Pricing Hurts Some Older Skiers. May Help Others.

IKON Pricing Hurts Some Older Skiers. May Help Others.

Pricing of the new IKON Pass has raised concerns among older skiers, especially people living close to Mammoth and Squaw Valley. Those and some other IKON resorts are eliminating local season passes, most of which had senior discounts. Like EPIC, Mountain Collective, and other bundled packages, IKON generally offers good value. Ski pass pricing is complicated and making a decision[Read More…]

by March 20, 2018 16 comments Features
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Skiing, boarding and other Winter sports are about to get their quadrennial boost as the world tunes into the PyeongChang Olympics. In some parts of the world it will help grow the sport. I doubt that will be true in the U.S., where for 35 years the total number of annual U.S. skier/boarder visits has remained relatively flat. Add in[Read More…]

by February 9, 2018 4 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Wednesday, I skied Alta. It was my second day out. Snow was blowing. Light was flat. I felt the chill. After a few runs, it was time for something warm. I headed for Alf’s and looked around for a familiar face. No one even remotely familiar. So I took my bowl of mushroom bisque (consistently good at Alf’s), walked up[Read More…]

by January 11, 2018 6 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

The Excuse I Hear Most Often From Seniors Who Stopped Skiing Is That Their Knees Are Bad. I can emphasize. At 74, I feel the occasional twinge forecasting a time when something medical is in my future. I know I’m not alone. Which brings me to the Ski-mojo ad on the SeniorsSkiing.com homepage. It’s a British product for skiers with[Read More…]

by January 4, 2018 10 comments Accessories
Dancing Bears—pre-conflagration—in tiny Bluff, UT.

Short Swings!

And Then, I’ll Take Off My Skis. That’s the punch line of a joke I heard in college. Many of you will know it. Two Russian soldiers are called home from their post in Siberia. They pack their belongings and start their long ski trek across the snowy steppe. They talk about what they’ll do when they arrive home. Boris[Read More…]

by December 21, 2017 5 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

This will be my 64th consecutive year on skis, a factoid I should have mentioned at a recent ski industry event where each of the 50+ people gathered for lunch were asked to say something brief about what they do. I was the oldest in the room and spoke about older skiers and how we comprise 20% of the US[Read More…]

by November 9, 2017 4 comments Short Swings!, Other News
ShortSwings!

ShortSwings!

According to NSAA (National Ski Areas Association) last season there were 8.4 million active U.S. skiers and boarders: 6.5 million skiers; 2 million boarders. The number is significantly lower than reported by SIA (Snowsports Industries America), which, for 2015-16 reported 11.6 million skiers and 7.6 million boarders. NSAA collects its information from a sample of resort skiers. SIA uses other[Read More…]

by August 17, 2017 0 comments Other News
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

A forced march may be my most effective pre-season training. While it wasn’t really forced, our hilly, eight day walk in the Dordogne region of France was a delightful, though at times strenuous, way to get in better shape. After a few days in the 90s, temps dropped to the 60s; perfect for our daily 6-8 hours on narrow roads and[Read More…]

by August 3, 2017 0 comments Short Swings!, Other News
Pepito leads the way.
Credit: Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

I Hate Sue. That’s the name we gave the voice on the rental car’s navigation system. We programmed her to direct us about 500 kilometers across France. Instead of doing as instructed, Sue gave us a Tour de France, all the way to the Mediterranean at the end of a major holiday. We were stuck, bumper-to-bumper, for hours. At one[Read More…]

by July 19, 2017 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

People I’ve met love the Mountain Collective Pass For those prepared to travel, it’s a no-brainer. Two day passes at any number of well-known ski resorts for $399. I purchased one a few weeks ago for next season and quickly encountered the dark side of this attractive product: weak Customer Support. I made the non-refundable purchase and was then prompted[Read More…]

by April 20, 2017 0 comments Other News, Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

It may be the end of the season, but now is when next year’s equipment is evaluated. Bootfitters from around the nation converged this week on Mt Bachelor to test next season’s crop of boots. MasterFit organizes the unique annual event, and in the past, the knowledge gathered there was the basis of the annual boot review features in Ski[Read More…]

by April 13, 2017 0 comments Short Swings!, Home Top Box 1
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Mike and I want to report on our progress and thank readers, editorial contributors, advertisers, and online collaborators for your support. We also want to ask for a favor. SeniorsSkiing.com is starting the fourth year of publication. We went online in April 2014. During that time we’ve grown from a handful of page views each month to almost 35,000 during[Read More…]

by March 31, 2017 30 comments Features
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Tuesday I was sledding with grandkids in Manhattan’s Central Park. I arrived a few days earlier in New York unprepared for winter; felt it from head to toe. Wednesday, I stepped out of Salt Lake International Airport into 75F. The resorts are reporting temps in the 40s and 50s. It’s expected to cool off later next week. My experience in[Read More…]

by March 16, 2017 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

POW POW Not every reader has experienced the joy of powder skiing. Showing skiers scribing graceful lines on blank fields of bluish white is part of our skiing media culture. As those of us who pursue the experience well know, finding untracked, especially in a resort setting, is elusive. Powder is ephemeral and eagerly sought out. When there’s a dump[Read More…]

by February 24, 2017 0 comments Short Swings!, Features
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

POV Ski lifts are public places and, in my experience, an opportunity to exchange pleasantries with friends and strangers. Over the years, I’ve rarely encountered hostility on chair, gondola or tram. Last season a person on a quad at Alta launched into aggressive hate speech with his friend. At one point I voiced that the chair was an inappropriate place[Read More…]

by February 7, 2017 1 comment Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

CALIFORNIA January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, when many resorts offer special “learn to ski or snowboard” programs. Among them is Mountain High where guests can purchase a two-for-one midweek, non-holiday Half-Day First Timer Package with lesson, rentals and a lower-mountain lift ticket. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows to host the Elite FIS Astle Memorial January 17-20, 2017. The[Read More…]

by January 19, 2017 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

CALIFORNIA Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows received 10.5 feet since January 1! COLORADO Colorado resorts offering a variety of freebies, including: Free Snowcat to reach expert terrain Wolf Creek Ski Area https://wolfcreekski.com/. Loveland Ski Area – http://skiloveland.com/the-mountain/the-ridge-cat/ Free Lift Tickets for Airline Passengers Crested Butte — Fly Alaska Airlines from Los Angeles to receive free lift ticket anytime before March 25,[Read More…]

Jean Vuarnet in the l'Oeuf tuck

Short Swings!

Jean Vuarnet, whose use of metal skis and unique tuck position won gold in the Men’s Downhill in the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics, died, January 2 in Salanches, France. Many generations know his name from the sunglasses that carry it. But for skiers across the world, his use of the egg-shaped “l’oeuf” tuck, was a game changer. It’s aerodynamic[Read More…]

by January 5, 2017 0 comments Content Positioning, Short Swings!