This edition of Short Swings! is dedicated to the many readers who generously donated during the fundraiser. The funds will help us continue to send you, free, original articles and other content created specifically for older snowsports participants. Thank you! —————————————————————————————————————————————- As in other areas of our culture, we older skiers become less and less visible as we age. You[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…]
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 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…]
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…]
We get to the mountain, put on our boots, click into our skis and…you know the rest. But how often do we stop to think about the people we rarely see; those who get the mountain ready for us and who keep it going? Some will read this and tell themselves, “We pay for these services.” My response is, “Yes,[Read More…]
I know that some people don’t get attached to ideas, things or each other. But it must be rare. I was 10 when skiing entered my life, and I’ve been playing in mountains and snow ever since. At first, Mount Snow in Southern Vermont was the center of my winter universe. Then it was that state’s Stowe and Killington. [Read More…]
Imagine an extensive road network in which single and double lanes merge with big highways. No stoplights. No speed limits. Highway patrol rarely issues tickets. Driving these roads doesn’t require a license. Anyone willing to pay the steep toll gets on. Vehicles aren’t safety checked. Tickets issued at the tollbooth carry a well-lawyered statement about individual responsibility for safety when[Read More…]
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…]
Earlier this week a request to support SeniorsSkiing.com showed up in your email. We really need your donations. This is our fifth publishing year and only the second time we’ve made the request. When we started, Mike and I decided that this labor of love should be free. What we’ve learned is that publishing weekly throughout the season requires a[Read More…]
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…]
“Finding Meaning and Happiness in Old Age” is the title of Jane Brody’s March 19 Personal Health column in The New York Times. The article is about developing a healthy perspective on the aging process. It gathers information from two recent volumes on aging. She describes them as “inspired and inspiring.” One is The End of Old Age; the other,[Read More…]
I’ve spent the past several days in downtown Chicago. Maybe it’s the nice weather or the pleasure of being in a big city after an extended post-season stay at our desert place, but Chicago is wonderful. The architecture is impressive, as was the tour boat through downtown explaining the broad variety of design. While I was working, my wife took[Read More…]
