Articles by: Harriet Wallis

102-Year Old Skier George Jedenoff’s Autobiography Published On Apple Books

102-Year Old Skier George Jedenoff’s Autobiography Published On Apple Books

It’s A Thriller, A History, A Love Story And More. Read It Free On Your Computer. George skis with enthusiasm. He cruises steep trails and shouts with glee when he jumps into powder. That’s George! Skiers at Alta flock to him for inspiration. “Age is just a number,” he says. “Don’t let it be a barrier.” His motto is: “Never[Read More…]

by October 9, 2019 4 comments Ski Heroes
The parking lot is walled by snow. Where will they put the next storm's dump?  Credit: Harriet Wallis

A Banner Winter Through The Camera Of An Average Skier

Harriet’s Album Of Deep, Deep Snow Pics At Brighton. At my home resort Brighton, the snowfall has topped 500 inches—about 41 feet—and the snow keeps coming. Brighton is a down home, low key resort near Salt Lake City that’s favored by families and snowboarders. Plentiful snow is crucial because It’s our drinking water supply, and there have been several years[Read More…]

by April 1, 2019 7 comments West
George Jedenoff: 101!

George Jedenoff: 101!

[Editor Note: As the new year begins, SeniorsSkiing.com is again asking our readers to contribute to support our online magazine. Yes, we have grown in the number of subscribers and advertisers. But our expenses have also grown. You can help us defray some of these expenses by helping us out with a donation.  This year, we have a mix of[Read More…]

by February 14, 2019 2 comments Ski Heroes
World Championships 101

World Championships 101

[Editor Note: As the new year begins, SeniorsSkiing.com is again asking our readers to contribute to support our online magazine. Yes, we have grown in the number of subscribers and advertisers. But our expenses have also grown. You can help us defray some of these expenses by helping us out with a donation.  This year, we have a mix of[Read More…]

by February 6, 2019 2 comments West
SeniorsSkiing Guide: Sundance

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Sundance

[Editor Note: As the new year begins, SeniorsSkiing.com is again asking our readers to contribute to support our online magazine. Yes, we have grown in the number of subscribers and advertisers. But our expenses have also grown. You can help us defray some of these expenses by helping us out with a donation.  This year, we have a mix of[Read More…]

by February 4, 2019 2 comments West
Buried Alive In Deep Snow

Buried Alive In Deep Snow

Where’s Laurie? She’s Gone.   Here’s a lesson for vacationers and anyone else who skis in the West. Let me set the stage. A snowstorm dumped several feet of light, fluffy snow, and we were skiing at Brighton, UT, our home resort. We know every inch of the mountain—its steeps, its trees, its gentle slopes. Dreams are made of fresh[Read More…]

by January 24, 2019 3 comments Features
Up, it's cold outside. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Ladies, Don’t Wear Black Underpants On Super Cold Days…

…And Other (Unusual) Tips On How Everyone Can Stay Warm. We all have our tricks to stay warm when the temperature plunges. Here are a few you might not have thought of. Cheapo Hand Warmers I’ve used the shake-’em-up hand warmer packets and tried every kind of liner. Splurge $1 and buy the stretchy little gloves that you can find[Read More…]

by January 7, 2019 3 comments Features
Start early and bond with your instructor! 
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Should I Take An Early Season Lesson?

[Editor Note: From time to time, we’re going to dip into our extensive archives for a story that might be useful, interesting, or entertaining.  Here’s one from 2014 from correspondent Harriet Wallis.] Starting right sticks all season. My friend says the same thing every winter. She says wants to take a lesson as soon as there’s more snow on the[Read More…]

by December 19, 2018 4 comments Conditioning
Alan Engen (l) and Jim Gaddis hold the Intermountain Ski Association Alpine Combined trophy. Each won the championship 3 times. c. 1959. Credit: Alan Engen Collection

Ski Champion Jim Gaddis: When Life Got Tough, He Surged Ahead

Advice Jim Followed: When You Come To A Fork In The Road, Take It. From the time Jim was a youngster, his single goal was to be an Olympic ski racer. He lived for that. He trained for that. But when he was shut out of the Olympics, it didn’t stop him. He generated ways to help others in the[Read More…]

by December 18, 2018 3 comments Snow Sports Leaders
Honoree Howard Peterson (r) is warmly congratulated by Ski Archives Advisory Board members Tom Nielson (l) and Richard Hughes. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Olympic Visionary And Snow Safety Team Earn Honors At Ski History Gala  

Their Behind-The-Scenes Work Makes The Winter Sports We Love Even Better. Soft-spoken Howard Peterson grew up in a skiing family in Maine, became the ski director at New Hampshire’s Bretton Woods, and then moved west where he became the executive director of the U.S. Ski Team. He was already making an imprint on the ski industry. Then, while the 2002[Read More…]

by November 19, 2018 0 comments Features
Harriet looks for and usually finds a way. Credit: Laurie O'Connor

A Woman’s Guide To Sports As We Grow Older

Even Though You’re Not A Spring Chicken, You Can Still Do The Sports You Love. Don’t Let Your Past Hold You Back. To set the stage, I recently broke my wrist, so I’m sealed in a cast. Can’t drive. Can’t swim. Can’t this. Can’t that. Fortunately it’s temporary. Soon I’ll be back to doing the things I love. Meanwhile, I[Read More…]

by October 1, 2018 8 comments Features
Laying pipe with heavy equipment. A hot engine can quickly spark a blaze. Credit: Deer Valley

How Deer Valley Prepares For Worst Case Scenario: Wildfire

Fires continue to rage throughout the western states. It’s an annual phenomenon: drought, dry grass, tinder-dry forests killed by bark beetles. Lightning strikes. Human carelessness. Just one spark can set an entire mountain ablaze. For Deer Valley, it’s a normal summer. Hikers and mountain bikers enjoy the trails, and they dine outdoors on the patios. Aspen leaves ripple in the[Read More…]

by September 25, 2018 1 comment West
Cold Buster tea blend soothes colds and is caffeine-free. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Product Review: Company Based On Tea’s Cancer-Fighting Properties

Tea Offers Flavor, Enjoyment, And Health. Let’s make it clear. Tea cannot cure cancer. But the chemical make up of many teas can be part of a healthy anti-cancer lifestyle. It’s not hocus pocus. Tea is a most studied anti-cancer plant. Check out what the National Cancer Institute says about tea’s anti-cancer benefits: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/tea-fact-sheet But let’s start at the beginning.[Read More…]

by August 21, 2018 0 comments Nutrition
Found: Baby Robin in distress. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Tale Of A Baby Robin

You Can Find Adventure In Your Own Back Yard. This Adventure Began In A Window Well. [Author’s note: I’m stuck at home with an arm in a cast. Can’t drive. Can’t hike. Can’t, can’t, can’t. The baby robin tale is a good reminder that adventure and joy can be right at home.] Laurie called to me: “A baby bird has[Read More…]

by July 18, 2018 1 comment Features
Find the Bear. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Spring Is The Time To Play Games

Try This New Game: It’s A Cross Between Where’s Waldo And A Scavenger Hunt. I was skiing at Deer Valley, and I was taking photos. I’m always taking photos. It’s what I do. I never know when I’ll need a certain shot to illustrate a story. The next time I skied Deer Valley, I was with a friend. I showed[Read More…]

by April 2, 2018 1 comment West
Bob's pal, Nick Looser, baked two special cakes for the party at Alta.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

It’s Birthday Party Time at Alta.

Hip, Hip, Hooray! Skier Bob Turns 94! You might say that 94-year-old Bob Murdoch is a “senior’s senior” skier. He represents many skiers across the country who are skiing into their 90s and enjoying their mountain friendships as much as the slopes. Ski friends matter. Skiers gave Bob a birthday card that said: Count your age in how many friends[Read More…]

by March 26, 2018 1 comment Ski Heroes, West
Barbara Stewart Anderson: A Woman Ahead Of Her Time

Barbara Stewart Anderson: A Woman Ahead Of Her Time

At Age 82, She’s Athletic And Adventuresome. And She’s The Legacy Of Her Ski Pioneer Father Founder Of Utah’s Sundance Resort. Barbara Stewart Anderson is like the pink Duracell bunny. She keeps going and going. She lives by her philosophy: “If I can do it today, then why not? I may not be able to do it tomorrow.” Her accomplishments[Read More…]

by March 5, 2018 4 comments Ski Heroes
The paparazzi chase George while trying to keep up. 
Credit: Harriet Wallis

100 Year Old Skier Inspires Us To Become Our Better Selves

[Many expenses for technicians, designers, and others are associated with delivering SeniorsSkiing.com free each week and developing and publishing Subscriber-Only content. Please help by making a modest donation by clicking here.] George Jedenoff, 100, Is In Love With The Mountains, The Snow, And Life. Everyone Who Meets Him Says, “I Want To Be Like George.” “Age is just a number,”[Read More…]

by February 15, 2018 4 comments Other News, Features
Hey, George, wait up!
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The Back Story: Skiing With 100 Year Old George

[Many expenses for technicians, designers, and others are associated with delivering SeniorsSkiing.com free each week and developing and publishing Subscriber-Only content. Please help by making a modest donation by clicking here.] Missed Turns, A Slipping Helmet, And Being In The Wrong Place. It’s All In A Day’s Work. Covering a ski race is easy. Racers will be on the course.[Read More…]

by February 15, 2018 0 comments Features
This is uncrowded. Nice.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Beaver Mountain—Utah’s Least Known Is A Delightful Surprise

The “Beav” Has All The Goods But No Crowds And No Fanfare. For most vacation-seekers, Beaver Mountain falls off the radar because it’s farther than the 10 resorts that are within an hour’s drive from the Salt Lake City International Airport. Beaver is about 100 miles—less than 2 hours from the airport. Nobody knows about Beaver Mountain. Actually, lots of[Read More…]

by February 5, 2018 1 comment Resort Reviews, West
Alf circa 1933
Credit: Alan Engen

How Wheaties Affected The 1936 Olympics

The Breakfast of Champions Kept Champion Ski Jumper Alf Engen From Competing. Legendary extreme athlete Alf Engen, known as the greatest all-around skier ever, was a champion soccer player, skier and ski jumper. During the 1930s, he set ski jumping world records. He helped design and establish more than 30 ski areas in the western United States. And he’s fondly[Read More…]

by January 11, 2018 1 comment Ski Heroes
Don't be a scare crow skier.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Four Stupid Things You’ll Hear Skiers Say

Make A New Year’s Resolution To Avoid Saying These Things. Here Are Tips To Help. The Scare Crow Skier. I know a skier who is so stiff he looks like a scarecrow with a pole up his back. Nothing moves. Nothing flexes. His ski poles hang down and drag behind. “I’m practicing,” he says. “I’ll take a lesson when I[Read More…]

by January 9, 2018 4 comments Features
Alf Engen and Alan Engen jumping at Alta, circa 1949.

SnowSports Leader: Alan K. Engen

When Alan Engen was born, Dr. Wherritt put wooden tongue depressors—like miniature skis—on the bottom of his little feet and handed the newborn to his legendary father, Alf Engen. “I think I can safely say that I came pretty close to being born on skis,” says Alan. He learned to ski when he was two. Thus began a lifetime of[Read More…]

by December 20, 2017 0 comments Snow Sports Leaders
A surprise awaits and it’s not fruitcake.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Three Holiday Gifts Senior Skiers Wish For

When It Comes To Holiday Gifts, Sometimes Our Adult Children Don’t Have A Clue What We Would Like To Have. Here Are Some Hints To Pass Along. Or, Just Send A Link To This Story! Idea #1. A private lesson: A gift of confidence and fun. You know you’d love to have the undivided, one-on-one attention of a skilled instructor[Read More…]

by December 5, 2017 1 comment Features
Reassembling parts takes time and patience.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Lift Maintenance 101

The Whole Summer Was Spent Getting Ready For Winter. It’s 80 degrees at Deer Valley. Mountain snow melted long ago. A summer breeze rustles leaves on the aspen trees and wafts through the open doors of the maintenance shop. The crew wears shorts and T-shirts. It’s mid-July. Gears and gizmos cover the work benches, and the crew is meticulously polishing,[Read More…]

by November 20, 2017 4 comments West, Features