Articles by: Mike Roth

Dick Butler

Homage to My Ski Mentor, Dick Butler

I started skiing about 50 years ago, when I was 26 years old and worked in an architectural office with a few people who skied. Colleagues Duane Snyder, David Sofer and Dick Butler were all avid skiers, so, I heard a lot about skiing in the office. As winter approached there was more and more talk of going skiing. I[Read More…]

by November 26, 2023 10 comments Other News
Powder Mtn

Utah’s Best Kept Secret Slopes

We all know there are many options to ski Utah – Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, Park City, Snowbasin, Deer Valley.  But none can hold a candle to Powder Mountain.  Why is this, you might ask? Powder mountain boasts the largest ski/snowboard area in North America, with 8,464 acres of groomed trails and un-groomed of pure skiing pleasure. You are at an elevation[Read More…]

by April 6, 2023 25 comments West, Other News
View of Lake Tahoe (credit M. Roth)

Seeking the Snow in Tahoe

After an early start to the ski season here in the East that I would describe as less than stellar, I went west, to Reno, Nevada to seek better conditions. My goal was the smaller ski areas within a short drive from Reno, not the larger and well-known ones on the side of Lake Tahoe in California. Our the first[Read More…]

by February 20, 2023 6 comments Other News, West
Ageing Skiing Concerns – AKA, Skiing on the Edge

Ageing Skiing Concerns – AKA, Skiing on the Edge

As I get older, skiing is still a thrill I look forward to every chance I get to go. My major concern these days is skiing safety and skiing with courtesy, which go hand in hand.  As a senior, I worry about falling (which doesn’t happen very often, I might add), but even more about being “taken out” by a reckless[Read More…]

by December 23, 2022 58 comments Other News, Home Top Box 1
OMG!!!! A 1982 Near Disaster at Tuckerman

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…]

by March 31, 2022 2 comments Other News
The Slide of My Life

The Slide of My Life

1988 Val d’Isere / Tignes After a terrific lunch, my friends and I returned to an off-piste area we had skied that morning. On a traverse across the steep slope, I slipped, lost my skis and couldn’t stop sliding. Digging my heels into the snow launched me into a forward somersault. FINALLY, I came to a stop, only to start[Read More…]

by March 17, 2022 7 comments Other News, Home Top Box 3
Ice Fishing With Skis?

Ice Fishing With Skis?

I was skiing with three friends at Lake Louise in 1995. We were heading over to “Rock Garden” on the far side of the mountain. On the way, we took a tree run. Only three of the four of us made it out. Where was Dick? We waited a while before trudging up into the woods to find him. It[Read More…]

by March 3, 2022 2 comments Other News, Home Top Box 4
Anticipate turns when skiing the trees!   Illustration: Mike Roth

Branching Out: Skiing the Trees

For many of us, skiing through the aging process means no longer going places we once skied without thinking twice. Now, approaching my 80’s, my mantra is never to overstep my capabilities and always watch out for the other guy!   I’ve always loved skiing in the trees and still do on occasions when conditions are right, and I’m feeling up[Read More…]

Losing Control on the Green!!!!!!!

Losing Control on the Green!!!!!!!

Editor’s note: Virtually all of us have amusing or near-miss skiing stories. Send in your stories and we’ll publish the most interesting…along with an original Mike Roth cartoon depicting the event. This story is from Carole Gray of the United Kingdom: Just under twenty years ago we invited our friend Kath on a ski holiday to La Plagne, France. In[Read More…]

by February 17, 2022 3 comments Other News, Home Top Box 3
An original Mike Roth illustration.

Hair Cutting Skills Save Skier’s Day

Editor’s note: Virtually all of us have amusing or near-miss skiing stories. Send in your stories and we’ll publish the most interesting…along with an original Mike Roth cartoon depicting the event. Reader Michael Hudson writes: I was a ski patrolman at Mt Hood, Oregon, back in the 60’s. I helped rescue a young lady whose long hair got twisted into[Read More…]

by February 3, 2022 3 comments Other News, Home Top Box 2
Hanging On for Life and (Almost) Getting Eaten by the Rope Tow

Hanging On for Life and (Almost) Getting Eaten by the Rope Tow

Editor’s note: Spend enough seasons skiing and most of us will get into some form of trouble. Last issue, I explained how I got into hot water by inadvertently becoming end-of-day Pied Piper to a bunch of kids who followed me on a long winding trail, while their parents anxiously waited their return. A few readers emailed their tales of[Read More…]

Taos Kachina Peak is at 12,481 where the snow stays cold. Credit: Taos

A New Yorker Discovers New Mexico Resorts

A Veteran Skier Can’t Find Ice On His Visit To Taos, Angel Fire, Ski Santa Fe. The past three times I skied here in the East the skiing was good.  That means the trails were all skiable but every run you would encounter different conditions.  Most mornings after a cold night, you will find nice groomed corduroy which had set[Read More…]

by March 11, 2020 3 comments West
Incidents & Accidents: 5

Incidents & Accidents: 5

Here’s A Less Serious Report, But Is There Some Truth In This Cartoon? We’re lightening up this week for our ongoing series of Incidents & Accidents. Instead of recounting a collision, here’s a cartoon from veteran journalist Mike Roth, depicting the Gen X-er on the snow.  What think? Truth?

by December 17, 2019 9 comments Incidents and Accidents
Skier’s Code: Let’s Review

Skier’s Code: Let’s Review

Remember The Right Of Way Rules Please. [Editor Note: This article by ski journalist Mike Roth originally appeared in the Albany Times Union. It has been edited slightly from the original.] On Monday the 19th of March, I skied Mount Snow which was fantastic. Since the week before they had received over five feet of snow. The trail conditions were[Read More…]

by November 19, 2019 15 comments Incidents and Accidents