This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Mar.6)
We Get Letters, Alpine Backcountry Primer, Frost’s Funny Poem, History Dartmouth Skiway, Big Green Machine, Collision Video, Guess Aerial Photo Of Resort, Weather Ahead.
Dear Readers:
Our 2020 SeniorsSkiing.com February Fundraiser is officially over, however, the donation page will remain open. We are overwhelmed by the response from so many of you. Your contributions will go a long way in helping defray the expenses incurred in putting out an online magazine, an expense that grows as our subscriber base grows.
Throughout the month, we’ve been getting emails and snail mails with notes from you that are incredibly sustaining to us. We are proud to have provided a forum for seniors’ interests in the snow sports world and even in the active senior world. Frankly, your validation about what we are doing feels darn good. Here’s a sample of comments:
From Lynn and Alice:
Hope you got my donation last week. I just cannot believe that you have 20,000 subscribers!! [Editor Note: Not there quite yet. We anticipate that number by the end of the season.] And, here, I thought that I was one of very few 74 year old women who get so overly excited when they see an untouched glade on the mountain! 😍
Soon, you will outdo the printed ski mags—once so popular and so celebrated—but who now are sadly R.I.P. I did say to my sister about 20 years ago, “Somehow I can’t imagine us not wanting to still be riding these chair lifts in a quarter of a century! And I just know that the ‘Free Lift Pass for over-65’ will have climbed to ‘over-90’. Such is life! At this rate, she and I will NEVER make it to a ‘Free Lift Pass’ It’s the ‘Jedenoff Gang’, who will be the Spoilers for us!! Long may they reign and ski!
Your newsletter—seriously—is far more informative (and funny) than those “resting giants”—the old ski mags—had come to be by the time they met their demise.
You all do a wonderful job and, believe me, we all appreciate it!
From Bruce:
Your reports motivate me to keep working and skiing.
From Kate:
Love what you are doing, love the tote.
From Gail and Tom:
Really enjoy SeniorsSkiing. We ski for free at Alta now.
From Marilyn:
Keep up the good writing and work!
From Richard:
If you ever venture up to Maine to ski, give me a call.
From Bruce and Mary Lou:
We read almost everything published in SeniorsSkiing and I think we get more value from your publication than we do from our Ski Magazine subscription. Keep up the good writing! We’ll see you out on the slopes some day.
Thank you, dear readers. We are touched. Premiums are being sent out over the next couple of weeks.
This Week
Backcountry skiing is different, requires planning and gear. Credit: Bolton Valley
Correspondent Tamsin Venn introduces us to a relatively new snow sport: Alpine Backcountry skiing. It requires new equipment, preparation, and planning. Her article tells you what to do and not do when you go off piste. Her report comes from Bolton Valley’s Alpine Backcountry area.
Our Snow In Literature series features a Robert Frost poem that highlights the mischievous nature of the month of March. You’ll get a laugh at the last line. Kind of unusual for Robert.
Correspondent Roger Lohr shows us what its like to ski the famous, venerable Dartmouth Skiway. This area is one of the early venues for skiing and the long-time training site for many ski teams. Check out the green-colored lodge. It is Dartmouth, after all.
Speaking of green, snow machines are also going green. Here’s a report from Harriet Wallis about the new PistenBully hybrid snow groomer at Alta. Many ski resorts are making investments in green, sustainable energy sources. Expect to hear about more machines like this at ski resorts in the future.
Skier hits boarder from behind. We have a new Incidents & Accidents report from reader Randall White who shows us a video of his collision with a snowboarder. Now, that’s a complete reversal of the kind of incidents we’ve been reporting. Find out why the collision happened. Randall did a great job analyzing the conditions that led to the impact.
Yes, indeed, it was Lucille Ball at the Mittersill Alpine Resort in last week’s Mystery Glimpse. This week we have an aerial photograph of a notable ski area. Can you guess which one? Not easy.
Finally, Herb Stevens, our Skiing Weatherman, tells us what to expect in next week’s weather. Spring is coming, but there’s still lots of activity in the atmosphere.
Once again, thank you so much for your support. And, tell your friends about SeniorsSkiing.com. Remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
I was in a place I shouldn’t have been. When I entered the gate, I thought I had been on this part of the mountain years earlier. But as I descended, nothing about it seemed familiar.
It was steep beyond my comfort. There were bumps and trees, and the surface was getting icy. Signs on the trees warned this was a cliff area.
At my age, this was no place to be skiing alone.
I heard scraping skis below me and saw someone near a rope line skiing to the left.
Then I was alone. My skis were long past their useful life. My goggles kept fogging. I had a phone, but not a whistle. It was at home in a pack. No use to me now.
Before passing through the gate, someone had warned me not to go. I said not to worry, I knew what I was getting in to.
That was a mistake. Steep, Icy surface. Tight trees.
I wasn’t scared, but I had lost confidence. Side-slipping and kick turns were all I could muster. Even when I found a stretch of softer snow, I couldn’t bring myself to make a few turns.
It was beautiful in there. Cliffs above and below; twisted trunks rising to blue sky. Quiet.
How would someone find me? Maybe they’ll start looking when my car is the only one left in the lot?
Eventually, I saw a trail.
I must have been in there 30 or 40 minutes. It’s unlikely I’ll try it again, but if I do, it will be on better skis, I’ll have a whistle, and I won’t be in there alone.
Vail Announces Northeast Passes and Rewards Program
Vail just announced two regional passes for the Northeast (US). The Northeast Value Pass (adults, $599; college students, $419) provides unlimited, restricted access to Okemo, Mount Snow and Hunter, 10 restricted days at Stowe, plus unlimited, unrestricted access to Wildcat, Attitash, Mount Sunapee, Crotched, Liberty, Whitetail, Roundtop and more. The Northeast Midweek Pass ($449) has similar access, but restricted to Monday through Friday, and five restricted midweek days at Stowe.
Vail also announced ‘Epic Mountain Rewards,’ which gives pass holders a discount of 20 percent off food and beverage, lodging, group ski and ride school lessons, equipment rentals and more at the Company’s North American owned and operated resorts.
For details, click here.
2020-21 IKON Pass Discount
Renew your Ikon Pass and Ikon Base Pass before Wednesday, April 22, and (depending on the pass) get up to $100 on next season’s IKON Pass.
When Skiing Utah, Visit The Lift House
My first visit to a ski shop was when I was 10. It was a narrow and deep store in Albany, NY, and what I remember most is the rich smell of leather boots. Over the years I’ve been in many ski shops: some okay, some quite good, and some terrific. Spending much of the winter in Utah, I’ve been reminded that The Lift House, 
the venerable store near the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, is an absolutely terrific place. Its location is ideal for people skiing Alta, Snowbird, Solitude or Brighton. It is consistently well-stocked with the top equipment and clothing brands. And the personnel are knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Years ago, when we visited with kids in tow, The Lift House is where we rented. Over the years, it’s one of the places I’ve relied on for quality tunes. It’s the kind of place with a deep inventory of useful accessories And when they have a sale, they really mean it. Many people stop on the way to the mountain to purchase discount lift tickets. For example, a weekday at Snowbird costs $130. At The Lift House, it’s $97. An Alta day pass is $125. At The Lift House it’s $105, a better deal than the $119 if purchased directly from Alta online. There are other excellent shops in the area, most with similar brands, some specializing in only the most expensive ski and casual clothing. When headed in the direction of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, The Lift House is highly recommended.
International Skiing History Association
The International Skiing History Association (ISHA) is the non-profit with the mission of preserving and advancing knowledge of ski history and increasing awareness of skiing’s heritage. ISHA publishes Skiing History magazine the bimonthly filled with interesting articles and great illustrations. A six-month digital subscription is free. Click here or on the adjacent ad to subscribe.
Two more things from ISHA:
- As a member ($49 annually; $59 international members) you’ll receive hard copies of Skiing History and have access to the organization’s digital archives. Among other things, you’ll find a guide to more than 160 ski museums and collections in 22 countries.
- If you’re attending Skiing History Week in Sun Valley, March 25-28, sign up for ISHA’s annual Awards Banquet. Click here for details.
How Snowbird Trails Got Their Names
It’s not that often that we get to know the stories behind the trail names. The Snowbird website has a wonderful short article about how many of its trails were named. Written by frequent SeniorsSkiing.com contributor, Harriet Wallis, it’s informative and amusing. Who wouldda thunk that the West Second South trail refers to Salt Lake City’s long gone red light district? It’s an easy trail named for a the street of easy women.
This Self-Massage Device is Essential for Older Skiers
Last year, a skier friend recommended the Tiger Tail, a highly effective self-massage tool that doesn’t require getting on the floor, like you do with a foam roller. OMG!!! What a fantastic device! I get off the mountain and roll out my quads. At home, when my calves start to cramp, Tiger Tail comes to my immediate rescue. The company’s website is rich with useful text, picture and video instructions. Last month at the big industry trade show in Denver, I met Spring Faussette, who invented Tiger Tail and owns the company. She’s offering SeniorsSkiing.com readers a discount code for 30% off Tiger Tail and the company’s other products. Visit the Tiger Tail website and enter snowski50 during checkout to receive the discount.
Mont-Tremblant, Extends Season
The Quebec area will be open through April 19, and kids under accompanied by an adult will ski free.
Skiing Weatherman: Cold Air Scarce In The East
What’s The Matter With The Polar Vortex?
The past week brought light to moderate snows to much of the West, including some much needed snow in the Sierra, a region that has missed out on storms for much of this winter. A three-day storm last weekend was very productive from the snow belt areas downwind of the Great Lakes through the higher peaks of northern New York and northern New England. Stowe, Smuggler’s Notch, and Jay Peak in Vermont were the lottery winners, with over three feet of snow piling up. A good friend and Stowe skier told me that every turn in the woods last Saturday produced a “face shot” of powder! My favorite resort in the world, Mont Sutton in Quebec, just over the border from Jay, had a three foot dump, as well, and their phenomenal “su bois” (glade) skiing was the best of the season.
While most of the West has enjoyed frequent snows through the heart of the winter, the eastern half of the country has had trouble lining up storms on favorable tracks, and snowmaking temps have been spotty, especially south of I-90. There have been several major snows across the far north, and at elevation, but even in those areas, mixed precip events have also passed through. The main problem has been pretty simple: a lack of deep cold air masses AND a lack of staying power of the cold air that managed to push south. In this piece, I thought I would touch on the reasons why cold air has been hard to come by this winter.
For most of the season, a low pressure center at the upper levels of the atmosphere has been sitting over the western portions of the Arctic. The Polar Vortex typically meanders around the high latitudes, and occasionally weakens and breaks down, and that is when chunks of very cold air migrate southward into the mid-latitudes, often supporting snowstorms in the process. Occasionally, the vortex moves bodily southward, and that is when we see the coldest air reach the U.S. This winter, the PV has been remarkably persistent in its size and position, and that has greatly limited the amount of available cold air. Here is a map of the jet stream showing the current PV.
So, cold air has been scarce and when it has managed to find the eastern half of the country, it has seldom lasted more than a couple of days before milder air returned. The lack of staying power is related to the lack of a blocking pattern over the North Atlantic. A high pressure ridge over Greenland does a nice job of buckling the jet stream over the U.S. in winter, allowing cold air masses to hang around and help produce multiple snow events. That ridge has been missing much of the winter, resulting in a flat jet stream flow across the country, which has tapped milder Pacific air and pumped it into the pattern. Here is a diagram to illustrate.
Notice there’s a low pressure center near Greenland, not the usual high pressure ridge. The counter-clockwise circulation around that feature helps sweep any cold off the east coast and out to sea. There are signs that the flow may be buckling more from mid-month on, which would help generate late snows and sustain the eastern season into April. We shall see.
Here Are The Regional Details.
Northwest U.S./western Canada: Trough offshore brings moderate to heavy snow into next week. After a couple of dry days, a stronger trough comes ashore with heavy snow later next week. The epic season continues.
Sierra: Trough digs down the coast from the NW over the weekend, producing light to moderate snows. Dry early next week, with southern branch trough moving inland late next week, bringing significant snow to the southern Sierra.
Northern Rockies: Weakening troughs produces light snow over the weekend into early next week. Next shot at major snow late next week from northern branch system.
Central and southern Rockies: Ridge aloft early with mild temps. Light snow later this weekend. Next significant storm late next week.
Midwest: Mild weekend with surfaces softening. Lower Lakes looking at potential snow event later next week. No lake effect events in next week.
Northeast/Quebec: Nice weekend on the slopes. Next potential storm mid to late next week, likely another elevation event.
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