seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (May 31)

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Still Spinning, Still Snowing. Still Going?

In 1816, incessant cold throughout the year drove New Englanders to despair.

In 1816, there was no summer in New England. Six inches of snow fell in June, and it was as low as 40 degrees in Connecticut in July and August.  There was frost every month of the year, and, in May, strong, freezing winds from Canada wiped out tree buds, and frozen birds dropped from the trees.  One 74 degree day in Salem, MA,  was followed by a 21 degree day. Crops didn’t grow, and people went a little crazy. Contemporary observer Samuel Goodrich described the impact of the errant weather on the people of New Hampshire: “At last a kind of despair seized upon the people. In the pressure of adversity, many persons lost their judgment, and thousands feared or felt that New England was destined, henceforth, to become part of the frigid zone.” 

Some pointed to the eruption of Mt. Tambora in Indonesia that ejected massive amounts of ash and debris into the atmosphere as the root cause.  Other scientists say 1816 was part of a mini-ice age lasting from around 1400 to the 1860s. Click here for more on this fascinating event in meteorological history. 

Whatever the cause, New England, and dare we say, a large number of mountain states are experiencing an extension of Winter 2018-19 that is eerily similar to 1816. To wit: It is snowing in mid-May in Colorado.

Credit: WeatherBrains

A new 10-inches in Breckinridge.

Credit: Breckinridge Ski Resort

This was Killington on May 14th.

Killington in mid-May.

Here’s a video from Killington from May 14. Killington is extending the season to at least June 2. It has been 20 years since Killington has been open in June.

And, in the Sierra.

Credit: WeatherBrains.

And Mammoth is going to AUGUST!

Credit: Snowbrains

And so it goes.  A highly unusual year for snowfall and an extended winter. Have you seen closing days like these in recent years?  These resorts are the late-closers for the 2018-19 season.

  • Mt. Hood Meadows Memorial Day
  • Aspen Memorial Day
  • Crystal Mountain Memorial Day
  • Snowbird Weekends until it lasts
  • Whistler Memorial Day
  • Heavenly Weekends
  • Mt. Bachelor Memorial Day
  • Arapahoe Weekends to June 23
  • Breckenridge Weekends to June 9
  • Killington June 2
  • Squaw Valley June 7
  • Mammoth August
  • Timberline Lodge August 31

The question to our readers: If the resorts are still open, and the snow is still falling, are you still skiing? If so, please tell us your story.  What’s it like out there?  Who else is skiing this time of the year? Please let us know in Comments below.

This Week

Our first non-snow issue features an interesting comparison of skiing and cycling by correspondent Pat McCloskey.  Also, we hear from a reader who had a successful experience with a stem cell treatment for bad knees. This may be alternative for some seniors, but it’s important to understand what you are getting into. Finally, we hear from another reader who has some philosophical thoughts his last run on a pretty gnarly day when most folks would rather have put another log on the fire.

Onwards to summer.  Please send us you story ideas.  We love submissions by our readers. 

Remember, dear readers, there are more of us every day and we aren’t going away.

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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The most important equipment we need to maintain is our bodies. Cardio and weight training are essential to getting the most out of ourselves.

My wife is great at exercise: persistent and consistent. Hardly a day goes by when she’s not swimming or doing yoga, weights or other gym stuff. It helps that she enjoys it. I, on the other hand, often require her encouragement (aka nagging) to get me going. It wasn’t always that way. For years, when commuting to an office in Manhattan, I got up at 4:30AM for an hour race walk before getting on with the rest of the day. Photos from 25 years ago show a much trimmer me. I now look forward to working out. It’s a good feeling and one I hope is adding more life to the remaining years. It helped give me a strong feeling going into this past season. When I start to get lazy about exercise, I remind myself of being strong for next season. If you’re not moving around as much as you think you should, get up and do something. If it has been a while, take it easy and work your way toward greater strength and endurance. If you’re recovering from illness or injury, consult with medical personnel, physical therapists, or a good trainer. No need to overdo it; big need simply to do it. Keep moving. It will help you get back in track when next season rolls around. 

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Non-Stop Snow

This year you may not need to visit the Southern Hemisphere to get in your summer runs. Mammoth Mountain has so much snow, it plans to be skiing daily into August. Numerous areas throughout the snow-laden West are still open, at least on weekends. Even Killington, in Vermont, has some runs. 

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More Evidence Shows Glaciers Melting

Credit: ESA/Zemp et al. (2019) Nature/World Glacier Monitoring Service

Using 50-years of glacier measurements from the ground and from satellites, an international team of scientists studied 19 glacier regions around the world. They determined that the Earth’s glaciers have lost over 9,000 gigatons (9 trillion tons) of ice since 1961, causing the seas to rise by 27 mm or 1.06 inches.

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American Airlines Cuts Ski Fee

American announced it will check skis for $30, a significant savings over the $150 it has been charging. The reduced fees also apply to bikes, music gear, and other sports equipment. Bulky items still are subject to oversize or overweight charges.

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Orthopaedic Surgeon Breaks Record for Ski Boot Marathon

British orthopaedic surgeon, Paul Harnett, recently broke the world record for running a marathon in ski boots. He completed the race in London in 5 ½ hours and raised £10,000 for the British Paralympic Association and World Orthopaedic Concern.

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JOB OPENING: Ski Journalist Group Treasurer 

North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) is seeking a part-time treasurer. Responsibilities include monthly and year-end financial reports, receiving funds, and disbursing payments. Pays $200 per month. Interested? Contact NASJA Executive Secretary Peter Hines: peter.hines@nasja.org

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New Film Stars National Parks

The new film, “Find Me” is the story of a millennial desk jockey searching for a friend who disappeared after leaving a trail of clues. They take him to national parks and other outdoor places he never before considered visiting. It’s a romantic comedy treasure hunt starring nature in the lead role. For screening dates and locations click here.

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French Paraskiers Clowning Around

Ski videographers demonstrate to what ends they’ll go to create a “different looking” video. About 4 ½ minutes: Click here.

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French Adventurer Crosses Atlantic in a Barrel

Credit: Georges Gobet/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Jean-Jacques Savin, 72, recently crossed the Atlantic in a motorless, 10’ long barrel-shaped capsule made of plywood. It took him 127 days to complete the  3,125-nautical-mile trip. Relying solely on currents and winds, he left from the Canary Islands and landed May 2 on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius. “It’s freedom,” was the answer he gave a New York Times reporter when asked about the trip. The entire interview is here.

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Gee Whiz, Mister. Is That For Real?

Remember The Jetsons and those Mechanics Illustrated articles about flying cars? Last month, Boeing released this video of its prototype.

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He Ran Every Street in San Francisco

Rickey Gates is a very long distance runner. A few years ago, he ran from coast-to-coast. Last November he set out to run every street in San Francisco and completed the 1,303 mile task in 46 days. This film, from Salomon, is uplifting and inspiring. 

Pat McCloskey

Cycling And Skiing Similarities

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Both Require Looking Down The Trail, Pressurizing To The Outside Of The Turn.

I was out the other night riding with my pals and noticed that I was starting to look at the front of my wheel in sketchy terrain, and my balance was starting to be  compromised. 

Looking down the trail, not over the wheel.

I thought to myself, “Pat,  keep your eyes focused down the trail and not on what is right in front of you.”  I know this.  I always do this skiing: look down the trail three turns or more to allow efficient skiing and don’t look at what is right in front of your ski tips.  Sometimes you lose focus on what you are doing and let the terrain dictate your visual field.  The solution is something that I always tell skiers looking to improve. Don’t let the terrain ski you,  you ski the terrain. And the best way to do that is relax and look down the trail or slope.  When you allow your field of vision to open up by looking ahead, you have much more time to react to the terrain changes that will come before you, often at a rapid pace in skiing or riding a mountain bike. When you focus on your ski tips or your front wheel, that reaction time is severely compromised.  Momentum is your friend and if you look ahead, you can handle any terrain changes much better and in plenty of time to react.  Look at the rider in the picture here.  Looking ahead and down the trail.  He is focused and able to react to the technical challenges ahead. 

Another similarity between skiing and mountain biking is the position of the pedals during a turn.  The picture above shows an extreme example of a sharp turn on a mountain bike.  Look at where the inside leg is allowing full pressure on the outside pedal in the down position. 

Bode Miller putting weight on outside ski.

If you look at Bode Miller here, you will see a similar leg position in his downhill race  turn at Beaver Creek Birds of Prey World Cup. As soon as his outside ski makes contact, he will have it fully pressurized because of his leg and hip position.  This is very similar to the cyclist who is able to execute a steep turn on his mountain bike by allowing his outside pedal to be fully pressured in the turn.  Oftentimes when I ride, I can even feel a slightly countered position on my bike allowing the outside pedal to be fully under pressure and my inside pedal in the up position and stable in the turn.  I learned how efficient this is when I used to race on my road bike.  Those high speed turns have to be executed with the outside pedal fully under pressure, otherwise you cannot execute a tight high speed turn in the corners of a criterium race.  Racers who could not commit were often off the back or crashed out because of a poorly balanced turn. 

So, if you are longing for skiing during the off season, think about those turns during your bike rides.  Whether on the road or trail, the movements are very similar and can give you the feeling of a ski turn when it is 80 degrees outside.  Enjoy the summer and the riding. 

Robert Leaverton

Stem Cell Injection Alternative To Knee Replacement?

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[Editor Note: Robert Leaverton presents a positive experience with stem cell therapy for ailing knees. However, there are many caveats in pursuing this route. As Robert indicates in his conclusion, there are some indications that the therapy may have gotten ahead of the science. For a report on the state of stem cell therapy for joint repair, see this NYT article.]

I am a very active 82 year old skier, former runner. My knees were in pain to the point that I had to consider replacement if I wanted to continue skiing. I live and ski in Utah during the ski season. I ski at least six days a week,  seven if the POW is good.

Viable alternative? Research carefully, caveat emptor. Results may vary.

I went to a stem cell seminar in Spring 2018. I listened to the information and decided I should investigate further. I had the exam, some x-rays, and it was determined I was a good candidate for stem cell therapy. The previous ski season was a painful time. I was taking OTC pain meds to be able to ski all day. If my knees touched while I was sleeping, I would wake up. I knew that if I wanted to continue skiing, I would have to do something. I also knew that there was no guarantee SC would work, and I would pay $4,000 for each knee. I did not want to endure general anesthetic, pain, and re-hab. There is high success for total knee replacements, but no absolute guarantee.

I went to Wisconsin Stem Cell Therapy for injections in May 2018. The stem cell injections in each knee were painless. [Editor Note:  Stem cells are extracted from a patient’s own bone marrow and injected into worn or injured joints to promote healing.] I did therapy as suggested, and the results have been way more than I expected. I was being practical, and I would have been happy with 60 or 70 percent improvement. I rate my stem cell therapy as 100 percent success. I waited until I was done skiing for the season to make a final judgment of the SC therapy. After many years of painful skiing, I had a season with NO knee pain.

I have returned from more than two months in Utah. Had great snow and a lot of powder. Wind and visibility made for some difficult conditions (bumps & drifts) that were a real test for the SC therapy. SC therapy has been a huge success for me and will allow me to enjoy skiing for many more years.

Without any hesitation I would recommend stem cell therapy for anyone who suffers from joint pain and wants to continue to be active and enjoy life to the fullest.

Caution: When considering a clinic for stem cell therapy, be sure you investigate the clinic thoroughly. There are some “snake oil salesman” out there.

Bob Ohrt

Last Run

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Bring This Memory With You Through The Summer.

Silver Mountain, ID. Not ideal conditions, but it was a magical Last Run. Credit: Bob Ohrt

Like many, skiing has been a very large part of my life for a long time. I mis-spent much of my youth on a pair of skis, but as the demands of life came around, the skiing was abbreviated. 100 plus day seasons went to three or four. Semi-retirement has let me get back to the 20 to 40-day seasons, and the modern equipment allows for skiing with a curtailed version of what was even with the list of injuries accumulated along the way. As the clock keeps ticking, the Last Run of the Season is taking a more meaningful place that deserves remembering; this was it for the 2018 -2019 skiing year.

The last day saw me at Silver Mountain, ID. A really nice under-rated ski area that I hadn’t skied for a number of years. At the base, I was warned by a guy, who looked like he could turn both ways, to not go up due to the awful weather and abominable snow conditions. Not a particularly auspicious way to start the day, but I was going skiing; if conditions were that bad, I could leave. The guy was not far off on conditions, the wind was howling over the ridges, and three or four days of wind blew loose the Pacific Northwest’s finest late spring snow off the groomers. All told, the conditions could be best described as “interesting and deserving of your undivided attention”. It was not bad enough to chase an old idiot away though. 

Most days I ski solo, nobody wants to ski as slow as I do anymore.  Today was no exception. Going into the trees was not a wise idea so just cruised around on the blues and blacks in very light traffic, thoroughly enjoying myself (good thing it is easy to entertain the village idiot). I skied a lot of runs in 6” to 8” heavy snow that was lightly crusted or soggy sticky groomers. As the day progressed, the visibility did get better though, the weather was gathering itself for the next bout.

About 3:00, the body was telling me it was about time to wind the day up and feeling a bit glum at the thought. Fate had me cruising down a gentle low angle ridge called Sunrise, not thinking just skiing. On the left appeared three cleared spots in the trees. I stopped to admire the view at the third opening and realized I was in Heaven. Honest that is the name of the run, Heaven. To make matters even better, nobody else had been to Heaven that day, or at least not through that access. 

It honestly could not have been too much better; it lived up to its name. Heaven had a roll-over cornice accessing three or four hundred vertical feet of mostly untracked wind loaded slope with over a foot of fresh on a moderately steep face. Feeling my weight flow down the hill as my skis came around to support me at the bottom of the turn and set up for the next arc might be the essence of skiing. That little bowl offered up 15 or 20 of those turns in nearly untracked snow, it truly was Heaven for that run.

Did not even stop to look back. Why? This was a very good way to end it, Lord willing the story will continue next season.

It could have been worse, but those last 20 turns made it worth it. Credit: Bob Ohrt