This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Nov. 8)
Incidents and Accidents New Feature, Joe Pete Memory, Have A Banana, Pointy Mystery Peak, Weather Haves/Have Nots.
Based on the significant response to recent articles on out-of-control skiers, the responsibilities of the National Ski Patrol, and the role of ski resort management in managing high-risk skiers and boarders, SeniorsSkiing.com is starting a new feature.
If you are a pilot or a mariner/sailor, you know that it is standard good practice to analyze accidents or incidents to learn from them and become a better practitioner. We are going to use the same approach with “Incidents and Accidents,” a feature where our readers can submit their stories about collisions, accidents, near-misses, screw-ups of different kinds and what can be learned from them.
Here’s how it will work.
We are asking our readers to share their stories following a clear format so we can eventually analyze these submissions to see what can be learned from your collective experiences and to provide the SeniorsSkiing.com community with important feedback. That analysis also may be influential in creating change in the ski industry.
Here’s the outline to follow:
- Briefly describe yourself, (i.e. male weekend skier), age, years of skiing, and if you’re a regular at the resort where the incident happened.
- Describe what happened. Who did what to whom? What were conditions? Who were you with? Where you moving or stationary? Try to be succinct, objective, and clear.
- If the NSP was involved, what did they do? If management was involved, what did it do?
- If you were injured, how severely? Were you able to return to skiing? How long were you sidelined?
- What lessons can be learned from the incident? What did you learn? What did or should resort management learn?
Send your story in a Word attachment or include it in an email message. Try to keep the length to 500-600 words. Remember, there are always two sides to a story; write a balanced, fair accounting. We’ll review each and edit, if necessary. Not all stories will be published, but all submitted information will play a role in helping us provide feedback to the community. Send submissions to: INFO@SeniorsSkiing.com.
We plan to edit and publish stories on a regular basis.
This Week
Correspondent Roger Lohr shares a memory of Joe Pete Wilson, a legend in the cross-country skiing world who spent his entire career in some aspect of the snow sports industry.
Perhaps you have an old copy of Joe Pete’s book on learning how to cross-country ski?
We reprise a short article about bananas, of all things, and why you should include a couple in your ski bag. Don’t laugh; bananas are an excellent fuel food for senior skiers.
Our Mystery Glimpse goes out west again, this time a familiar mountain near a familiar ski resort. Do you know its name?
We have an interesting forecast from Herb Stevens, the Skiing Weatherman, about the next two weeks or so of weather. Check out where he predicts it will be cold enough for snowmaking and real snowing and where it won’t.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends. We’re heading to the ski show next week in Boston. If you haven’t gotten a ticket yet, click on the Boston Ski/Snowboard Expo for a discount. See you there.
Remember, there are more of us everyday, and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
OK Boomer
If you haven’t already heard about it, the term “OK Boomer” has gone viral. It’s the Millenial and Generation Z way of giving the older generation the middle finger for complaining about younger people’s behavior and commenting on issues such as the environmental crisis that will be left for them to solve. It’s a term that smacks of ageism.
Source: elleinadart.com
My characterization of the term’s usage is probably not entirely accurate. But “OK Boomer” is the phrase de jour headlining youth frustration with status quo. Look for it on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and social media platforms.
It reminds me of a recent New Yorker cartoon showing a young lion-tamer with his head in the jaws of the animal. The caption reads: “If this goes wrong, I can always blame my parents.”
Aging and Skiing Trends
I was born a few years before the Boomer generation. That started in 1946. Boomers are not going away soon. Ten thousand a day turn 65, a trend that will continue into the 2030s. Obviously, not all of them play in the snow. But it’s interesting to note the parallel between the 20% of the US population who are Boomers and the 20% of all US skiers who are 52 or older.
Remember the Sixties when we were advised not to trust anyone over 30? Currently, there are more people 65+ populating Earth than those under the age of 5.
Youth-Oriented Ski Industry
Skiing and the industry behind it are youth-focused. That’s fine from my perspective, but I’d like to see greater acknowledgement of older participants who’ve supported the sport for decades and continue to do so.
We ski more frequently, spend more on skiing, and encourage our grown kids and grandkids to get into the sport. That last one, about the grandkids, is especially important for a sport struggling to attract newcomers. The number of skiers and boarders in the US has been flat for 35 years.
And This is Our Reward…
Our rewards for staying in the game? Big Ski removes our discounts. Slope safety places many of us at risk. And Millenials and their younger Gen Z kin, get adrenaline kicks speeding through the video game maze of crowded slopes, often knocking their older opponents (us) out of the game.
Cataloochee in NC Is First in the East!
The North Carolina area debuted the season on Nov 3, becoming the first Eastern resort to open. A few hours later, Killington ‘s lifts started rolling. Terrain at both is limited, so check before heading out.
Also in the East…
Sunday River plans to open November 9. Stowe and Okemo will open November 22.
Okemo’s annual Ski and Snowboard Swap is scheduled November 22 through 24 at the Jackson Gore Round House. Proceeds benefit Okemo Mountain School in Ludlow, Vt. Check Okemo’s website for hours and other details.
And in the West…
Copper and Breckenridge will be running November 8; Steamboat, November 15 (it’s earliest date, ever).
Mountain Capital Partners acquired Brian Head, the southern Utah resort with the highest base elevation in the state. MCP’s other ski properties include Purgatory (CO), Arizona Snow Bowl (AZ), Sipapu (NM), Pajarito (NM), Hesperus (CO), and Nordic Valley (UT).
Mt. Bachelor (OR) is the site of the third annual Winter PrideFest, an LGBTQ+ celebration of winter sports. The event, to be held January 30 – February 2, is expected to draw about 700. More info at www.outcentraloregon.com/winter-pridefest/ or the Winter PrideFest Facebook Event page.
Spineless Youth?
Rossignol surveys a panel for opinions about a variety of brand-related subjects. Based on the English used, I assume the people in charge are in France. This is from a recent report on a survey about back protectors: In a previous study, we asked you if your children had a backbone: this is the case of 40% of you! Not clear if this is a translation or orthopedic issue.
Build Your Own Rope Tow
In 1941, Popular Mechanics published detailed instructions for ski clubs to construct their own rope tows. That article is followed by another one with plans to build your own cartop ski rack. Click here.
Lindsey Vonn HBO Special
Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season looks back on the four-time Olympian’s career and presents a look at the final chapter of her skiing journey. Premiers November 26 on HBO.
10th Mountain Division Training Film
This 10 minute video is the last segment of a 1941 training film for USA mountain troops. Click here.
Againer Helps You Ski Stronger and Longer
How many of you remember the days when you got to the mountain early, skied all day, and quit when the lot was empty? I didn’t fully appreciate it then and look back on those times with nostalgia. Youth is wasted on the young.
But what if we could be out there a bit longer and ski a bit stronger? There’s a device that helps do just that.
It’s called the Againer, and for more than a decade, European skiers have used it to reduce pressure on their knees and backs and to increase their leg muscle performance. Now, for the first time, the Againer is available in the U.S. and Canada via a unique demo/purchase program. More on that later.
Againer attaches easily to boots and legs and employs a shock absorbing system that provides an overall boost to the skiing experience.
An Expert’s Point of View
I won’t be able to try it until January when I’m back on the hill. But I have a copy of a letter about the Againer written by Mark Spieler, a ski pro for 45 years, a PSIA Alpine Examiner, and Ski School Director of Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra, a nonprofit adaptive ski school in Mammoth Lakes, California.
He characterizes the Againer as “…a device to help people save energy while skiing” and states that before trying it he was skeptical. Spieler explains that he tested it “through hard, fast and dynanic skiing.” He was “impressed by the constant lifting action at the top of the femurs…”
“The gas powered strut placed on the outside of each leg consistently helps the skier move up and forward through the turn initiation. The lift the Againer provides is surprisingly powerful! I found the product to be quite comfortable and easy to use on the hill. The switch to disengage the gas strut when riding the chair is simple and effective.
“I am convinced that over the course of hundreds of turns a day, the energy savings the Againer can provide a skier will make a significant difference in a skier’s ability to conserve energy and help the skier with better technique, as well! “
Spieler goes on to say that the Againer is “perfectly suited to assist any skier who has any type of fatigue challenges while skiing,” whether due to advancing age or because of a disability.
According to Murray Jacobson, Againer’s U.S. Sales Manager, the Againer’s performance is most noticeable during turns and when skiing powder.
How To Demo and Buy
Jacobsen sells the units directly to skiers and to adaptive skiing programs. He makes the units available on a 2-week demo basis for $250. If the user wants to buy, the demo fee is applied to the $1300 purchase price. He is available by phone to explain set up and usage and to answer questions. The Againer carries a two-year warranty.
To reach him, call 909-557-3000 or email againerus@gmail.com. To visit the Againer website, click on the Againer ad on the SeniorsSkiing.com Home Page. Yes, this is an advertiser, and YES, this device looks and sounds like it will help a lot of our readers.
Reviews of Againer will be forthcoming as the season progresses and as I and others experience it.
I don’t expect to be making turns continuously for seven hours, but I do look forward to adding some octane to my aging tank.
[authors_page role=contributor]