Most people who love skiing take an interest in its history. Preserving and promoting that history is the mission of the International Skiing History Association (ISHA), a volunteer and membership organization that deserves our collective support. Among other things, ISHA publishes Skiing History, a delightful bi-monthly magazine available in digital and print versions. SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers are eligible to receive a free[Read More…]
I rode a chair last season with a couple who got upset when they saw a dead porcupine on the trail below. They “knew” the animal from skiing there for several months. It looked like it had been attacked. I’ve seen a lot of animals while skiing over the years. Nothing larger than the moose who frequented part of The[Read More…]
I heard a massive avalanche one time. Chamonix in the late 60s. Several minutes later a fine dust covered everything. When it stopped, it was an inch or two deep. When you ski in the West, you often hear the early morning thuds of dynamite and bombs dislodging unstable slopes. It’s impressive. I like to seek silence, pausing in the[Read More…]
SeniorsSkiing.com is entering its fifth publishing season. When we started in 2014, we had a vision of creating an online magazine for snowsports enthusiasts over 50 and with it a community. Getting the magazine off the drawing board required many decisions. What should we call it? How frequently should it publish? Should it be free? Should we pay contributors? Etc.[Read More…]
“Snow is the cosmetic of the Earth.” That’s one of many memorable lines from Moby Dick, Herman Melville’s masterpiece about one man’s obsession with the destruction of a gigantic white whale. Riding early morning lifts, especially on a powder day, brings Melville’s observation to life. The smooth, undulating surface conceals what’s below. My skiing dreams and day-dreams invariably show untouched[Read More…]
In my never-ending battle with weight, I found myself wondering if we weigh more at sea level than we do in the mountains. We do. It’s not a lot, but it is physically factual. The science of it has to do with gravitational pull, which is what weight is, and the size difference between the entire planet and you. Pretty[Read More…]
My wife and I have a long-running gag. She’ll say, “Life is short,” to which I’ll respond, “So are you.” Life IS short. A brief opinion piece last week in The New York Times makes the point that we should squeeze as much out of our time as possible. The author writes: “…the appreciation of our own lives has much to[Read More…]
An old story tells of a teacher who before summer break would always advise his students to do three things: Take one long walk. Read one good book. Make one new friend. It’s advice I try to follow. Every day, before the heat sets in, I walk to the end of our road. It traverses a magnificent high desert[Read More…]
Jeeping the High Country A few weeks ago we took the five hour drive to Ouray, Colorado, to escape our desert heat. Ouray sits at 7792′ surrounded by peaks in the San Juan Mountains in the southwest section of the state. The scenic Victorian mining town rightfully calls itself “The Switzerland of America.” It’s 47 miles from Telluride on normal roads;[Read More…]
The Kindness of (Young) Strangers Last weekend Pam and I went canyoneering in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the vast expanse of public land between Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. Canyoneering may not be the correct term, as it generally describes the exploration of remote canyons requiring technical equipment and skills. Our destination was two popular slot[Read More…]
IKON changed its Mammoth Mountain benefits package. Purchasers of the $599 Ikon Base Pass now have full access with the exception of certain blackout dates. When originally offered, full access (no blackouts) was available only with the $899 Ikon Pass. Purchasers of the $599 Base Pass were entitled to 5 days at Mammoth. Alterra, the resort company offering the IKON[Read More…]
Sunday at Snowbasin was the last day of my season. The end-of-season emergence of earth shedding its winter coat is bittersweet. The joy of Winter is being replaced by the joy of Spring. Every year on my last run, I say a prayer of thanks for having completed another season and a prayer of hope for the next. Having reached[Read More…]
“Finding Meaning and Happiness in Old Age” is the title of Jane Brody’s March 19 Personal Health column in The New York Times. The article is about developing a healthy perspective on the aging process. It gathers information from two recent volumes on aging. She describes them as “inspired and inspiring.” One is The End of Old Age; the other,[Read More…]
I’m in the desert with my skis. There’s snow in the higher elevations but the nearest lifts are a few hundred miles away. It’s nice to be enjoying a respite from winter. But I feel like a city dweller, removed from my favorite pastime. It’s not permanent. I have the good fortune of being able to get in the car[Read More…]
We need to adjust our skiing to our age. Some readers will probably react with a “Mind your own business,” and that’s fine. But I keep running into too many people beating themselves up on skis: either forcing old bodies to ski like they did when they were young, or not knowing how to adjust to a more age-appropriate technique.[Read More…]
