Early Season Skiing: Okemo, VT
Shaking Off Summer Dust: First Runs Of The Season
Snow finally came to New England last week whether through machines or from the sky. It finally got consistently cold enough to make the stuff or for real snow to stick.
SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent Don Burch ventured out to see what was going on at Okemo, VT. Here’s his video report from the slopes. If you haven’t been out yet this year, perhaps this short video will rev up your enthusiasm.
Taking A Lesson During COVID
Yes, Take A Lesson To Tune Up Or Re-Connect, But Be Prepared.
Yes, take a lesson, and be ready to follow instructor’s guidelines.
Credit: Canadian Press
A good ski lesson especially at the beginning of the season not only makes for a good day, but many more good days ahead. Refining technique, snuffing out bad habits, and discovering new ways to explore the mountain help make future ski days that much more enjoyable. Here’s how to get the most from your lesson, even during the limitations of pandemic skiing.
Allow time in your ski itinerary for flexibility. If renting your gear typically takes 45 minutes, plan for double that amount of time. If possible, pick up your gear the day before your lesson; nothing dampens a ski trip like waiting in line for two hours to rent your skis the morning of your lesson. Because of the many pandemic precautions mountains are taking, rescheduling your lesson may not be possible, leaving you wanting more from an abbreviated lesson you paid full price for.
Expect spacing and possibly masks during your lesson.
Establish boundaries and objectives with your Instructor. The good news is that the presence of COVID has not changed how to ski, and it hasn’t changed your instructors willingness to help. Communicate early and often with them about what you are comfortable with during a lesson. If you’re comfortable with the small amount of physical contact with your instructor that may come with a lesson, speak up. If not, let your instructor know so they can accommodate your needs. Masks will probably be required during the lesson, so be ready to comply.
Know your risk profile. Be aware Instructors will be working with a wide variety of people and will be exposed to numerous individuals directly and indirectly over the course of the season. Regardless of the precautions taken by you and your instructor, you may not be able to completely eliminate your risk of contraction. If you consider yourself high risk and are worried about contracting COVID19, it may be a good idea to forgo a lesson if you’re concerned about being exposed. Even the most safety conscious instructors are at risk of exposure.
For this year’s ski trip, the only thing certain is uncertainty. As resorts, towns, and mountains across the nation scramble to provide an enjoyable and stress skiing experience, they must navigate federal, state, and county guidelines issued to help stop the spread of infectious disease. The latest surge in COVID outbreaks has some ski states requiring specific quarantine periods for visitors from out state. This may or may not put your ski holiday or weekend away on hold. “Know Before You Go” is especially good advice this year.
Skiing down a mountain remains one of the few activities that is almost unchanged by our current pandemic affected world. While all the other extras associated with a ski vacation have significantly changed, the actual physical act of ripping around your favorite mountain remains largely unaltered. Come prepared, be flexible with your schedule, and have open dialogue with your instructor to get the most out of your lessons this year.
Things will be a little different. Be flexible, be patient, be safe.
Mystery Glimpse: The Old Hotel
Where? When? What?
This week’s Mystery Glimpse is a challenge. Major hint: The identity of the magnificent hotel can be found on the website of the Maine Ski and Snowboard Museum. Spend some time there browsing around and consider supporting the Museum and its mission. If you know where, when and what this is a picture of—or when you find the answer—comment below in Leave A Reply.
Last Week
Some astute SeniorsSkiing.com readers really know their skiing history. There were many correct comments.
This is indeed, the famous first rope tow in the US erected in 1934 on the Gilbert dairy farm in Woodstock, VT. That’s a Model T Ford providing the uphill energy. The 900-foot tow was copied from the rope tow erected a year earlier in Quebec. The Model T had enough power to haul five skiers at a time. The rope tow was a feature of the White Cupboard Inn for guests and locals. Eventually the tow became the Woodstock Ski Tow and charged $1 a day for tickets. It closed in 1952, operating for 18 winters.
Two land trusts were collaborating with new landowners to maintain an easement to the historic ski hill and re-establish part of the old ski run, renovate the still standing warming hut, and cut hiking trails linking to the Appalachian Trail. Ski people love nostalgia.
We’d like to thank Skiing History Magazine and the International Ski History Association for allowing us to use these photos.
The old Model T can be seen at the head of the lift line. Credit: Ski History.
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