Articles by: Jon Weisberg

Source: American Museum of Natural History

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…]

Setting Our Sights on e-Biking in Umbria

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…]

Short Swings!

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…]

Short Swings!

Short Swings!

There’s a weird age game I often play with myself and others. Simply take your age and subtract it from the year you were born. In my case, born in 1943, it takes me to 1865. It’s a bit of a mind-bender, providing a different perspective on our number of years and, at least in my case, honing my awareness[Read More…]

by March 3, 2022 1 comment Home Top Box 1, Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

It was pretty cool watching skiers race that tough Olympic course in falling snow. Their power, speed and control were remarkable. I only wish they were being cheered on with shouts and cowbells. I’ll confess that the head-spinning ski and snowboard gymnastic events fascinate and confuse me. No clue of how they and most other events are scored. I prefer[Read More…]

Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Each season, at this time, we pass the fund-raising hat. Your contributions, modest and generous, help keep SeniorsSkiing.com arriving to your inbox free of charge. Please click here to access our fundraising page. We’re requesting a minimum contribution of $14, or $1 per issue. Readers contributing $50 or more will receive Licensed To Ski, the original 28” x 22” poster[Read More…]

Photo by Melissa Shelby

Short Swings!

I don’t mean to be a bummer, but I really need to get this off my chest. Does anyone else out there get the feeling that things, in general, are falling apart? You call a company “help” line and wait for 15-20-30 minutes to speak with someone…that is, if you’re not disconnected. All that while being told “your call is[Read More…]

Alta's Smiling Rock

Short Swings!

This is the first issue of SeniorsSkiing.com of 2022. I wish all readers good health, happiness, and peace for the New Year. But Covid’s omicron variant is challenging that wish for good health. It’s spreading fast, even among those who have been triple vaxxed. For most of the infected, it appears to be less taxing than Delta or earlier iterations. One[Read More…]

Flat light sucks.     Credit: Jan Brunvand

BLINDED BY THE (FLAT) LIGHT: SENIOR SKIERS CAN SEE CLEARLY IN SNOW

A version of this article first appeared in 2015 in Huffington Post. I was hardly able to move; disoriented on terrain I’d skied for years. Other skiers seemed to be managing fine. But the light was flat, and my eyes could no longer pick up contours in the white on white. “Flat light,” a version of whiteout, greatly reduces the[Read More…]

by January 6, 2022 9 comments Other News, MedTech, Home Top Box 3

This Issue

This is being written from Salt Lake City, the day after 20” fell at Snowbird. It’s almost at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon and just a short distance from Park City, where the total was 10”. Compare that to Mammoth Mountain in California’s Sierra range… 44” in 72 hours! Jon’s Short Swings! column is a bit self-confessional this time,[Read More…]

by December 16, 2021 8 comments Other News, This Issue
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Yes, age does give many of us some advantages. Wisdom is often cited, but, I, for one have made enough errors in judgment to be exempted from checking that box. I’m probably not alone. Financial well-being is another frequent citation. Fortunately, along with about two-thirds of SeniorsSkiing readers who say they’re financially independent, I’m okay in that category. But I[Read More…]

LUV2SKI (continued)

LUV2SKI (continued)

Ski license plates are definitely a thing. The call for additions to the gallery published in the last issue received a healthy response from readers around the country. Margery Martin, who lives near Minneapolis, has been collecting pictures of ski-oriented license plates for years. Several of her favorites have been added to the gallery; more to follow. Boyd Allen, Exeter,[Read More…]

by December 16, 2021 7 comments SKI LICENSE PLATES, Other News
Diamonds Are Forever Martini

Short Swings!

We live in what some call an attention economy. Those who attract attention – regardless of how they go about it – appear to be the victors in our narcissistic new world. The companies making skis and related gear are no exception. One of their primary ways of competing for attention is producing short videos of pro skiers using their[Read More…]

by December 2, 2021 3 comments Home Top Box 1, Short Swings!
Cortina

The Best Ski Trip, Ever

A few years ago, Pam and I went on what was arguably the best ski trip of our lives. We spent six-days on Ski Safari in the Dolomites with Inspired Italy, a SeniorsSkiing.com advertiser. The updated account about this bucket-list experience follows: The Dolomites is the vast UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northern Italy. It received the designation because of its natural[Read More…]

by December 2, 2021 4 comments Other News, International, Home Top Box 3
LUV2SKI: Skiing Vanity Plates

LUV2SKI: Skiing Vanity Plates

There’s a joy to walking through the parking lot, skis on shoulder on the way to the lift or at the end of the day. People wishing you a good day, asking how the day went, commenting on the snow, sitting on a lawn chair sipping a cold one.  The often-unnoticed backdrop to this gemutlichkeit is the ski-oriented vanity license[Read More…]

by December 2, 2021 2 comments Other News
Rodney Dangerfield

Short Swings!

Many in the ski resort industry harbor an image of older skiers taking up otherwise profitable space in day lodges while consuming their bag lunches and lingering over a cup of coffee. I take offense at that stereotype. I prefer a cup of hot tea to coffee and I take my own teabag from home. Clearly, the facility makes more[Read More…]

Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Every industry benefits from a mix of offerings. The ski area industry is no exception. I find it enjoyable to ski big corporate resorts as well as independently-owned areas. Some, like Alta, Big Sky, and Jackson Hole offer both big terrain and an attractive level of smaller resort intimacy.   It may surprise you that, according to the National Ski[Read More…]

Dahu boots are a game changer.

Dahu: The Tesla of Ski Boots

    Isn’t it remarkable how electric vehicles are taking over the automotive industry? By 2035, virtually all General Motors vehicles will be battery powered. Our grandkids will look back and tell their kids about a time when combustion engines ruled. I think a similar new frontier is being established with the Dahu ski boot. The company has parted ways[Read More…]

by October 27, 2021 30 comments Gear, Boots

This Issue

Years ago, a fellow I knew in the fitness industry commented, “You don’t ski to get in shape. You get in shape to ski.” I didn’t always agree, but as I’ve aged, I’ve realized that it really does require considerable training to prepare for the season. This issue has some good advice from Pat McCloskey about similarities between mountain biking[Read More…]

by October 14, 2021 8 comments Other News
Source: US Treasury

Short Swings!

Would you pay an additional $49+ not to wait in the lift line? Express lines have been available for years for members of exclusive clubs and for skiers accompanied by instructors. Now it will be available for a fee on a day-by-day basis at Snowbird (UT), Killington (VT), Copper Mountain (CO) and Mount Bachelor (OR), all areas owned by Utah-based[Read More…]

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

ShortSwings!

This is to thank the 3000+ of you who completed our August reader survey. We learned that on average, those of you who did not take last season off skied an average of 26 days. That’s down from a few seasons back when the average was more than 33 days. But, when you figure that the national average is 6.5[Read More…]

by September 30, 2021 2 comments Home Top Box 2, Short Swings!, SHORT SWINGS!
Older Skier? Here’s a list of the Best Skis for You

Older Skier? Here’s a list of the Best Skis for You

When it comes to skis, buying without trying can be confusing. I prefer demo days or demo-ing from shops at or near the mountain. Reading how a ski performs can provide helpful guidance in your selection process but using those skis – especially on familiar terrain – really helps in deciding how to make the best purchase. That said, we’ve[Read More…]

by September 29, 2021 13 comments Skis, Home Top Box 1
Model T Snowmobile

Model T Snowmobile

[Please consider supporting SeniorsSkiing.com with a donation. We appreciate your help. Click here.] In 1922, a New Hampshire Ford dealer and inventor offered a kit to convert Model Ts to “Snowmobiles.” The kit sold for $400 at a time when the Model T sold for $300. The conversion included skis in the front and a second set of wheels in back[Read More…]

by February 15, 2021 1 comment Nostalgia
Early Sun Valley chair

Short Swings!

Last week was the single deadliest avalanche week in the US since 1910. Avalanches claimed 15 lives: five in Utah, four in Colorado, three in Alaska, and one each in California, Montana and New Hampshire. To date, this season, 21 people perished.  According to avalanche.org, all but five of the fatalities were skiers or boarders.  Experts attribute the dangerous conditions to the thin[Read More…]

by February 12, 2021 7 comments Short Swings!, SHORT SWINGS!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

This week’s Short Swings! message is straight-forward: If you enjoy receiving SeniorsSkiing.com, please support us financially. Many of you have been generous in our past February fundraisers. This month, we hope to expand the number of donations by asking more of you to donate a minimum of $10; not much considering the cost of a hot chocolate or a bowl[Read More…]

by February 5, 2021 3 comments Short Swings!, SHORT SWINGS!