Responses To Questions You Asked In Our Subscriber Survey
Our Second Subscriber Survey 2016 closed just this morning, and we wanted to respond right away so you know we are listening. There is some important information in here for our readers that respond to the questions you raised via the survey.
Mission—Just to be ultra clear: Our mission is to help the ski industry see the value of seniors who actively engage in snow sports. And to help you keep at it. To do that we are going to promote the senior demographic’s value proposition in as many ways as we can. One idea that is taking form in some Alpine ski areas are “Senior Days” or “Master Clinics” which are mid-week events focused on a variety of engaging activities. We have found some ski resorts that are staging these events and we are going to tell you and the industry all about them. If the idea of “Senior Days” takes off, you can help us promote it. Stay tuned. We are also going to continue to promote senior-oriented products, cover fitness ideas, influence ski instruction and describe destinations you might like.
Discounts—Where are the discounts is a big question you asked. Some immediate advice back to you: Many ski areas offer senior discounts if you buy online, especially a few days before you go and if you buy multi-day passes. There are online ticket discounters that are really making a difference. Check those out here. Other areas have deep, deep discounts for season passes if you buy in September. So, they are out there, you just have to look. Also, SeniorsSkiing.com ran its Second Annual Ski Area Survey of ski resorts to determine which were the most “senior-friendly”. Check out the results here. You guys offered more ideas here. And here’s a list of deals for seniors from Ski New Hampshire. And here’s a deal site for the Tahoe area. Thanks to the International Ski History Association, we also published a directory of ski areas in North America that offer free skiing to seniors. If you are a subscriber, you should have downloaded that when you signed up. Finally, we posted an article about where you can find senior-friendly Nordic ski resorts.
Another option for discounts is going on a package deal ski vacation with a group. We had recent articles about Roads Scholars Nordic and Alpine trips. We plan to tell you about more group travel options as we form relationships with bona fide trip organizers.
If you know of any other super deals and discounts, please let us know on the FORUM/Destinations.
Meet Ups—Another big question you asked was how to meet other like-minded seniors for skiing, socializing and hanging out. To facilitate that, we want to make sure you know about our FORUM that is apparently one of SeniorsSkiing.com’s best kept secrets. Our subscribers should already be registered to post on the FORUM. The FORUM can be found by clicking on the darker blue banner at the top, just to the left of ABOUT. We just started a new topic called Meet up/Get Together on the FORUM. Use this place to post your intentions. Ski clubs and groups can use this to announce events. Please follow the Rules For Being A Citizen Of This Forum.
We learned a lot from this Second Subscriber Survey 2016. We heard about the challenge of reading blue letters on blue background and we’re talking steps to adjust that. We also heard about the need for special ski instruction. We’re with you and have some articles planned to discuss that topic. There are many other ideas you offered and they are all interesting and much appreciated.
We are energized and excited to hear from so many of you. We appreciate your words of support and hope to hear more from you as we develop. Tell your friends. Remember, there are more of us every day, and we’re not going away.
I just found out about your organization in the NY Times interview, & I will join.
I just found out about your organization & I will join. Where I do most of my skiing, Vail, there is a similar group, Vail 50 Club. I’ve not looked into it because age 50 doesn’t sound very senior to me (I’m 72). I’d be more interested in Vail 65 Club. I could never keep up with myself if I was skiing with my 50 year old self!
Speaking of Vail, they should help their elderly customers with getting their equipment from the parking garages to the lifts. That’s a killer. It seems as if they simply don’t care, unless one is willing to shell out great sums (So what else is new).
John, you should check out the Over the Hill Gang at Copper Mountain. The program is almost 40 years old and most other ski areas in the country modeled their Sr program after this one. It was awarded the “Top of the Hill” award by the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame! http://www.coppercolorado.com/winter/ski_and_ride_school/adult_seasonal_programs/over_the_hill_gang
Hi
I ski with (and socialize) with a group of 20 or so older skiers (mostly 65 and over) at Alta, Utah. We come from all over the country some for a few weeks, others for the season and some who live in Utah….our group has been doing this for over 10 years..great fun!!