Every industry benefits from a mix of offerings. The ski area industry is no exception. I find it enjoyable to ski big corporate resorts as well as independently-owned areas. Some, like Alta, Big Sky, and Jackson Hole offer both big terrain and an attractive level of smaller resort intimacy. It may surprise you that, according to the National Ski[Read More…]
Pam and I got our first shots of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine last Sunday. It was a big relief. The second round is scheduled for Valentine’s Day. She estimates spending about 20 hours over the previous weeks trying to get the appointment. That involved phone calls to places listed on New York State’s Covid website and to area hospitals. It also[Read More…]
Friends in Vail recently got their Covid vaccinations. Colorado is making them available to people 70 and older. If we were in Utah where we have a place, my wife and I would be able to get shots on Monday, January 18. But we’re in NY where, over the past few days, the Governor announced that people 65+ are now[Read More…]
This is our final issue of 2020. We’re not saddened to see the year go. Whatever your holiday of choice, please enjoy it safely. And celebrate the arrival of the New Year. It’s time to turn the page on so many things. Here’s wishing you a great season and many bright and promising days ahead! What Do Vaccines and[Read More…]
Last week’s column highlighted responses to a question posed to several friends: How much vertical footage is needed to have a satisfying day on the hill? For this week’s column, I posed the same question to all readers. Your input over the past several days says a lot about your passion for the sport. Not enough room to include all[Read More…]
This season will favor those living close to the mountain. Older skiers who aren’t a short walk or reasonable drive away probably will avoid the hassle and risk of commercial flights to get there. They’ll spend more time on local slopes. Currently, we’re in our place several miles north of New York City. The closest reasonable skiing is about 2.5[Read More…]
This week I participated in a media briefing about the coming season. It was organized by Ski Utah and featured presenters from most of the state’s areas. They confirmed what most of us already know. This will not be a normal season. Resort skiing will require more advance planning than we’re used to. Some of the details, as presented in[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…]
[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…]
Here’s an idea that may be of interest to a handful of readers. As part of our month-long ski trip to the Alps, I will spend the week of March 10 with Alpskitour, skiing with a guide in Italy’s Aosta Valley. I’m inviting a handful of SeniorsSkiing.com readers to share the experience. Alpskitour is based in the small city of[Read More…]
I keep a list of the places I’ve skied since I was 10. In a few weeks, I’ll be 75. The list totals 85 areas, mostly the US and Canada. The others are in the French and Swiss Alps. One, an indoor area that no longer exists, was in Japan. That, and the recent addition of Canada to our annual[Read More…]
Free skiing is available for older skiers at 145 resorts in 26 states and five Canadian provinces this season. Each resort requires a specific age for free skiing. The youngest is 55; the oldest, 90. Those 70 years and older have a choice of 69 ski areas. This is the first time Canadian resorts are included in the directory.[Read More…]
Editorial Regardless of whether the steady elimination of season pass senior discounts is personally insignificant or presents a financial burden, you should be aware of the lack of fairness and gratitude exhibited by this new policy. Through Vail’s EPIC Pass and Alterra’s IKON pass, the companies are advancing elimination of senior discounts, while acquiring more areas. In fairness, some localized Vail[Read More…]
We are seeking your financial support for SeniorsSkiing.com. Currently, a handful of advertisers help us fund the project. What their fees don’t cover, our bank accounts do. There are many expenses including technicians, designers, and other expenses associated with delivering SeniorsSkiing.com free each week and developing and publishing Subscriber-Only content. Next month, you will see a new section devoted to[Read More…]
An Urban Legend From The World Of Skiing. Editor’s Note: Jan Harold Brunvand is a frequent contributor to SeniorsSkiing.com. An avid skier, he is a retired American folklorist, researcher, writer, public speaker, and professor emeritus of English at the University of Utah. Jan is best known for popularizing the concept of the urban legend, a form of modern folklore or story telling. Urban Legends[Read More…]
SeniorsSkiing.com Needs You! …especially if you’re willing to write articles that would be of interest to our readers. Articles can cover prepping for the season (exercising, nutrition, personal accounts, etc.); thoughts on equipment, gear, clothing; technique; profiles of older skiers (well-known or not), destinations, planned trips, nostalgia, ski/board/snowshoe history, skiing with kids and grandkids, etc. We prefer articles no longer[Read More…]
Bigger Better? With the Aspen KSL Capital Partners acquisition of Stratton VT and Mt. Tremblant, PQ, and Vail buying the iconic Stowe VT resort, it appears the ski industry has passed a tipping point. The trend is now toward nation-wide reach, corporate management and marketing, multi-resort passes that can be used from coast to coast, and certainly more choices. These[Read More…]
A Weekly Round-Up Of Industry News. CALIFORNIA 11th annual Alpenglow Sports Winter Film Series will be held at Squaw Valley’s Olympic Village Lodge, November 17. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows promoted Tom Feiten to VP, Marketing and Business Development, overseeing marketing and sales. Before joining the resort in 2011, he helped Teton Gravity Research revitalize the Teton Gravity Research annual film[Read More…]
V for Vail, Vandals, Volcanoes…and Vacation!!!! This week we report on V‘s: Vail (purchasing WhistlerBlackcomb), Vandals (destroying the world’s oldest skier image), and Volcanoes (erupting in Chile’s Nevado de Chillan ski resort). We figure it’s an appropriate use of the alphabet, since both Mike and I are taking Vacations next week. He’s with family on Prince Edward Island. My wife and[Read More…]
Ski Younger Now is a retraining program for older skiers, and skiers returning to the sport after recovering from an injury. Developed by veteran instructor, Seth Masia (Seth is on the SeniorsSkiing.com Advisory Board), Ski Younger Now teaches low-impact, low-torque techniques to enable efficient skiing in all kinds of terrain. The approach works for anyone recovering from an injury and[Read More…]
