We are seeking your financial support for SeniorsSkiing.com. Currently, a handful of advertisers help us fund the project. What their fees don’t cover, our bank accounts do. There are many expenses including technicians, designers, and other expenses associated with delivering SeniorsSkiing.com free each week and developing and publishing Subscriber-Only content. Next month, you will see a new section devoted to[Read More…]
Skiing, boarding and other Winter sports are about to get their quadrennial boost as the world tunes into the PyeongChang Olympics. In some parts of the world it will help grow the sport. I doubt that will be true in the U.S., where for 35 years the total number of annual U.S. skier/boarder visits has remained relatively flat. Add in[Read More…]
Unless you’re riding with people you know, ski lifts are public places, and conversational topics should reflect that. At least, that’s how I view the 8 – 12 minute ride with people who, if nothing else, have the sport in common. But experience shows that others may not share that sensitivity. How else to explain the ride on a triple[Read More…]
What are Your Favorite Apres Ski Cocktails? “It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues,” Abraham Lincoln In case you’ve been in Siberia or solitary, you may have noticed the return of the cocktail. Search “Skier’s Cocktails,” and you’ll find a variety of hot toddies, Irish Coffees and Mulled Wines. Some spike hot[Read More…]
I hope you’ve been following the new weekly Mystery Glimpse feature. It’s our way of drawing attention to ski museums. The idea is to ask readers to identify old photos or pictures of objects from museum collections. Mike writes copy explaining where the item comes from and links it to the institution’s website. We figure the more you know about[Read More…]
Wednesday, I skied Alta. It was my second day out. Snow was blowing. Light was flat. I felt the chill. After a few runs, it was time for something warm. I headed for Alf’s and looked around for a familiar face. No one even remotely familiar. So I took my bowl of mushroom bisque (consistently good at Alf’s), walked up[Read More…]
And Then, I’ll Take Off My Skis. That’s the punch line of a joke I heard in college. Many of you will know it. Two Russian soldiers are called home from their post in Siberia. They pack their belongings and start their long ski trek across the snowy steppe. They talk about what they’ll do when they arrive home. Boris[Read More…]
I’ve always believed in working with a competent car mechanic. The same applies to a well-trained bootfitter. Many older skiers experience boot issues, and a good fitter can help overcome them. Masterfit is in the business of training people to fit ski boots. Their instructors include pedorthists, professionals with specialized training to modify footwear and employ supportive devices to address[Read More…]
Many Readers Have Requested A Fabric Patch. It’s a good idea, and we’d like to make it available. The question is what to put on the patch. We’ve explored the vintage image of the skier that appears on the SeniorsSkiing.com sticker. Unfortunately, patch production technology makes him indecipherable. Whatever we do, we plan to include the SeniorsSkiing.com logo. You may[Read More…]
We’re still transitioning into the Information Age and, like a well-skied trail, the bumps are plentiful. Personal data is compromised. Weird account charges are difficult to get removed. Criminals and other rogue players are changing how we would normally communicate with each other. But there are some bright spots. Older skiers are pleased with purchasing lift tickets online. In fact,[Read More…]
Bull Wheels At More Areas Have Started To Turn. Purgatory opened last weekend. People were lined up at 5:00AM, Saturday, Nov. 18. One report had hungry skiers cooking bacon and eggs as they waited in the dark. In what may have been a first, pass holders used Day 1 to ski and bike. Lookout Pass, about 90 minute drive from Spokane[Read More…]
Several years ago I did the unthinkable at Thanksgiving. I abandoned my wife and young daughters and went to Alta for a long weekend. I had my wife’s blessing, but she has a long memory, and I still get reminded of that mid-1980s lapse. But I also have sweet memories. It dumped 3′ and, except for the lack of a[Read More…]
This will be my 64th consecutive year on skis, a factoid I should have mentioned at a recent ski industry event where each of the 50+ people gathered for lunch were asked to say something brief about what they do. I was the oldest in the room and spoke about older skiers and how we comprise 20% of the US[Read More…]
SeniorsSkiing.com Needs You! …especially if you’re willing to write articles that would be of interest to our readers. Articles can cover prepping for the season (exercising, nutrition, personal accounts, etc.); thoughts on equipment, gear, clothing; technique; profiles of older skiers (well-known or not), destinations, planned trips, nostalgia, ski/board/snowshoe history, skiing with kids and grandkids, etc. We prefer articles no longer[Read More…]
Snow Has Arrived Around The West. Half-Price Subscription to realskiers.com: Jackson Hogen, publisher of realskiers.com, publishes short essays related to the the sport. The current one, about older skiers, is titled “Not Dead Yet.” You can sign up for the essays and receive them free. I recommend getting a paid subscription where, among other things, you’ll find intelligent and comprehensive ski[Read More…]
Something Old. Something New. I just read two books about trails. The old one is American Skiing, published in 1939. It’s author, Otto Schniebs, was one of the Arlberg Technique pioneers in New England and contributed to the development of several areas. He founded the American Ski School of Boston and coached at Dartmouth College and later at St. Lawrence University.[Read More…]
A forced march may be my most effective pre-season training. While it wasn’t really forced, our hilly, eight day walk in the Dordogne region of France was a delightful, though at times strenuous, way to get in better shape. After a few days in the 90s, temps dropped to the 60s; perfect for our daily 6-8 hours on narrow roads and[Read More…]
I Hate Sue. That’s the name we gave the voice on the rental car’s navigation system. We programmed her to direct us about 500 kilometers across France. Instead of doing as instructed, Sue gave us a Tour de France, all the way to the Mediterranean at the end of a major holiday. We were stuck, bumper-to-bumper, for hours. At one[Read More…]
There’s something odd about sitting in the shade in high desert, sun beating in the mid 80s and my laptop pinging with ski-related emails. Ski Utah’s alert is about George Jedenoff, who, as reported in last week’s Short Swings!, plans to spend his 100th birthday next week taking a few runs at the top of Snowbird. A quick search of[Read More…]
I’ve spent the past several days in downtown Chicago. Maybe it’s the nice weather or the pleasure of being in a big city after an extended post-season stay at our desert place, but Chicago is wonderful. The architecture is impressive, as was the tour boat through downtown explaining the broad variety of design. While I was working, my wife took[Read More…]
Is The US Ski Industry Becoming A Duopoly? If So, Will It Mean Higher Or Lower Priced Passes For Seniors? Denver-based KSL Capital Partners recently joined privately owned Aspen Skiing Co to acquire Intrawest’s six resorts and four in southern California owned by Mammoth Resorts. It’s the newest 800-pound ski resort gorilla. The other is Vail Resorts. Two gorillas. Twenty-two[Read More…]
We spent last weekend with the kids. Not our own children who live far away or are busy with their own spawn. These are a group of younger friends, ranging from early 30s to late 50s. They’re all single. They enjoy hiking, making food, talking about ideas. It was tiring and terrific. We walked them to the rock art[Read More…]
To Our Readers It’s cold where I’m writing this. I drove several hours yesterday to get here. One hour of it was through flurries; at least one-half hour through blizzard. I got the stoves working, changed into warm clothes and had a few sips of single malt. Then I started reading the hundreds and hundreds of answers to our survey[Read More…]
End of Season House Cleaning We’re moving out of Salt Lake City. Anyone who has gone through the exercise knows about getting rid of stuff. You categorize three ways: stuff you need; stuff you think you need; stuff you know you don’t. Which brings me to skis, boots, and clothes. I have seven pairs of skis and enjoy all of them.[Read More…]
Sometimes Coming Up With Content For This Weekly Column Is Challenging…Especially Now That The Season Has Ended. In season, resorts and others seeking publicity provide us with a steady stream of options to consider. That’s dried up. So this week, I went through the ski-related photos I’ve snapped and forgotten about…until[Read More…]
