Prepping Your Mind
Adjusting Your Attitude Is Important, Too,
As I think about preparations for the upcoming Nordic ski season, lots of details come to mind. Fitness of course tops the list. Stepping up my walking and cycling regimen is a must. Making small incremental increases in intensity and duration and taking appropriate rest days are essential to the senior cross-country skier.
I once read that perfecting one’s XC stride is a lifetime’s pursuit. Now seventy, I still call myself the eternal intermediate skier, and equip and prepare myself accordingly.
I also try to prepare mentally. These readings help me prepare intellectually and emotionally for a long and lustrous winter. Here’s three:
Cross-Country Cat by Mary Calhoun (1979) with Illustrations by Erick Ingraham.
This charming story follows the adventures of Henry, the lovable, mischievous Siamese cat. He is accidentally left behind at a ski lodge by his human family. Now, he must figure out how to get back to them through deep snow and raging blizzards. This funny, cute tale which has tickled every child I have ever read it to should be read by every senior skier to their grandchildren.
About Erick Ingraham’s illustrations, Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “Competing with the author’s tale in verve and artistry are Ingraham’s snowy scenes in exactly the right shades of blue, sepia and gray, set off by glaring white.”
Henry’s message of persistence in the face of difficulties and challenges spoke to both me and my children but in a quaint and amusing way. His “stupid cat” chant as he kicked and glided toward his home and human family continues to inspire me when I’m on a long ski trek in the Maine woods, for example. It also inspired our children at the end of a long ski day to stow gear, take showers and finish their dinners before collapsing for the night. Memories I cherish.
Some of Calhoun’s other titles about the intrepid Henry include:
- Hot Air Henry
- High Wire Henry
- Henry the Sailor Cat
- Blue Ribbon Henry
- Henry the Christmas Cat
I strongly recommend as many “Henry” stories on your grandchild book shelf as possible
Cross-Country Skiing: A Complete Guide by Brian Cazeneuve (1995).
The range of topics in this book dazzles. Through Brian’s work, I first became interested in back-country skiing. He covers basics, gear, weather, technique and more in this thorough work.
Cazeneuve intersperses his sage advice with lyrical, humorous bits about the sport itself. “Cross-Country skiing, unlike hang gliding, cattle rustling and iambic Swahili, is disproportionately more difficult to perfect than it is to learn.” (p.10). This tongue-in-cheek advice has helped me laugh at myself when I take a fall and helped me get back up.
Chapter 11, “Going Farther”, promotes taking the kids (and grandkids) on Nordic adventures as well as teaching seniors who may be considering getting back into xc skiing or trying it for the first time. This book is a must.
Self Renewal by John W. Gardner (1964).
A psychologist and head of the department of Health, Education and Welfare in the Johnson administration is a personal hero of mine. In this insightful work, Gardner asserts a society’s ability to renew itself hinges upon its individuals. It is the waning of the heart and spirit—not a lack of material might—that threatens American society. He states that “all humans have several key commonalities: They are flexible, eager, open, curious, unafraid, and willing to take risks.”
With age comes some wisdom. We seniors who continue hit the trails and slopes each winter probably agree with Gardner, “…even the self-renewing person has fixed habits and attitudes, but they are not the sort that interferes with continuous renewal. 
If the scientist changed his (sic) pipe weekly but never his theories, he would be in serious difficulty. The moral is clear. If we must have continuity in our lives—and we must—let it be of the sort that does not prevent renewal.” (p.130). I know my cross-country ski goals and ambitions must change as I age but the continuity is each winter to renew and go skiing again.
Renewing the heart, mind and spirit are critical to me as the seasons change and we transition to and hope for a snowy winter for kicking and gliding during these incredibly difficult times.
This Week In SeniorSkiing.com (Oct. 9)
A Community Of Senior Snowsports Enthusiasts, Boot Buying Guide, Questions For You, Nordic Being Noticed, October Frost Poem.
We are starting our seventh publishing year this October. Frankly, we never thought we’d go this long. After all, how many seniors who like to play in the snow would be interested in an online magazine? Well, it turns out lots. We have almost 17,000 readers, some of whom have been with us from the very beginning. We are extremely grateful for the ongoing readership and for your support through the years.
After thinking about what was next for SeniorsSkiing.com, we realized a kind of epiphany, if you will, that we had convened a community of senior snow sport lovers around this weekly magazine. This is a community, we have learned through our surveys, that really would like to connect to one another. So, we started our Question For You series as a way for our readers to react to important or provocative questions about their winter experiences. Sometimes, those questions have hit a nerve, like when we asked you to tell us about accidents on ski trails and what to do about it.
Next week, we’ll be launching our new Classified Ad section, an initiative that will provide another way for the readership community to connect. Readers will be able post ads in a variety of categories from used Alpine and Nordic equipment to collectibles and antiques to requests for ski buddies and ride sharing. We have worked hard to make this a simple, inexpensive process, making it easy on those who are even a little technically challenged. You’ll be able to post items for sale, upload pictures, describe items and terms of shipping, etc., all in a simple form. And, payment is via a secure app that takes your credit card. Yes, it is inexpensive: You can post one week ad for $10 to 10 weeks for $50. And, to get the Classifieds rolling, we’ll be announcing an introductory offer next week where you can post an ad for $1 for 30 days.
Here is a high level view of categories you can post to. These will be broken down by region as well:
- Alpine Equipment For Sale
- Nordic Equipment For Sale
- Accessories For Sale
- Non-Winter Sport Gear For Sale
- Guide and Instructor Services
- Seasonal/Weekly Rentals By Agent and By Owner
- In Search Of
- Looking For Ski Buddies/Ride Shares
- Ski Club Trips Open To SeniorsSkiing.com Readers
- Vintage Equipment, Antiques, Collectibles For Sale
As with all online transactions, please use common sense and caution using our Classifieds. When you post your ad, read our Terms for Participation.
Look for our announcements coming next week about where to find the Classified menu and how to post an ad.
This Week
We take a closer look at the equipment market this year with a review of 2021 MasterFit Buying Guide. It is filled with articles with advice on how to buy skis, boots, children’s gear, and other helpful topics. Click Here to read a review.
We ask two Questions For You this week. How are you personally going to change your habit this upcoming season, given the restrictions and constraints facing ski resort customers? and What’s your experience with CBD, the cannibis derivative that claims to mitigate pain and relieve a wide variety of physical ailments? Click Here for the Change question and Click Here for the CBD question.
Nordic editor Roger Lohr explore the impact of the virus on the cross-country market. The ski industry is looking at a potential boost in Nordic skiing and other snow sports besides Alpine skiing. It’s an interesting fall-on effect from the virus that might be the best thing to happen to XC since Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall won gold in Pyeongchang at the 2018 Winter Games. Click Here.
Sunday River, mid-October.
Our Snow In Literature series has a poem about October by Robert Frost. It’s not about snow or skiing, but it does fit the season. And we love Robert Frost so here it is. Click Here.
Finally, now it the usual start of the get-fit-for winter sports season. Even though many readers report they’ve been working out all spring and summer, it’s wise to take stock of where you are physically and to come up with a fitness plan for the next few months. Here’s is an article reprised from 2014 about maintaining muscle mass as you age that might get you in the spirit. Click Here.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Please tell your friends. Remember there are more of us every day and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
How often do you think about skiing?
To my wife’s dismay, it’s always top of mind.
A few months ago, camping in a remote, high mountain location with some fellow skiers, we realized we were simultaneously having the same thought: What would be the best line down those North-facing slopes? Chuckles and beers followed.
Harder evidence trickled in throughout summer in the form of hundreds of new subscribers. Curious about that phenomenon (it happens every summer), I did a fast check of where these new subscribers live. The majority were in locations experiencing hotter than usual conditions.
Thoughts of skiing are a pleasant, if temporary, escape from the heat.
A corollary would be sitting in front of a blazing fire on a cold winter day thinking of the beach.
So here we are, early October and, depending on where you live and what the temperature is, you may be thinking ski hill or balmy beach.
Mike and I discussed this recently in one of our planning calls. Did we publish the Best Boots for Older Skiers Guide too early? Should our Best Skis for Older Skiers Guide be published now or in a few weeks when temps are a bit colder and flurries are in the air?
You’ll find an article on Masterfit’s impressive new Buyer’s Guide in this week’s issue and a link to the Guide. If slopes and trails are on your mind, the Guide is a good place to go for a quick fix. If you’re still opting for the beach, the Guide can wait a week or two.
Ditto for our annual listing of North American areas where older skiers get great bargains on passes. We expect to post that in early November.
No Blame if you’re not thinking mountain or beach. There’s an abundance of distraction at the moment.
Wherever you live, Covid and its consequences are issues. I’m not alone in wanting to have those East Coast grandkids back in my arms.
And whatever your position on climate change, the planet is sending increasingly urgent messages about the need to take action.
If you’re a US citizen, the Presidential election is probably occupying a bit of your attention. I mentioned this last week and will continue to do so through Election Day. Whomever you support, be sure to vote.
While we’re working our way through these issues and distractions, we still have slopes and trails to think about.
Now is the time to dust off skis and boots. Have your shop check the bindings. Make your winter plans. Snow is on the way.
Powder Magazine: RIP
Powder Magazine, the publication so many of us enjoyed during its 49-year run, will close down in November. It’s final Annual Photo Issue hits the stands November 16. It should be a collector’s item. For years, I looked forward to and relished each issue of this visually impactful magazine. Like other print ski magazines that have shuttered over the past few years, I’m sorry to see Powder go. R.I.P.
Are Yurts in Our (Skiing) Future?
Snowbasin, the superb ski area about 45-minutes north of Salt Lake City, announced it will be adding several mid-mountain yurts this season. Their stated purpose is to give skiers an alternative place to rest and warm-up. One hopes that seating will be well spaced and masks required. Using these temporary structures as a way to relieve crowding in lodges is a good idea, as long as appropriate Covid protections are in place. It wouldn’t surprise me if yurts start popping at areas in general.
Cancelled: Winter Park Ski Train
The Winter Park Ski Train connecting Denver with the ski resort has become another victim of Covid. With the exception of a multi-year hiatus, Ski Train operated every season since 1941. While social distancing concerns lowered the boom, Denverites can expect the service to resume sometime in the future.
Buy a Tee Shirt. Help a National Park
Wild Tribute makes tee and sweat shirts with graphics representing most U.S. national parks. The company donates 4% of its proceeds (not profits) to non-profits supporting the parks (e.g. National Parks Conservation Association, Grand Canyon Association, Grand Teton Association). The products make good birthday or holiday gifts for anyone who loves our parks. Click here to visit Wild Tribute’s website.
[authors_page role=contributor]