Jan Brunvand

Creating Your Own Ski Season Photo Book

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Start Now To Produce An Attractive Photo Book with Minimal Camera and Computer Skills.

Many seniors keep track of their ski days, planning (or hoping) to ski their age each season. With a little more effort, and with minimal camera and computer skills, one can create an attractive ski-season photo book.

I think my ski books, compiled for the past ten years, are stunning. At least they should be of interest to future generations, showing them what the old man and lady were up to in their dotage.

Cover of Jan Brunvand's 2015-16 Season Album

Cover of Jan Brunvand’s 2015-16 Season Album

The first step is to keep your ski log current. I update it at the end of each ski day, right after wiping off our skis and putting the boots on the dryer. I keep it simple: One line on a legal pad listing which day of the season it is, the date and place, and who skied.

Second, you need a “picture-of-the-day,” which means having a small camera or a smart phone with you daily. I carry both, and sometimes my Polaroid Cube helmet cam. So, I take several photos every ski day.

The obvious subject—skiers posing against a snowy background—gets old after a while. So do selfies. Look for shots that convey a sense of that particular day: Friends, animals or animal tracks, dramatic vistas, funny license plates or signs, a friendly liftie, patrollers and rescue dogs, and the like.

One page shows several days. Each image represents a separate day.

One page shows several days. Each image represents a separate day.

Action shots are hard to get right, so occasionally I buy photos from the pros. I scan these to add to my trove. Last season at Alta, we got a great shot of us with a granddaughter riding a lift taken by a professional standing on the run below.

After I download the day’s photos to my computer, I select one for that day, and I caption it: “Day #5, Alta, 12/8.” I keep these in a folder on my desktop,, and I add miscellaneous shots to fill out the book, using descriptive titles like “Sugarloaf Summit” or “Porcupine Tracks.” I may also copy some individual frames from my helmet cam.

I assemble my book using the Apple Photo program, the successor to iPhoto. PCs have similar programs, or one can use an online service like My Publisher. Also check Shutterfly and Snapfish. It’s quite simple to create a handsome book, once you get the hang of it.

I start with a page of text summing up the season, then go to pages of one to eight captioned images, each illustrating a day, interspersed with the best of the miscellaneous shots.

The printed book, ordered online, arrives in a week or so, ready to show family and friends. Folks tell me how impressed they are, but maybe they are just being polite. Whatever.  My wife and I love these remembrances of ski seasons past.

Now that the new season has begun here in Utah, I’ve got my legal pad out, and a folder on my desktop labelled “2016-17 Ski Season.” The first shot is already there; the date of our first snow in the city written with my finger on the car window.

First day of the season!

First day of the season!

Harriet Wallis

Have Smartphones Ruined The Ski Experience?

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We Used To Just Ski. And Ski Talk. What Happened?

There we were, making turns in the soft powder as it dumped from the sky. The fluff was mesmerizing. Then my companion-of-the-day announced: “I have to stop.”

Are Smartphones an insidious barrier to socializing on the slopes? Credit: Harriet Wallis

Are Smartphones an insidious barrier to socializing on the slopes?
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Off came the gloves. Out came the phone. She began snapping photos.

My mind said: “Take your photos, then let’s ski.” But the photo session continued.

“I need to send these photos to my friends in Germany right now.”

My thoughts said: “They’re asleep in Germany right now. It’s the middle of the night.”

On the lift, the phone came out, and the thumbs tapped away. They tapped in the lodge, and they tapped as I drove us down the canyon toward home.

I had my fill of this phone-thing and spoke up hoping she’d take a hint. “Would you like me to pull over so you can finish texting?”

“No,” she said. “I can do this while you drive.”

I’d been invisible most of the day, and then I was relegated to being the chauffeur.

What ever happened to ski talk?

In the past, ski friends would exchange news of the family and get caught up on each other’s activities. And in the past, if you got on a lift or sat at a table with someone you didn’t know, the ski talk began. “Are you having a good day?” “Where are you from?” “Do you ski here often?”

By the time the lift reached the summit or when you’d finished your burger, you’d exchanged life stories and probably had a tip for a great restaurant. Socializing was an important part of skiing.

But now, Smartphones have reduced communication to Neanderthal grunts—and tapping thumbs say, “Don’t bother me. I’m busy talking to somebody other than you.”

Has part of the ski experience been lost?

To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.

 

 

seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Dec. 2)

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A Great Book Idea, Museum Visit, Balance Tip, Why Commercial X-C Ski Resorts, And Ski Mojo.

First day of the season!

First day of the season! Credit: Jan Brunvand

There is snow in the air: definitely lots of natural in parts of the West, more like serious making of snow in the East.  Nevertheless, resorts are opening and the season is beginning.  And just in time for the holidays.  That means gifts. Speaking of which we have three sources…

…If you are looking for a snow sports oriented holiday gift, head over the the “Ski Influencers” group at Experticity.com.  You can get major discounts from top brands of gear and clothing. If you are not a subscriber, complete our free subscription form in either the pop-up or the right column and you will get instructions on how to sign up with Experticity If you are already a subscriber, you should have registered with Experticity.  If you need instructions on how to do that, email us at info@seniorsskiing.com with “Experticity” in the subject line.

This week, co-publisher Jon Weisberg shares a book idea either for yourself as a gift.  The connection to snow sports is that is makes a great apres-ski read by the fire.  We haven’t seen him so enthusiastic for a book in a while.

Correspondent Harriet Wallis traveled to the New England Ski Museum at the base of Cannon Mountain for a report on its exhibits as well as its unique gift shop.  More interesting ideas for presents with a snow sports twist, so to speak.

Pat McCloskey, a veteran ski instructor and SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent, offers technique tip on balance.  It’s simple and effective.

You might wonder why you should go to a commercial xc center or resort when you can just go across the road to your local park, forest or golf club to ski all day for free.  XCResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr presents the case for visiting a commercial xc center.

Finally, we have a new advertiser, Ski~mojo, a supportive device that is said to take the pressure off knees and hips. Please check our first Sponsored Content article about the Ski~mojo product and let us know what you think.

Please note: We are working on making some of our special subscriber-only assets available on line to our readers.  This is taking a bit of engineering, but soon, perhaps as soon as next week, you’ll be able to access our recommended Skis for Seniors, Free Skiing for Seniors, Sign Up Instructions for Experticity, and our eBook of historic ski posters from the International Ski History Association. 

And remember there really are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.

This photo of Tuckerman's Ravine on Mt Washington occupies an entire wall. Credit: NESM

This photo of Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt Washington occupies an entire wall.
Credit: NESM

 

 

Jon Weisberg

This Season Read One Good Book

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The Orphan Keeper: A Fantastic Apres Ski Read.

orphankeeper_cover_largeAs I approach my 73rd birthday and commence my 63rd consecutive season, I want to declare that from the time I was 10, skiing has been a source of joy.

Not too long ago I was good from when the lifts opened until last ride. In recent years, I’ve been starting a bit later (except on powder days) and leaving the hill earlier, especially when the light begins to flatten. I’ll go back to the lodge or drive home, clean up, pour a glass of something pleasant and, more often than not, open a book.

Recently, I came across a terrific read that deserves to be better known, and probably will be. The Orphan Keeper was written by Camron Wright, an award-winning novelist based in Utah. The book is based on the astonishing true story of Taj Rowland. It begins in India where the seven year old boy is kidnapped and sold to an orphanage. He’s then adopted by unsuspecting parents in the United States who have no idea their new son isn’t really an orphan. By the time the boy can speak enough English to tell them he already has a family, it’s too late. They write letters. They make phone calls, but all roads lead to dead ends.

Taj grows up in the United States, goes to school, plays sports (even learns to ski), and his story may have ended there—except his past isn’t content to let him be. I won’t spoil how the story develops, other than to warn you that after reading a few chapters après ski, you’ll want to read through dinner, and keep on reading. This is a well-crafted page-turner that had me shocked, laughing, at times dabbing my eyes, and eager to learn more. It is terrific story made even better by the fact that is based on Taj Rowland’s real experience.

Years ago one of my teachers gave this advice for summer vacation: Take one good hike. Read one good book. Make one good friend.

My advice for this winter season: Take many great runs. Enjoy your friends. Read The Orphan Keeper.

seniorsskiing

Short Swings!

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trailmasterimage_CALIFORNIA

Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows announced that the The Audi FIS Women’s Alpine World Cup at Squaw Valley (March 9 – 12, 2017) will be 100% carbon neutral. The area will materially reduce and offset emissions directly related to the event. Activities will include composting, fresh water stations (both areas discontinued sale of single use plastic ater bottles last season — the first in the nation to do so), and a variety of car-pooling and other eco-friendly transportation options.

Mountain High, 90 minutes from Los Angeles and Orange County, is open for the season. It bills itself as   Southern California’s learn to ski and snowboard resort. 70+ are free, every day.

NEW MEXICO

The Town of Taos was selected as the country’s top ski town in a USA Today 10Best Reader’s Choice contest. Other cities in the running included Whitefish, Montana and North Conway, New Hampshire.

QUEBEC

The annual Quebec Winter Carnival will take place January 27-29. It is the classic winter event. If you plan to go, dress for the cold!

UTAH

Brighton Resort is open and operating from top to bottom.

Park City Mountain Resort lifts are now running for the season. It is the largest ski resort in the US and has something for every skier and boarder. Like most other Utah resorts, it’s a short ride from the airport.

VERMONT

Okemo announced that opening day featured top to bottom terrain, a feat it has achieved for four opening days in a row. Thank you, snow making crew!  Okemo is also planning demo days on 12/10-11.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Several resorts are planning to open this weekend in New Hampshire.  Black Mountain, Cranmore, Gunstock, and Ragged Mountain are making snow and grooming.  Check conditions before you go with Ski New Hampshire. 

OTHER

Patagonia’s Black Friday sales hit $10 million, 100% of which was donated to grassroots environmental organizations working around this fragile planet of ours. Thank you, Patagonia!

Mountain Collective provides two days of skiing at 14 iconic North American resorts, including Alta/Snowbird; Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, Jackson Hole, Revelstoke, Whistler Blackcomb, and Stowe. The pass costs $419. Pass holders get 50% off additional days (no blackouts). It is ski value at its best if travel plans take you to those great locations.

Timber Creek Lodge is a new relaity show on the Bravo network. It’s set in an upscale ski lodge and, based on the trailer, features a selection of curvaceous and hard body youngsters doing what they can to please the patrons and each other. Premiers Monday, December 5th at 10pm ET/PT.