Short Swings!
The cherry blossoms and pine boughs are...
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This Issue: April 15, 2022
I remember a Spring weekend in the early 70’s when I skied my butt off at Mt Mansfield, drove back to Manhattan, showered, changed into business clothes, and hopped on a flight to Atlanta for an early Monday morning meeting. It was the last trip of the season, and before I hit the highway, I walked down to a rushing[Read More…]
Short Swings!
The cherry blossoms and pine boughs are waving and the view across the Salt Lake Valley is more obscured every time I look out the window. Last week, people were walking their dogs in T-shirts and shorts (the people, not the dogs), and I made it up to Alta for several end-of-season runs. The North-facing trails didn’t soften-up until early[Read More…]
The Skiing Weatherman April 15, 2022
The Skiing Weatherman 4/1 West rallies…season winding down in the East I suspect that the final installment of my work will be received with a level of resignation over the eastern United States, where the Forces of Evil, aka Spring, have conspired to keep sustaining snowfalls away from the region for several weeks now. Some snow is headed for the[Read More…]
Enjoying the Rites of Spring
Soft snow, warm sunshine, no crowds. Looking for the rites of spring skiing in New England, early April we set our sights on Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, a direct drive north on I-93. As most of us know, the best spring skiing is from 9 a.m.-noon (maybe 1 p.m.), after which corn snow turns to mush or cement depending[Read More…]
Sustainability: Snow Sports Depend on It
The outdoor industry is big business: 57 million Americans engage in outdoor activities, generating an estimated $887 billion in revenue and creating about 7.6 million jobs. Snowsports, which account for about $20 billion in annual revenue in 38 states, rely on Mother Nature for cold and snow. A study conducted ten years ago by Protect Our Winters (POW), the Natural[Read More…]
Here’s How to Store Ski Gear and Clothes for the Off-Season
[Editor’s Note: We’ve published Don Burch’s article on storing gear in the past. It’s an excellent reminder that a little care goes a long way.] Hopefully your ski equipment has taken good care of you all winter. It’s time for you to return the favor. Some simple steps now can save you the frustration of rusty edges, musty clothing and[Read More…]
Season Ending: The Last Perfect Turn
The last turn of the last run on any ski day is a bittersweet moment. If it’s the last day of the trip, it is sad, if not melancholic. As I come down the mountain on what will be my last run of the day, I go through the same routine. Partly because I am tired, partly because the beginner[Read More…]
Don Burch’s Funkadelic Skiing
Short productions by ski videographer, Don Burch, have been gracing these pages for a few seasons. Each one is a personal perspective on the joys of skiing; quite different from what the ski and clothing companies have been sponsoring. Funkadelic Skiing – a compilation from the 2021-22 season — is yet another take on Don’s unique view of the[Read More…]
Mike Roth’s Take on Spring Rituals
As demonstrated throughout the season, Mike Roth is a master at capturing those funny and fearful moments on skis. Here he combines several end-of-season rituals in one cartoon: the pond skim; the shorts; the funny costume, can of beer in one hand; BBQ fork in the other…all centered on one gnarly senior skier. Thanks, Mike!!!!
Skiing History Magazine
The May-June issue of Skiing History will hit the mail around May 13 (a Friday, of course)., but will be posted online about a week ahead of that. Look for these articles: -Skiing Schruns and the Montafon Valley: The old smuggling route between Austria and Switzerland where refugees escaped during World War II. -Marco Tonazzi, the Vail-based entrepreneur recalls his[Read More…]
Test Your Skiing Knowledge
Each issue of SeniorsSkiing.com has a picture to help test your skiing knowledge. Generally, the pictures are from collections in a variety of participating ski museums, which we encourage readers to visit. Last issue’s challenge was to identify the woman in this picture. She is the only female skier to win three Olympic golds in alpine in a single Olympics[Read More…]
LUV2SKI
The ski license plate gallery continues to grow. Art Sexauer, whose ARTSKI plate is part of the gallery, sent in this SKI plate on his son’s car. And longtime contributor, Jan Brunvand, caught ALTADAB on his camera. Then he asked around for the meaning of “DAB”. His son explained that “DAB” can be either a form of greeting or a[Read More…]
This Issue: April 1, 2022
The season’s beginning to wind down. Area closing dates have been arriving by email, and wherever I look here in Salt Lake City, flowers are springing from the ground and golfers are swinging away on the fairways. For skiers it’s a bittersweet time of year. Patches of brown on the slopes signal it’s coming to an end. But there’re always[Read More…]
Short Swings!
A few bizarre developments from ski country: Source: American Museum of Natural History Did you see the recent article about the frozen fish blizzard in the Altai Mountain region of China? It’s the same region where for thousands of years, indigenous people have been navigating winter on homemade skis. Apparently, a tornado-like waterspout touched down in Kanas Lake, picked up[Read More…]
The Sking Weatherman April 1, 2022
The Skiing Weatherman 4/1 West favored for snow…East hangs on In my last installment, I discussed the extreme back and forth nature of the winter in much of the country, as well as the transition of the upper air pattern to a typical springtime short wavelength configuration that helps to sustain a rapid back and forth sequence of weather systems. [Read More…]
An Old Pro Shares Thoughts on Staying Safe on the Hill
The way skiers and boarders enter the sport determines their behavior on the hill. Years ago, many were introduced to skiing by their parents; skiers who knew the commonsense safety rules and made sure their children knew them, as well. For decades, those entering the sport through ski school have been exposed to the Skier’s Responsibility Code during lessons, their[Read More…]
Setting Our Sights on e-Biking in Umbria
Last Sunday, I took a few heavy corn runs at Park City. It was in the mid-60s, and two runs were enough. The Salt Lake Valley reached 78F, and driving up and back, passed scores of cyclists. I know I should be pedaling more, both for the sheer enjoyment of being on a bike and for its great health benefits.[Read More…]
The Skier’s Subway: Most Unusual Lift in Skidom
Park City, Utah started as a mining camp in the 19th century, transferred business from silver mining to skiing in the early 1960s and never looked back. These days Park City Mountain Resort, owned by Vail Resorts, has about 1,200 miles of underground tunnels and shafts and mining structures all over the mountain that you ski by and over along 348[Read More…]
“Come Ski With Me”: A New Don Burch Video
Don Burch recently returned from his first ski trip to Colorado in almost 50 years. He titled this video summary of his time at Beaver Creek, Copper, Keystone, Breckenridge and Vail, “Come Ski With Me.” It’s another fine example of Don’s refreshing new genre of ski video: brief, graphically interesting, and easy to watch.
OMG!!!! A 1982 Near Disaster at Tuckerman
In the last issue of SeniorsSkiing.com, author/cartoonist, Mike Roth, gave his account of a loooong slide he took in Val d’Isere in 1988. That inspired reader Bob Strum to write in about his 1982 yard sale at Tuckerman Ravine. Mike’s illustration captures the moment! In 1982, skis strapped to shoulders, I was climbing the main bowl at Tuckerman Ravine on[Read More…]
Test Your Skiing Knowledge
This is the final Test Your Skiing Knowledge feature of the 2021-22 season. Each issue of SeniorsSkiing.com has a picture to help test your skiing knowledge. Generally, the pictures are from collections in a variety of participating ski museums, which we encourage readers to visit. This test has one simple answer: Name the only female skier to win three[Read More…]
LUV2SKI
Two new plates for the ever-expanding LUV2SKI vanity license plate gallery: Laurie Beach, has had her SNO JOB plate for 45 years, the same length of time she’s been working in the ski business. She’s currently a rep for SOS Skiwear and works in a ski shop. Chas Crosier sent in FOOTR 2. Thank you Laurie and Chas.
This Issue: March 18, 2022
In Short Swings!, Jon pairs French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir’s thoughts about aging with giving the finger to some disrespectful kids at Park City. Skiing Weatherman, Herb Stevens, previews what to expect in ski country over the coming weeks. Wendy Clinch of TheSkiDiva discusses what the women on her forum are saying about the state of on-hill safety. Tamsin Venn[Read More…]
Short Swings!
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…]
The Skiing Weatherman March 18, 2022
The Skiing Weatherman 3/18 One step forward, one step back… While Upper Midwestern and western U.S. resorts have seen some meaningful snowfall at times the past 2-3 weeks, areas in the East have battled the back and forth pattern that has been dominant much of this winter. La Ninas typically produce enhanced variability in the winter, and this winter has[Read More…]
