Katie Van Hess, Sun Valley, ID. Editor Note: Here’s our first contribution from a reader about an incident she was involved with. To submit your story, try to follow the same format. Send to [email protected] Where: Sun Valley What Happened: Uphill skier heading fast towards a ridge to jump it. I was heading along the ridge towards a congested area[Read More…]
Test Your Ski Knowledge The most ancient ski in existence was found well preserved in a peat bog in China, dating from about 450 AD. The furthest anyone has Nordic skied in a 24 hour period is nearly 300 miles. In 1918 Denmark had the first “ski army”. With about 472, the US has the most ski reports of any[Read More…]
Alta Icon Alan Engen and Wasatch Mountain Club Earn Top Honors At Ski History gala Every year, the country’s largest ski history research organization, the Utah Ski Archives, awards honors to movers and shakers in the ski industry. This year the Wasatch Mountain Club earns the History Maker award for offering outdoor recreation for 100 years. It was founded with[Read More…]
Jet Stream Changes Bring In the Chills. Last week I wrote about the “haves and have nots” in terms of favorable early season winter weather. The East was very cold with occasional snow while the West was warm and dry. For the most part, that is still the case, as the eastern Great Lakes and Northeast are in line for[Read More…]
Incidents and Accidents New Feature, Joe Pete Memory, Have A Banana, Pointy Mystery Peak, Weather Haves/Have Nots. Based on the significant response to recent articles on out-of-control skiers, the responsibilities of the National Ski Patrol, and the role of ski resort management in managing high-risk skiers and boarders, SeniorsSkiing.com is starting a new feature. If you are a pilot or[Read More…]
An All Around Snow Sports Legend and Sportsman Moves On. Editor Note: This article first appeared in XCSkiResorts.com. Joe Pete Wilson recently passed away at age 84. He will be remembered as a pioneer and endless promoter in the snow sports world. Wilson hailed from Lake Placid, NY where he spent years as the innkeeper at the Bark Eater Inn[Read More…]
Where? Significance To Skiing? Thanks to the Alf Engen Ski Museum for sharing this dramatic photograph. Last Week Early days at Steamboat Springs. Each of two sleds held ten skiers. This unusual lift served Howelsen Hill in the mid 1940s. If anyone knows the back story of this “lift”, please let us know. Thanks to the Tread of Pioneers Museum[Read More…]
The Difference Between East and West Is Remarkable. Over the past few weeks, I have shared with you some of my winter forecasting tricks of the trade but now it is time to get down to business and do some actual forecasting. The pattern change that was foretold a couple of weeks ago by the re-curvature of a typhoon east[Read More…]
Collecting Resort Safety Scores, Knowing The NAO, Outdoor Therapy For Vets, Tow Boat, Lessons Learned From Coaching Seniors. We continue to receive comments about the skier safety issue we raised when we published our “Things That Piss Us Off” findings from our Spring Survey. Clearly, we’ve struck a vein of passion about the unsafe skier issue. And as you have[Read More…]
A Negative NAO IS Friendly To Skiers. Right Now, It’s Smiling. During the upcoming winter I will be producing condensed regional forecasts on a weekly basis, hopefully providing readers with another nugget of info before they pick a destination for time on the slopes. I will refer to a number of different reasons for forecasts that you will probably not[Read More…]
More doctors may be prescribing outdoor recreational therapy instead of Xanax if the proposed Federal legislation entitled the Outdoor Recreation Therapy for Veterans Act (HR 2435) passes. Studies are showing evidence that outdoor recreational activities can be therapeutic. I met Veterans Ray Gilmore and David Binford recently at a ski industry meeting, and they were engaging anyone who would talk[Read More…]
What’s This? This Strange Device Held 10 Skiers. Hint: Western resort. Many thanks to the Tread Of Pioneers Museum for this contribution. Last Week Of course, Killington. We took advantage of a picture of the resort a day or two after a major pair of Nor’Easters in New England taken by a pilot friend of ours. The snow dusting bodes[Read More…]
How Can Seniors Advance Their Skiing Skills? The hardest challenge for me is convincing older skiers that you can change your skiing dramatically for the better no matter your age or gender. Not everyone wants to, but if you do, you can. That’s the key to advancing your skiing as a senior skier. Lesson One: The Key Is Belief In[Read More…]
Get Thee To The Ski/Snowboard Shows! The consumer ski shows are on! The Denver Ski and Snowboard Expo is on today! The ski shows are a special time for all stakeholders. The resort industry gets a chance to strut its stuff, announcing new trails, lifts, amenities, and bargain price passes. Resort staff are there to answer questions, convivalize with familiar[Read More…]
Big bargains await older skiers this season at 157 North American ski areas. Fifty-two allow them to ski free. The rest have heavily discounted the cost of skiing. But it all depends on your age. The comprehensive list includes season pass prices, age requirements, and links to each area’s website. To access, click “Community” on the menu bar, then click[Read More…]
