Growing up in Troy, N.Y., my friends and I often rode our bikes to Oakwood Cemetery, where we’d visit the tombstone of Samuel Wilson, aka Uncle Sam. One cold day, a pond had frozen in a way I never forgot and never saw again. For some reason, the ice had formed thousands of vertical tubes. Oddities like this happen throughout[Read More…]
Uphill Without a Lift? In this age of technological disruption, it’s time to consider the growing number of alternatives to rope tows, chairlifts, gondolas and trams. Self Powered Starting at the most basic level, there’s the growing practice of uphilling, the use of skins on skis to help the more fit and energetic work their way up. Long a European[Read More…]
Secrets of the Ice is a Norwegian website dedicated to archaeological discoveries in melting glaciers and ice patches in Norway and elsewhere. Glacial archaeology is a developing science as the planet warms, and objects from mummified people to ancient skis melt out of the ice. In Norway, one ski was carbon-dated to 650BC Another ski, from 750AD, was found with a[Read More…]
OK Boomer If you haven’t already heard about it, the term “OK Boomer” has gone viral. It’s the Millenial and Generation Z way of giving the older generation the middle finger for complaining about younger people’s behavior and commenting on issues such as the environmental crisis that will be left for them to solve. It’s a term that smacks of ageism.[Read More…]
If you’re accustomed to US prices, Canada offers great skiing value. The current exchange rate guarantees it. Skiing in Japan also is reasonable, but there’s the cost of getting there. Some clubs have reasonably priced all-inclusive packages. This one to Japan organized by the Baltimore Ski Club looks like it will be a lot of fun. And skiing the Italian Alps is a great[Read More…]
Imagine an extensive road network in which single and double lanes merge with big highways. No stoplights. No speed limits. Highway patrol rarely issues tickets. Driving these roads doesn’t require a license. Anyone willing to pay the steep toll gets on. Vehicles aren’t safety checked. Tickets issued at the tollbooth carry a well-lawyered statement about individual responsibility for safety when[Read More…]
A subscriber recently brought to my attention the SnowSport Safety Foundation, a non-profit, with the mission to encourage and enable ski area safety improvement through research, education and public access to reliable safety information. It was conceived by Dan Gregorie, after losing his adult daughter in a terrible snowboard accident at Alpine Meadows. Dan, a Physician Executive, Board Certified in Internal Medicine, set up the[Read More…]
Based on the overwhelming number of reader responses about on slope hits and near misses, it’s probably safe to say that skiing has become a contact sport. Body armor products aren’t far behind. Most of us got our first taste of protective gear when we donned helmets. I resisted a few years. Then word of head injuries started circulating, and I[Read More…]
What about that Big Dump last week in the West!!!!!! If you’re like me — waiting for the first signs of Winter — the season is now on its way. These areas plan to open in October: Wolf Creek, CO – 13th October Killington, VT – 19th October Sunday River, ME – 19th October Arapahoe Basin, CO – 20th October Loveland,[Read More…]
Arapahoe is running its guns. Big Sky, Alta, and Lake Tahoe are among the Western ski destinations that have received natural snow. A few areas in the Austrian and Italian Alps are already operating. It’s all about to happen again. Farmer’s Almanac predicts a “Polar Coaster” with wildly swinging temps. NOAA is expected to give its prediction sometime in October. [Read More…]
“Too Darn Hot.” Cole Porter got it right with his enduring 1948 hit. What a summer! Weather is getting more and more extreme. Hot. Cold. Wind. Flood. I like this church sign: But I don’t like these pictures taken within a week of each other from near the top of Mont Blanc. Going from snow to lake in such a[Read More…]
This morning only the silver slice of moon interrupted the pure blue sky. The landscape here in south central Utah is exceptional. My summer grounds are at the base of Boulder Mountain, not far from Capitol Reef National Park. Boulder Mountain is the eastern end of the Aquarius Plateau, the highest plateau on the continent. The mountain peaks at 11,328’[Read More…]
The most important equipment we need to maintain is our bodies. Cardio and weight training are essential to getting the most out of ourselves. My wife is great at exercise: persistent and consistent. Hardly a day goes by when she’s not swimming or doing yoga, weights or other gym stuff. It helps that she enjoys it. I, on the other[Read More…]
We’re about to switch from publishing weekly, as we have since October, to our once-a-month off-season schedule. Many of you are back on the golf course or in your boats. The next time you’ll see SeniorsSkiing.com in your in box will be May 31. SeniorsSkiing.com had a record season. In November we celebrated our 5thyear of publication with a party[Read More…]
There’s a difference between skiing and a skiing experience. Confused? Let me explain. With just a few exceptions most of my 65-seasons have been spent skiing. I can’t remember every day or every run, but riding up and skiing down so many places and in so many conditions has been wonderful. Small areas, enormous areas: in retrospect they were variations on a[Read More…]
