More On Taking A Lesson With COVID
Things Are Different. More Ideas For Successful Lessons.
Protect yourself and others. Be prepared. Credit: Marketwatch
Correspondent Keller Minton’s article last week on taking a lesson in COVID times was praised by a ski world notable. Seth Masia, president of the International Ski History Association, long time ski journalist, active ski instructor at Aspen/Snowmass, and member of SeniorsSkiing.com’ Board of Advisors, wrote to us with some additional comments. Here are his observations:
Based on early-season experience at Snowmass, here are some points to bear in mind:
Stay warm! Indoor facilities may be limited, which limits opportunities to warm up over a hot chocolate. You may be out in the cold all day, so dress appropriately. Take measures to keep boots and gloves warm. This factor alone is reason enough to wear a mask, or a proper double-layer neck gaiter.
Lunch may be a problem. Many on-mountain restaurants sell take-out only, and some require you to order food in advance with a smart-phone app. Your instructor should be able to help set up lunch. Time indoors is limited, and you may wind up eating outdoors, on a patio or in a tent.
A mask may fog your goggles or sunglasses. In general you can ski with the mask down, but need to wear it on the lift or when the class stops to talk on the hill. When you mask up, consider lifting your goggles to prevent fogging. Invest in a no-fog cloth for sunglasses and prescription lenses.
Lift capacity may be limited. In a group lesson, where you’ll mix with strangers, you may be asked to ride lifts alone, or limited to two passengers on a triple or four-pack lift. This goes double for gondolas and trams.
Consider a private lesson, which opens the possibility of skiing as a family. This simplifies lift loading because members of a household can ride together. Some resorts that limit the number of people on the hill may give ticket-sales priority to private-lesson clients.
Prove you are negative. Some jurisdictions require proof of a negative COVID test for entry or overnight stays. Be prepared.
Go all online. Expect to make all reservations online, for rental gear, lessons, lodging and parking. Call centers are universally overloaded.
Seth Masia teaches in the Aspen/Snowmass ski school, and is based at Snowmass. See his website skiyoungernow.com
Mystery Glimpse: Multiverse of Santas
Santa Santa Santa
Where are we? What’s special about what’s going on?
Last Week
Clearly, there are some fantastic ski history buffs in among our readership. We had some spot-on descriptions of this old hotel last week.
This is the Poland Springs House in Poland Springs, ME. Here’s a bit of this famous landmark’s story from Glenn Parkinson, the historian at the Ski Museum of Maine. He writes:
“Hiram Ricker expanded his family’s inn at Poland Spring in 1876 by building a hotel with 350 guest rooms. The resort was marketed as a “country getaway with recreational activities and having water with health benefits,” according to the official history. The hotel became popular for the country’s social elite and the basic design was used to develop other resorts such as the Samoset and the Mt Kineo House.
“Recreational activities included one of the first golf courses in the state and of course a variety of winter activities. In some ways the Poland Spring resort was Maine’s first winter resort. Activities such as horse drawn sleigh rides, snowshoeing and skiing were popular. A toboggan slide ran all the way down to the lake. There was even winter harness racing on the ice of the lake. Photos of the time show lots of people wearing big fur coats watching a few people on skis or snowshoes. Into the 1920’s skiing was so new to most people that it was more of a spectator event than an activity.
“Well into the 1920s the Poland Spring Resort was one of Maine’s most popular places for winter sport and recreation.”
There are some fascinating photos of ski history in Maine at the museum site. Thanks to the Ski Museum of Maine for allowing us to use this picture.
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Dec. 11)
More Music And Skiing, Jackson Nordic, John Denver, Storms On Parade, Difficult Moments, Question: Handling Clutch Situations, Early Season Videos, COVID Lesson Advice, Old Maine Hotel.
After last week’s discovery of the two musical events that are held in the middle of the ski world, we thought we’d explore the intersection between snow sports and the music world one more time.
Last week, we highlighted the highly unusual and kinda cool “Gondola Sessions” where a band or sub-set of a band rides in gondola while performing and recording tunes. Just writing that sentence makes it sound nuts, but it seems to work. Kind of. There are a host of different bands riding gondolas at various resorts; we focused on our fav, Elephant Revival, singing on a Telluride gondie. Search YouTube for “Gondola Sessions”.
We also found WinterWonderGrass, blues and root music festivals held at snow country resorts in the winter. Indoors and outdoors. Senior music lovers, the idea for these gatherings goes back to Woodstock. Obviously, this season’s events are postponed.
SeniorsSkiing.com also has an interest in ski music, too. A couple of years ago, we re-published the music of Ray Conrad and his 1970 ski song album, The Cotton-Pickin’ Lift Tower and Other Ski Songs. Ray’s tunes are funny and sentimental. Here’s a sample.
This week, we were reminded of another great ski song performer. Correspondent LuAnn Snyder reminds us that John Denver composed “Annie’s Song” on a chairlift at Aspen. And, he performed one of the first pre-Go Pro ski music videos, skiing and singing “Dancing In The Mountains.” Check out her story here.
This Week
Skiing Weatherman Herb Stevens forecasts a parade of storms across the US. Finally, we are getting the snow and the cold to hold it on the ground, especially in New England. Click Here.
Could this be Nordic Heaven? Credit: Teton Pines
We have a great story in our Make More Tracks series from correspondent Jonathan Wiesel about nordic skiing in the magnificent Jackson Hole area. He says the snow conditions are beyond great, they’re “superb”. And check out the scenery. Click Here.
This might have been do-able last week, but, hmmm, today you can’t handle “it.” Rambo at Crested Butte. Credit: Chris Segal
Ski coach and correspondent Bob Trueman offers an article on what to do when you’re in a difficult situation, when you feel you can’t make it down, when you tense up. It has happened to all of us. His advice is useful and insightful. Click Here.
And our Question For You this week asks for your advice in handling those tense situations. What do you do when you freeze? We’d like to hear your experiences and its outcomes. Click Here.
Correspondent Don Burch has compiled a short video of an early season ski day at Okemo, VT. If you haven’t been out yet, this might get you moving. Click Here.
A new contributor Keller Minton, an instructor at Vail, offers some tips on taking a lesson during COVID. As you know, a lesson at the beginning of the season can make a big difference for the rest of your year. We know a lot of our readers do take an early season lesson. Here’s how it might be different this year. Click Here.
The old Model T can be seen at the head of the lift line. Credit: Ski History.
Mystery Glimpse this week reveals the site and date of that picture of the rope tow powered by a Model T Ford. And there’s a new picture of an old hotel. Can you identify where it was? Click Here.
Meanwhile, In The Seemed-Like-A-Good-Idea-At-The-Time Department.
If anyone knows the back story of this video, please let us know.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends and remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
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