This is being written from Salt Lake City, the day after 20” fell at Snowbird. It’s almost at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon and just a short distance from Park City, where the total was 10”. Compare that to Mammoth Mountain in California’s Sierra range… 44” in 72 hours! Jon’s Short Swings! column is a bit self-confessional this time,[Read More…]
Yes, age does give many of us some advantages. Wisdom is often cited, but, I, for one have made enough errors in judgment to be exempted from checking that box. I’m probably not alone. Financial well-being is another frequent citation. Fortunately, along with about two-thirds of SeniorsSkiing readers who say they’re financially independent, I’m okay in that category. But I[Read More…]
Colder, snowy pattern evolving coast to coast… As we hit the holiday season, the weather pattern is changing to one that will soon be dominated by colder than normal air. Cold air has been in relatively short supply for a couple of weeks now, but in the past week, a series of troughs have descended into the West, leading to[Read More…]
When was the last time this happened to you on the mountain: you’re skiing down one of your regular trails, having fun, where you know every turn by heart, and then, as you approach a trail sign for a more difficult run than you’re used to, you think maybe it’s a good time to try it…but then you keep on[Read More…]
When I hear that people don’t ski in their local areas because they’re spoiled by skiing out West, I believe they’re missing something. A lot of world class ski racers cut their teeth on areas that have less than 1000’ vertical. Lindsey Vonn and Kristina Koznick both were raised on Buck Hill in Minnesota, under the watchful eye of Erich[Read More…]
Finding someone to play with was easy when we were kids. “Can Johnny come out and play?” But as seniors, it’s not easy to find someone to ski with. Ski friends drop out, move away, or go to the great beyond. SeniorsSkiing.com is an amazing source of information. Here’s what happened recently: A skier emailed me saying: “I saw your stories[Read More…]
If you’re among the many newcomers to XC skiing, I suggest that you take a lesson. XCSkiResorts.com recommends starting at one of the following locations: Metropolitan Boston — Weston Ski Track, a county-owned golf course accessible by public transportation. Snowmaking guarantees good cover and lights allow for night skiing. A 75-minute session covers the basics (i.e. motion, turning and negotiating[Read More…]
Each issue of SeniorsSkiing.com has a picture to help test your skiing knowledge. The pictures are from collections in a variety of participating ski museums, which we encourage readers to visit. The hairdo’s scream late 1960s. But these co-eds weren’t the only students of the man in the middle. He trained members of the US men’s and women’s Olympic ski[Read More…]
Ski license plates are definitely a thing. The call for additions to the gallery published in the last issue received a healthy response from readers around the country. Margery Martin, who lives near Minneapolis, has been collecting pictures of ski-oriented license plates for years. Several of her favorites have been added to the gallery; more to follow. Boyd Allen, Exeter,[Read More…]
We had an unfortunate reminder that “skiing is an inherently dangerous sport” with the untimely death of Ron LeMaster, ski writer/photographer and certified PSIA instructor. The 72-year-old was killed earlier this week after colliding with a snowboarder on Eldora Mountain (CO). May he rest in peace. Like so many things in life, sometimes fortune is not on our side, even[Read More…]
Pattern coming alive on both coasts… Thanks to snowmaking and a nice dump of fresh snow last Friday, I kicked off my season with a nice day on the trails of Killington this past Tuesday. The surface midwinter stuff and it was fantastic to be making turns again. The storm late last week helped out across much of the Northeast,[Read More…]
A few years ago, Pam and I went on what was arguably the best ski trip of our lives. We spent six-days on Ski Safari in the Dolomites with Inspired Italy, a SeniorsSkiing.com advertiser. The updated account about this bucket-list experience follows: The Dolomites is the vast UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northern Italy. It received the designation because of its natural[Read More…]
No impossible steeps, flips or cliff-hucking. Don Burch creates kinder and gentler ski videos showing normal skiers doing normal things. His editing, use of interesting digital enhancements and choice of scenic shots have a warm, old-school quality appealing to skiers and boarders of a certain age. “Calling Me” (about 3-minutes) is Don’s most recent production. Click on the image to[Read More…]
There’s a joy to walking through the parking lot, skis on shoulder on the way to the lift or at the end of the day. People wishing you a good day, asking how the day went, commenting on the snow, sitting on a lawn chair sipping a cold one. The often-unnoticed backdrop to this gemutlichkeit is the ski-oriented vanity license[Read More…]
Several responses to a recent article under the same heading suggest I left the wrong impression on some readers. That’s anathema for a coach, so this is an attempt at clarification. The sketch is my attempt to explain the direction in which the skier’s torso is best oriented; not the direction your skis will be taking. In reality, every[Read More…]
Even though senior skiers ski more and spend more per capita on skiing than younger generations, there’s a perception throughout the industry that the older cohort is made up of tight wads taking up otherwise valuable space in the day lodge. Jon touches on the issue in this week’s Short Swings! column. In his typical light and informative style, Skiing[Read More…]
Cold air supply growing… Before I look forward in this discussion, let’s look back. October was a very warm month relative to normal across the country, in large part because a sizable upper level dome of high pressure stretched across Canada and the northern states. Early snow cover over northern Asia and Canada are typically harbingers of a fast start[Read More…]
There are two trips around Walden Pond near Concord, MA. The first is a ski tour through a picturesque New England landscape, with sharp and steeply wooded hillsides surrounding an ice-covered, lambchop-shaped lake. Around the same pond is a second trip, a pilgrimage that passes the cabin site of Henry David Thoreau, “self-appointed inspector of snowstorms”, conjuring the spirit of[Read More…]
This is my shortest ever blog, but it may have a significant impact on your next ski holiday. It’s your first day back on the slopes, and you want to hit the ground running. You don’t want to miss a thing, so you‘re up early, on the first chair, and skiing like a mad thing all day. It feels so[Read More…]
In a sheltered, out-of-the-way spot, a tree nursery suddenly popped up at Brighton, the ski area gem at the end of Salt Lake City’s Big Cottonwood Canyon. That’s where 266 saplings are adjusting to life in pots until they’re big enough to be planted back onto the mountain. Mother Nature inconveniently sowed seeds on ski trails where they took root.[Read More…]
Originally published in the 2020-21 Masterfit Buyer’s Guide and realskiers.com Bindings are rugged little devices, but like any mechanical unit they can wear out quickly if not kept clean and lubricated. At the beginning of the season, do a binding check. Annual shop inspections of the ski/boot/binding system will reveal any deviations in the release system that may require a binding to be[Read More…]
Ever since Vail Resorts and Alterra started gobbling up ski areas, there’s been industry chatter about corporate vs. independent resorts. Among other topics, this issue’s Short Swings! weighs in on the issue. Ski instructor and contributor, John Gelb, reports on Alta’s Intermediate Breakthrough instruction program and suggests ways to replicate it at other areas. One suggestion: take lessons on Sunday, when[Read More…]
Hello readers, super great comments and questions on my “Secrets for Your Best Ski Season Ever” piece. Also spoke with two readers in follow up. I can sense everyone’s excited for this ski season – me too. Shoot me your thoughts or questions and I’ll reply. Previously I mentioned my good friend (60+) who improved bigtime from only four group[Read More…]
Don Burch creates short, artistic ski videos that capture the small moments showing people of all ages and abilities having fun together on the mountain. “Skiing The East” features scenes from Stowe, Okemo, Otis Ridge, Sunday River, Killington, Sugarbush, Mount Snow, Stratton, Wildcat, Magic, Waterville Valley and Maple Valley (long closed). Enjoy this two-minute ride.
