Fires continue to rage throughout the western states. It’s an annual phenomenon: drought, dry grass, tinder-dry forests killed by bark beetles. Lightning strikes. Human carelessness. Just one spark can set an entire mountain ablaze. For Deer Valley, it’s a normal summer. Hikers and mountain bikers enjoy the trails, and they dine outdoors on the patios. Aspen leaves ripple in the[Read More…]
Non-Snow Activities Make Mammoth A Family Summer Vacation Stop. Ok, picture yourself, flat on your belly in “Superman” position, hurtling in the air down a mountain at 60 mph. No wonder Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort calls this the Mega-Zip. It’s billed as the “most vertical in the USA” (some 2,100 feet from the top of the ski resort at 11,053[Read More…]
What Happens When the Snow Disappears Along With The Crowds? Bet you’ve never thought about how your favorite ski runs get cared for when there’s no snow on the ground. Yes, they have to be prepped each summer. Seth Worthen, slopes manager at Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, Canada, explained how his 11 person trail crew works. And it’s[Read More…]
What’s It Like To Groom Trails At Night? They come out at night and do their job. You can see their lights progressing across the ski slope and occasionally hear their roar. And the next morning, they’ve left this delicious set of corduroy tracks across the ski hill. I’d always wanted to go on-slope with a snowcat groomer. And so,[Read More…]
Try This New Game: It’s A Cross Between Where’s Waldo And A Scavenger Hunt. I was skiing at Deer Valley, and I was taking photos. I’m always taking photos. It’s what I do. I never know when I’ll need a certain shot to illustrate a story. The next time I skied Deer Valley, I was with a friend. I showed[Read More…]
Hip, Hip, Hooray! Skier Bob Turns 94! You might say that 94-year-old Bob Murdoch is a “senior’s senior” skier. He represents many skiers across the country who are skiing into their 90s and enjoying their mountain friendships as much as the slopes. Ski friends matter. Skiers gave Bob a birthday card that said: Count your age in how many friends[Read More…]
Many readers have expressed interest in learning about lesser-known areas. When I mentioned that to a representative of Visit Idaho, he suggested visiting Pebble Creek and Pomerelle, both in the southern part of the state. First stop was Pebble Creek, 2,200′ of impressive vertical not far from Pocatello. I skied there two days and stayed nearby in Lava Hot Springs,[Read More…]
Staying in Salt Lake City (or Valley) is an excellent option to explore Alta, Snowbird, Solitude and Brighton. Ski City USA offers good value (many hotels include a Super Pass with the room), public transportation to the resorts, and a broad range of restaurants and entertainment venues. Here are some favorites. Check websites for hours and addresses. Breakfast For a[Read More…]
Park City: Visit Silver Mining Museum Sites On Skis. Led by Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort guides, the new Silver to Slopes tour skis you to various relics of the mining history scattered throughout beautiful scenery. More than 1,000 miles of tunnels lie beneath the slopes here. We ride up the McConkey Express with our amiable guide Jim Brown. He[Read More…]
Some People Say The Best Four Letter Word About Skiing Is “Taos.” When I looked up at the main slope, I was speechless, then the words came—steep, moguls, trees. Wow. At 12,000 ft, Taos’ Mt. Kachina is close to the top of the World. The resort is located in northern New Mexico, which one seasoned skier described as “a mix[Read More…]
For many Western resorts this is the season when it’s best to stay on the groomed. There just hasn’t been enough natural snow to enter the woods with confidence. The trail skiing I’ve done at the four resorts closest to Salt Lake City — Alta and Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon and Brighton and Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon —[Read More…]
[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.] Vail was magnificent the day I skied there a few weeks ago. We had bluebird skies, and despite Winter’s temporary retreat the snow was surprisingly good. The resort is[Read More…]
The “Beav” Has All The Goods But No Crowds And No Fanfare. For most vacation-seekers, Beaver Mountain falls off the radar because it’s farther than the 10 resorts that are within an hour’s drive from the Salt Lake City International Airport. Beaver is about 100 miles—less than 2 hours from the airport. Nobody knows about Beaver Mountain. Actually, lots of[Read More…]
Find Winter Activity Opportunities Close To Home. Let’s define what we mean by Urban Wilderness: Open space – wetland, meadow, and/or forested land. Owned by a public entity No parking or entrance fees No visual pollution Offers “peace and quiet” Accessible by either car or public transportation from the nearby urban center Offers a variety of activities (year-round) Urban Wildernesses[Read More…]
Why Wait When Wolves Want Wise Well-Wishers. Okay, in the picture, it looks like she’s being licked by a dog. But trust me, that’s NO dog. It’s a real grey wolf. In the woods. Walking with my friends and me. It was part of our morning at Northern Lights Wolf Centre just outside Golden, BC, Canada, where we learned about wolves[Read More…]
