David Schissler

The Continued Decline of the Senior Lift Discount

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Credit:ultramarinfoto

Helping seniors stretch their skiing budget is and has always been a pillar of SeniorsSkiing.com We’re sorry to report we recently learned Telluride has discontinued its season pass for seniors and its free season pass for skiers 80 and over.

Purgatory and Sunlight are now the only resorts in Colorado offering free season passes to those 80 and over. * (Lake County-owned Ski Cooper has a $10 season pass for skiers 75 and up, Monarch offers a $29 pass for skiers 69 and up and Powderhorn offers $29 passes for skiers 75 and up.)

We encourage our readers to support the areas that recognize there are benefits to having seniors on their slopes beyond the price of the pass.

One reader told us he has a discounted senior pass to his local ski area. He used it 19 days last season. Each time he bought lunch for around $30. He had his equipment tuned twice. He brought his kids and friends several times who bought day tickets. He says if he had to buy a full priced pass that spending would have been zero because he would no longer be a patron.

For more on how seniors and resorts reached this point, we encourage you to visit The Colorado Sun at www.coloradosun.com to read “And then There Were Two” by Jason Blevins.

https://coloradosun.com/2024/09/26/telluride-free-skiing-seniors/

Guest Contributor

The 2024-2025 season is upon us. Will you be ready?

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Credit:Yelizaveta Tomashevska

Editors Note: Here are some important pre-season readiness tips from Tom Arnold, owner of Powder Cord Pouches and purveyor of Buckletite boot levers, the HotBuns warmer and the SeeBlade goggle wiper. Follow Tom’s lead to ensure your gear is ready to make the first day of this season as memorable as your last day last season.

The 2024-2025 season will be upon us before we know it. Will you be ready? Here are a few tips to ensure your first day this season will be as memorable as your last day last season.

Let’s start with your skis. If you have more than fifty days on them since their last visit to your preferred ski tech, consider taking them in for a full tune-up/base structure evaluation. This should include P-texing any base dings, flattening and waxing the base itself, sharpening the edges, lubing and checking the functionality of the bindings, ensuring you have the correct DIN setting to prevent the bindings from releasing prematurely or not releasing at all and – this is important! – checking the torque of the special screws that hold the bindings to the skis. On rare occasions, all or part of the binding can rip loose from the ski causing a catastrophic crash. You will need to leave your boots with your skis for this test.

If your skis are fairly new with perhaps only a dozen or so days on them, you can prep them for this season yourself. Get a chunk of wax at your ski shop, pick up a bottle of ski base cleaner and if you don’t have one already, a waxing iron. You’ll also need some sort of strap to lock the brakes out of the way so you can work on the bases. 

First, clean the bases according to the directions on the bottle of base cleaner. Be sure to let them dry completely before you start dripping wax on them. When they are dry, dribble wax on the bases and iron it in. Tognar Ski Tool has a good how-to video on ski waxing. (www.tognar.com/how-to-hot-wax-skis-or-snowboards). You’ll get the feel for how much pressure to apply, how hot the iron should be and how long to keep the iron on the ski. Let the wax set for a while before you scrape it off with a stainless steel or plastic scraper. Scrape from tip to tail (that’s the direction the snow moves under your skis). Be careful to get a flat, smooth base without removing too much wax.

Next, your boots. You skied hard last season and sometimes your feet would sweat as witnessed by your socks when you stepped out at the end of the day. Don’t for a moment imagine that those damp socks kept your liners dry! They’ve been absorbing moisture and salt like there’s no tomorrow. You need to take the liners out of your boots and, if you have removable foot beds, take those out of the liners as well. Fill up a bucket with warm, sudsy water and slosh those liners and foot beds for several minutes. You will be amazed at how dirty that water is, especially if you’ve had your boots for a few years and this is their first bath. Once they’re as clean as you can get them, dump the dirty, soapy water and begin rinsing the liners in clean warm water. You may need a few basins of water to be sure there is no residual soap. It doesn’t hurt to wash the boot shells as well, inside and out. Finally, let the shells and liners air dry somewhere outside but not in direct sunlight. Don’t be surprised if drying takes several days or even a week or two. The main thing is to be sure they are completely dry before you put them in your closet. Leave them disassembled (liners and foot beds out) until you need them this season.

With your skis, boots and bindings in top condition, you’re good to go with confidence come opening day.

Phil Johnson

Getting Ready for the Next Olympics

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Jim Carr at Carr Hughes Productions in Saratoga Springs

If you were like me, you were glued to the TV last August, watching the Summer Olympics from Paris, especially the track and field events where American Noah Lyles became the “Fastest Man on Earth” by winning the 100 meter dash.

The thrill of victory by one one thousandth of a second – 1/1,000 — a whisker:  faster than the blink of an eye; less time than it takes to exhale. But despite the slimmest of margins, at home on TV, you were able to see there was no doubt about the outcome, in large part because of the work done by Jim Carr who produced the the highlights of that broadcast for NBC.

It was no small undertaking. ” We had 110 cameras available to us in Paris from NBC and the world  camera feed at track and field, about 25 of those covering the finish line ” noted Carr about the scope of production.

The Olympics Games is the all star game of television broadcasting.  The combination of live and packaged telecasts over two weeks doesn’t get any bigger than this. The producers are the quarterbacks of the operation, determining how events will be featured. It means determining the content of the broadcast, prepping the announcers, choosing the graphics, plotting coverage and helping directors set up the visuals. Some of it is live and , in Jim’s case, it can be after the competition pulling together the highlight shows for prime time in the US. .

As you might expect with an event this big,  the 60 year old Carr is no rookie when it comes to who is at the controls for the marquee broadcast on the World sports calendar. This is the 17the Olympics for the Saratoga NY based television veteran who is already thinking about number 18 and what he’ll be doing at the Winter Games in Italy in 2026.

Although he isn’t certain what his assignment will be, he already knows what the scope can be.

‘For an outdoor event like the downhill event, there may be 100 cameras or more engaged for the race: large studio cameras on platforms, point of view cameras that shift along the run, sophisticated hand held cameras, and helicopters and  drones in the air above the course. All of this will be plotted out long in advance, in some instances as soon as this winter more than a year before the event.”

At the winter games In 2022,  Jim was all set as a post production producer of figure skating from Bejiing when the network asked him to double up and take on the snowboard competition too. In a year when much of the US coverage was staffed remotely from studios in Connecticut, Carr was on scene at two locations in China. Shifting assignments on short notice is not unusual, it seems. Just before leaving for Europe for track and field this summer,  he was called to Connecticut to help with the remote network coverage of the spectacular opening ceremonies on the Seine River in Paris. .

Being in the right place at the right time has been a hallmark of Carr’s career from the start. The upstate New York native watched the 1980 Winter Olympics from Lake Placid as a teenager and, a few years later after graduating with a degree in communications from the nearby state college at Plattsburg, was hired by the local television station. He and an on- air colleague were sent to provide local coverage of the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. There he worked in the same space as the network and international television crews. He made contacts. It was the era of expanding television opportunities with cable stations and 24 hour sports broadcasting. He hasn’t looked back since.

After several years with AMPS, a local  production service that packaged various sports competitions in the Lake Placid area, he started his own company in1993 and moved to his hometown. In 2002 he teamed up with former US luge athlete and organizer Bob Hughes to form Carr Hughes Productions.

Is he good at what he does? Seven broadcast Emmy Awards suggest the experts believe he is.

Today, in addition to his work with the Olympics, he produces a variety of sports broadcasts, from equestrian and horse racing to international  track and field , much of it in partnership with NBC and ESPN, Carr Hughes bought a mobile broadcast unit in 2017 and now crisscross the US and Canada for sports of all sorts: They can do an event like Big Ten football, or produce an entire competition like the World University Winter Games last January. That was  an eight venue event throughout the Adirondacks that required a staff of 277. Five months earlier, Carr Hughes was across the country in Oregon for the international Track and Field champions. (Yes, Jim did chat with Snoop Dog.)

In the early years, much of the work was done on site then shipped back and produced at his studio in Saratoga near his home. Today, with the advancement of broadcast technology, a lot of the work can be done remotely.

‘A lot of the editing that once required a studio can now be done on a laptop. We can shoot on site and transmit a ready to air product directly to the network from the site. Our work no longer demands a big city presence. We can be located anywhere.”

Where does he want to be in the winter of 2026?

“I hope I will be in Italy. The Olympics are so much fun in person.”

Evelyn Kanter

What’s New in Utah for the 2024/25 Ski & Snowboard Season

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What were you doing all summer?  Resorts in Utah were working full-time adding new lifts and snowmaking, smoothing out terrain, even adding major expansions.  Those improvements will come in handy in 2034, when the Winter Olympic Games return to Salt Lake City and the resorts around it.

Here’s what’s new in Utah for the 2024/25 season.  In alphabetical order, since that’s the only fair way.

Alta

Improvements have been made to the approaches at the top of the Collins lift on Mambo and on the Ballroom traverse and the High traverse.  Also, there are new covered Sunkid conveyors at the Albion Base Area for beginners.

Brian Head Resort

There are three new trails – two for beginners and one for intermediates – part of a $1.4 Million budget for capital improvements.  Brian Head celebrates its 60th Anniversary in January 2025, with a series of on-mountain activities and events, the week of January 7.

Brighton Resort

There’s new night skiing and snowboarding at the Millicent Chairlift, and increased snowmaking off the Great Western and Snake Creek chairlifts.  Brighton also has added eco-friendly hybrid electric snowcats and an electric snowmobile for operations.

Deer Valley

Where to start?  300 new acres of terrain with three new chairlifts and a new base area with expanded parking.  

The new terrain is being called Deer Valley East Village, and is being opened in bits and pieces as it is developed.  That’s where the new lifts and 500 new parking spots are located.

Keetley Express will be Deer Valley’s first six-person chairlift with a protective bubble, scheduled to open in December.  It will connect the new Deer Valley East Village to the main area, dropping skiers near the bottom of the Sultan lift on Bald Mountain.  The other new lifts are Hoodoo Express and Aurora, both servicing beginner-level terrain.

Park City Mountain

There’s new snowmaking at Canyons Village, to allow terrain accessed via the popular Tombstone Express to open earlier in the season.

Powder Mountain

Under new private ownership this season, Powder is now a hybrid of terrain open only to members and public access. The public portion gets a new lift in Wolf Canyon to Lightning Ridge, which will add 900 acres of lift-served and 147-acres of hike-to access. 

The new owners also are upgrading the Paradise and Timberline lifts, adding new guided adventure experiences, and creating an on-mountain art gallery with outdoor sculptures dotting the slopes.

In February 2025, all Saturdays and Sundays are accessible to only Powder Mountain Season Pass holders.

Snowbasin Resort

Bear Hollow, Snowshoe and Slow Road are being widened to improve flow and safety in the Family Zone, accessed by the Wildcat Lift.  Snowbasin also is making other adjustments to prepare for the new Becker Chairlift, set to debut before the 2025/26 season.  The new lift will be a detachable quad, replacing the fixed-grip triple that dates from 1986. The new lift will be a six-minute ride, getting you to the top in half the time.

Snowbird

The original Wilbere Chair has been shifted from a slow double to a speedy quad with a conveyor for more efficient loading, and also moved to provide easier access from the Creekside base area.  The beloved original red Tram cabin has been refurbished and transformed into a new outdoor extension of the Tram Club for dining and drinks, along with new lunch and apres ski offerings at The Atrium in the Cliff Lodge.

Solitude

The news here is about parking.  Midweek parking costs have been reduced by 50% and vehicles with three or more occupants will continue to park for free.  Also, advance parking reservations – which the resort says reduced congestion in Big Cottonwood Canyon – are now required on just 46 days, down from more than 60 last season.

Sundance Mountain Resort

The new Mountain Camp Day Lodge is opening, with lockers, a ticket office, rentals and more.  It is adjacent to recently-expanded parking with 110 new spaces.  Also, under construction now and due to open in 2025/26, is a new 63-room ADA-accessible luxury inn at the base village.

What’s your favorite Utah resort?  www.skiutah.com

Mine is all of them.

See you on the slopes.

Evelyn Kanter

Indy Pass Adds 30 New Resorts Around the World for 2024/25 Season

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Kiroro Japan Skiing Credit: IndyPass

The Indy Pass gets better every year.  It just added 30 new resorts in the USA and around the world for the 2024/25 season, on top of the 52 it added last season.

As its name implies, the Indy Pass focuses on independent areas without another affiliation such as biggies Ikon, Epic or even Mountain Collective.  It gives you two days of skiing at each member mountain, plus discounts for additional days. 

With 230 members now, the good news is that means 430 potential downhill days for a buy-in price of $419, with add-on options that include black-out dates. 

The bad news is that Indy strictly limits pass sales, so smaller members don’t get overwhelmed.

Limited Sale Dates

With the new areas, Indy is resuming pass sales for those already on the waitlist, only from Oct. 24-27.  The general public has just one day only  – Oct. 28 – to buy in.

New Resorts for 2024/25 Season

In alphabetical order, since that’s the only fair way –

  • Baqueria Beret, Spain
  • Bear Creek, Pennsylvania
  • Bear Valley, California
  • Bousquet, Massachusettes
  • Bruce Mound, Wisconsin
  • Camp Fortune, Quebec
  • Cascade Welcome Center XC, New York
  • Cazenovia Ski Club, New York
  • Cupid Valley Ski Resort, Japan
  • Dynaland Ski Resort, Japan
  • Hirugano Kogen Ski Resort, Japan
  • Hoedown Hill, Colorado
  • Hunt Hollow Ski Club, New York
  • Innsbruck Resorts, Austria (12 resorts)
  • Lost Valley, Maine
  • Loveland Ski Area, Colorado
  • Massif du Sud Quebec
  • Mont Rigaud, Quebec
  • Christie Mountain, Wisconsin
  • Mt. Holiday, Michigan
  • Ninox Snow Park, Japan
  • Norway Mountain, Michigan
  • Takasu Snow Park, Japan
  • The Snow Center, England
  • Trafford City Snow Centre, England
  • Washigatake Ski Resort, Japan
  • Whitehorse Nordic Ski Society, Yukon
  • WhitePIA Takasu Ski Resort, Japan
  • Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resort, Japan
  • Mala Upa, Czech Republ

 
Indy Pass Pricing – Final Sale for 2024/25 (No Senior Pricing)

  • Indy Base Pass $419 Adult / $239 Kids (12-and-under)
  • Indy+ Pass $539 Adult / $299 Kids (no blackouts)
  • Indy AddOn Base $319 Adult / $179 Kids
  • Indy AddOn+ Pass $409 Adult / $229 Kids (no blackouts)
  • XC Pass $99 Adult / $49 Kids
  • Personalized Photo Pass $10

 

David Schissler

FREE ADMISSION Boston Snowbound Expo

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You’ve been to the summer tent sale. You’ve been to the local ski swap. Now make tracks to the ski show!

Each November our friends at the SnowBound Expo produce what I believe is the finest ski & snowboard show in the Northeast, perhaps the country. People sometimes ask me why I go? For a lot of reasons. Some psychological, some economic.

Psychologically,  it’s good to be among like minds. Everyone at the show is excited and anticipating the coming season. It stirs the carve junky in me. I know I’ll be on snow somewhere in just weeks. That motivates me to increase my workouts (you never really know just how much gas is in the tank until the first run!) and prep the gear.

The show is a celebration of winter sports as demonstrated by the stellar line-up of guest speakers. This year New Hampshire born and raised Big Mountain Skier, Caite Zeliff, Vermonter Moguls legend, Hannah Kearney, Maine’s finest athlete, Donny Pelletier, and Alice Merryweather, top-ranked American downhill skier, World Cup contender and Olympian will share their experience and knowledge with fans. 

Economically, there’s gold at the show. There are more promotions than you can count. Resorts will update you about their latest improvements to their lodges, lifts, snowmaking and terrain. They’ll be selling gift-cards, ticket packages and season passes at the lowest prices of the year. If you’re lucky, you may win free tickets or passes in a raffle or by spinning a prize wheel. Chachka is everywhere. Stickers, bottle openers, keychains, goggle wipers, lift ticket clips, ski straps, hats, trail maps, water bottles, bandanas and more await you collectors of ski memorabilia. 

On the gear side you’ll find close-out deals on last year’s brand-new skis, boots and bindings. It’s an excellent time to add a specialty pair to the quiver. Get that soft snow or ice ski you’ve had your eye on. You’ll also find manufacturer’s promoting their newest equipment. Get up to speed on the latest ski and boot technology designed to make your day on the hill a little easier and a little more fun. You’ll also find great deals on every kind of clothing. It’s the perfect time to update your look or add to your layers. Perhaps most importantly, there’s no better time to outfit the kids!

You’re invited to Snowbound Expo 2024, November 15-17 at the BCEC! Get FREE tickets with code SENIORSKI. Enjoy 180+ brands with up to 60% off gear, plus experiences like an indoor slope, Learn to Ski, cross-country skiing, and more. Hear from Olympians and top athletes like Hannah Kearney, Caite Zeliff, Alice Merryweather, and more. Don’t miss out on great deals, après-ski, and community fun!

Click the link for FREE tickets: https://snowboundexpo.seetickets.com/event/snowbound-expo-2024/boston-convention-exhibition-center/2926543?OfferCode=SENIORSKI

For a full description of the show and everything happening there please visit https://snowboundexpo.com.

See you there!

peter-james-eisenhaure-PbWJY0M5hRM-unsplash
Evelyn Kanter

What’s New in Vermont for the 2024/25 Season

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peter-james-eisenhaure-PbWJY0M5hRM-unsplash

Photo by Peter James Eisenhaure on Unsplash

While you were tanning on the beach in the Caribbean or throwing coins in the fountain in Rome this past summer, Vermont resorts were busy upgrading chairlifts, trails, snowmaking, dining and lodging.

Here’s what’s new in the state with some of the most popular ski/snowboard/Nordic destinations in the Northeast. 

In alphabetical order, since that’s the only fair way.  

Bromley Mountain

Bromley has invested in new and improved snowmaking on its lower mountain, to ensure more consistent conditions on such popular areas as Lower Thruway and Lower Boulevard.  Also, there will be live music on holidays and almost every weekend, adding a festive vibe to your ski day, weekend or week.

Killington Resort & Pico Mountain:

Under new local ownership, Killington and sister Pico are embarking on a $30 million investment spree over the next two seasons.  That includes 500 new low-energy snow guns will blanket both resorts, with four fully automated fan guns specifically targeting Superstar.

After this ski season, during summer 2025, Killington will replace the Superstar Express Quad with a high-speed six-pack, and replace more than 110 cabins on the iconic Skyeship Gondola with new ones.

Mad River Glen:

A new mid-station on the Single Chair will provide easier access to beginner and intermediate terrain in Birdland.  Also, the legendary skiers-only destination is speeding up the drive system for the Sunnyside Double to boost loading capacity.

Magic Mountain:

The resort has added 50 new snow guns, including mobile units for expert terrain, to provide more consistent conditions throughout the season.  Also, the  new Throwback Card offers 25% off online ticket prices and a free ski day on your second visit.

Mount Snow:

Celebrating 70 Years this season, Mount Snow marks the milestone with new on-mountain improvements to the most powerful snowmaking system in the East, and participation in the MyEpic premium ski/snowboard rental equipment program. 

Jay Peak:

Nothing new for this season, just a continuation of the reliable infrastructure and programs which have made Jay Peak a popular, family-friendly destination for decades.

Okemo Mountain Resort:

This family-favorite destination has 98% snowmaking coverage, and is also participating in the Epic Pass MyEpic gear rental program.

Saskadena Six:

There’s a new, revised unload zone on Chair One increases safety and flow and trail widening on Easy Mile and Porcupine to improve traffic flow. The area also has added low-energy eco-friendly snow guns.

Stowe Mountain Resort:

No new on-mountain enhancements this season, but new is that Stowe has joined the MyEpic gear program, offering a convenient and affordable way to access premium ski and snowboard equipment for EpicPass holders.

Stratton Mountain:

There are new snow guns on Mikey’s Way and 160 new high-efficiency hydrants throughout the mountain.

Sugarbush Resort:

The highly anticipated Heaven’s Gate Quad at Lincoln Peak opens, providing a faster and more reliable summit experience. Plus, there is improved snowmaking at Mount Ellen for a more consistent experience throughout the season.

If you somebody who loves challenges, koin the Sugarbush community in skiing a billion vertical feet to raise $50,000 for a local mental health non-profit.

What’s your favorite Vermont resort – and why?  www.skivermont.com

We want to hear from you.

See you on the slopes.