How BC Resorts Show Love For Senior Skiers
Big White, Sun Peaks, Silver Star Create Programs For Seniors.
A few of Silver Star Mountain’s many senior skiers. All in fantastic shape, all very good skiers.
Credit: Yvette Cardozo
Ok, one thing most senior skiers—those folks in their 60s, 70s, 80s and even beyond— do a lot is ski.
They love snow, they love winter, they love all things ski.
In fact, nearly two thirds of all season passes bought at Silver Star Mountain in Canada’s British Columbia go to seniors—32 percent to “regular” seniors 65-80, and another 30 percent to the “Young @ Heart” skiers who are 81+.
The other commonality: They’re fit. They exercise regularly. They never really were couch potatoes. And most of them have been skiing since they learned to walk.
Curious, I corralled a bunch of them at Silver Star to ask some questions.
Well, not all of them.
“Um, where’s the guy you said is 83?” I asked.
“Oh he took off. He’s heading for the backside.”
Sure enough, Mike had decided the lure of back country powder overrode sitting to talk with somebody about senior skiers.
When you talk about senior skiers, whether it’s at Silver Star, a bit north at Sun Peaks or my regular Tuesday group outside Seattle, you’re not talking about somebody manning a bench in the lodge watching grandchildren.
The group at Silver Star that morning seemed to be all ex–ski patrol, ex–instructors, ex– racers. And, well, not all of them were ex-. A couple showed up in their instructor jackets.
And, yes, this group was virtually all guys.
One of Silver Star’s veteran skiers. Credit: Ernie Sollid.
But that’s just Silver Star. Over at Sun Peaks, the senior group is more a mixed bag. In fact, the husbands of the Polar Bears (all women) got so jealous they talked about forming their own guys only group, the Grizzlies. And there’s the Antiques, a mixed group of Kamloops local men and women who also ski at Sun Peaks and socialize together regularly.
Here’s the point: The ski areas have bought into all of this and are creating events and special programs for seniors.
Silver Star has a fun race called the Annual Over The Hill Downhill and actually includes training camps, qualifiers and, of course, the actual race, usually in February.
The idea, said Chantelle Deacon of the area’s media relations, is to dress in your oldest, most archaic ski clothes and gear.
“You see people in super tight one–pieces. Some unearth these old straight skis with really pointy tips.”
There’s also a run called Over The Hill.
And there’s a senior clinic called Master Academy aimed at folks 50+, a two-day clinic with skiers split into intermediate, advanced and expert.
Plus, there’s Masters’ Monday, weekly co-ed programs January through March run by instructors but aimed more at fun skiing than lessons.
Big White, also in British Columbia, has three separate Masters’ Weeks that echo ski weeks of yore and combine lessons in the morning with social events in evenings.
Ok, there have been some concessions by these skiers.
John Wilson, the latest “old man” to join the group. A relative baby at 69. Crdit: Yvette Cardozo
Steve Hubbard, one of the younger Silver Star guys at 67 confessed, “I used to terrorize the bumps. Now they terrorize us.”
You think maybe a bit before you do something, you take fewer chances, someone else chipped in.
“One of the things keeping a lot of us in the game is knee and hip replacements and at least one back fusion. Knees and hips are almost routine and Art has fused ankles,” someone else added.
But that hasn’t stopped them.
Ernie Sollid, 77, sent me a picture of his back Xray, the slightly terrifying one that shows lumbar 3+4+5 bolted together. He also sent along a screen shot of his stats for this Feb. 1, showing he hit 46 mph, skied a total of 25.5 miles with 22,145 vertical feet. All this over four hours.
“I usually quit after lunch,” he added.
But not everyone is held together with bolts and pins.
Sigi White, 81, at Sun Peaks, whose idea of keeping in shape is back country touring because she says downhill skiing isn’t taxing enough, has managed to escape injury.
“I ski anything on the mountain,” she said, adding “I’m not fond of bumps. I prefer powder.
“I want to save my knees.”
For More Information
SeniorsSkiing Guide: Solitude
New England Trails With Western Snow.
Solitude management loves seniors as reflected in ticket prices and lodge access.
I love skiing Solitude Mountain Resort for its wide range of trails for all levels and ages of skiers ranging from wide-open trails to steep, narrow trails that remind me of skiing Stowe, Mad River Glen, and Sugarbush. All the parking is right out front of the Moonbeam Lodge or Solitude Village.
Management loves senior skiers, and it starts with when you arrive. Mid-week senior lift tickets are $75 and much cheaper if you buy on-line.
Solitude opened in 1957 and is roughly 30 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon from the heart of Salt Lake City. Like many ski areas, it has had its share of ownership changes. Deer Valley bought it in 2014 and in 2017, Deer Valley and Solitude were acquired by Alterra Mountain Company. Alterra owns 14 resorts including Aspen/Snowmass, Mammoth, Tremblant, Snowshoe, Steamboat, Stratton, and Squaw Valley.
Nice blue groomers as well as steep glades. Credit: Solitude
Mother Nature dumps 500 inches of snow on its 79 named runs on 1,200 skiable acres. The top is 10,488 feet and the base is 7,994 which give one 2,494 vertical feet accessible by 10 lifts. It is easy to find your way around the mountain, and you never have to climb or walk between lifts. Forty percent of the terrain is intermediate and 50 percent is rated for experts. There are two base areas—Solitude Village and Moonbeam—and, if you are a day skier, park at Moonbeam so you can walk up about twenty-five easy steps or take an elevator in the lodge.
From the Moonbeam lift, you can yo-yo off on beginner and intermediate trails or ski to Eagle Express. It opens up glades that take you to the Powderhorn lift. Or, you can ski Inspiration, Rumble, Grumble, Stumble, Serenity, and Challenger and enjoy the steep rolling contours that both challenge and keep you smiling all the way down. I’ve skied all of them in knee-deep powder and frozen granular. No matter the conditions, after each run down you want to hurry up for more.
If you like steep slopes through the trees, take Summit Express to the top. It gives you access to the far side of Honeycomb Canyon as well as a long, wonderful combination of intermediate runs called Dynamite and Mine. Or, you can traverse along the ridge and ski Parachute (you may think you need one, but you don’t) and Milk Run (i’ts not).
On the mountain, the Roundhouse has a restaurant and bathrooms on entry level and upstairs. accessed by elevator. No stairs! The same for the Moonbeam base area. The menu at both Roundhouse and Moonbeam is typical ski area fare, reasonably priced (for a ski area) and tasty (trust me, I’m picky). There are restaurants in the small Solitude Village along with condos to rent.
So let me repeat what I said in the beginning, I love Solitude. Every time I ski in the Salt Lake area, I spend at least two or three days there.
Click Here For Solitude Trail Map
Click Here For Solitude Webcam
Author Marc Liebman makes Solitude a regular stop when in Utah. Credit: Solitude
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Mar. 15)
Italian Alps, Ski For Light Skier, Mystery Irishman, Great Glen, Personal Knee Story, Winter’s Spring.
Brodie Mt, home of “Kelly’s Irish Alps” was where St. Patrick skied in Western Massachusetts. Credit: New Ski History.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, formerly the unofficial beginning of spring skiing. But this year we aren’t so sure. Winter isn’t going anywhere.
This week’s Mystery Glimpse reveals the story behind the Hard Pak Puliverizer, the ingenious ice grinder machine invented by Jim Kelly, owner-operator of Brodie Mt. From the mid-60s to the end of the 90s, the resort was celebrated as having the longest vertical in Southern New England and as headquarters of Kelly’s Irish Alps. The Celtic-themed resort hosted robust St. Patrick’s Days each year as this picture shows. Today, you can find green eggs and Guinness at Mt. Snow, $17 lift tickets at Waterville Valley, pot-of-gold treasure hunting at Alpine Meadows, bagpipers at Breckenridge, and fun everywhere. It used to be that St. Patrick’s Day signaled the start of spring skiing. But this year, winter is certainly going on. And on. Read on.
Guaranteed Snow Till Summer For Some Resorts.
In case, you missed it, there is a snowagedden in Colorado. Credit: Joe Durzo
Indeed, the snow just keeps coming, despite the start of spring. In the Sierra, in the Wasatch, in the Rockies, there are biblical levels that haven’t been seen in decades. An “atmospheric river” is loading moisture-rich air from the Pacific to dump on Tahoe, Mammoth, and the other Sierra resorts. As you can see, the Rockies are full up and overflowing. So much snow in the mountains has caused deadly avalanches; 18 skiers have died so far this year. The snow that fell in the Rockies in October—that early snow—has provided a slippery base for new layers to fall on and eventually slide from. You’ve probably read about I-70 being closed by “natural” avalanches. As we write this, a “bomb cyclone” blizzard is smacking Colorado with even more and moving east.
Skiers will remember this year as an exception. Or is it? Perhaps the climate change is really changing winter. The amount of moisture in the atmosphere from overheated oceans seems to the engine driving these phenomena.
As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, there is something happening here. Enjoy the snow and the elongated season. But, paradoxically, remember that the ski industry is working hard to develop green energy and sustainable resources.
bThis Week.
Jon with world speed ski champ, Simone Origone and Andrea Jory, Alpskitour
Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg reports from the Italian Alps. His story shows us a snapshot of the Aosta Valley, where he is skiing with Alpskitour, local guide service and SeniorsSkiing.com advertiser.
We are starting an inspiring story about Ski For Light, a program for blind, visually- and mobility-impaired people who cross-country ski with guides. This week, we learn what a skier has learned about herself in taking part in the SFL events for the past 19 years. Next week, we’ll hear from a volunteer guide who spends a week working with a non-sighted partner.
What a new knee looks like when it is all over. Credit: Bob Nesoff
Correspondent Tamsin Venn shows us another view of Great Glen Trails and the Glen House Hotel, NH. There is more to do at a winter resort than ski. Find out by clicking here.
Veteran journalist and SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent Bob Nesoff gives us his personal knee replacement story. He explains the importance of conditioning before the operation and the need to be rigorous about physical therapy after. His story will undoubtedly create a lot of interest among readers.
Finally, we have published The Winter’s Spring, a poem by 19th century poet John Clare. He doesn’t want spring to come, either.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends and remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Jon and I are very grateful for the support we have received in our recent fund-raiser. All the premiums have been sent to donors, except for a small number of hats. We ran out! More are coming soon.
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