Four strategies make fitness simple When it comes to fitness, the old saw about “use it or lose it” is not only true, for certain age groups, it is a challenge of sorts. Why? Because, according to Dr. Frank Lipman, founder of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center, New York, muscle decline starts at age 40 and actually accelerates every decade[Read More…]
We are entering a season of uncertainty. Some resorts have discontinued walk-up ticket sales, some will require advance reservations, many will require masks and social distancing; for others, it will be business as usual. Some, unfortunately, will not open at all. Many resorts are bracing for a sharp reduction in the number of vacationers arriving by air. Air traffic is[Read More…]
We’re On Vacation! Mask-covered, social-distanced, sanitized-hands, take-out vacations are the end of August things to do at SeniorsSkiing.com. Jon has isolated himself in a travel trailer somewhere in the North West, and I’ve been on a sailboat in Maine, watching ospreys and sunsets. However, we do want to send you a reminder of winter dreams. Here’s a neat video from[Read More…]
A Fort Lauderdale resident asked, “Do you know where we Floridians go when we want to ski?” It was a joke. Her punch line: “The airport.” From the way things appear to be shaping up, fewer and fewer older skiers will be using planes to get to their favorite resorts. There’s a reluctance to get on planes until the virus[Read More…]
Over the past few weeks, we’ve received numerous emails from ski industry and other leaders supporting Black Lives Matter. Mike and I want to add our voices to this and to other expressions of social justice. Many of you will remember Bob Dylan’s 1964 song, “The Times They Are A Changin.” His anthem to social change and the consequences of[Read More…]
Based on the just completed SeniorsSkiing.com Reader Survey, 92% of you plan to go skiing next season. This, despite growing coronavirus concerns, especially within our age cohort. You also weighed in on the importance of preventive measures ski areas can take to control the virus: 86% of you consider continuous sanitizing in all public areas (e.g. dining, lodge, restrooms) to[Read More…]
Boris and Ivan have been skiing across the frozen steppe for many days. After too long on the front, they’re finally going home. Boris spent hours telling his colleague what he intends to do when, finally, he arrives home: hug his family, down a hearty meal, paint the dacha, tend the garden. “Ivan, what is your plan?,” he asks. “My[Read More…]
Among the thousands of reasons the abrupt end to the season is a bummer is this: Those of you who were planning to demo the Roam Robotics Elevate will need to wait until we’re back on the hill. Elevate is world’s first computer-assisted knee exoskeleton for skiers. I had the good fortune to try the device toward the end of[Read More…]
Are skiers gamblers? I started thinking about that when COVID-19 prematurely ended the season. A lot of people purchased season passes of one form or another, never expecting early termination. What odds would bookmakers have given last fall of that happening? Skiing always involves some degree of considered risk and reward, not unlike many casino games, or life in general.[Read More…]
Resort management made the right call when they decided to close. That’s the opinion of more than 25% of the SeniorsSkiing.com readers responding last week to the question asking how you felt about the season’s early end, whether you were done, and if you had more turns to make? It was one of three questions we posed to get a general[Read More…]
What a strange time. There are some exceptions, but most ski areas throughout Europe and North America have closed. There is nothing happy about this scenario except the prospect that removing ski areas as a place where people gather may help slow the virus’ progress. SeniorsSkiing.com readers range in age from 50 into the 90s. The average age is 67.[Read More…]
To stay safe, all older skiers should prepare themselves for what might go wrong. I call this a “safety mindset,” and it’s kept me safe in more than 40- years of rock climbing, mountaineering and skiing. Part of that preparation is answering these questions: What should I wear to protect myself? How will I be found? What are the most[Read More…]
I was in a place I shouldn’t have been. When I entered the gate, I thought I had been on this part of the mountain years earlier. But as I descended, nothing about it seemed familiar. It was steep beyond my comfort. There were bumps and trees, and the surface was getting icy. Signs on the trees warned this[Read More…]
We get to the mountain, put on our boots, click into our skis and…you know the rest. But how often do we stop to think about the people we rarely see; those who get the mountain ready for us and who keep it going? Some will read this and tell themselves, “We pay for these services.” My response is, “Yes,[Read More…]
[Editor Note: SeniorsSkiing.com is asking our readers to contribute to support our online magazine. Yes, we have grown in the number of subscribers and advertisers. But our expenses have also grown. You can help us defray some of these expenses by helping us out with a donation.] Support SeniorsSkiing.com by clicking here. ______________________________________________________ How many of you have taken a[Read More…]
[Editor Note: SeniorsSkiing.com is asking our readers to contribute to support our online magazine. Yes, we have grown in the number of subscribers and advertisers. But our expenses have also grown. You can help us defray some of these expenses by helping us out with a donation.] Support SeniorsSkiing.com by clicking here. ______________________________________________________ Roam Elevate is a computer-driven exoskeleton that[Read More…]
[Editor Note: SeniorsSkiing.com is asking our readers to contribute to support our online magazine. Yes, we have grown in the number of subscribers and advertisers. But our expenses have also grown. You can help us defray some of these expenses by helping us out with a donation.] Support SeniorsSkiing.com by clicking here. ______________________________________________________ The week before last, more than a[Read More…]
I know that some people don’t get attached to ideas, things or each other. But it must be rare. I was 10 when skiing entered my life, and I’ve been playing in mountains and snow ever since. At first, Mount Snow in Southern Vermont was the center of my winter universe. Then it was that state’s Stowe and Killington. [Read More…]
This week’s column is devoted to asking you to donate to SeniorsSkiing.com. When Mike and I started the publication in 2014, we had no idea that this free, weekly digital magazine would become so popular. Most of you are US-based, but each week, SeniorsSkiing.com gets emailed to readers in Canada, throughout the EU, Australia, and New Zealand. It takes a lot of time and[Read More…]
To some extent, skiing is a fashion statement. Current trends have an impact in what we wear, the equipment we purchase, and the way we ski. Over the past several seasons, I’ve noticed skiers taking run-after-run using the same high speed, up-on-their-edges, race turns. It reminds me of the 60s when people were wedeling straight down the hill, or the[Read More…]
A Mid-Week Senior Program Includes Clinics, Group Lunch, Yoga, Plus. Driving from New Hampshire through Vermont to Windham Mountain in the Catskills of New York on a recent weekend I felt some trepidation as to what I would find. There had been rain, lots of it, and temperatures reaching 60 degrees over the course of the weekend. Arriving at the[Read More…]
AARGH!!!! What follows, unfortunately, is the tale of what NOT to do when renting in Salt Lake City through Airbnb or VRBO. My wife and I decided to take a place for January through March. We know SLC from having lived there. The city is a terrific base with easy access to nine fantastic ski areas and more hotel, restaurant,[Read More…]
I don’t know how it happened, but between last season and this one I lost my custom foot beds. They were made about 15 years ago when I purchased my first Surefoot customized boots and, like the boots, they were pricey. Those beds stayed with me over the course of three or four subsequent boots. Then they were gone. Foot[Read More…]
This misguided soul gave up on New Year’s resolutions many years ago when I accepted that I could correct my errant ways on an as-needed basis or in response to my wife’s frequent course corrections. But it’s the start of a New Year, and I’d like to share a few ski-related resolutions that I plan to keep. Ski more[Read More…]
For most of my skiing life, I looked forward to next season with enthusiasm. But several years ago, I began to face the season with some anxiety. Was I in good enough shape? Will the knees continue to do what they’re supposed to do? Will I get hit by a boarder? Should I listen to my wife and go south?[Read More…]
