Articles by: Roger Lohr

Rottefella Move Switch allows for adjustable weight distribution. Credit: Rottefells

Breaking News: Rottefella Introduces the Move Switch for Enhanced XC Ski Performance

New, Adjustable  XC Binding Concept Hits The Trails. The Rottefella company has created the binding solution for waxless and skin cross country skis. The Move Switch is a dial on the front of the binding that will allow skiers to slide the binding forward or backwards without releasing the ski from the boots. That’s right, while you are on the[Read More…]

by September 15, 2018 0 comments Gear
Developing Golf Course Ski Trails

Developing Golf Course Ski Trails

New Revenue Source For Those Beautiful Fairways. Cross country (XC) skiers hit a hole-in-one once their local golf course, which has been converted to an XC ski area, is covered in snow. Golf courses are ideal for XC skiing as they are often easier than other trail networks for skiers, and they provide easy access to people looking for a[Read More…]

by August 22, 2018 1 comment Features
Lupine field, Sugar Hill, NH. Credit: Roger Lohr

Book Review: The Nature Fix

Your Brain On Nature. [Editor Note: Roger Lohr, publisher of XCSkiResorts.com and SeniorsSkiing.com’s Nordic Editor, reports on the therapeutic effects of being outside.  We thought it, now we know it.] The Nature Fix by Florence Williams, published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2017, provides the most compelling argument to date for people to spend more time outdoors in nature,[Read More…]

by August 20, 2018 0 comments Features
Spring cross country skiing can be found in high country and xc resorts. Credit: Mike Maginn

XC Skiing In The Spring Is The BEST!

Even In Mid-April You Can XC Ski; You Just Have To Find The Snow. As the cross country (XC) ski season winds down, most XC ski areas close because of lack of skiers rather than lack of snow on the trails. The sun comes out, the temperature rises, and the XC skiers quit. Why? Are we infected with winter fatigue?[Read More…]

by April 12, 2018 0 comments Destinations
Appleton Farms, Ipswich, MA

XC Skiing In Spring Is The Best

XC Ski In Shorts And T-Shirts This Spring: A Peak Experience! As the cross country (XC) ski season winds down most XC ski areas close because of lack of skiers rather than lack of snow on the trails. The sun comes out, the temperature rises, and the XC skiers quit. Why? Are we infected with winter fatigue? Is the lure[Read More…]

by March 29, 2018 1 comment Destinations
Kingdom Trails: Vermont’s Fat Bike Mecca

Kingdom Trails: Vermont’s Fat Bike Mecca

A New Sport Bridges Snow and Non-Snow Seasons: Fad Or Here To Stay? [Editor Note:  SeniorsSkiing.com is interested in bringing new activities to our reader.  In this story originally published on XCSkiResorts.com on biking with fat, balloon tires, publisher Roger Lohr does an explainer and reports the adventures of a group of neophytes on Kingdom Trails in Northeastern Vermont.] Fat[Read More…]

by March 20, 2018 1 comment Features, East
Old expression worth heeding. "Nordic skiing is easy to do but even easier to do wrong."  Take a lesson.
Credit: XCSkiResorts.com

Why Take An XC Ski Lesson?

[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.] A Lesson?  But It Looks So Easy. [Editor Note: This article first appeared in XCSkiResorts.com.  Thanks to Publisher Roger Lohr for providing it to SeniorsSkiing.com.] The vast majority of[Read More…]

by February 12, 2018 0 comments Features
Cross Country Apparel: Recommendations From An Expert

Cross Country Apparel: Recommendations From An Expert

Guidelines For What To Choose And Why. [Editor Note: Thanks to Roger Lohr, publisher of XCSkiResorts.com, for this review of the latest in XC skiwear that was printed first on that site.] I’ve often wondered why there isn’t more hoopla about cross country skiwear. I’m not talking about the suction suits worn by cross country ski racers; rather, I mean[Read More…]

by January 2, 2018 0 comments Accessories
Credit: Dawn Green

Top Reasons I Enjoy Being A Senior Nordic Skier

In Response To Last Week’s “Top Reasons I Enjoy Being A Senior Skier”, We Hear From A Nordic-Loving Senior. Editor Note: Roger Lohr is publisher of XCSkiResorts.com, a top guide and center for cross-country news and destination information. It seems the older I get, the more I enjoy Nordic (XC) skiing. It probably has something to do with being out[Read More…]

by December 20, 2017 6 comments Features
Johannes Von Trapp: Climbing Every Mountain

Johannes Von Trapp: Climbing Every Mountain

Scion Of The Famous Family Is The Inventor Of The Modern X-C Center. [Editor Note: This article first appeared in XCSkiResorts.com.  Our thanks to publisher Roger Lohr for allowing us to reproduce it here.] If there was an American Cross Country Ski Hall of Fame, Johannes von Trapp would be one of the surefire inductees. The famous story of the[Read More…]

by October 11, 2017 1 comment Snow Sports Leaders
A 12 acre solar farm generates power for lifts, lodge and snowmaking.
Credit: Jiminy Peak

Jiminy Peak: How To Be A Sustainable Resort

This Almost 100% Renewable Energy Ski Resort Is A Pioneer In Harnessing Solar And Wind. [Editor Note: Thanks to Roger Lohr, publisher of XCSkiResorts.com, for steering this article our way.  It first appeared in XCSkiResorts.com in late July.] Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort located in the heart of the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts constructed a 2.3 megawatt community solar facility located[Read More…]

by August 3, 2017 2 comments Features
Summer At Vermont's Killington.
Credit: Killington

At Killington, The Sun And Cows Power Lifts And Lodges

Killington Is Another Ski Resort Leading The Way In Sustainable Energy. [Editor Note: This article by XCSkiResort.com publisher Roger Lohr first appeared in SnoCountry.com.] Ski areas in the U.S. continue to implement innovative energy conservation measures and environmental practices to reduce energy consumption and the effects of climate change. Killington Resort in Vermont strives and continues to exceed customer expectations[Read More…]

by August 3, 2017 1 comment Features
Adaptive bikes make it possible to get to the top of the trail. Each one is handmade.

Vets Take Part In VT Adaptive Bike Program

Special Bikes Available At Different VT Locations This Summer. [Editor Note: This article first appeared in XCSkiResorts.com; we thank Roger Lohr, editor-in-chief, for sharing this with SeniorsSkiing.com readers.] The Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports organization’s new Adaptive Mountain Bike Program, which is one of the first in New England offers special dates for outings in various location and limited adaptive mountain bikes[Read More…]

by May 14, 2017 0 comments East
Putting XC Skis Away

Putting XC Skis Away

Nine Steps For Maintaining Your XC Equipment. [Editor Note: SeniorsSkiing.com thanks Roger Lohr of XCSkiResorts.com and Andy Gerlach of SkiPost.com and StartSkiWax for this article.] The winter and snow cover are leaving us, so what do we do with your xc ski equipment? 1) Cleaning: Use wax remover and Fiber wipe, a chamois-like cloth, to clean the kick zone and[Read More…]

by April 24, 2017 0 comments Skis
Art And Nordic Happenings In Jackson, NH, XC Capitol Of The East

Art And Nordic Happenings In Jackson, NH, XC Capitol Of The East

Up To The Minute Trip Report From Roger Lohr, Publisher Of XCSkiResorts.com. [Editor Note: SeniorsSkiing.com thanks Roger Lohr for this update.  XCSkiResorts.com is the premium resource for nordic ski vacation and resort information in North America.] We excitedly planned a weekend trip to Jackson, N.H., because it is a true Mecca for Nordic skiers. This is the quintessential New England[Read More…]

by February 27, 2017 0 comments East
New for 2013-14 season:  3-5km Nordic Terrain on Mt. Stickney

Lifts And Shuttles For Cross-Country Skiers

Getting Uphill Is Easier With A Lift Or A Ride. Then Gravity Takes Over. [Editor Note: XCSkiResorts.com Publisher Roger Lohr provided this article from his publication on where you can get a lift or shuttle ride to cross-country ski.]   When it comes to cross country (XC) skiing, the theory of what goes up must come down may be going[Read More…]

by February 13, 2017 0 comments Destinations
Norway-born Snowshoe Thompson delivered mail in the Sierras in the 19th century.

Milestones of Modern XC Skiing In the US

Remember Skiing On Wooden Skis With A Pine Tar Base And Lathered In Klistervox? Wasn’t That Long Ago. Editor Note: XCSkiResort Publisher Roger Lohr has catalogued the main events that propelled XC skiing from a peculiar sport with a small following in the US to a major recreational and racing enterprise with a huge following.  Thanks, Roger, for tracing the trail.[Read More…]

by January 3, 2017 0 comments Gear, Ski History
Groomed trails are only one advantage of skiing at a commercial XC resort or commercial center.

The Case For Skiing At Commercial XC Resorts

XCSkiResorts.Com Publisher Highlights The Benefits. Is there a difference between cross country skiing at a commercial center and “in the woods?” One of the greatest obstacles for xc skiing growth is the common image of a lone xc skier going into a narrow dark trail as if the very isolation in the woods was the goal. But designed trails at commercial xc[Read More…]

by November 28, 2016 0 comments Features
XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr likes to go alone, sometimes on the spur of the moment. Anti-social? Expedient?
Credit: Roger Lohr

Flying Solo

Making The Case For Going Alone. Ski areas don’t really want to hear about people snowboarding by themselves because they like the multiplier effect of groups and families. At the risk of being called a loner, anti-social, or a follower of the British punk band the Anti-NoWhere League, I can surely admit that I like going SNOWBOARDING BY MYSELF. Self centered?[Read More…]

by October 12, 2016 4 comments Features
New CCSAA Exec Director Reese Brown brings energy.
Credit: Roger Kohl

Snow Sports Leaders: Reese Brown, X-C Ski Area Association Exec

New Ideas For X-C Skiing With New Director. Reese Brown is taking over the reins at the Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) as Executive Director after a long run by former leader, Chris Frado. CCSAA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1977 with about 350 ski area members in North America and is dedicated to promoting growth and improving[Read More…]

by October 4, 2016 0 comments Snow Sports Leaders
Book Review: X-C Skiing Saves The World

Book Review: X-C Skiing Saves The World

The Winter Fortress By Neal Bascomb. Had Nazi Germany won the competition to build the first atomic bomb in the early 1940’s, the world today could be a very different place.  The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler’s Atomic Bomb by Neal Bascomb is the gripping true accounting of the race to build the atom bomb during World War[Read More…]

by April 20, 2016 0 comments Features
Seniors Snowshoe At Alpine Resorts

Seniors Snowshoe At Alpine Resorts

Snowshoeing—Fun, Easy, Safe—Steps Into Ski Country. Find Out Where. Not everyone who visits a ski resort wants to or is able to ski or snowboard, so resorts offer other activities. Among those options, guests can explore and enjoy the outdoors on snowshoes. These snowshoe outings at ski resorts range from guided naturalist tours to nearby destinations to athletic fitness treks[Read More…]

by March 29, 2016 2 comments Features
Valentines and Cross-Country skiing.  What could be more romantic?
Credit: X-CSkiResorts

Top 10 XC Resorts For A Valentine Rendezvous

Senior Romance Can Be Found At XC Resorts. Cross country (XC) skiing and snowshoeing are some of the most romantic forms of recreation,  and Valentine’s Day is coming. So get away with your loved one to a winter wonderland of memories for some outdoor recreation and pampering that you deserve. The XCSkiResorts.com Top 10 features favorite romantic XC ski resorts[Read More…]

by February 4, 2016 0 comments Destinations
Nordic trails offer views of Mt. Washington at Bretton Woods.
Credit: Bretton Woods

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Bretton Woods—A Triple Play Resort

Roger Lohr, Publisher of XCSkiResorts.Com, Reports On Bretton Woods’ Snow Assets: Alpine, Nordic, Historic Hotels. Bretton Woods is part of the Omni Mount Washington Resort at the southern base of the mighty Mt. Washington in New Hampshire on Route 302. The resort includes three significant snow resort assets: hotels/inns (the historic Omni Mount Washington Hotel, the Bretton Arms Inn), the[Read More…]

by January 6, 2016 0 comments Features, Resort Reviews
Jackson Ski Touring has easy-ski programs for seniors.
Credit: JSTF

Senior-Friendly Cross Country Ski Resorts

X-C Resorts Offer Discounts, Amenities For Senior Skiers. Special Thanks to Roger Lohr, Editor and Publisher of XCSkiResorts.com for pointing out these snow-country x-c resorts that are specially accommodating to seniors. About a quarter of the cross country (XC) skiing population is older than 50 years old, and, as Baby Boomers continue to age, we are remaining active—many of us are looking for[Read More…]

by November 17, 2015 1 comment Health, Destinations