Season Hangs On, Cross-Country Lessons, Apex Boot Highlights, Bob Beattie, Fun & Games, Mystery Train.

Where it snowed in 2017-18 and how much. Snow accumulation data from the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery via the University of Chicago Research Computing Center

Click Here To See Where Snow Fell Day By Day From Oct 5th to March 26th. 

A glance at the map shows where the season’s snow accumulated and where it didn’t. Clearly, the Far West, Upper Rockies, (and Canadian Rockies not shown), parts of the Wasatch, and the Northeast received more than enough snow this season. Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Arizona resorts not so much.

The incredible graphic produced by the NOAA Goes-16 satellite of daily snowfall accumulation reveals most of heavy snow came sometime in March. So now we have spring skiing breaking out and ski resorts extending their seasons to make up for the phlegmatic January and February.

We have friends who have skied in the rain at Stowe this weekend and others who are planning to keep it up until Memorial Day and beyond out in Mammoth Mountain. This might be dubbed the “shifted season” where winter was re-set a month into the year. In any case, the challenge for resorts is to keep customers coming when most folks are taking boat covers off, spending Spring Break in the sun, or otherwise moving on from snow sports. Owning a ski resort is not for the faint of heart.

Mammoth Mountain extended the season after 16 FEET of snow in March. Credit: Unofficial Networks

This Week

This week’s Mystery Glimpse may be tough, showing a train somewhere out in the mountains. See if you can guess what’s going on.  On the other hand, we’ve been surprised by the depth of knowledge and history that comes out of our reader base. Last week’s handsome, California-stylin’ ski instructor’s identity is revealed along with a video clip of this charming gentleman.

We also have some advice on taking Cross-Country lessons from correspondent Jonathan Wiesel, insights into the growingly popular and “disruptive” Apex boot by Marc Liebman, a new game to play this spring with skiing friends by Harriet Wallis, and industry news and comments by co-publisher Jon in Short Swings. And there’s an interesting piece about the patron saint of skiers, mountaineers, and climbers. Do you know who that might be? Hint: Big dog.

This week’s was also marked by the passing of Bob Beattie, a popular, creative, entrepreneurial competitor, and television commentator. You can link to his obituary here.

The SeniorsSkiing.com Spring Survey Is Coming Soon

Please be on the look out for our Spring Survey. You will receive it as an email, and we promise it will take very few moments to complete. The purpose of these surveys is to understand your needs and to get to know who you are. We have had extraordinarily high response rates in the past which makes us think our readers are engaged and interested in supporting the our mission of boosting the profile of the senior snow sport enthusiast to the outdoor recreation community. So, BOLO.

Ski Songs Available

The response from our readers to Ray Conrad’s album of ski songs from the 60s has been remarkable.  It’s easy to download from CDBaby. If in doubt, ask your grandchild. You can go here to listen to some song snippets. Wonder why no one writes ski songs these days?  Or do they?  Know any “modern” ski songs?

Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com.  Tell your friends to tell their friends.  Remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One Comment

  1. No fair! The link to the mystery ski instructor of the March 30 edition doesn’t work! He looks familiar and the garb makes me think it is about 1960, but I can’t place him. Who is it?

    Roger Bourke (about to finish my 68th skison)

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