mikemaginn

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 26)

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Spring Is Here, Quitting Time? Corn or Mashed? Beech Top-to-Bottom, Diggins World Cup, Ski Art III, Skiing Weatherman.

Spring: Time for renewal. Time for change. New directions.

“It was such a spring day as breathes into a [person] an ineffable yearning, a painful sweetness, a longing that makes [them] stand motionless, looking at the leaves or grass, and fling out [their] arms to embrace [they] know not what.” John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga.

The slightly updated quote [pronouns]  brings us to where we are on the calendar: Spring has descended and the “ineffable yearning” is happening as we speak.  The sap is running in the sugar bush, maple syrup is boiling (and boiling), and it becomes impossible to ignore the change in the air.

Sign of spring: Tuckerman Ravine, 1938. Credit: Mt. Washington

Especially, this year. We made it through in one way or another, and we “fling out [our] arms to embrace [we] know not what.” We are in that special place called the interim, between the way things were and the way things will be.  We know how it was this year—creative adaptations to restrictions and constraints for those who were determined to book time on the snow—but we can only hope the future season will approach normalcy.  We can hope, but we don’t know; no one does. Such is the nature of the interim.

However, we know that Vail is doing some bet hedging. The ski resort empire has dropped the price of its Epic pass by 20 percent for 2021-22.  That’s $200 off the Epic and about $150 off the local Epic, both sharply undercutting the rival Ikon pass. Season pass sales last summer helped Vail buffer the losses to revenue from the epidemic, and cutting prices dramatically will help ensure more of the same for the upcoming season. Presumably, people who buy passes intend to use them, unless they can’t because of virus restrictions.  We don’t know for sure but we can bet a number of last season’s pass buyers—Epic and Ikon—regretted buying a pass when the industry shut down and/or tried to get credit or their money back. Will those who grumbled and who didn’t get the value they expected last season step up to buy a discounted pass when the future is still behind a veil of uncertainty?

Regardless, the season pass is the future. Clearly, Vail has strategically pushed the market in that direction. Forget about buying a walk-up lift ticket, unless you intend to ski just one or two times in a season.  Let’s hope this upcoming season finds all those tricky dependent variables clicking into place: people buying, restrictions removed, and snow piling up. At least that’s what we ineffably yearn for.

By the way, the Epic Northeast Midweek Pass for seniors 65-plus has dropped to $271.  In the west, the Tahoe Value Pass is $359 for seniors. Pretty tempting.

Good luck, Vail.

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Attention Donors: We will start sending premiums from our recent fundraiser this week and next.  Please be on the lookout for our mailing to you.  And please be patient as the mails aren’t what they used to be.

Holiday Break: SeniorsSkiing.com is taking a break for the Easter/Passover holiday.  We wish everyone a peaceful and restoring holiday, hopefully with friends and family. Be safe.

Update on Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg: Jon had been hospitalized since mid-February and is finally in rehab. He is on the mend and is looking forward to getting back in shape. Thanks for all your concern.

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This Week

Our Question For You this week asks if when you will call it a season.  What’s your criteria? How has this decision been affected by the restrictions/constraints imposed by resorts to keep employees and visitors safe? Click here.

Correspondent Marc Liebman opines on corn snow—when it’s good and not so good—and mashed potatoes. He asks if you know the difference and what to do when faced with both conditions.  Click here.

Diggins says experience is teaching her about her capabilities and how to win. Credit: Cross Country Skier

Cross-country editor and XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr reports on Jesse Diggins World Cup victory in this year’s XC FIS competition. She’s the first American woman to win a World Cup title in history, and the first American to win gold since Bill Koch’s victory in 1982.  International competition at the World Cup level is intense, and her victory is a huge achievement for the US team and for women in sports.  Click here.

An almost unworldy mood at the start of a run.

Once again, correspondent/videographer Don Burch has produced a wonderful, expressive video in his Ski Art series. Some of these images would be great prints to mount in your den.  Click here.

Our Vicarious Vacation series continues with a run down Beech Mountain, NC, top to bottom.  You’ve seen the Alps and the Rockies in this series. Now, it’s time for a more prosaic example of Southern Skiing at a mecca for skiers in the mid-Atlantic. Click here.

Dawn at Round Vally from the grooming team. Credit: Mountain Trails

Correspondent Pat McCloskey takes us to Round Valley, UT, where he fat bikes around a network of trails maintained by a community foundation.  Pat took a break from his ski-week vacation at Park City to visit the nearby center for all kinds of winter and summer outdoor sports. Round Valley has trails for fat biking, xc, snowshoeing, and winter hiking/running, with enough space for everyone to stretch out. Pat notes the locals and local seniors are fit and take advantage of the snow, 300 days of sunshine, and the beautiful surroundings.  Click here.

Finally, the Skiing Weatherman Herb Stevens reports the pattern that continues to dominate the weather this time of year: The West is wild, the East is winding down, although there might be a chance for another dose of snow in the Northeast this week. This pattern of wild West, wimpy East seems to have hung in over the past several seasons.  Click here.

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

 

 

Herb Stevens

Skiing Weatherman: West Strong, Last Call East

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Bluebird Days. Light Snow.

The weather pattern hasn’t changed much in the past week as the jet stream set-up has continued to feature a cold trough over the western half of the country and a milder to warm ridge over the eastern half.  It has been another snowy week in the West, although amounts of fresh snow have been a little less than the prior week.  In the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast it has been a warm week, and both base snow and trail counts have taken a hit.  Changes in the pattern are underway, however, as low pressure centers that get ejected out of the western trough head northeast and mount an attack on the ridge.  The ridge is formidable though, and it won’t back down without a fight.  It will take three surface storms to knock down the ridge enough to cool the atmosphere sufficiently for snow to fall instead of rain.  That third storm will impact the Northeast later this weekend and into next week and could possible represent the final opportunity for significant snowfall, as the pattern will shift to a warmer regime right after Easter.  Here is a look at a snowfall forecast through Tuesday morning.

You’ll notice that New Hampshire and Maine look like the big winners.  That is because one low pressure center will move through Ontario as it weakens with a secondary low center taking shape over Cape Cod before it moves through the Gulf of Maine, strengthening as it does.  That track will most benefit the White Mountains and the resorts of Maine.  After picking up very little snow in the past three weeks, and with Easter weekend on the horizon, a healthy shot of snow would help sustain quality skiing and riding through the holiday.  Some light snow will accompany the passage of another trough and cold front on Good Friday and that will help refresh the surfaces, as well.

In the West, the persistent trough will produce its final shot of snow late this week (especially in CO and WY) setting the stage for a wonderful weekend with bluebird skies dominating as the trough swings out of the region and into the center of the country.  A new trough will arrive next week, however, bringing early week snow to the Northwest and midweek powder to the full length of the Rockies.  Here is a snowfall forecast through Friday for the West.

The amounts you see are pretty much split between the end of this week and the week of the 29th.

Many of the resorts in the Midwest have closed, but the larger areas are still open.  Some light snow amounts will fall across the northern Great Lakes later this weekend.  In the Southeast, about a half dozen resorts are still operating, thanks to high base elevations and aggressive snowmaking through the season.  That snow can’t hold on much longer against the strength of Old Sol, though.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Pac NW/B.C.:

Beautiful weekend on the slopes.  Light to moderate fresh snow early next week keeps the powder party going.

Central and Southern Sierra:

Great spring skiing this weekend. Back door cold front turns it a little colder next week, but no significant snow in sight.

Rockies:

Sunny weekend on the slopes.  New trough delivers light to moderate snow from MT to NM first half of next week. Light snow next weekend in northern resorts.

Midwest:

Light snow across the far north this weekend.  Mild start/colder finish next week with another round of light snow.

Northeast:

Spring conditions rule after mild, damp week.  Opportunity for meaningful snow late this weekend/early next week in northern NY and northern New England.  Another round of light snow late week.

Mid-Atlantic/Southeast:

Great spring skiing Saturday (3/27).  Colder air mass arrives later Sunday.  Spring skiing continues next week. Call resort before you drive, though.

 

Loveland
seniorsskiing

Question For You: When Do You Quit?

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Stay Till The Final Melt, Or Had Enough Already?

Some are done, some have more to come. Credit: Loveland

We know skiers who save up their skiing days until springtime. Fair weather skier, they are.  March is when they go out in earnest, conditions permitting. And there are others who decide to bag the season after President’s Day. Or St. Patrick’s Day. Still others make the weekend trek to the mountains every weekend until their favorite resort closes down.

Several years ago, we read an article in SKIING magazine about a couple of resorts in the West which extended their seasons because the snow conditions were extraordinary. So, they went through the expense of keeping staff on board, grooming, maintaining, and all that as well as advertising their later closing date. Result: Turnout was lower than expected. Skiers had moved on. When you think that the hard-core who show up are probably season pass holders, the net increase in revenue probably wasn’t close to being worth the effort?

So, how about you? Are you putting away your snow stuff? Taking the cover off the boat? Playing “Winter Rules” golf in early spring? Oiling up the bike chain? Booking tennis dates?

Question: When do you quit for the season? What’s your marker/ decider? How was this year different?

Please comment in Leave A Reply below.

Marc Liebman

Corn Snow And Mashed Potatoes: Know The Difference.

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One Fun, The Other Not So Much.

Spring brings corn for a few precious hours. Credit: Jans

We’re nearing that time of year in New England and the upper Midwest where the snow melts a little during the day and freezes at night. The repetitive process creates tiny balls of ice. In the morning, they’re rock hard but as the sun comes up, they melt a little and turn into ball bearings lubricated by water. The condition is known as “corn snow.”

The skis carve when rolled on their edges, a platform builds up under the bottom making it easy to unweight, if you are old-fashioned like me, or roll your knees in the direction you want to go.

The day starts with rock-hard, frozen granular until the melting starts. Then for the next three or four hours, the skiing is divine. Depending on the temperature and the slope’s exposure to the sun, by mid-afternoon, the snow becomes sloppy. That’s when it is time to quit and start early again the next day.

Corn snow: Coarse, granular, and wet. Credit: FIS

In the Rockies, the drier snow doesn’t “corn up” as well as it does in the east. Until late in the spring, the conditions are packed powder at the top and soft and mushy as you come down in altitude.

Late spring snows in the Far West and east of the Mississippi are often full of moisture. The snow is heavy. Gloppy is an appropriate term. Way back when, we called the conditions mashed potatoes.

Venture into mashed potatoes, and you’ll find that turning requires effort and strength. Unless you have your weight equally balanced throughout the turn, the heavy wet snow grabs your skis, making turns hard to make.

Lose your balance in mashed potatoes, and you are in what we used to call a “slow, twisting fall.” If you are lucky, you get up, wetter than when you went down and keep skiing.

Mashed potatoes? Go home.

However, if you are a subscriber of SeniorsSkiing.com, danger lurks in the mashed potato fall. Even with modern bindings and shorter skis that reduce the torque on the leg, your bindings may not release immediately. Why? Because the initial torque may be below the threshold needed to free your boot. Then as you “slowly” fall, torque is slowly applied to the leg that might result in a nasty spiral fracture. The break could take weeks, even months to heal.

So how do you ski corn snow? The answer is simple. In the morning when it is hard and rutty, ski the same way one would hard, frozen granular. Then, as the snow softens, ski the same way you’d take on packed powder and enjoy the corn snow ride.

How do you ski mashed potatoes? Avoid the condition. Go home and ski another day!

 

Beech Mtn
seniorsskiing

Top To Bottom: Beech Mountain

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North Carolina Has The Highest Ski Resort In Eastern North America. Have You Been?

Beech Mountain has 17 slopes and 8 lifts. The longest run is one mile. It might be short but it is indeed sweet.

The next stop in our Vicarious Vacation series is a hop down to North Carolina’s Beech Mountain. Located in the western mountains of the state, Beech Mountain has a summit elevation of 5,506 feet, making it the highest ski resort on the East Coast. The mountain is a mecca for mid-Atlantic skiers.

Here’s a run from top to bottom. We found the sound track a bit irritating, so we muted our sound while we watched.  We love cruising blues, and this run does it. Easy-peasy. See what southern skiing is like. No, it’s not the Rockies or the Alps, but it is fun for all.  It’s from pre-COVID times, so no masks, etc.

 

Ski Art
Don Burch

Ski Art III

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Don Burch Offers Another Intriguing View Of The World Of Skis And Snow.

An almost unworldly mood at the start of a run.

Don’s been experimenting with various techniques to take ski videos into an aesthetic direction.  His third offering combines a haunting melody and moody visuals.  Music is Gravitated by Edgar Hopp. Click on the image below to watch the video.

Pat1
Pat McCloskey

Make More Tracks: “When All Else Fails, We Still Have Trails”

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A Network Of Trails Run By Community Foundation Offers Multi-Use Recreational Activities.

Pat rides tubby tires, taking a break from skis. Round Valley, UT, has 25 km of trails for XC, biking, hiking. Summer activities include trail running, horse riding, mountain biking in the Park City area. Credit: Pat McCloskey

The motto above is the moniker of one of the most interesting trail systems I have seen to date. Round Valley, near Park City, UT, is a paradise for cross country skiers, fat bikers, hikers, and dog walkers. The well groomed trails encourage multi- use and 25 kilometres is groomed for traditional cross country skiing and freestyle XC over 700 acres of preserve.

This preserve was once slated for development until some of the townspeople thought better and put together a foundation to encourage an alternate use for the land. Click here to read about the Mountain Trails Foundation. They were successful, and today, it is a very popular place for recreation. Well marked, and used for many pursuits, it shows how forward thinkers can offer an alternative to the rabid development of available land for housing or commercial pursuits. Especially in a town where recreation is king.

Not only are the trails well marked and groomed, but there is a sense of pride that you can feel there with all the activity. Some of the different things that I noticed was the general health and shape of the people who regularly use the system. At altitude, it is impressive to see older people skating up a steep hill on freestyle XC skis. With a big smile on their face they greeted us as they hammered up the hill to the summit which has a breathtaking view of the surrounding Wasatch Mountains. You could see fat bikers off in the distance climbing on miles of trails and the traditional cross country skiers making good use out of the track setting. Gliding along they smiled and said hello as their dogs followed in hot pursuit.

Lots of dogs play with their humans along the way. Credit: Pat McCloskey

Speaking of dogs, I was amazed at how many of them were along with the hikers, skiers, and riders . At no time did they interfere with activity and they seemed to know to get to the side when going downhill so as not to impede the progress of their owners. All off leash, they seemed to have a sense of how to move with the flow of traffic and at no time did they seem like a menace to anyone on the trails.  Even the dogs are welcomed to get into shape and never avoid a hill for fitness. But their sense of the trail layout and the difficulty of some trails and the gentle grade of others showed me that man’s best friends are more aware than I thought.

I always say when I venture west how impressed I am with the fitness of people out there. Even “older” folks seem to be in great shape and don’t let their advancing age hinder their pursuit for outdoor activities and the great visuals of the Wasatch. I suppose if you have over 300 days of sunshine, world class skiing, water sports, and multi use trail systems like Round Valley, you really have no excuse not to take advantage of the great outdoors. They have a great life out there.

For more information on a really well thought out recreation area, check out Mountain Trails and see for yourself how active people can make a difference to better their lives and other lives as well.

Dawn at Round Vally from the grooming team. Credit: Mountain Trails

 

 

mikemaginn

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 19)

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ISHA Treasure Chest, Wildcat Polecat Run, Hemingway Excerpt, Jan’s Series Wrap, Gift From COVID Year, Shared House Tips, Nordic Colorado.

I-25 in Northern Colorado during the Big Weekend Storm. Credit: eptrail.com

“There Is Much Weather In A March Day”: Irish Proverb.

Indeed, March has us betwixt and between. We had some beautiful mid 60s to 70 degree days early on in New England, then an abrupt switch to zero degrees and wind chill driving the sap up in the sugar maples around the farm. We march into spring hoping for those bluebird days and t-shirt skiing, and maybe that’s in the offing, based on the cockamamie fluctuations we’ve been seeing.  There has been that huge, record-breaking dump of snow in Colorado for a potential season extender. We know I-70 and I-25 (see above) were a mess heading out of Denver. Pent-up demand is everywhere.

The new snow and cold temps are treasures for those chasing these coming weeks of spring skiing. A surprise, considering the wobbly start of the season in the Rockies. The West and Northwest have more than enough snow to carry on to Memorial Day. Snowmaking might be the extender device of Northeastern resorts. Unlike other years when resorts extended their seasons with late snows and found the numbers of visitors disappointing, this year we predict demand will keep folks coming out until the last snowflake melts into a vernal pool.

The ISHA Treasure Chest.

Speaking of treasures, we’ve just been cruising around the website of the International Skiing History Association. ISHA is a non-profit whose mission is to “preserve and advance the knowledge of ski history and to increase the public’s awareness of ski heritage.” To do that, the organization publishes Skiing History Magazine, a well-produced, bi-monthly, full color publication that has interesting articles about the sport’s past: equipment, places, personalities, and the like. Subscribers have access to the magazine’s entire archive collection, enough material to while away many an evening.

In addition to the magazine, ISHA maintains other treasures on its website. You can find profiles of people from the world of skiing from racing to business leaders to resort founders and on and on. There’s also an incredible library of videos with interviews and documentaries, a thorough and detailed directory of ski museums , collections and libraries around the globe, a section on Canadian ski history, a history of Nordic skiing and jumping, a glossary of ski terms over the years, Olympic lore and facts. There’s also a collection of vintage ski art and posters from the classic travel posters of yore to magazine covers, ancient woodcuts, and photos. And an extensive racing results resource that covers Olympics, World Cup and World Cup Championships

ISHA also sponsors an annual awards event that honors ski authors, filmmakers and broadcasters.

For researchers and enthusiasts, there is an incredible, massive ski bibliography assembled over a number of years by the Chief Librarian of Whitman College Henry Yaple. It contains a listing of every book, dissertation, film video and piece of software published on skiing, in English, between 1890 and 2002. The resulting two-volume work, comprising 732 pages, was published by ISHA in 2004. It lists more than 7,000 items, all searchable on the ISHA site.

We know SeniorsSkiing.com readers would love to belong to ISHA and read Skiing History Magazine. Such treasures and such value are available through a new discount introductory offer.

From now until June 30, you can join ISHA and get a subscription to Skiing History Magazine for only $12 for six issues with auto-renew. Be sure to use the code SRSKI21 to get this fantastic discount.  Click on the ISHA Take A Run On Us ad in the right column or click here to access the details and sign up.

Incidentally, ISHA is searching for a new CEO to lead the organization. It’s a real opportunity for someone with leadership and non-profit experience as well as a commitment to winter sports.  If you’re interested, contact Chan Morgan, Chairman of the Board, via email at Chauncey.g.morgan@gmail.com.

This Week.

 

Our Question For You this week asks you to think about the good things that might have descended to you and yours from this one year of virus restrictions and constraint. What’s the gift you have been given? Click here.

We found a wonderful short story by Ernest Hemingway for our Snow In Literature series that takes place in the Swiss Alps and includes descriptions of skiing techniques and equipment in the 20s. We’ve included an excerpt from the beginning of Cross Country Snow as well as a link to the entire story. Enjoy. Click here.

View from Wildcat to Mt. Washington. That’s Tuckman Ravine on the left. Credit: Tamsin Venn

Correspondent Tamsin Venn visits Wildcat in New Hampshire on a perfect spring skiing day. Here’s her report of her experience.  Click here.

And we found a wonderful top-to-bottom video that shows a continuous run on Polecat, the longest green run in New Hampshire, from the top of Wildcat to the base lodge. It looks like a wonderful, easy trail. Click here.

Here’s Part Six of Jan Brunvand’s story of his skiing career, bringing us up to date on his adventures in Utah and beyond.  Here’s a guy who has been skiing for eighty years, and he still gets a thrill out of it.  Click here.

Our Make More Tracks story this week brings us to Colorado, normally thought of as headquarters for Alpine ski resorts. There are many excellent Nordic resorts across the state, and this article from the Nordic Approach highlights several of them. Click here.

Correspondent Karen Lorentz profiles the famous green-parka-clad Ambassadors at Killington, who help visitors navigate the huge resort as well as create a climate of friendliness and welcome. Click here.

Web designer and skier extraordinaire Alice Winthrop offers some rules that help make sharing a ski house stress- and conflict-free.  Alice is SeniorsSkiing.com’s designer and IT consultant who also created Resercal, an app that takes confusion out of house sharing. Click here.

Finally, Herb Stevens wings in with a report on next week’s weather. The West continues to get snow, not so much in the East. Click here.

Final Note: We have finally received all the labels and envelopes from our printers for mailing our premiums to our donors who contributed during our recent fundraising. We should be starting our mailings in a week or so. 

Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends and remember there are more of us every day and we aren’t going away.

 

 

 

 

 

Herb Stevens

Skiing Weatherman: Season Rolls On in West, New Snow Scarce in East

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Fresh Snow in the Wasatch. Spring Conditions Reign East.

This week’s message is quite simple: If you want fresh snow, head west.  If you enjoy spring skiing, the upper Midwest and East will sport those conditions much of the time through the end of the month.  That said, I do expect the East to turn a little colder early in April, but the jet stream may remain benign enough to make it tough to support a storm with fresh snow for the Easter weekend.

As usual, I will point to jet stream features to explain my forecast.  The jet stream is the hand that moves the high and low pressure systems at the surface around like chess pieces.  Here is a look at the jet stream for Wednesday of next week.

The orange humps that you see in the Pacific Northwest and over the eastern third of the country are ridges, where milder than normal air is located at roughly 15,000 feet above sea level.  Ridges produce warming at the surface, as well as a lack of storminess.  The blue features that look a bit like buckets are troughs, where colder than normal air pools and supports low pressure surface storms that produce snow.  The two lobes of the western troughs will produce snow this weekend into next week from the Sierra into the southern Rockies, and it looks the resorts of the Southwest and Colorado will enjoy another solid dose of powder after the dumping of last weekend.   The Pac Northwest has been the bullseye for much of the heavy hitters this season, but that ridge you see in that region will lead to a relatively quiet week.  No worries – base depths in this part of the country, as well in adjacent Canada, are VERY healthy and can withstand a mild spell with ease.

Now, I do think that the trough will consolidate and attempt to move into the East in about 10 days, but any time a trough runs into the back end of a ridge, the trough tends to weaken in terms of circulation and cold air, and be deflected by the ridge.  Here is a look at the jet stream for Monday morning of the 29th with the ridge moving offshore and the trough trying to force its way into the East.

The trough will tend to lift out to the northeast from where it will be on the 29th, rather than bodily move toward the coast, so although we could see a late snow event around the 29th/30th, I don’t believe that it will be a major snowfall. The upper Midwest will stand a better shot at meaningful snow from this system.  As we head through that week and toward Easter weekend, I do think that it will turn cooler in the East, but at this point, I would have to rate a fresh snowfall of significance leading into the holiday a long shot.

If you want fresh snow? Go west.  Sliding in the Midwest or East?  Grab some sunscreen.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Pac NW/B.C.:

Snow falls this weekend into early next week.  Upper ridge develops and leads to dry spell after that.

Central and southern Sierra:

Cold air keeps snow dry this weekend; some light snow early next week with slow warming later in the week as ridge expands down the coast.

Rockies:

Light snow this weekend and again early next week central and north.  Moderate to heavy snow Wasatch and southern resorts from a multi-day storm starting this weekend.

Midwest:

A mild spell settles in this weekend, turning cooler later next week.  Turning colder late next week with improving prospects for snow.

Northeast:

New snow prior to the weekend in the Catskills and Berkshires.  Seasonable temps and dry this weekend. Spring snow conditions rule region-wide next week.

Mid-Atlantic/Southeast:

Nice spring skiing this weekend then mild next week as ridge calls the shots.  Days limited for skiing this season.

 

 

seniorsskiing

Question For You: The Best Of The Virus Year?

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One Year On, It Is Time For Reflection.

Breckenridge lift line in Dec 2020 when the resort had “significantly reduced capacity.”

This year of sudden shut down when everything about lives has changed has thrown a lot of plans out the window. While many readers have found a way to get out in the snow, others have given this season a bye, and still others have taken up alternative snow sports, like cross-country, snow shoeing, and even fat biking.

Whatever path readers have taken, this entire year has been a significantly different experience, so different that many folks think it is the most distinctive experience of their entire lives, except perhaps war, injury, or spiritual enlightenment.

While we have all grumbled about what has been taken away, we might have also noticed that some changes and adjustments brought about by this virus have been a gift. Perhaps that gift had to do with how we enjoy the outdoors in winter, or what we’ve learned about your local ski area or fellow skiers or your skill level and pursuit of improvement.  Or how you’ve managed to maintain fitness cooped up and socially isolated.

Question For You: On this COVID close down anniversary week, what’s the gift you have been given this year? Were you surprised? Can you keep this gift going into the future?

Please make a comment in Leave A Reply below.

seniorsskiing

Snow In Literature: Cross Country Snow

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By Ernest Hemingway

(This is an excerpt from the short story which appeared in the collection In Our Time (1927). To read the complete story, click here.)

The funicular car bucked once more and then stopped.  It could not go farther, the snow drifted solidly across the track. The gale scouring the exposed surface of the mountain had swept the snow surface into a wind-board crust. Nick, waxing his skis in the baggage car, pushed his boots into the toe irons and shut the clamp tight. He jumped from the car sideways onto the hard wind-board, made a jump turn and crouching and trailing his sticks slipped in a rush down the slope.

On the white below George dipped and rose and dipped out of sight. The rush and sudden swoop as he dropped down a steep undulation in the mountain side plucked Nick’s mind out and lift him only with the wonderful flying, dropping sensation in his body. He rose to a slight up-run and then the down, faster and faster in a rush down the last, long steep slope.  Crouching so he was almost sitting back on his skis, trying to keep the center of gravity low, the snow driving like a sand-storm, he knew the pace was too much. But he held it. He would not let go and spill. Then a patch of soft snow, left in a hollow by the wind, spilled him and he went over and over in a clashing of skis, feeling like a shot rabbit, then stuck, his legs crossed, his skis sticking straight up and his nose and ears jammed with snow.

George stood a little farther down the slope, knocking the snow from his wind jacket with big slaps.

“You took a beauty, Mike,” he called to Nick. “That’s lousy soft snow. It bagged me the same way.”

“What’s it like over the khud?” Nick kicked his skis around as he lay on his back and stood up.

“You’ve got to keep to your left. It’s a good fast drop with a Christy at the bottom on account of a fence.”

“Wait a sec and we’ll take it together.”

“No, you come on and go first. I like to see you take the khuds.”

Nick Adams came up past George, big back and blond head still faintly snowy, then his skis started slipping at the end and he swooped down, hissing in the crystalline powder snow and seeming to float up and drop down as he went up and down the billowing khuds. He held to his left and at the end, as he rushed toward the fence, keeping his knees locked tight together and turning his body like tightening a screw brought his skis sharply around to the right in a smother of snow and slowed into a loss of speed parallel to the hillside and the wire fence.

[Editor Note: On April 5, PBS stations will be airing a new, three part series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick on Hemingway, who was an enthusiastic skier in Europe in the 20s. SeniorsSkiing.com previously published an excerpt from The Snows of Kilimanjaro, describing skiing in the Voralberg.]  

 

Tamsin Venn

Spring Comes to Wildcat

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Long And Winding Runs. Great Views.

Getting ready for spring skiing at Tuckerman. Credit: Tamsin Venn

It was serendipity to arrive at Wildcat in the northern Presidential Mountains of New Hampshire the first week in March and find spring skiing. Many of us missed that part of the ski season last year in the pandemic shut-downs.

Due to its north facing slopes and deep snowpack, Wildcat usually is the last ski area to close in New Hampshire. This year it’s April 18.

While there, temps shot up to 66 degrees. Wildcat is not always so hospitable. It sits across the street from weather magnet Mt. Washington, tallest peak in the Northeast at 6,288 feet, and highest recorded wind speed 231 mph.

Away we go down Upper Catapult. Credit: Tamsin Venn

This year we were on the lookout for non-crowded midweek slopes, a friendly local atmosphere, and no state travel restrictions for us. Wildcat fit the bill.

The L-shaped parking area minimizes the schlep to the main lodge. Boot up from your tail gate, tiptoe across the icy parking lot, hike past four new, neon-colored porta-potties, get your RFID card zapped, and hop onto the Wildcat Express Quad. Seven minutes later, in one of the swiftest trips in skidom, you have reached the summit.

For several hours I lapped the Express Quad, zipping up-down-up, alternating from the left to the right flank on long, winding trails of 2,100 vertical feet. The trails draw you down as the head and shoulders of Mt. Washington rise. It’s like being in a movie… with good lighting.

Snow was corn, sweet, smooth. My left-foot steering was working as well as my right, always a good sign. Around 11, soft conditions required maneuvering into skied-off slots to save on thigh burn. Clearly early-morning skiing is best for spring skiing, even at a north facing mountain. But when I left early afternoonish, the parking lot was jammed. Spring fever had hit.

Although it has a reputation as an expert’s mountain, Wildcat has beginner terrain (20 percent)—Pole Cat is a 2.5 mile beginner trail, longest in New Hampshire—(see video article in this issue)— intermediate terrain (47 percent)—Lynx is a sweet roller with fun intermediate pitches—and expert terrain (33 percent)— famed black bump runs under the lift line. Midweek, you’ve got your turns to yourself and stress-free trail junctions.

The “cans” are display only. Credit: Tamsin Venn

Looking across to the top of Mt. Washington and thinking of spring skiing Tuckerman Ravine, you will always be grateful for the Express Quad that whips you to the area top at 4,028 feet. No hiking required. On wind holds, the Tomcat Triple gives you the bottom three-quarters.

When Vail Resorts bought Wildcat two years ago to add to its Epic mix, it took many by surprise. Wildcat is loved for its no-frills amenities and boot-scarred lodge, not exactly a Vail kind of place.

But a modern mega-resort corporation can’t erase the memories. My neighbor asked me:

“Does Wildcat still have those cold gondolas? When skiing there circa 1950s, the cable jammed [and] we near froze in the can in the hour it took to get them moving.  When people did emerge at the top, all the men ran for the bushes!  Anyway, it was exciting to ski there.”

It still is.

 

 

Click here for Wildcat Trail Map

Click Here for Wildcat Tickets

Click Here for Uphill Access

Click Here for Mountain Cams

 

seniorsskiing

Top-To-Bottom: Wildcat Polecat

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Non-Stop, Two Mile Run on Polecat.

Here’s the next in our Vicarious Vacation series: here’s a nice, calm run on the longest green trail in New Hampshire. Polecat runs from the top of Wildcat to the base, nice wide trails, mostly, taken at a leisurely pace.

That’s Mount Washington on the horizon on the Tuckerman Ravine side. Spectacular bluebird day makes it all a great ride.  The producer is Beyond The Lodge. Enjoy.

Jan Brunvand

Fifty-Five Years (So Far) of “The Greatest Snow on Earth”

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Part Six: Jan and Judy Become Senior Skiers.

We moved to Utah in 1966 when we were in our early thirties. We retired in 1996 in our early sixties, and now we are in our eighties, still skiing what is hyped as “The Greatest Snow on Earth.”  It’s a catchy slogan and mostly true.

Many of our best skiing memories are of powder days, bluebird days, and especially Bluebird powder days, but there are also memories of less-ideal days.

Like the time Judy and I were evacuated from a quad at Solitude on a cold blustery morning. Some essential part failed, leaving us along with about one hundred other skiers stuck half say up. It’s an interesting experience to be lowered from a dangling chair by rope and pulley.

Or the time I lost our granddaughter Rosalie at Deer Valley when she was eight years old. I was half way down a trail before I realized that she had not followed me. I headed to the nearest lift, while Rosalie appealed to a host for help. When I returned to the summit I found her in the ski patrol cabin petting the rescue dogs and having a snack.

From the same year here is Rosalie leading Grandpa and Grandma down a run at Brighton. She’s wearing her trademark panda helmet cover.

Then there was the time when I got lost in thick fog at Snowbasin guiding a visiting friend. After twice failing to find the fog poles to lead us back to the main base area, ending up at Strawberry base instead, we appealed to the patrol. The sent over two snowmobiles, and the hair-raising ride to safety at top speed was almost as scary as skiing in the fog.

I got to ski with my brother Tor again in the Rockies when he came out for visits.

Not all of our skiing has been in Utah. From 1999 through 2016 Judy and I did a dozen downhill skiing Elderhostel trips (aka Road Scholar), including Schweitzer Mountain, Sun Valley, Big Sky, Smugglers’ Notch, Steamboat, Grand Targhee, Crested Butte, and Telluride. We drove to all the western sites except for Lake Tahoe North and Winter Park which we reached via Amtrak.

After joining the International Skiing History Association we attended several of their annual gatherings, including Sun Valley, Aspen, and Vail. At the ISHS event at Park City in 2014 I met Jon Weisberg and learned about SeniorsSkiing.com.

Our ISHA connection led to a couple of group ski trips to Europe led by Penny Pitou, 1960 Squaw Valley Olympian. We went with her to Chamonix (2007) and to Zermatt (2009). Here is the obligatory tourist photo from the second trip.

In August 2008 Judy and I fulfilled a lifelong dream by skiing at Portillo. And then, finally, in 2015, we qualified for free skiing at Alta when we had both passed 80 years old. Here we are celebrating the occasion, now on modern fat skis but still using bamboo poles, retro creations by Soul Poles in Park City.

Becoming Alta senior skiers also required joining the notorious Wild Old Bunch. I’m posing here with two fellow WOB members, all in our Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic volunteer jackets. That’s George Ramjoue in blue and Larry Weir in yellow. We never did find anyone in the fourth color, red, to pose with us.

That brings us up to the curtailed season of 2019-20 and the COVID-diminished present season. Last season I managed 55 days, closing out at Powder Mountain on March 16, 2019, after which all local areas shut down. This season I had a bout with gout, so have skied only sixteen days before seeking treatment and laying off sports. Meanwhile, Judy has knee issues and is not skiing this season. But we did get to Alta one sunny day to picnic in the parking lot and talk to other skiers, and we hope to ski into our 90s. I’ve already renewed one of our season passes, and more will follow.

No more reports, though. Thanks for reading.

seniorsskiing

Make More Tracks: Favorite Nordic Centers In Colorado

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Small Ranch Resorts And Large Scale Nordic Centers Span The State.

[Editor Note: This article by Pete Wilson first appeared in The Nordic Approach.] 

In this state of mile-high life, opportunities to elevate your outdoor activities abound. Taking a page from the book of their Alpine resort neighbors, these cross-country ski areas center their offerings around the spectacular peaks of the southern Rockies—though in a slightly different way than downhill does it. Rolling and widely varied terrain lets Nordic skiers, fat-bikers and snowshoers work their way up and around some of the countries most magnificent slopes, giving them access to exclusive vistas, and breathtaking drops on the way back down. A combination of small ranch-resorts and larger scale Nordic Centers, the ski venues surveyed here span the breadth of Colorado’s natural bounty and the various adventures it has in store. For explorers of every age and inclination, if you’re Colo-ready, Colorado awaits!

ASPEN SNOWMASS NORDIC CENTER

Recognizing that Nordic skiing is something so incredible that everyone should have access to it, the volunteer board which oversees Aspen Snowmass works hard to maintain it as one of the largest free trail networks in the country. This awesome array of routes connects three towns—Aspen, Snowmass, and Basalt—and their respective trail networks into one massive adventure waiting to be had. Start from any of the towns, or from either of the two Nordic centers (yes, two!), and perhaps go check out the view from Buttermilk Ski Area, or continue on the trail for lunch in Aspen village, or simply cruise to your heart’s content. Plan your outing here!

GOLD RUN NORDIC CENTER

As its name suggests, this Breckenridge destination really is a gold mine for fun-seeking families. The skiing is excellent—30 km of beautifully groomed trails for both skate and classic skiing. Beyond that though, this nugget of a Nordic center boasts 15 km of dedicated snowshoe trails, a full fleet of fat bikes for rental, sleigh rides and more! Learn more about all of Gold Run’s golden opportunities, along with its punch pass system and ticket deals here!

KEYSTONE NORDIC CENTER

Just outside of Frisco, this humble Nordic Center promises memorable experiences for the whole family. For the seasoned skier, Keystone’s nine miles of trails combined with the adjoining White River State Park’s 35 miles offer thrillingly hilly fun. For dedicated snowshoers, the Perimeter Snowshoe Trail gives a wholly different perspective of area, taking you deep into the Keystone backcountry. And for the littler ones, a safe-yet-stimulating tubing hill is just a short walk from the lodge, where kids can do loops sledding down and hiking up for days. For the grown-ups, be sure to wind up back at the Nordic Center bar for some après-ski sips after your outing. Read about all of Keystone’s excellent amenities here!

VISTA VERDE GUEST RANCH

A smaller trail system of predominantly meadowy and gently hilly terrain, Vista Verde is geared towards getting their guests out on snow for their first times. And for this purpose, the place is perfect. A dedicated staff of Nordic pros will outfit Ranch guests with well-fitting, complementary equipment, and then give careful instruction, gentle advice or guided ski tours as you require. Trails loop across sprawling fields, over babbling brooks, through the aspen stands, and all the way back to the Ranch—where, it might go without saying, excellent lodging and fine-dining fare are to be readily found. Learn more, and book your trip, here!

HOWELSEN HILL

Owned and operated by the city of Steamboat Springs, Howelsen Hill is renowned as America’s oldest operating ski area—and though its most famous for its Alpine creds, this little mountain has some serious Nordic terrain. With 21 km of widely varying trails, ranging from flats to fairly intense climbs and drops, Howelsen’s adds a bevy of possible activities to your next Steamboat trip. Learn more here!

BRECKENRIDGE NORDIC CENTER

Just a few minutes’ drive from downtown Breckenridge, this family-oriented Nordic center has been granting visitors access to thousands of acres of the area’s most picturesque terrain for almost half a century. Not only do 30 km of well-cared-for trails wind their way up to above 10,000 feet elevation, stopping at two hand-hewn “destination huts,” but the Center offers group tours of the same terrain from the warm comfort of glass-enclosed snowcats. After you’ve made it up to the continental divide and had a little break in one of the warming huts, be sure to circle back to the Lodge for happy hour and a hearty bowl of soup! Learn more about this unique Breckenridge destination here.

FRISCO NORDIC CENTER 

Conveniently located just outside downtown Frisco, this high-altitude Nordic Center has something for every skier. Work your way up to the summit’s panoramic views of the Breckenridge region, or tootle around with the kids on the flatter, but no less fun, beginner’s loop. Plus, for even more kid-friendly activities, just down the road is the Frisco tubing hill and beginner’s ski hill. With 27 km of crisply groomed trails though, there’s more than enough adventure on the Center’s spacious land. Learn more here!

CRESTED BUTTE NORDIC CENTER

A gem of Colorado Nordic skiing, the Crested Butte Nordic Center’s super-convenient downtown location lets users hop on the trails without any driving—just walk from your home, hotel, or VRBO! In minutes you can be geared up and out on over 50 km of world class terrain. While skiing in Crested Butte, be sure to stop in at the trailside Magic Mountain Yurt for a chef-chosen dinner menu. The mile route to the yurt is lit by solar lights, so you can easily ski or snowshoe out for an exquisite and absolutely memorable meal. See why some call Crested Butte the Nordic Capital of Colorado here!

DEVIL’S THUMB RANCH

Ranked the #1 Cross-Country Ski Resort in the country for two years running by USA Today, this luxury Ranch’s Nordic terrain is a sight to behold. With 120 km of expertly maintained trails winding their way through the foothills of the continental divide, there is something to wow skiers of every skill level. The resort’s in-house outfitter, Zach’s Mercantile, offers a full range of skate and classic Nordic equipment for rental or purchase. Plus, a team of world-class Nordic instructors stand ready to give visitors and guests all the instruction you need to have the best possible ski experience. Check out this wondrous Colorado destination here!

SNOW MOUNTAIN RANCH

Tucked well up in the Rockies, a ways West of Denver, Snow Mountain Ranch cares for over 5,000 acres of pristine Colorado ski terrain. At 9,000 feet in elevation, it’s not called Snow Mountain for nothing—averaging around 200 inches per winter, which bring dependably fantastic conditions to all of the Ranch’s 120 km of trails. If you’re not too busy exploring the endless ski adventures, be sure to check out the tubing hill and the ice rink—and to grab a yummy bite at the Skinny Ski Café! Whatever you decide to do, you can’t go wrong in this unique winter wonderland. Learn more here.

LATIGO RANCH

Continuing the proud Colorado tradition of guest Ranches with excellent cross-country ski terrain, Latigo Ranch has centered their winter programming on their stellar backcountry and Nordic terrain. And with 50 km of beautiful trails, meticulously groomed for both skate and classic, plus another 200 square miles of deep powder perfectly suited for backcountry skiing, its easy to see why. Luckily for us, these wonderful trails are open to the public. If you do go for a day trip, consider booking a lunch or dinner reservation at Latigo’s elegant-Western restaurant. You can find more information about this secluded ski destination here!

TELLURIDE NORDIC ASSOCIATION

Bringing together the impeccable ski terrain of six different areas, the Telluride Nordic Association (TNA) maintains and gives users free (though donations are encouraged) access miles upon miles of gorgeous cross country trails. Ranging from the dog-friendly hills of Priest Lake to the classic-skiing-only River Trail, perfect for the Nordic tourer, TNA has something for everyone. Their Nordic Center in downtown Telluride also offers top of the line rental equipment, tuning services, and lessons. You can even ask about multiday rentals, to keep you going during your whole stay in Telluride! Learn more here.

ELDORA NORDIC CENTER

Branching off to the left of Eldora Mountain’s alpine trails, the Nordic Center’s 40 km of wide, well-groomed thoroughfares show off all that the mountain has to offer, albeit from a different perspective than the chairlift-accessed terrain. Winding through old-growth forests, alpine meadows and alongside big-mountain viewpoints, these trails are sure to get your blood pumping and your senses stimulated. With the added amenities of Eldora’s on-mountain restaurant, bar and smoke shack, you can easily make any outing on these excellent trails extra memorable. Plan your adventure here!

TENNESSEE PASS NORDIC CENTER

A dedicated Nordic ski hub, Tennessee Pass takes a classic Alpine ski lodge approach to cross country. 30 km of trails extend out from a central building furnished with all the Nordic and Nordic-related equipment you could want available for rental and purchase, a bar and restaurant, and a spacious sunny deck on which to relax. The trails themselves are excellently maintained and vary in difficulty from beginner flats to expert climbs. Just to add to the magic of this place, Tennessee Pass has a collection of off-the-grid sleeping yurts available for group or individual rental.

ASHCROFT SKI TOURING

A bit of an oddity in the ski world, Ashcroft Ski Touring is a ski center that doubles as the Pine Creek Cookhouse restaurant. At Ashcroft, you can peruse the 35 kilometers of stunning Aspen wilderness by day, and by night peruse the mouthwatering entrees that the locally-sourced, chef-driven restaurant has to offer. In addition to the Cookhouse, this wondrous trail network also makes stops at three different warming huts along its gorgeous loops. Be sure to check out their especially awesome all-inclusive tours—which cover trail fees, rentals and a delicious meal. Learn more about this wonderful aberration here!

Karen Lorentz

The Big K’s Ambassador Program

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Ambassadors Help Create A Congenial Climate At Killington.

Here are the 2019-20 Killington Ambassadors saying hello. Volunteers commit to 21 days of service during the season. Credit: Killington Mountain Resort

As a huge ski area with several base areas and mountain peaks, finding one’s way around Killington can be a challenge. That’s where the green-jacketed Ambassadors come in, often saving the day by showing guests how to get where they want to go—or in some cases—avoid a too difficult or too flat a trail.

This year the COVID-19 pandemic has made the Ambassadors duties extra special as so much has changed—from getting a lift ticket to the necessity of wearing masks.

Ambassadors are dedicated volunteers who enjoy skiing or snowboarding so much that they commit to 21 days wearing the green to help guests have fun. Ambassador Program Manager Pete Duffy notes, “They are passionate about the mountain, the sport, and they want to help people.”

Hard to miss the Ambassadors in the green jackets. Credit: Karen Lorentz

To do that, Ambassadors attend morning briefings before the lifts open so they are up to date on conditions, lifts operating, and anything else pertinent to that day. They answer questions as they greet people mornings at the base areas and later help them find their way back to starting points at the end of the day.

Throughout the day, they ski around assigned mountain areas and answer questions just as their bright green jackets invite.

They also help reunite parties that get separated. Seeing a small boy reunited with his parents was “priceless,” Roger Halye said of a best memory.

Another joy Ambassadors cite is assisting with marriage proposals—whether it’s writing a “will you marry me” on the snow under a lift or taking a photo of a proposal at the peak.

They also assist other departments as needed. The sweet perk is skiing until it’s time to help the ski patrol with the end-of-the-day sweep or man various end-of-day stations. Duffy notes, they do all these tasks in all kinds of weather, including extreme cold, wind, snow, and rain.

In a normal season, Ambassadors also give free Meet the Mountains Tours, offer tips on events, take photos of people, greet bus groups, and staff the hotel and events, all of which went by the boards due to state COVID-19 related guidelines this year.

They ARE smiling. Green jacket Ambassadors Mike Cahill, Pete Duffy, Susan Cummins, Keith Murphy guard new ticket booth. Credit: Karen Lorentz

Recently I had the great fun of being shown around by Ambassadors Susan Cummins and Mike “Mickey” Cahill. Cummins prides herself on being “a friendly face willing to help and guide.” Like others, she also praises the social aspects of being an Ambassador, noting, “Through the program, I have generated some wonderful friendships; some so close they have come to my family events like weddings and holidays.”

Retired State Trooper Mike Cahill briefly dips his mask at the new automated ticket kiosk. Credit: Karen Lorentz

Noting he loves skiing Killington and helping people enjoy the mountain. Cahill said becoming an Ambassador helped him fill a void in his life after he retired from being a New York state trooper at the mandatory age of 60. “I enjoy the camaraderie within the group of outstanding people who share the same goals,” he added.

Bobby G has given tours for 20-plus years and counts many special moments, including people who return year after year for another tour, which leads to great friendships. One friendship has taken him to England several times. Another repeat guest is a clinical psychologist, causing Giordano to “sometimes wonder if it’s just the friendship or if I’m a ‘research subject’ that needs to be carefully watched.”

When fierce winds were buffeting a petite beginner who kept falling, Noreen McGill used her own body to shield her from the gusts, and together they managed to slip and side step to the shelter of trees. There McGill applauded the woman’s tenacity and thanked her for “sharing her struggle and strength” with her.

Riding a lift, Ambassador Louise Young met a guest from Toms River, NJ.  “I mentioned Toms River made the news years ago (1998) by winning the Little League World Series. Turns out he was one of the coaches!!”

Joe Schorle had a guest ask him “what he could do about boots causing his feet to hurt. I started to recommend a shop for adjustment but then looked down and realized his boots were on the wrong feet!”

Marc Pileggi recalled a “most unusual thing that happened was having to call a transport for a group of 12 who decided to go to the top of Ramshead at 3:45 with no ability to ski down.”

Questions People Ask

“How do you get to the main lodge? They usually mean the lodge where they started from,” notes Louise Young.

“What’s the easiest black diamond trail?”

When he’s stationed at the top of Killington Peak on a cloud-free day, people ask Robert Ide to identify the other visible ski areas.  The mountain they wish to have identified most is Mt. Washington, he said.

Questions Anthony Russo hears include: “Can you take our photo (asked prior to COVID)?” “Where’s the restrooms?” “What time does the lift close (usually asked at 4 p.m.)?  Where are the beginner slopes? Where is a good place to eat? Can you recommend other things to do besides skiing? Is there an easier way down from here?”

In late March and April, Phil Lipari is often asked, “Why does the mountain close at 4:00 when there is still a lot of day light? In January and February, why there is no night skiing?”

“What do you do with all the man-made snow in the summer?” Noreen McGill overheard a woman ask an Ambassador. “We store it in all the silos on the farms,” elicited an “Oh” as she contentedly walked away.

Pete Duffy said he was greeting people when a woman holding a glass bowl asked where she could leave her pet turtle while she skied. Since pets were not allowed inside a lodge, he never did find out what she did with it.

 

shared-ownership ski house
Alice Winthrop

Sharing A Ski House: Seven Ways To Share Without Stress

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Setting Expectations And Providing Reminders Are Key For Sharing.

shared-ownership ski house

Keep relationships positive by clarifying processes, procedures, and rules up front.

When sharing a property with a club or friends and family, it’s important to establish a sustainable system for access, expenses, safety and maintenance.

Time and effort invested in setting expectations will pay off in the long run.

Here are seven ways to share without stress:

1. Commit to an arrangement (in writing).

This could be anything from an informal email to family members, or a letter attached to a rental agreement, to a lawyer-drafted LLC operating agreement. The point is to make sure that everyone is on the same page so that misunderstandings are avoided.

2. Include a plan for expenses.

Do people replace the supplies and help with maintenance work, or does your group divide expenses according to use or ownership percentage? Figure it out ahead of time so that there are no surprises.

3. Set expectations for using the property. 

Do you allocate use, reserve time slots, require permission or allow for first-come-first served? Are guests or pets allowed? Make sure that everyone knows the procedure. Depending on your situation it may be most convenient to call or email one person to request a stay, or you could use a shared online calendar.

4. Separate and simplify House Rules and make them easily accessible.

Few people will read a dense page of complex rules. It’s more effective to keep the house rules short and focused on safety, liability and other key issues.

5. Designate a place to store other information.

An on-site binder with appliance manuals and restaurant menus, local attractions, and directions to the nearest ER is helpful. Contact information for the preferred plumber, heating engineer, cleaner, and babysitters should be easy to find at the property. Make a version available online as well for easy access and updates.

6. Have a Departure Checklist

A list of tasks to check off before you leave can save the property and your peace of mind. Items might include turning down thermostats, making sure the oven is off, checking for laundry, emptying the trash. This is also a good place to make a note of any breakages or supplies that need replacing.

7. Be transparent and over-communicate if necessary.

Better to send an extra text or email than to make assumptions. Family and friend groups are vulnerable to relationship damage from seemingly small miscommunications (see Shakespeare for examples). Transparency builds trust.

What else? If you have suggestions on how to make things run smoothly, or what to avoid please let us know in the comments.

This article was written by the creator of Resercal, an app for shared property scheduling and management. Other options for scheduling and sharing information online include Google Suite (calendar, sheets & docs), or a custom website.

mikemaginn

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 12)

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End Or Interim, Snow West, Cooler East, Vail Run, Jan’s Saga, Demo Tips, Ski Japan?, NW XC, Happy At Appi, Sharp Porcupine.

Alta closed on March 17, 2020. Abruptly.

We’ve been through quite a year.

Last year at this time, we were hearing about and experiencing the abrupt closures of ski resorts all over the globe. Races, vacations, bookings cancelled. People just arrived to start vacations had to turn around and go home. Super-spreader events were reported at slow-to-shutter Ischgl, in Austria, Sun Valley and in Colorado. The ski industry shut down, in stutters and starts perhaps, but down tight.

Tough to relax at Ishgl after the superspreader.

A year ago, we began as skeptical, then, as the numbers grew, we became apprehensive. We had to “flatten the curve”, “social distance”, refrain from travel, and frequently and thoroughly wash our hands. We stocked up on toilet paper. Some of us knew people who had gotten sick from the virus, others thought of it as a remote and distant “hoax” impinging on their freedom. Wearing a mask became a statement of the extent you trusted in government directives or not.

Regardless, we learned to adapt, change our plans, and our lifestyles, recreational activities, and expectations. So many of our readers stayed local, skied mid-week, brought bag lunches, and made do. Others took up alternative winter sports; we’ve noted the phenomenal increase in cross-country skiing, thanks in part to regular, staying snow in urban/suburban parks and open areas. Others gave this entire season a pass, opting to wait it out. Others took trips to destination resorts, or, if they lived nearby, went on with the season skiing between the scant numbers of tourists.

This week, one year on, we are either at the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end.

On this anniversary week when the closings started in earnest and almost everything in our lives changed, we remember the 500,000-plus citizens who succumbed.

We also celebrate the vaccines now being injected in earnest. The New York Times reports that 40 percent of Americans are, in one way or another, protected from the virus, either through vaccination or by recovering from infection.

As on a ship coming nearer and nearer the coast, we can begin to see details of what will be appearing soon on the horizon. There is pressure to return to normal.  Spring Break may be a festival of youth and sunshine, or it may be yet another super spreader event. Beyond the spring, there are expectations that the summer will begin to look like it always has, and that by the fall, schools will return to classes, restaurants will return to capacity, concerts and theaters will return to performances.

Perhaps. If the virus doesn’t spike again, that is. It’s still out there, looking for people to infect. Variants may play mischief with recovering economics and public health. So, although the trends are in the right direction, this year of virus isn’t over. Far from it.

Will snow this weekend impact closing-dates in the Rockies? Credit: Joe Durzo

Which leaves resort owners with an interesting management challenge.  Given the relaxing of CDC guidelines for gatherings of people who have been vaccinated and the potential for yet more snow (Colorado and the Northwest are expecting big dumps this weekend), do resorts extend the season as practicable? Open up capacity to all comers? Try to recoup a small amount of revenue lost this season? Or, because many staff are probably not in priority groups for vaccinations and won’t be for a while, and because it may be expensive to undo the physical changes installed to protect customers and staff, just decide to end the season under COVID rules?

Vail announced this week it is extending its closing date one week to April 11.  With the current snow forecast, who knows if that might be extended? Bretton Woods, NH, is closing April 15, Killington, VT, will go to May 2. Is it worth it to change virus policy for a few weeks? If you were the manager of a ski area or resort, what would you do?

Like it began, the year of COVID continues with uncertainty.

This Week

Free run for our readers down the front side of Vail all the way to the bottom. Credit: Glenn Robbins

Herb Stevens, the Skiing Weatherman, sees continuing snow events in the West and a cool down in the East following this unusually warm weekend. There’s potential for more snow out there, check the maps. Click here.

Ever skied Vail? No? Well, take a vicarious run on the front side of Vail on a sunny day. We found the run very different from our mental model of what Vail would be like.  Click here.

Jan Brunvand continues his ski life saga, this time describing his lucky move from the Midwest to Utah. Click here.

Take your pic. The lads at Epic Mountain Sports at Winter Park will help you out. Credit: Epic

Marc Liebman gives advice on how to get the most from demo skis. His tips make your demo assessment more objective. We also learned Marc always rented skis on trips, leaving his own sticks at home.  That gave him the opportunity to try lots of skis and think about how to evaluate demos. Click here.

Dave Chambers, the Traveling Australian, tells us about his trip to Appi Kogen, a big resort in Northern Honshu, Japan.  He revels in telling us about finding a back side of the resort where he skied for a week in untracked powder. Click here.

Our Question For You this week follows up the Appi Kogen story, asking you if you skied Japan and what your experience was like. Click here.

As the next in our Make More Tracks series, Pete Wilson writes in the Nordic Approach about really cool cross-country resorts in Cascadia in the Pacific Northwest. Click here.

Finally, Harriet Wallis tells us a very punny tale of the nameless porcupine who stopped traffic on the trails at Alta.  Clearly, he made a point.  Click here.

Thank you for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. And thank you for supporting us in our recent fundraiser.  We are very grateful. Remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.

Appi Kogen is one of Japan’s best ski resorts. The resort’s tagline: “Be Happy in Appi”, of course.

Herb Stevens

Skiing Weatherman: Action West, Cool Down East

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Not Quite Spring Yet. More Snow In The Forecast.

While the resorts in the Midwest and East got a solid taste of spring this week as temperatures soared well above normal for a few days, the winter weather action picked up in the West.  A cold trough spun its way down the coast from B.C. to SoCal, depositing wonderful low density snow along the way.  The highest totals came from the Sierra, thanks to the left hand turn of the trough, which brought the core of the circulation closer to the coast than it was when it passed by further north.  The trough will spin across the southern Rockies this weekend and as it does, moderate snow will fall across the western half of Colorado into Wyoming while a major dump will unfold on the Front Range, including metro Denver, so access to the fresh snow is likely to be disrupted.

Over the Midwest and East, the warmth of this week has taken at least a modest toll on trail counts at most areas, but colder air will return this weekend and potentially set the stage for fresh snow next week.  With the return of the cold air, this weekend you should seek out sunny trails in the Northeast, where the surfaces have a chance of softening up.

Next week, another low will move from the Gulf of Alaska toward Oregon and California, and snows will return to the Cascades (Monday) and Sierra (Tuesday).  That low will track eastward and blanket the Wasatch and central and southern Rockies by midweek, so the prospects for skiing and riding in the West next week are outstanding.

The pattern is going to be very active going forward, as illustrated by this jet stream map for Monday.

The blue areas are upper level storms (cold) and the orange peaks are ridges (milder).  The storm over Kansas is the one that will hit the Front Range this weekend and as it works east, we could see a surface low get pushed through the Mid-Atlantic States with high elevation snow during midweek.  You can see the storm on its heels along the west coast. That system will arrive in the eastern half of the country by Friday morning as you can see on this map.

The surface map at the same time looks like this…

From a position over the central Appalachians, the low center will head northeastward.  With the clockwise flow around the high over Minnesota helping to push cold air into the path of the storm, there is the potential for significant snow, at least at the higher elevations, over the northern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast at the end of the week.  Beyond that opportunity, the pattern will remain favorable for late season snow events right through the end of the month.  This week’s warmup was just a spring mirage.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Pac NW/B.C.:

Coastal ranges in B.C. get moderate snow this weekend.  Oregon snowy early next week.  Larger storm late next week extends further inland in B.C. and throughout the WA and OR Cascades.

Central and southern Sierra:

Great weekend after fresh snow…another moderate to heavy event early next week. Rest of next week looks quiet.

Rockies:

Jackpot is Front Range in Colorado this weekend.  Another moderate to heavy event unfolds central and southern Rockies Tuesday/Wednesday next week.

Midwest:

Northern MN resorts close this week with fresh snow…rain elsewhere.  Colder air arrives this weekend will firm/preserve snow.  Snow threat across this region later next week.

Northeast:

“Spring Break” ends Friday.  Cold weekend firms up the snow.  Pattern looks promising for meaningful snow late next week.  Season far from over.

Mid-Atlantic/Southeast:

Colder air comes back this weekend.  Higher elevation snow potential early next week…again late in the week.

seniorsskiing

Top To Bottom: Vail

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Take A Vicarious Vacation On A Beautiful Blue Run.

A ticket-free run for our readers down the front side of Vail all the way to the bottom. Credit: Glenn Robbins

Here’s a long (15 minute) run down the front side of Vail on a really nice blue. For those who haven’t been there, seeing wide, groomed slopes at Vail may be different from the mental model you’ve had of what it’s like at the fabled resort.  This is not the Back Bowls, but still very nice and, for those of us on the lesser side of the risk scale, most do-able.

Curious, we notice the skier Glenn Robbins, isn’t using his ski straps. (See 1:44 and following.) Is this a thing?

Jan Brunvand

Return To The Rockies

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Part Five: Jan and Judy Move To Utah

Our residence in Illinois proved to be similar to grad school in Indiana. I progressed in my academic career, we had another baby, and (sigh) there was no skiing. But a phone call changed everything.

At SIU-Edwardsville, we were renting from a colleague on sabbatical, and we had just started looking for a house to accommodate our growing family. Karen, our last child, was born in February, 1966.  Then a call came from folklorist Barre Toelken in Salt Lake City. He was leaving, and he sought someone to apply for his position at the University of  Utah.

I responded, “Barre, you don’t ski do you?” My interview trip was an eye-opener. I assumed that the season had wound down by late March, but the department chairman assured me. “We’ll have skiing through April.” So it was an easy decision to leave the Midwest again after just one year.

We arrived in Utah at the cusp of the development of major skiing there. Alta and Brighton had been in business since the late 1930’s; Snowbasin opened in 1940, and Timp Haven (later Sundance) started in the mid 1940’s. Park City’s ski resort, then called Treasure Mountains, was in its third season and had its trademark gondola pictured on a patch. You could still buy little houses used by former silver miners for a pittance, and skiers could park within a few yards of the gondola base.

None of the local resorts had much in the way of base facilities or housing at that time. Solitude opened in 1957, then underwent a couple of name changes and at least one closed season before prospering. Park City West opened in 1968, then had several name changes before eventually being acquired by Vail and merging with Park City. Snowbird opened in 1971.

This photo of Judy and me at Alta was taken in 1967. The old Snow Pine Lodge is seen just off Judy’s right shoulder. A luxury hotel replaced it last season.

This was the year we finally got modern skis. I know the exact date (October 31—Halloween—1967). Stein was in the shop representing Head skis, and he signed and dated a poster for us.

As the kids grew up, we shopped for the best family season pass deals. Here’s a photo of us at Solitude in 1972. Left to right: Karen, Erik, Amy, Judy, Jan, and Dana. After the photo was taken I stepped forward to retrieve my camera, leaving Dana without support. She slipped backwards into the trees and had to be rescued.

In 1981 we skied in Austria with two of our daughters. I had developed an interest in the folklore of Romania, and we had all been there twice in the ‘70s. In 1981 I received a grant to return from January through the summer. We brought Amy and Karen with us.

Erik was in college then and stayed in our house. Dana was on an exchange in New Zealand. Both were able to ski, so why not the rest of us? We each packed one ski outfit and hoped for the best.

As we drove south from Salzburg into the mountains in our Renault Le Car, I parked in front of a sports shop in the town of Wagrain. I asked a clerk in my best college German whether there was any skiing nearby. He grinned and pointed to a map on the wall, explaining that we were right in the middle of  “The Three Valleys,” a major ski center. There were 45 lifts linking Wagrain with the towns of St. Johann and Flachau.

We rented gear, found a B&B, and had a delightful weekend skiing the Alps. Here are Judy and the girls waiting for the ski bus. Wherever you ended up at the end of the day there was a free bus to take you back “home.” I almost gave up on Romania and switched to Austrian folklore.

Although we never managed to ski in Romania, the weekend in Wagrain made up for it. When we returned to Utah in the fall we learned that Deer Valley was opening that season. Modern skiing had arrived in the Beehive State, and we kept on enjoying it through our middle age and into senior status.

To be concluded . . .

demo skis
Marc Liebman

Demoing Demo Skis

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Guidelines For An Objective Assessment.

Take your pick. The lads at Epic Mountain Sports at Winter Park will help you out. Credit: Epic

One of the great things about ski rental shops today is their willingness to rent top of the line skis. This is a great deal because for $35 – $50/day, you can try skis that will set you back $1,000. For the CPAs, math and economic majors, the break-even at $50/day on a $1,000 pair of skis is 20 days or more if fees are factored into the analysis.

So why demo? Three reasons come to mind. One, eliminate the hassle of checking a pair of skis as baggage. FYI, I can get everything, including my boots into my two carry-ons.

Two, you may want to try one or more pairs before you buy.

And, three, you want to try different brands to see how they ski. Dynastars don’t ski like Rossignols which definitely don’t ski like Heads. Atomics handle differently than Fischers or Volkls or Elans.

Demoing skis can be very informative even if you have no intention of buying new skis. Based on my background as a professional ski tester in the last century, here are five tips learned the hard way to help you compare different skis.

Tips For Comparing Demo Skis.

One. Test on the same trip and if possible, on consecutive days in as close to the same conditions as possible.

Two. For your first run on a new pair of skis, pick a slope that you can handle easily. Testing/demoing is all about the ski giving you information.

Three. For each pair of skis, do the same type of turns on the same slope. I start with a “wedge wedel” which is nothing more than using my knee to crank the skis (which are in a slight wedge) on an edge to see how they react. Next comes a series of round, carved turns that slowly decrease in radius until I am rapidly linking turns back and force across the fall line as if I was running a slalom. From there, I let the skis run on a traverse and then flat down the fall line to what I call GS speeds. Most would call this “really fast.”

Four. The first run on the new skis is the most important. After 1,000 feet of vertical, you’re starting to adapt your technique to the ski’s quirks. The ski is an inanimate object and will not change. By the end of the second run, you’re adjusting to how the ski skis.

Five. If the ski is forcing you to change your technique, get a different pair. The only exception is that if the new ski forces you to learn how to carve a turn. Does the ski “swim or snake” when your knees are pressed forward and the ski is flat on the snow? Or, when on edge, does one or both skis dart or try to “hook” uphill. Or, when you go fast, either on edge or with a flat ski, is the ski making you uncomfortable? If any of the above are true, go find another ski.

 

Sapporo Ice Festival
seniorsskiing

Question For You: Ski In Japan?

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If You’ve Been, Tell Us So We Can Have A Vicarious Vacation.

Sapporo Ice Festival: Snow is in abundance in northern Japan.

We have an interesting article this week from Dave Chambers, the “Traveling Australian.” He takes us to Appi Kogen, a resort in the north of Honshu, the big island of Japan. He spent a week skiing powder in the back end of the resort in perfect conditions he had never seen anywhere in his travels.

Rusutsu, Hokkaido, Japan

His article stimulated this week’s Question For You. After all, by North American standards, Japan is an exotic ski destination. The ryokans (inns), the onsens (hot springs baths), the food, the culture, all represent a distinctly different experience than a vacation in Canada, the US, or even Europe.

Many years ago, we spent a winter in northern Japan and experienced monster snowfalls and cold, cold temperatures. We visited the Sapporo Ice Festival and were amazed how the city had adapted to serious winter conditions: above ground train tracks were covered, streets were swept from snow by seawater hydrants, and ice and snow were celebrated.

Question For You: Have you skied Japan? What was it like? How was the snow? The resorts you visited? What did you love? What was not so great? Would you go back or was once enough? Please let us know.

The rest of us will have a brief, imaginary, vicarious vacation based on the comments from those who have been there.

Please reply in Leave A Comment below.

Popular Hakuba Valley. Japan has very snowy winters every year.

 

 

seniorsskiing

Make More Tracks: Favorite Nordic Centers In The Northwest

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Cascadia Contains Cross-Country Resorts Close To Metro Areas.

[Editor Note: This article by Pete Wilson first appeared in The Nordic Approach.] 

The Pacific Northwest of the contiguous US is a wonderfully strange bit of geography. The Western edge is home to the fjord-filled Pacific Coast, where long beaches and towering seaside rock formations make for otherworldly getaways. Go the other direction, East and inland, and the mountains await. The Coast, Cascade, Olympic and Columbia mountain ranges boast massive snowcapped peaks and thick, lush temperate rainforests at the lower elevations. All this is to say that the landscapes of Oregon and Washington are utterly unique, with highland regions that turn quite alpine in the winter months. A smattering of excellent Cross Country ski venues dots this snowy swath of Cascadia, which all offer a Nordic experience unlike any others. At these awesome centers, you can cross glaciers, gaze upon craggy horns of ice, bob beneath the snow-laden branches of ancient redwoods—all within driving distance of the bustling metropolises of Portland and Seattle, and the thriving maritime world of the coastline.

Methow Trails
METHOW TRAILS

With a staggering 200km of well-maintained terrain sprawled along the majestic Methow Valley, the Methow Nordic Ski Trail System is at the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest adventure. Not only do the near-endless trails (which are designed for fat biking and snowshoeing as well as skiing) wind their way to some breathtaking vistas and natural features, they incorporate plenty of climbs, drops and flats fit for skiers, bikers and shoers of every stripe and skill level. Bookended by the twin towns of Winthrop and Twisp—and yes, the town of Twisp exists, and is an awesomely artsy destination in its own right—visitors to the Methow valley will find plenty in the way of libations, delicious meals, and warm hospitality.

LEAVENWORTH WINTER SPORTS CLUB

Cradled in the heart of the Cascade mountains, this one-of-a-kind winter sports club offers everything from Nordic skiing, sledding and tubing to alpine skiing and fat biking. This wintery wonderland as all the infrastructure needed for such a slew of activities: two groomed ski hills serviced by rope tows, 26 kilometers of pristinely groomed Nordic terrain, dedicated Nordic trails, and even a 27-meter ski jump are all available to make lasting memories for Leavenworth visitors. With trail passes starting at $14, be sure to check out this Washington gem whenever you’re in the area.

Leavenworth Winter Sports Club
49 DEGREES NORTH NORDIC CENTER

Tucked away in the far Northeastern corner of Washington (as the name suggests), 49 Degrees’ gorgeous Nordic network expands out from the Cross Country Center, a large yurt with a spacious deck that overlooks the trails and ski school area. From there, 25km of wide, well-groomed trails roll along into hundred-year-old forests, crisscrossed by narrow snowshoe paths. A full rental lineup and certified ski instructors stand ready to make ski days special for skiers of every ability.

MT. BACHELOR NORDIC CENTER

Considered one of the premier Nordic centers in Oregon, Mt. Bachelor is a fully decked out Cross Country Ski Shop, with the ski terrain to match. Almost 60 km of widely varied terrain wind around the base of the big peak, offering stunning views of the snowcapped, glacial peaks, leg-burning climbs and heart-pumping drops. For those looking to get some off-season training or free skiing in, it is worth noting that Mt. Bachelor has the longest groomed Nordic season in North America.

Tea Cup Nordic
MT. HOOD MEADOWS NORDIC CENTER

Perched at the base of Mt. Hood, the Meadows Nordic Center takes full advantage of the excellent snow conditions it inherits from the glacier looming above it. 15 km of groomed and set track wind through woods and across meadows with Hood poised as a picturesque backdrop behind it. For a perfect blend of big mountain views with small ski center accommodations and attention to detail, be sure to swing by Meadows if you are in the Bend, OR area.

 

Dave Chambers

Ski Japan: Happy Appi Kogen

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Untracked Deep Powder For A Week.

Appi Kogen is a self-contained resort in northern Honshu.

Casting aside the duvet and, with a flourish, we spread the curtains wide to greet a new day, a new location, a place of considerable legend.

Here the tall Japanese Black Pines punctuate the landscape between the tall buildings of our hotel in this place almost three quarters of the way up the island of Honshu.

Appi Kogen is one of Japan’s best ski resorts. The resort’s tagline: “Be Happy in Appi”, of course.

We have arrived by road to Appi Kogen, almost taking a whole day to do so. This road trip was tedious, attributed to a slow traffic jam and, paradoxically, the most exciting bus trip we could ever conceive.  Our bus driver, growing weary and ever more frustrated by the constant traffic jam, decided a different route was needed. The existence of a little used forest track was discovered—a forest track at times covered in deep virgin powder snow.

Our driver revealed quite a level of skill when required to navigate slippery and often poorly delineated tracks through the forest. Our driver and his co-driver were engaged in constant discussion as to how to proceed when fast acceleration was required. It was best alpine driving we are ever likely to witness. Although I well remember being in a taxi going up a hill from St. Anton to Lech in Austria where our driver exclaimed in strong language his scorn for the slippery steep slope and the driver of a Mercedes that halted his progress. Then, sliding backwards down a considerable slope completely at ease with his dilemma, he just reversed to a lower slope where he could gain some traction and move forward back up the steep narrow slope.

Back to Japan. Our trip, a long, long ten-hour drive by bus, one we hired  at Lodge Scolé at Zao Onsen Ski Resort to take us to Appi Kogen. Zao was a place of big tree runs and Snow Monsters. Traveling plans were adjusted for what we thought would be just a four-hour trip up the main island of Honshu.

A huge snowstorm of cold air from across the Sea of Japan unloaded across the north.  Our movement down the road now so slow at one point we left the bus to obey a nature call at a rest stop. We visited said rest stop and purchased takeaway lunch before returning to find the bus only 80 meters further down the road.

Appi Kogen is not far from the East Coast where those winter winds suck up the moisture from Sea of Japan and dump when they hit the land mass around Appi. Indeed this is often the case along the whole coastline particularly in the North where we are now.

It is another skiing day, a day not quite like we have experienced before above the snow line. Although I recall a day in Lech where we skied in snow so deep the only reveal of me deep in this fine dry powder is the top of my ski helmet.

Appi Kogen is very similar to this as is much of Japan in winter where it will often snow down to the beach and cover the sand.

Light fog at the top of the gondola leads to fields of deep powder.

After a couple of runs down medium steep slopes on the front side, we decide to venture as far out as we can to the most outer edge of the ski resort. We are at the topmost point on a black run now with powder so deep and almost un-skied, the day still early. We set an easy pace to get some rhythm in to our legs and balance in the fine powder. The visibility is ok but a little foggy. Japan is like this in winter because the cold is only -2 C (28 F) or at most -8 C (18 F), this knowledge gathered over many previous visits.

As we proceed down the slope, it is obvious the area has not been skied today or even possibly this last week. The slope is lined with trees mostly beech, so definition of the journey down is easy in the slight fog. As we near the end of this trail, the skiing gets flatter and, after 900 meters, we arrive at the gondola. It will surprise you to discover we skied all day down that one slope in fresh powder. Would you be further surprised to learn we skied that same slope for a whole week with no change to the perfect powder? Well, it amazed us to discover that many Japanese don’t like ungroomed snow. When you learn to ski in Australia. the quality of snow is mostly hard pack ice. There, the day temperature around -1C  (30 F) to 1C (34 F) and then freezing overnight: result, ice. So we are very lucky in Oz if we ever experience powder. At Appi Kogen, we have never experienced such perfect conditions for skiing for one whole week .

Be adventurous if you dare. Take a trip soon you will find the country very rewarding in so many ways.

Appi K: 70 percent of runs are intermediate or “easy”.

For a more extensive report in Appi Kogen, click here.