Short Swings!

Digervarden ski (c. AD 750). Source: Secrets of the Ice

Short Swings!

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…]

by November 15, 2019 4 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

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…]

by November 8, 2019 2 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

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…]

by November 1, 2019 2 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

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…]

by October 25, 2019 1 comment Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

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…]

by October 18, 2019 5 comments Short Swings!
Credit: AP

Short Swings!

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…]

by October 11, 2019 8 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

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…]

by October 4, 2019 2 comments Short Swings!
The Pizol glacier has lost up to 90% of its volume since 2006.
(Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller)

Short Swings!

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…]

by September 27, 2019 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

“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…]

by July 26, 2019 1 comment Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

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…]

by June 28, 2019 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

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…]

by May 31, 2019 0 comments Short Swings!
Mt Hood SkiWay

Short Swings!

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…]

by April 26, 2019 5 comments Short Swings!
1930's Italian trade card for broth company

Short Swings!

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…]

by April 19, 2019 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Considering a ski trip to the Alps? Here are a few suggestions from our four-week journey in Italy. They may make your trip a bit easier. Travel light: We didn’t, and we regret it. Unless you’re going for the entire season, take one parka (possibly a shell), one pair of pants, and a variety of fast-drying layers. I took two parkas,[Read More…]

by April 12, 2019 1 comment Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

  Older skiers have older eyes, and all skiers eventually experience decrease in snow contrast sensitivity. The most common culprit is cataracts, the cloudiness that forms on our lenses, causing the eyes to lose clarity and decreasing the quality of light focused on the retina. Cataracts can start forming when we’re in our 40s and 50s, though they’re more commonplace[Read More…]

by March 8, 2019 2 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Many thanks to those who responded to our February fund-raising campaign. Your decals, patches, and hats are being sent. There are delays in shipments because the patch supplier is behind schedule. Thank you for your support!!! Once upon a time, stores, malls and restaurants didn’t look the same. Places in different parts of the country looked and felt different, even[Read More…]

by March 1, 2019 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Many thanks to each of you who has generously responded to SeniorsSkiing.com’s fund raising campaign. We soon will be sending out decals, patches and hats. The campaign will run through February. The Things We Carry What do we really need for a week or two on the hill? Answers will vary depending on whether we’re flying, driving, or returning to[Read More…]

by February 22, 2019 5 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Before I get into this week’s topic, I’d like to thank each of you who donated to SeniorsSkiing.com. This is the second week of our second annual fund raiser. The response has been enthusiastic. Your gifts will help us get closer to covering expenses. As important, they are telling us that this effort to form a community of older snowsports[Read More…]

by February 15, 2019 2 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Earlier this week a request to support SeniorsSkiing.com showed up in your email. We really need your donations. This is our fifth publishing year and only the second time we’ve made the request. When we started, Mike and I decided that this labor of love should be free. What we’ve learned is that publishing weekly throughout the season requires a[Read More…]

by February 8, 2019 2 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Why aren’t skis designed for and marketed to the 20% of the U.S. skiing population over the age of 52? In other words, is the industry ready for a senior’s ski? I’m asking now, because this is the week ski manufacturers write orders for next year’s crop. They’ve gathered at the Denver Convention Center for the Snow Show, the industry’s[Read More…]

by February 1, 2019 10 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Have you ever been in or near an avalanche? Big Mountain skiers everywhere are accustomed to hearing and feeling the reverberations of bombs and other technologies used to dislodge slides, making the areas safer. A few years ago, Taos added a chair to improve accessibility to Kachina Peak.  Last week, following inspection by patrol, a slide there killed two.  At the[Read More…]

by January 25, 2019 7 comments Short Swings!, Accessories, MedTech
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

There’s a pattern to most chairlift conversations. I usually start mine by asking: “Are you local?” My other go-to intros are a comment if it’s cold as hell or if it’s a bluebird day. Use any of these ice-breakers, and most people drop into the groove as easily as a needle on an old 78 (remember them?).  A double or[Read More…]

by January 18, 2019 0 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

I write this column every week to share information and ideas about being in and on the snow. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of being there this season. It’s still a week or so off. Sometimes it’s clear what I’ll write about: there’s a new survey; we’ve published one of our annual lists; Big Skiing, Inc. is systematically removing[Read More…]

by January 11, 2019 4 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

John Fry is an important thinker in the world of skiing. For many years he was editor-in-chief of SKI Magazine, and he was founding editor of Snow Country Magazine. He created Nastar and invented the Nations Cup of alpine ski racing by which the relative strengths of the world’s national ski teams are ranked annually. He was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1995.[Read More…]

by January 4, 2019 3 comments Short Swings!
Short Swings!

Short Swings!

Some interesting comments on last week’s Short Swings! asking if older skiers and boarders are invisible to the people making business decisions about skiing. Reader Rich Spritz, a Breckenridge instructor, wrote that seniors don’t spend money and it makes sense that, resorts, being businesses, don’t give seniors their attention. There’s no question that the group he describes exists. I see[Read More…]

by December 21, 2018 7 comments Short Swings!