1943 – 2022

Seniors Skiing’s creator, co-founder, and main contributor passed away on Friday, June 3, 2022.

Jon Weisberg, 78, died June 3 peacefully at home, following a 15-month fight against bladder cancer. An avid skier, he created and co-founded SeniorsSkiing.com, the global online magazine for older skiers. As an executive with Bristol-Myers Squibb, responsible for international public affairs, he promoted and defended the company’s interests across the globe. Earlier, in PR agencies, he represented major consumer brands, trade associations, and other well-known interests. Jon received a BA (’65) from Syracuse University and an MA (’68) from its Newhouse School of Public Communications. Upon retirement in 2000, he and his wife, Pam, moved to Utah to be closer to world-class skiing. He became an adjunct professor in a graduate program of Westminster College, taught in the Deer Valley Ski School, and skied deep powder. For the next 17 years, he provided public relations and crisis and issues management consulting to organizations throughout the country. He served on the boards of the Utah Humanities Council, including as Chair, of the Living Planet Aquarium, and The Mesa, an Artist in Residency program at Zion National Park. Jon is survived by Pam (Crowe), his wife of 50 years, daughters Zoe Weisberg Coady (Chris, Valentino, Scarlett) of Narraganset, RI, and Dr. Amanda Lucero and family (estranged) of Salt Lake City. Donations in his memory may be made to Huntsman Cancer Institute and/or to the International Skiing History Association.

Jon with Klaus Obermeyer, founder of Sport Obermeyer.

Jon skiing in the Dolomites

Jon skiing at Powder Mountain, Utah, 2022.

We thank all of you for being subscribers and readers of SeniorsSkiing.com. In honor and remembrance of Jon, please leave your comments below.

60 Comments

  1. So very sorry to hear of Jon’s passing. We had many lively conversations at SIA shows and on the phone. He certainly will be missed. Deepest sympathy!

  2. I met John only recently. We introduced John and Pam to skiing in the Italian Dolomites. I cannot tell you how touched I am to see so many photos of John skiing with us.

    John was fair, considered generous and so gentle. Skiing with them is such a treasured memory.

    John and Pam were due to come cycling with us next week.

    Never have I known a person for such a short time and felt such a great influence.

    With much love.
    Tim

  3. Such sad news. May his memory be a blessing for his family and friends.

  4. My most sincere condolences. As a correspondent for the site, I worked with Mike Maginn primarily and was about to start working with Jon. I am so sad I will now never have the chance. His accomplishments listed in the above obituary are a testament to what a talented individual he was.

  5. Paula Hamada Summit says:

    Sympathies to the Weisburg family and the Seniors Skiing community. So sorry to learn of Jon’s passing. I met him a few years back at the SIA show in Denver when I was an ambassador to Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. He will be missed by many…I have the patch he gave me sewn to my Camelbak, so he skis with me everywhere…

  6. Robert Oakes says:

    Clicked on all the links in my Senior Skiing email and loved everyone of them. Sorry to hear of Jon’s passing. God speed Jon.

  7. I always enjoyed Jon’s posts on Senior Skiing, read the articles, and ordered an advertised boot-holding device so I could get my boots on and off! I appreciate his efforts and sharing tidbits about a sport I have enjoyed for 60 years and continue enjoy. His spirit will live on in the hills of Utah and with every diehard skier. Thank you, Jon, and sincere regards to his family.

  8. John Gelb says:

    Dear Pam,
    I became an editorial contributor to SeniorsSkiing only in 2021. Somehow I bumped into Jon’s website, loved his approach, and contacted him immediately about writing.

    He was incredibly open, friendly and helpful, and I was so pleased to become a tiny part of his great contribution to the world of skiing and writing about skiing. He was always so encouraging to me, and today, as always, I was thrilled to see “SeniorsSkiing” in my Inbox…though this time it’s left me with a heavy heart.

    I never met Jon in person and that’s my loss for sure. I will miss him, and send my deepest condolences to you and your family.

    With deepest sympathy,
    John Gelb

  9. Sherman Malkerson says:

    .Jon’s last run.

  10. johnny walker says:

    Never met John but enjoyed his stories. As with others I have lost the first run I take will be for John and others that are now skiing deep powder and corduroy.

  11. My deepest condolences on your loss. I am a reader of Senior Skiing and from Longmeadow, MA.

    I have been coming to Utah for skiing for over 40 years.

    About 5 years ago, I was in the SLC area and called Jon up to go skiing at Brighton.

    We met up and had a wonderful day hanging out together at the mountain, cruising up and down with great conversations on the ski lifts between runs.

    I dropped the ball and didn’t meet up after that and now feel very badly about that.

    May Jon’s memory be for a blessing.

  12. I am a contributor to SeniorsSkiing. Jon’s guidance, suggestions, and general positive attitude towards skiing and the magazine he loved was infectious. Happy to have conversed with him over the years and he will be missed. Condolences to Pam and his family.

  13. Craig Amundson says:

    Jon,
    Was great guy we corresponded on email. He was always open to comment & ideas. I alway looked forward to his articles…he will be missed.

  14. Tim Connolly says:

    So sorry, but what a well lived life. Doing what he loved, doing for others, improving the human condition for his family and so many others who have benefited from his teaching and avid support of Senior Skiers.

  15. Jan Brunvand says:

    I first met Jon the year that ISHA met in Park City. He saw my nametag and recognized that I must be related to Erik and Sandy Brunvand (my son and daughter-in-law) whom he somehow had in his vast circle of friends. Jon and I met a few times after that, most recently this year on March 5th at the 98th birthday party for Bob Murdoch, now also gone. I have a couple of nice photos of Jon with senior skiers in Alf’s Lodge at Alta, and one of him handing me a seniorsskiing.com sticker. He encouraged me to write for seniorsskiing and was always a most intelligent and discreet editor. Jon was a great guy and a true friend of skiing and of seniors. My deepest condolences to his family.

  16. Excellent tribute and great pictures! Your write-up makes clear that Jon contributed significantly in all aspects of his life. In fact, by emphasizing his many, many good deeds your readers may easily conclude that little gets accomplished without dedicated people like Jon. A first rate tribute to a life well lived.

  17. Mike Maginn says:

    Sometime in the holiday season of 2013, Jon called me to catch up. We had been fraternity brothers in college and we had been in touch on and off since then, a friendship of 50+ years. He mentioned he had talked with a lot of seniors on chair lifts, and they all seemed interested in his idea about something special for seniors online. He was thinking of a website. I suggested an online magazine, and SeniorsSkiing.com was born. Jon’s vision of having a special place for senior skiers drove every thing we did. He believed that the senior skier segment was under appreciated by ski area operators and equipment and soft goods manufacturers. His advocacy for on-trail safety, senior discounts, free skiing for seniors, facilities accommodations, and the like appeared in almost every issue. Jon was a PR genius whose many, many promotions built our little online magazine to a circulation of 17,000 subscribers, many of whom actively participated in the community by contributing articles and in the annual fund raiser. I also knew Jon as a sensitive, interesting, well-read, and engaged collector of fine art. He was funny, a terrible punster, and, to me, a source of wisdom and advice. Above all, ever since I met him back at Syracuse University in the mid-60s, he was a devoted, knowledgeable, and skillful lover of skiing. That love never left him. His legacy to the ski industry will be his planting a stake for the needs of seniors who continue to love the sport as elders. I will miss him. Condolences to Pam and her family. Mike Maginn, SeniorsSkiing.com co-founder.

  18. Dave Hedderly-Smith says:

    Jon and Pam were neighbors and wonderful friends in Park City. Jon helped lead the charge for a monument at Ecker Hill, a neighborhood park that included the famous ski-jumping hill on which world records had been set by Alf Engen in the 1930s. Jon was a member of my Rotary Club there and an active community volunteer. And he was a skier – a very good one, and I cherish my memories of skiing with him.

    I can only give my deepest condolences to Pam and Jon’s family. I will always remember the story about how they met on a New York country road a bit after Woodstock. Jon recognized Pam from a picture of a beautiful gal at the rock festival that had been in Life Magazine. And it led to, a near as I can tell, a wonderful life together for the two of them.

    God bless you, Pam. And rest in peace, my friend Jon. Be assured that the world is a better place for your having been here.

  19. Tony Cascio says:

    I did not know Jon, but over 60 years of skiing, I am guessing I have know many like him; avid skiers, great friends and devoted family people. R.I.P.

  20. John Elliott says:

    I am a regular reader and supporter of Senior Skiing. Just one of many out there who somehow stumbled on the publication through a circle of skiers. I would just like to say that I read every issue with enthusiasm and dreams of my next day on snow. I will miss Jon although I never met him. I will occasionally sit in Alf’s and watch from across the room that table of old Alta skiers who Jon helped to make famous. Senior Skiing has inspired me to try to keep in shape and push myself to stay on the mountain as I cross the line into my 70s. Thanks to Jon, his family and those homage Senior Skiing possible. Your work is valuable and appreciated. Godspeed!

  21. Mark Dispenza says:

    My deepest condolences to you and your family! I didn’t know Jon directly but my father, Samuel Dispenza and Jon roommates in college and I got to hear a lot of good stories. My father was thrilled to connect back up with him and ski many years in Utah. He never had a bad thing to say about Jon. I know that he loved him.

  22. Dave Chmbers (contributor) says:

    I didn’t know him that well. But I know of his legacy and that is more important. A sad loss to the skiing fraternity. A large hole is now very hard to fill. What becomes of Senior Skiing now. I hope for Jon’s sake it can flourish somehow.

  23. Roger Lohr says:

    Wonderful photos of Jon. Sad news to hear that Jon had reached the end of his trail in his Earthly travels. Along with Michael McGinn, Jon has echoed senior skier products and issues such as danger on the slopes and respectful discounts at the lift ticket window, bringing them along with many other issues to light for the snowsports industry. Most important for Jon’s legacy was his passion sharing the love for skiing with thousands of other skiers who followed SeniorsSkiing.com and were encouraged to get out on the snow. Condolences to Pam and the Weisberg family.

  24. I can’t say I knew Jon very well at all, but as a ski writer for more than 25 years, I really appreciated his work the past 5 years when I would get his SeniorSkiing online publication. Several times after breezing through another edition of SeniorSkiing, I corresponded with Jon and asked if I could use a particular story on my website -[ Tahoe Ski World. Jon was always very accommodating and gave me the go=ahead. He and the other SeniorSkiing contributors always produced some very diverse and interesting content. I’m extremely sorry to learn of Jon’s passing. But from my vantage point, he enjoyed a life well lived that was rich with experiences, family and friends. RIP Jon Weisberg!!!

  25. My sympathy to Jon’s family. I never met Jon, but he emailed me occasionally about places we both had skied and I still ski around the Syracuse area. Senior Skiing is a wonderful legacy.

  26. billy neumeister says:

    Never met Jon my loss. To his Friends and Family everytime you make that great run through lifes’ double black diamond demands…smile a little longer…for Jon’s LOVE for LIFE..

  27. Conan Grames says:

    I am devastated by this news. Jon and I were long-time colleagues at BMS in NYC, working on many international projects together. When he moved to Utah, we became occasional ski partners. He improved my skiing with patient and loving advice. Cindy and I also love Pam and send our warmest regards and regrets to her and the children.

  28. Alan Engen says:

    Learning of Jon Weisberg’s passing is a sad loss, not only to all who knew him, but to ski sport, as well. Knowing and working with him on several ski related efforts was indeed an honor for me. Jon epitomized what a true professional should be…namely class, honesty, dedication, and perseverance. His SeniorsSkiing online publication is a marvelous example of his fortitude. To Jon, I say job well done, my friend!

    My wife, Barbara, and I send our deepest condolences to Pam and other family members.

  29. Jeanne Weber says:

    My husband, me and a few friends skied with Jon at Alta. It was a great day skiing with great friends! My husband Paul & I wish Jons family our sincerest condolences. Jon Weisberg won’t be forgotten! We really enjoy reading Senior Skiing! -Jeanne & Paul Weber

  30. Lee Hall Delfausse says:

    Jon had an eye for an enticing article, and as a ski novelist, I appreciated his understanding of the history of the sport.

    He will be missed, but I hope his Seniorskiing continues.

  31. Thomas Williams says:

    Sorry to hear !! Met Jon briefly at park city at the end of Jan 2022. At 57 i was skiing with my 2 sons and a large group of young men and women. All under the age of 28. And we met at one of the lodges outside as we soaked up some sun and taking a breather! He gave me a card introducing me to senior skiing and we struck up a very nice conversation about skiing as we get older. As a long islander we also talked about NY and skiing the east!!! Freindly Man

  32. I talked with Jon about SeniorsSkiing assignments last month, loved the fact that he was so open to articles about XC skiing and such a fine guide on how to write — a quiet mentor. He’ll be missed in so many ways.

  33. Scott Taylor says:

    Though I never met Jon, we are about the same age and I’ve skied for over 60 years as well. I stumbled on SeniorsSkiing several years ago and I have enjoyed reading it and supporting it ever since. Jon will be sorely missed. My sympathies to his family. I hope the publication survives him as well. He must have been a pretty neat guy to know.

  34. Glen Lapham says:

    Great articles! I will surely miss his contributions to Senior skiing. I Never had chance to meet Jon or his wife, but it is a very hard time. Condolences to his family.

  35. Brian Webber says:

    Learning of the passing of somebody born the same year as myself always sends a shiver down the spine.
    Although we never met Jon it was on account of an early article of his about the Dolomites that my wife and I skied there a few years back. And we remain impressed by what I take to be the motto of Senior’s Skiing: you don’t give up skiing when you get old, you get old when you give up skiing.

    We send our condolences to Jon’s wife and family. And I for one will hopefully continue to do my bit to honour the 1943 skier generation.

  36. Roger B Monty says:

    I did not know Jon personally, but I did exchange emails with him on a couple of occasions. I appreciated his friendly and cordial replies, as well as his acceptance of two short articles I wrote which he accepted to post on the site. I am particularly fond of his “motto” (in the previous comment from Brian Webber, above) – “you don’t give up skiing when you get old, you get old when you give up skiing” – which I’ll continue to honor as long as I can (58 seasons, so far). My sincerest condolences to his wife and family.

  37. Sad news indeed. We never had contact, but as a veteran writer on skiing based in London I greatly admired Jon’s contribution to the needs and welfare of those who tooks to the slopes in the days of lace up boots. I will miss his posts. RIP

  38. Rob Stewart says:

    It was so sad to hear about Jon. We never met apart from on Zoom calls but I always enjoyed those meetings. I know he enjoyed heading over to Europe for some ski trips that we talked about together and I was very much hoping to meet Jon later this year when I head over to the US, but it’s so sad to think that won’t happen now. I enjoyed reading his articles and the work he created with SeniorsSkiing was quite remarkable. No doubt he will be hugely missed in the community both sides of the Atlantic. My condolences go out to Jon’s wife and family.

  39. I never met Jon; he contacted me after seeing articles of mine elsewhere. He asked me to contribute to SeniorsSkiing.com
    What glaringly stood out to me – and this was just in email contacts – was his evident humanity, and understanding of how we are who we are. I know he must have been a kindly man and it was a privilege to know him even at this distance.
    For those who knew him, missing him will I am sure be a long lasting experience.
    Salud! Jon.

  40. Jon’s generosity and kindness have changed the landscape around him.
    I am changed…and will always be grateful for Jon’s example of “all in-ness.”

  41. Denis Glennon says:

    I always looked forward to anything written by Jon…his engaging pieces respected both the reader’s intelligence and the reader’s time. Most important, his love for skiing was infectious and re-ignited in me a sense of its real possibilities for those of us “at any age”.

  42. Donna Dispenza says:

    My husband and I had the great pleasure of knowing Jon and skiing with him in the Syracuse area and Vermont back in the sixties. He was always a delight! He had the most creative and inventive mind.God be with Pam and family.

  43. Cliff Bergman says:

    I never know what to say when one of our tribe leaves us, whether or not we knew them.
    I would like to think there are blue bird days, 3 feet of fluff and a cold one at the end of a never ending run.
    My condolences to Jon’s wife and family.
    RIP

  44. Barry Endelson says:

    Pam:
    My deepest condolences. We met at the gathering you hosted on the UWS before Covid. You seemed like lovely people. I brought my long term ski buddy, Hal. Sorry we had to quit skiing soon after. I enjoyed your newsletter and still think about skiing again but at 80 there are health and safety challenges. Maybe a sunny week day at Timber Ridge.

    I hope are as good as you can be under the circumstances
    .
    Best regards,

  45. My deepest condolences. I read this page from the other side of the Atlantic and I am very grateful. Rest in peace and have nice turns

  46. Boyd Allen says:

    Very sad news indeed. He was a great writer and I appreciated his wisdom and insights. My heartfelt condolences to his family.

  47. Bill Malone says:

    Very sad to hear of Jon’s passing. He was a true gentleman and passionate about ski sports. Always enjoyed his writing and will miss his insights.
    Spent time with Jon while he was in Park City … loved his enthusiasm for life.

  48. Dana and Dave Joslyn says:

    Pam, Dave and I are so sorry to hear of Jon’s passing. We have some fun memories of hikes in Fish Creek Cove. Our thoughts are with you in this sad time. So glad Jon had a life full of adventures. Take care, Dana and Dave Joslyn

  49. Dick Chapman says:

    I met Jon and Pam in the 1980s when Jon was at Bristol-Myers Squibb and I was at University of Washington, living in Seattle. In 2000 I moved to the University of Utah and took up residence in Park City. I was astonished to find that Jon and Pam were living there. Jon’s birthday and mine are only about two weeks apart. We were then 58 and I confessed to Jon that I had always wanted to ski but thought that I was now too old. He convinced me otherwise and helped me buy the necessary equipment. Being an academic, I thought I should learn to ski by reading a book and bought one. I never had a formal lesson. Fortunately, Jon took the time to to show me the basics and provided some personal coaching. My book had nothing to say about how one gets on or off a ski lift or the basic principles of safety and courtesy towards other skiers. Jon’s patient instruction was invaluable. Twenty years have passed and I still ski avidly, mostly on expert terrain. I live in Colorado now and buy a season pass at Wolf Creek. I was looking forward to telling Jon in a year’s time that Wolf Creek was giving me a free pass at age 80, but sadly that is not to be.

    Jon was a wonderful person and it was a privilege to know him. I think of Jon and the basics that he taught me every time I’m on the mountain. He left us too soon. I shall miss him enormously. Jon made the world a better place.

    Jeanne and I offer our condolences to Pam and their daughters.

  50. Dr. Gretchen R. Besser says:

    It’s been a pleasure and an honor to be affiliated with Seniorsskiing since its inception, when Jon and Mike corralled me for their advisory board. Together they created a magic carpet that takes us back and forth in time and space, enjoying our snowsports in every season. Jon’s continuation of their legacy was nothing short of heroic. His compelling articles and photography, appearing right up to the final weeks of his life, are a testament to Jon’s passion, stamina, and joie de vivre. Deep condolences to Pam and their family.

  51. Jon – Thank you for carrying the torch and helping to bring your vision to Sr. Skiing. Rest in peace and enjoy some fluffy white POW while looking down on all us old farts! We know you will enjoy the fastest lifts and deepest turns where you now reside.

  52. Bruce Lund says:

    I reluctantly had to quit skiing when I was 85 (lost my balance). I will be 90 in July. I discovered Senior Skiing and it provides a connection to the sport- THANKS JON! I authored 60 page book entitled ” M 50 +Year Love Affair With Skiing”” in which I chronicled the 40 western mountains and the 6 midwestern “hills/mountains” I had skied. including the people I had met on my journey. I founded “The “Salt Lake Senior Marauders” which had 16-20 members from all over he U.S. which skied 10 days every year in Salt Lake. Unfortunately I never met Jon I skied regularly with” the Over The Hill Gang International.”. There is no doubt that we will miss Jon. I hope his legacy is continued. I offer my deepest sympathy to his wife and family.

  53. Dana Landale and Ken (Nipper) Noble says:

    Jon was a fine man and we are happy to have known him. Our deepest sympathy to you, Pam, and the family..

  54. Jon exuded charm and charisma. It was a pleasure to see him light up when talking about skiing and an honor to support his work. He will be greatly missed.

  55. Tamsin Venn says:

    I feel so grateful for having gotten to know Jon just these past few years, he was such an enthusiastic editor, always brightened my day after an inspiring conversation full of ideas and so appreciative.Thank you, Jon. Rest in peace.

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