Tips to Buy New XC Ski Gear for This Winter
Last winter XC ski gear was in demand like never before and all segments of cross country ski equipment sold out, with few or no options for retailers to reorder. There also was an uptick for backcountry gear and snowshoes.
Retailers are still experiencing demand and supply issues. Coupled with global supply chain challenges, everything from the components that complete a ski binding to the actual cardboard boxes in which products are shipped have been in short supply. Demand and wait times have increased dramatically for these vital pieces, further impacting supply.
Responding to these factors, retailers placed orders as early as possible and for as much gear as they could get. But some wholesale distributors limited the amount of equipment they planned to make available in the US.
The result? Retailers may not be able to reorder sold out merchandise.
If you want to get new gear this year, here are some tips from Burlington, Vermont retailer Ski Rack:
Start Early
The earlier you begin the process the more likely you’ll get the right winter gear for you. The process begins with your own preliminary research into what you’re looking for and how you want to enjoy the outdoors this winter. Starting early is great! However, keep checking for new arrivals.
Buy Locally
Once you’ve identified the type of XC ski activity you’re interested in (for example, skiing in tracks, on ungroomed trails, in the backcountry, or ski skating) the next step is to head to a local gear shop and talk with the retail experts. They can be a great resource to help with sizing and to discuss various details, including differences between products. Consider custom fitting for all categories, to get the right gear the first time. This way, you’ll save time and avoid having to return something down the line when you find it’s not the right fit. By then, that item may not be in stock anymore.
Flexibility
Another key piece of getting winter gear this year is flexibility. There are lots of options from many brands that will serve you well. Some models may already be sold out for the year, pre-sold, or unavailable for months. It’s advisable to explore all options to see what the best fit may be, even if it’s not your first choice, but ACT FAST! If you find something you want at the store, don’t wait. It could be gone the next day or the next hour.
This Issue
Years ago, a fellow I knew in the fitness industry commented, “You don’t ski to get in shape. You get in shape to ski.”
I didn’t always agree, but as I’ve aged, I’ve realized that it really does require considerable training to prepare for the season.
This issue has some good advice from Pat McCloskey about similarities between mountain biking and skiing and how the former helps prepare for the latter.
Also included is a photo-essay offering excellent pre-season training advice that can be done on your own. It first appeared in last season’s Masterfit Buyer’s Guide. How do I know this is the right advice? For several months, now, I’ve been working with a trainer to help me get in shape for the season. All of the recommended exercises (plus a lot more) are in my 2-3 x a week routine.
Dave Chambers has written his account of skiing the Canadian Rockies with a few friends in the 2020-21 season. The Aussies have always been great travelers, and in this informative account, he and his mates crisscrossed the mountains enjoying seven different resorts in one trip.
I’ve come to appreciate the unique skiing experience as an occasional alternative to quotidian resort skiing. Frequent contributor, Jonathan Weisel, introduces us to the beauty of cross-country skiing in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone Expeditions, which operates a small yurt village and provides 5-day guided trips and specialized photo trips, sounds like a fantastic ski experience.
And Herb Stevens, the Skiing Weatherman, provides a heads up on the weather and what to expect from it. Parts of the West are getting inundated. Let’s hope and pray that this is a good sign for the entire season…and the wildfire-mitigating snowpack.
Check out your skiing knowledge with this image submitted by the New Mexico Ski Hall of Fame and Ski Museum. While you’re there, learn who correctly identified Arthur Conan Doyle from the last Test Your Skiing Knowledge photo.
Finally, enjoy Jon’s ShortSwings! column. At the end of his sometimes quirky ski news roundup, there’s a link to a ski film shot more than a century ago. We rarely see jump turns like those anymore.
Short Swings!
Would you pay an additional $49+ not to wait in the lift line? Express lines have been available for years for members of exclusive clubs and for skiers accompanied by instructors. Now it will be available for a fee on a day-by-day basis at Snowbird (UT), Killington (VT), Copper Mountain (CO) and Mount Bachelor (OR), all areas owned by Utah-based Powdr Corp.
Years ago, friends at Snowbird with “black passes,” went to the head of the line on the Tram and other lifts as a benefit of membership in the resort’s pricey Seven Summits Club.
In the late 60s I skied Chamonix with an American photographer living there. Organized lift lines were nonexistent. He pushed his way to the front of the pack and slipped some francs to the lift attendant. It was uncomfortable to me, but perfectly normal to him.
Now that privilege will be accessible to anyone with spare change. Dedicated fast access lanes are being established at the most popular lifts at each of the participating resorts (Snowbird’s Tram, not included). Starting Nov 1, skiers can purchase the Fast Tracks add-on in advance or on-mountain. Fast Tracks — quantity to be capped daily –will be available to all skiers holding day passes, season passes or Ikon Passes.
Is this new level of premium pricing a natural evolution of how lift tickets are valued? I think so. A few years back, areas assigned different values to lift tickets based on how far in advance they were purchased, day of the week, holidays., etc. Some areas discount passes based on military service, student status and age. Remember when 60 year olds got free skiing? In the US, the age threshold has been steadily increasing. Now, generally, you need to be 75 or 80 to get a deal, if any exists.
Most resorts and the bundled pass offerings discount for early purchases. Their purveyors get to invest that capital any number of ways.
Who will make the add-on Fast Tracks purchase? Anyone with a cushy account planning a trip to the mountains. They paid for the flight, the lodge, lift tickets, etc. Why spend time on the hill waiting in line? That’s the market…and those to whom the added cost means nothing.
So much about skiing, like life in general, has changed, and those changes may grate on those who have been enjoying it for decades. If this works for Powdr Corp, it’s just a matter of time before paying the additional fee to get to the head of the line will be commonplace.
The Season Is Underway…
…at least in Finland where Levi and Ruka have opened with the benefit of recycling last season’s snow. The procedure, know as “snow farming” stores snow from the previous season in protective structures and redistributes it on trails once temps have dropped enough to keep it from melting. Here in the US, Copper Mountain (CO) fired up its guns last week to prepare for US Ski Team training staring October 22 and its general opening on November 22. And, as of this writing, resorts around the West have been dumped on. Alta has about 18.” Wolf Creek opens Saturday; Arapahoe Basin on Sunday. Winter is here!
Welcome Ski Idaho!
Ski Idaho, which promotes the state’s 17 ski areas, is our newest advertiser. The best known of the resorts is Sun Valley. Less frequented but with substantial vertical and snow are Grand Targhee (actually in Wyoming but a participant in the Ski Idaho initiative), Schweitzer, Tamarack, and Pebble Creek. Many private jets are parked at the airport in Hailey, the gateway to Sun Valley. Not so at the other areas. Any senior skier wanting to expand the list of areas skied or planning a reasonably priced family ski holiday is well-advised to look into Idaho. Its official nickname is “the gem state.” Precious minerals and stones aside, it is one gem of a place to explore and ski!
Snowboarder To Be Featured on $1 Coin
Source: US Treasury
Vermont will be represented in a series of new $1 coins issued by the U.S. Mint.The coin will feature an image of a snowboarder. The “American Innovation” series of $1 coins started in 2018 and will eventually include a coin for each state, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Vermont’s coin, to be released in 2022, shows a snowboarder holding the edge of her board while doing a trick.
Full Tilt to be Retired
Source: Full Tilt Boots
The 3-piece boot, particularly popular with many SeniorsSkiing.com readers, will be retired after this season. It is made and distributed under the K2 umbrella.
Man Completes London Marathon in Ski Boots
Credit: Guinness World Records
Paul Bennett ran the London Marathon in ski boots, as a fund-raiser supporting injured military personnel. His time: 5 hour, 30 minutes, 20 seconds. He was 7 seconds faster than the last ski boot marathon runner.
On this side of the pond, last week, 87 untramarathoners in Utah ran into a blizzard that dumped 12″ – 18″ on portions of the high-elevation, 5o mile course. Officials called off the race, and there were no injuries; a far different outcome from last May’s mountain race in China when 21 runners died from exposure.
New Aspen Logo
Old Aspen logo. Source: Aspen
New Aspen logo. Source: Aspen
The original aspen leaf design was introduced in 1946. Now, 75 years later, it has a cleaner, new look. The design’s last iteration was an aspen leaf with ski tracks forming the stem. The new version is an outline of an aspen leaf. More on how the resort will be celebrating its 75th in future issues.
Big Expansion for Sunday River
Sunday River to expand into Western Reserve. Source: Sunday River
Sunday River (ME) announced a major expansion that will get underway in 2022. This, as reported in The Storm Skiing Journal website. The terrain expansion will eventually double the size of the resort. Click here for resort’s explanation.
30% Discount on Ski Books
Use code SENIORSSKI when placing online orders for any of the 27 ski titles published by Arcadia Publishing. The offer is valid through November 7.
Air Access to Mammoth Mountain Increases
United Airlines is starting flights from L.A., San Francisco and Denver to Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop (CA), about 49 miles from Mammoth Mountain. Another service, Advanced Airlines, which bills itself as providing “public charter flights,” will provide flights to Mammoth Yosemite Airport from three Southern California airports (Burbank, Carlsbad and Hawthorne). It’s 12 miles from the resort.
This Ski Film Was Made 101 Years Ago!
Arnold Fanck, a German documentary filmmaker and pioneer of the mountain film genre, is credited with creating one of the first ski films. “The Wonder of Skis” (Das Wunder des Schneeschuhs) was issued in 1920…101 years ago! It shows skiers in a variety of alpine beauty spots, executing surprisingly beautiful turns. Length of this segment: 30 minutes. Click on image to screen.
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