Short Swings!
Last week’s column highlighted responses to a question posed to several friends: How much vertical footage is needed to have a satisfying day on the hill? For this week’s column, I posed the same question to all readers. Your input over the past several days says a lot about your passion for the sport. Not enough room to include all responses, but here’s a selection:
Fellow ski journalist, Dave Irons, 82, reports, “…all I need is a morning that includes 5-10 runs.” He and his 60-year old daughter ski Shawnee Peak (ME). “The 1200 feet of vertical is plenty. She’s…in great shape, which is why she is good for a few more runs after the old man is ready for a beer.”
John Emery, 67, and his wife ski Bogus Basin (ID). “I still track and log my vert, not for bragging purposes but to keep myself honest.”
Rick Hovey is 66 and a resident of Park City (UT) since the mid-70s. Typically, he skis one million vertical and 80 days a season. Poor guy, last season he clocked 58 days and 900K vert. He writes, “I expect to meet my goals this year but will try to be satisfied with what I get.”
Rich Spritz writes, “My goal is to ski my age, though this year I may miss 70.” His family has a rule: “three runs counts as a day.” To anyone challenging the rule he suggests skiing three at “Breckenfridge” when it’s 7°F with wind howling, “then come meet inside by the fire and tell me that doesn’t count as a ski day!”
Susan Shaffer, Chapel Hill, NC, has skied one million vertical for several seasons. Last March, when areas closed, she was three days short of skiing her age.
Tony’s local area is Cannonsburg (MI) with 250’ vertical. The area is a few miles from where he and his wife are on patrol (99 years of patrolling between them). For Tony, a light day is 100 runs or about 25,000 feet. “It’s a lot cheaper than the gym and lots of fresh air.”
At 74, Kevin Toolan’s perfect day is about 4 hours with his 6 and 10-year old grandsons at Okemo (VT) followed by lunch, a glass of wine and a nap.
Peter Hogan skis Copper Mountain with his step-son. They enjoy lunch at a sheltered woodsy spot with a view, then ski the bowls and take a long “butt-kicking” mogul run before a few beers.
Connie Grodensky writes, “Skiing local is what skiing is about this year.” She takes 10-run days at Mt. Bachelor (OR) and is happy to leave before the crowds arrive.
Ed Schultz, 76, skis 15 runs at Brantling (NY), with 250’ vertical. It’s small but in region that receives lots of snow.
Bob Ohrt, provides these words of wisdom: “Have been skiing local for many years. Depending on the year, ‘local’ might be a 300′ valley or a 3,000′ resort. It really doesn’t matter. Skiing is the experience and the sensation. Every ‘where’ can offer different joys. Ski what you have got.”
Many thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts.
Skier’s Six-Word Challenge
Here’s the challenge: summarize your thoughts about the season in 6 words. Several have been received. If you want to enter SeniorsSkiing.com’s Six Word Challenge, you may win a Booster ski boot horn, a great gift for any older skier.
Here’s a selection from the past week.
Louis Vigorita, Ventura, CA, commented on escaping Covid isolation:
Out of the bubble, into the snow.
Susan Zangrilli, Sandy, Utah, expressed one of this season’s dilemmas:
Mask, balaclava, gaiter, helmet, goggles. Breathe?
Her husband, David, laments not being able to boot-up in the Alta locker-room:
Boots on. Boots off. Sans bench.
Bob Ohrt puts this optimisitc spin on the season:
It’s the smiles not the miles.
And Jan Brunvand, Salt Lake City, who’s already skied seven days, sent this about his season’s goals:
Fifty days? Good luck with that!
Enter SeniorsSkiing.com’s Six Word Challenge. Summarize how you feel about this season in six words. Winners will receive a Bootster ski boot shoe horn! Send entries to jon@seniorsskiing.com.
Passes Surpassed Lift Tickets Last Season
National Ski Areas Association reports that last season, skier/boarder visits using season passes were greater than visits using single and multi-day lift tickets…a first for the industry.
May Be Best Lift Deal in the US
Colorado Ski Country USA’s $35 Gems Card provides two 2-for-1 adult lift tickets or two 30-percent (30%) off adult lift tickets at each of these Colorado resorts: Arapahoe Basin, Cooper, Echo Mountain, Eldora, Granby Ranch, Hesperus, Kendall Mountain, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn and Sunlight. For more information: www.ColoradoSki.com/Gems.
Better Mapping
You may have noticed a new look in the trail maps at places like Vail, Sun Valley, Squaw and Alpine Meadows, Stowe, Mt Snow, and Killington. They are among the areas utilizing the services of VistaMap, a company providing a comprehensive system for creating and maintaining trail and guest maps. Like any good map, these are easy to read and understand. The technology utilized let’s them be updated easily. Click here to visit Vistamap‘s website.
Liftopia’s Assets Acquired
Remember Liftopia, the online ticket seller, which advertised extensively over the past few seasons? The company went under earlier this year after several resorts were not paid for the tickets Liftopia sold. The company’s liquidated assets were acquired by Skitude, a European ski-oriented tech.
Two Interesting Short Ski Films
Abandoned (24 minutes) tells the stories of several defunct Colorado areas.
Made Back East (21 minutes) follows a group of ski friends as they ski backcountry in New York and Vermont.
One Wonderful Ski Video
Twelve year old, Jacob Smith was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 8. After years of surgery, he is well but legally blind. This 7 minute video tells Jacob’s story, including his descent on skis of Big Sky’s Big Couloir. Need a pickmeup? Don’t miss this one!
Make More Tracks: Jackson Hole Nordic
States Of Euphoria
More than great, these are superb conditions. Credit: Teton Pines
The week before Christmas, 1980, I drove west from Cody, WY, through the rugged Absarokas, over Togwotee Pass, dropping into the northeast corner of Jackson Hole, then south to the town of Jackson. Deep fresh snow covered the landscape, with occasional bison, moose, and coyote tracks crossing broad meadows. The road parallels the Snake River. So do the Tetons, which tower about 7,000’ above the river, with maybe the most spectacular skyline of any mountains in the Lower 48
For the next ten years, I skied, hiked, ran, and biked on both sides of the Tetons on the western edge of the valley (“hole” in frontier lingo), the Absarokas, and the Gros Ventre and Hoback ranges to the east. It was a fantastic time to live there, working as one of the world’s first Nordic ski area consultants.
Watching Jackson’s explosive transition from a cow town to a resort region was a little alarming. Happily the surrounding country stayed pretty much unchanged because almost 97 percent of the region is federal land that won’t be developed. Yellowstone National Park is just north of the valley.
Jackson Hole is a special place for winter lovers. Part of that’s the beauty and the pristine quality of Grand Teton National Park; some of it’s the amount and quality of snow. But for Nordic skiers, maybe the main draw is diversity in that stunning setting. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a track aficionado or skater, tourer or telemarker, loner or family skier —there’s not just that sad cliché, “something for everyone,” but a lot that’s absolutely superb quality. Today you can find an online resource that introduces you to all things Nordic (including snowshoeing and fatbiking) in the Jackson Hole area: click here for JH Nordic. You can figure on 300 km of groomed trails in total regionally.
Movin’ and Shakin’
Perhaps the most influential XC player around Jackson has been a specialty shop, Skinny Skis, which provides high quality rental gear, retail equipment, and clothing.
There’s also a core of friendly long-time locals in town who’ve played a huge role in popularizing Nordic skiing. They’ve been coaches and racers, backcountry guides and Olympians, as well as people who ski non-competitively, just delighting in the outdoors in such a beautiful place. A lot of them are members of the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club, whose Nordic division has been grooming at Trail Creek Ranch since the late 1960s, at the base of Teton Pass.
Private Tracks
Teton Pines has 16 km of gentle golf course skiing, complemented by instruction, rentals, and guided tours with affable Nordic director Cody Downard. (You’ll often find his photos in Cross County Skier magazine).
Grand Targhee Nordic Center, on the western slope of the Tetons, has 15 swooping kilometers of groomed trails. The resort is about a 75 minute drive from Jackson.
Open since 2014, Turpin Meadow Ranch is a relative newcomer locally but already has a national reputation. Anchoring the north end of the 50-mile Hole, they’re a complete destination—cabins and chalets, great food (check out the Bob Dylan photo in the lodge, taken at the ranch in the 1980s), amiable staff, and 20 km of groomed trails. The ranch is a little higher than most other regional skiing, but generally routes are on the gentle side in meadows and forest, though there are some climbs and thrills too, starting right behind the lodge. Dogs, snowshoes, and fat bikes are all welcome.
Public Trails
Jackson Hole doesn’t have interconnected trails on the scale of Sun Valley, Idaho, or the Methow Valley, Washington, but public trails are immensely popular locally—and they’re free.
As much as 30 km (and growing) of the Jackson Hole Community Pathways and Trails are groomed, some very close to town. Teton Valley Trails and Pathways, at multiple locations on the west (Idaho) side of the Tetons, is rapidly evolving into a destination. And Grand Teton National Park grooms almost 25 km of summertime road, with wonderful profiles of the Tetons to the west and no snowmobiles within sight or sound.
When you visit
Plan a week’s stay, or you’re depriving yourself of grand exploration. There’s also world-famous downhill skiing, dog sledding, the fabulous National Museum of Wildlife Art, sleigh rides on the National Elk Refuge, and recreational eating at dozens of restaurants (try Fish Creek Inn in Wilson for breakfast and The Blue Lion in Jackson for dinner).
My favorite lodging is the Alpine House, a 22 room B & B that’s owned and run by Nancy and Hans Johnstone, both former Olympians. They’re still avid skiers with great stories about everything from international competition to climbing in the Tetons.
Could this be Nordic Heaven? Credit: Teton Pines
Skiing Weatherman: Parade Of Storms Coming
Progressive Storm Threats Gets Underway
Although it’s likely that the holiday period will be a Covid-induced quiet one across the country, it is now crunch time for opening terrain that will create adequate social distancing to fend off further operating restrictions.
The past week brought about a pattern change that delivered snow to many resorts that had seen very little. Of late, storms have moved into the West, across the continent, and through the East and that trend will continue. Canada has been milder than normal for many weeks, but cold air is now building and becoming available for the storms further south so the potential for more snow in more spots is on the rise. In addition, I am a little less concerned about a holiday eastern warmup than I was last week.
In weather geek language, we are in a “progressive” pattern, meaning jet stream ridges and troughs are moving along from west to east without locking in for an extended stay. That produces changeable weather, but with more cold air becoming available from Canada, we are now talking more about snow and less about rain. There are still forecast challenges with respect to storm tracks, but overall, things are looking up.
In the near term, storms will move southeastward from the Gulf of Alaska and dump on the coastal ranges of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Much of the moisture will get wrung out before the systems reach the northern Rockies, but there will be “topdressing” snow further inland most mornings through next week. The central and northern Sierra will pick up snow later this weekend and early next week with the prospects not as good further south due to the systems tracking too far to the east. Northern Utah and Colorado will cash in on the passage of these quick hitting systems next week but a lack of deep moisture will keep amounts light. The southern Rockies will see little new snow in the next week.
Over the eastern half of the country, disturbances will approach in both the northern and southern branches of the jet stream. Cold air will still be a little scarce in the short term, so the track of any storm will determine where it snows. But the potential is clearly there, as this jet stream forecast for Monday, December 14 clearly illustrates.
On this map we see a trough over the South, with an extension northward to Canada, a combination that could easily produce snow from the mid-Atlantic resorts up through New England. Notice also the trough along the Pacific Northwest coast and the next in line south of the Aleutians. The deeper trough over northern Canada acts as the center of the wheel, with the other features effectively rotating around it. The orange over Greenland plays an important role for the East in this pattern. That’s an upper level ridge that makes it easier for eastern troughs to strengthen as they approach the Atlantic. Indications are that the ridge will remain in the same general area until late month, so storm threats will be fairly frequent. Each trough that passes by will deliver a chunk of colder air from Canada, so the snowmakers will have ample opportunities as we approach the holidays.
Regional Details
Northwest U.S./Western Canada: Frequent storms from the Gulf of Alaska bring heavy snows every two-three days. Snow levels bounce a bit in Oregon Cascades.
Sierra: Periodic light snows from Tahoe northward until further notice. Minimal snow in southern Sierra.
Rockies: Northern resorts get frequent light to moderate snows. Occasional light snows Wasatch and central resorts. Limited snow prospects further south.
Midwest: Clipper system brings light snow Tuesday and delivers good snowmaking temps and modest lake effect snows.
Mid Atlantic/Southeast: Colder weather arrives Monday. Potential snowfall Tuesday. Good snowmaking week.
Northeast/QB: Mixed precip Sunday. Mountain snow showers Monday. Good snowmaking week with additional storm threats.
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