This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Feb. 15)
Gratitude!, Snow Floods And Deserts, Big Jump, George at 101, Folk Tale, Steamboat Guide, You Never Know.
The response to our appeal for financial support to help defray expenses at SeniorsSkiing.com has been extremely gratifying. We are humbled by the donations we’ve received, and thank each contributor most heartily. If you haven’t yet considered making a donation (and getting a premium gift), please click here and check out your options.. If you have made a donation, we will be mailing your premiums in a couple of weeks. We had to order more hats, patches, and stickers!
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Here we are in mid-winter, Ground Hog’s Day is behind us, and we are looking at enormous snow “floods” in the Northwest and the Sierra. Mammoth Mountain will be open until July 4th, working on its base of 446 inches, the deepest snowpack in the country.
And there are deep, deep snows in Colorado. Here’s where we are as of Feb. 12. Not as crazy deep as California, but still an abundant year for the Rockies.
Meanwhile, New England is doing okay, snow-wise, up country. New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, experiencing varying days of cold, warm, rain, snow. Hey’s it’s New England.
But Boston? It’s a snow desert. Where’s the snow this year? There’s a record lack of snowfall in the metro area. Why is this important? People correlate the amount of snow on their lawns with the snow depth at local ski areas. Not logical, but there you go. And, there has simply been no cross-country skiing in the Boston area. None, zero, nada, zilch, zip. Not happy about that. In fact, with 4.7 inches on the books for the 2018-19 season, the view here is that our urban snow scene is “Downright Lame.”
So, what about the Midwest. Cold from the Polar Vortex seems to have lifted. Winter Storm Maya gave a moderate dump on the middle section of the country before brushing New England, but certainly not monstrous.
In any case, Boston is feeling a bit bruised, ego-wise, with this year’s snow snub. However, we do remember it is only February. Recall March, 2018 with its four major storms leaving three feet of snow and hundreds of trees down and power out for thousands. Stay tuned.
This Week
We have another interesting Ask The Expert question from a reader: What does it take to get up from a fall and what exercises can facilitate that move?
Our Mystery Glimpse involves identifying a ski jump that is…stupendously big. Last week’s historic rope tow was in Maine, not New Hampshire, at a ski area long gone. Find out where and what here.
Correspondent Pat McCloskey offers an ironic recounting of the kind of folks you can run into in the world of snow sports. Humbling.
Harriet Wallis captures one of the greatest senior skiers, George Jedenoff, who celebrated his 101st birthday at Alta. On skis. His attitude is indeed an inspiration to us all. Read his secret to keeping going here.
Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg visited Steamboat for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Here’s his Resort Review of that famous ski area and town.
And finally, Ted Levy, a reader who spends his winters and summers in Park City, tells us the tale of a lesson learned from a Finnish folk tale and how it helped he and his wife solve a cross-country skiing dilemma.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends and remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
Before I get into this week’s topic, I’d like to thank each of you who donated to SeniorsSkiing.com. This is the second week of our second annual fund raiser. The response has been enthusiastic. Your gifts will help us get closer to covering expenses. As important, they are telling us that this effort to form a community of older snowsports enthusiasts is appreciated. If you have not already done so, please consider making a gift. If you already have, you’ll be receiving a personalized thank you. In the meanwhile, THANK YOU!
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This season, I’m visiting areas I haven’t been to before (or haven’t been to in a very long time). Last week, Pam and I completed a tour of five Colorado ski areas and resorts. The difference between a resort and an area is that resorts have onsite lodging. Ski areas don’t.
Like most road trips from my youth, this one required a lot of moving around, a lot of taking suitcases to and from rooms, a lot of unpacking and repacking…you get the picture. We’re both of an age where the schlepp began to wear us down.
Pam would have preferred staying in one place. I don’t disagee.
Even at this age, road trips can be fun. You get to see and ski more places and, if conditions aren’t good in one place, you might be able to find pow someplace else. (As it turns out, conditions were good throughout our 10 day Tour d’ Colorado).
But there’s something delicious about parking yourself at one place, exploring the area’s terrain, restaurants, etc. Before moving to the West, some of my best ski holidays were without cars at Alta and Snowbird. You landed at the airport, collected your gear, took a shuttle to the resort, and every day, got up early, clicked on your skis, and enjoyed the terrain. End of day, you hung out with others who had done the same thing. I’ve had similar experiences elsewhere. You’re there. The car, if you brought one, is in the garage (if there is a garage). You’re not dragging luggage. It’s probably what it’s like when checking into a luxe hotel at a luxe resort. It’s what Pam would prefer. And now that I think about it, me too.
What do you think is the best way to take a ski vacation? One place? Road trip? Something else? Full disclosure: We leave for another skiing road trip in a few weeks. This time by plane, train, and automobile in the Alps.
SeniorsSkiing in the Dolomites
InspiredItaly conducts Ski Safaris in Italy’s Dolomites. I’ve written about the weeklong experience in the past, and, next month, will experience the adventure for the first time. Two SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers recently completed the tour. This video tells their story.
Loveland’s Valentine’s Day Mass Wedding
Loveland Ski Area — Valentine’s Day Mountain Matrimonial.
With a name like LOVELAND, getting hitched is a natural. Yesterday, Valentine’s Day, the Colorado area celebrated its 28thAnnual Marry Me and Ski For Free Mountaintop Matrimony event. Couples got married or renew their vows outside Ptarmigan Roost Cabin (elevation12,050’). Participants are encouraged to wear wedding clothes, and the best-dressed get rewarded for their effort. The 30-minute ceremony is followed by run down the hill and a party with wedding cake, music, and prizes.
Winter Hiking Featured in New York Times
The growing cold weather pastime is explored in this short, interesting article. Let us know where you go winter hiking and if you’d like SeniorsSkiing.com to run some articles on the subject.
Lookout Pass
Deep. Deep. Deep. Lookout Mountain, Idaho
One side of Lookout Pass is in Idaho, the other side in Montana. The area is about a 90-minute drive from Missoula, MT or Spokane, WA. It’s not big, 540 acres; 1,150’ vertical. But does it get snow! Average annual snowfall is 400”. Keep an eye on this place. It’s about to double in acreage and increase its vert. Check photo taken this week!
100″ in Utah Since Feb 1
Yes, you read that correctly.
CMH Virtual Reality Tour
Canadian Mountain Holidays is presenting a 5-minute virtual reality film at ski resorts around the country. Filmed in Canada’s Cariboo range “Lines of Sight” is said to the the first film of its kind in the tech and ski industries. In resort pop-up lounges, viewers don VR goggles to watch the action. As they turn their heads, they are able to explore the full field of vision. You can watch the same film by clicking here. As you watch, place your cursor over any of the four arrows in the upper left corner to extend your vision left, right, up, and down. CMH says it created the film to immerse viewer into the experience and to dispel the myth that Heli-Skiing has to be extreme. Remaining screenings are scheduled for Mont Tremblant, March 7-12, Mammoth Mountain, March 22-24, and Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, March 29-31 and April 5-7.
BRR! Skincare Winter Balm
BRR! is an all natural face-protecting balm for skiers and boarders. Winter Balm was crafted with a unique blend of botanicals to protect skin against the effects of cold and wind. No nasty, toxic ingredients. Can be applied to the face (cheeks, nose, and lips) prior to outdoor activity to protect or after exposure to soothe. First rate. Click here.
Ask An Expert: Getting Up From A Fall
How To Get Up From A Fall
A question from reader Jeffrey Dunning:
What are good exercises to help skiers get up after a fall? Getting up with both ski boots attached to skis is a lot harder than when I was young.
For an expert opinion, we turned to Seth Masia, founder of the skiyoungernow.com instructional approach, offered at the Aspen/Snowmass Ski School.
Unless the slope is pretty steep — in which case your hips are already well above your skis — you have to be pretty spry to get up after a fall with both skis still attached. The drill is ALWAYS to pivot on your hip until both skis are below you and oriented across the fall line, so you can stand up into a traverse position. Then lean forward, putting one hand on the snow in front of your knees and the other hand on the snow behind your shoulder. The hands are now positioned to prevent sliding either forward or back. Push yourself erect by “walking” on your hands. If you don’t have the strength for this, take off the uphill ski. Now you can “walk” your hands until you can get the uphill knee onto the snow. From kneeling on the uphill knee, you should be able to stand up while using the poles for balance. Once again, you need a triangle — one pole in the snow ahead, one pole behind, to keep from sliding in either direction.
Note: This technique requires upper body strength. Check with a PT or gym trainers to learn more.
Have a question about technique, gear, destinations, travel, or any other aspect of winter sports? Send it to mike@seniorsskiing.com, and we’ll do our best to find an expert to respond.
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