This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Nov. 23)
Free (Or Almost Free) Skiing Directory, Skis For Seniors Recommendations, Chile Wrap, Trail Name Series, Ski History Gala, Skiing In Skirts.
Here’s one Tom who made it past Thursday, glad to be trotting on the snow. Credit: SnoCountry
Happy Thanksgiving On The Snow! For the first time in recent memory, there are plenty of lifts spinning in New England areas and in Colorado and other places in the West. The recent East Coast Nor’easter brought a snow covering and this week’s persistent precipitation has raised the snow level up to the top of boots in many areas. Fingers crossed this is a harbinger of a long, cold season. By the way, that is counter to the official El Nino-fused forecast for warm and wet here in the North East.
Last week, we published an update to our listing of resorts where the US and Canada where seniors can ski for free or almost free. We believe this is the only listing of its kind in the ski world. You can access this list by clicking on the third menu box from the left under the blue ribbon at the top of the page.
We also published our list of ski recommendations for seniors which we compiled with the help Realskier.com, a long-time and respected reviewer of and commentator on skis and ski design. You can find this listing on the second menu from the left, next to the free (or almost ski list) list.
You may be asked to re-enter your name and email address to access these resources. There is no charge for any of these assets. We’re presenting them to the SeniorsSkiing.com community of readers to give you more specifically tailored resources for senior.
This Week
Casey Earle reports on the ski season in Chile, sharing some good news-bad news. Despite a shortage of snow, there were some great days and he took advantage of them. If you haven’t even seen pictures of South American skiing, his article is a good introduction. We’ve also included a link to more comments on Casey’s Ski Chile page on Teton Gravity Research.
We continue Don Burch’s trail name series with a swing through Michigan’s many resorts. Also Harriet Wallis reports on the University of Utah’s Ski Archives Gala where awards were handed out to Olympic visionary Harold Peterson and the US Forest Service and the Utah Avalanche Center, a team which has played a major role in controlling errant snow flows in the state.
Finally, our Mystery Glimpse looks at a pair of young ladies skiing in skirts more than a hundred years ago. We report on what the significance of that big brass bell was from last week’s puzzle.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends, and remember, there are more of us everyday and we aren’t going away.
Chile skiing. Credit: Casey Earle
Short Swings!
Here’s an idea that may be of interest to a handful of readers. As part of our month-long ski trip to the Alps, I will spend the week of March 10 with Alpskitour, skiing with a guide in Italy’s Aosta Valley. I’m inviting a handful of SeniorsSkiing.com readers to share the experience.
Alpskitour is based in the small city of Saint Vincent, and every day, based on conditions, we’ll ski different areas accessible from the valley. Some, like Zermatt, Monte Rosa, Mont Blanc, and Courmayer, are famous; others, like Champoluc, Gressoney, and Pila, less so. But they have wonderful skiing and outstanding scenery. There’s a choice of a 3 or 5 star hotel in Saint Vincent, and a guide will take us to a different place each of the five days.
This is different from skiing in the States or Canada. Mountains are massive and there’s rich history everywhere. Many areas are contiguous and skiable with a single pass. On-mountain restaurants are individually owned, serving wonderful local cuisine. I chose March because of the reliable snow and likely clear skies. Each group is limited to 6 people. If more want to join, Alpskitour will arrange an additional group. Skiers should be strong intermediate or higher.
Saint Vincent is a scenic, old city with history and beautiful architecture. It has a well-known natural mineral spa and casino. Cost depends on where you fly in to and your choice of hotel. It ranges from $4,400 to $5,250 (using the current €/$ coversion rate)and includes airport transfers, hotel (6 nights), all meals, local shuttles, ski rental, lift tickets, guide/instructor services, and a variety of amenities. Orsden, the online ski clothing company that makes one of the best parkas I’ve ever owned (great looking; virtually every ski-related feature) is including a free parka for each participant — a $330 value (comparable to a $600 in-store parka). I’ve used mine three seasons, and it still looks new. I’ll be rounding up some other free merch for those who join in.
If interested in learning more, visit the Alpskitour site or drop me a line: jon@seniorsskiing.com.
APEX Boot System Black Friday Special
APEX is advertising a Black Friday special: $100 off if purchased at participating dealers between Nov 23 and 26. For a list of dealers, click here, call (303-530-3340), or email Apex info@apexskiboots.com.
Ski Younger Now
Ski Younger Now, the innovative retraining program for older skiers, and skiers returning to the sport after recovering from an injury, has moved its base from Vail to the Aspen/Snowmass Ski School. The program teaches low-impact, low-torque techniques to enable efficient skiing in all kinds of terrain. Seth Masia, who developed the program, trained several Vail instructors who will continue to offer it at Vail.
Deer Valley Wins Multiple World Ski Awards
It was named best United States’ Ski Resort for the sixth straight year. Stein Eriksen Lodge was recognized as the country’s’ Best Ski Hotel,” and Goldener Hirsch Inn, as the country’s best Ski Boutique Hotel.
IKON Adds Three NZ Resorts
Ikon Pass added Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, and Mt Hutt on New Zealand’s South Island. Ikon’s other Southern Hemisphere partners are Thredbo (Australia) and Valle Nevada (Chile).
Unusual Ski Videos
“Ski Photographer” is a nine minute account of Oskar Enander, a colorblind photographer, specializing in ski photography. the film is shot is Engleberg, Switzerland, where he lives. It has beautiful imagery. Watch it to the end and you’ll be treated to a series of exceptional stills.
This five minute video from Teton Gravity Research shows 11-year-old Kyle Jones skiing Jackson Hole. OMG!!!!!!
“Off Piste: Tragedy in the Alps” is important for anyone interested in avalanche safety. It starts with the stories of US Ski Team racers Bryce Astle and Ronnie Berlack, who were killed in an avalanche in Solden, Austria. The BRASS Foundation was formed in their memory and is dedicated to creating educational programs and best safety practices for snow sports athletes to further their physical and psychological well-being. It is very well done.
Great Holiday Gifts for Older Skiers
Panda Poles: I ski with Panda Poles. They have bamboo shafts and are beautifully hand-crafted in Pocatello, Idaho. Most older skiers I know would be delighted to own a pair. Panda also makes kids poles, trekking poles, selfie sticks, and wading and camera wands, among other interesting uses of bamboo. The company is offering a 30% discount to SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers. That brings the adult pole from its regular price of $95 to $66.50! It is a very sweet deal. Go to https://www.pandapoles.com, make your selections (there’s 2-minute tutorial to help make the correct choices), and enter SENIORS30 upon checkout. Alternatively, click on the adjacent coupon.
Orsden Parkas/Pants
I’ve written about Orsden parkas in the past. I was wearing mine while shopping last week when someone commented about the great color. I explained that the parka is designed for skiing, but perfectly suitable for other uses as well. I showed her the multiple strategically placed pockets, the removable powder skirt (since she never skied, that required some explanation), the waterproof zippering system, detachable hood, etc. In the process, I realized the parka – despite three seasons of hard use – still looked as fresh as when I first wore it; that despite multiple runs through the washer. She was surprised when I told her that it’s priced at $330, about half of what similar parkas cost at retail. The company is able to do that because it only sells on line. Since I learned about Orsdan, it has added $200 ski pants. I intend to purchase a pair. If they’re anything like the parka, they’ll be winners. Orsden is offering SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers 30% off through December 31. Shop at Orsden.com and enter WINTER30 when checking out.
Chile 2018 Ski Season Wrap Up
Finding Good Days In A Disappointing Snow Season In The Southern Hemisphere.
The 2018 season started on time in June, after a serious drought, but sputtered out before it ever really got going. The Chilean Central Zone ended with a 54 percent precipitation deficit, despite ENSO-neutral conditions. For a ski area in Chile not to get to the Sept 18 National holidays is shameful. Which is not to say there were no good days, just that they were few and far between.
Being relatively free to select those good days, I can share a couple of snaps that are deceivingly good.
The Las Vegas lift out of the La Parva village on a cold day in July. Helps to know where the rocks aren’t.
La Parva. Credit: Casey Earle
The conditions were not sufficiently good to ski other Central Zone ski areas, where I am not so intimately familiar with their thin base rock gardens. So in September we headed 560 miles to the south where Mother Nature was more accommodating.
The Hotel Puyehue. Credit: Casey Earle
Our first lodging was the venerable and grandiose “Termas Puyehue Wellness & SPA Resort”, formerly the Gran Hotel Puyehue, founded in 1907. Back then, guests arrived by steam boat across the Lago Puyehue to enjoy its charming hot springs. The hotel is very well located at the entrance to the Parque Nacional Puyehue, established in 1941, and the lovely Antillanca ski area, tucked up in a volcanic cirque 18 km away. This is reached at the end of a good dirt road that winds through temperate rainforest and lagoons. The snowpack was 6-10 feet, from the mid station up, as it had rained hard at the base.
Here it can rain six feet a year, so when that falls as snow, it adds up, and 10-15 ft bases are not uncommon.
I seized an unusually brilliant sunny day and headed up. Nary a rock to be seen, and superb spring snow.
Heading down back off the crater towards the ski area, with the Puyehue Lake in the distance.
La Parva. Credit: Casey Earle
After the traditional September 18 mega-BBQ at a friend’s place in Puerto Varas, on the Llanquihue Lake, we drove back north 200 miles to Corralco ski area, on the Lonquimay Volcano.
This time we chose a cozy cabin in Malalcahuello, a nearby up-and-coming mountain town nestled in a group of volcanos. Monkey puzzle trees greet you as you wind up through the forest to the barren eastern bowl of the volcano.
Again, no rocks here, even at the end of September.
Credit: Casey Earle
While the American ski team trained on the far right side of the ski area, those venturing into the bowl to the south got fresh tracks
Corralco closed at the end of October, by far the latest closing for any ski area in Chile this year.
If you liked this 2018 summary, and want to drill down to the nearly daily detail of how it panned out, try reading a bit of my 276-entry collaborative thread on the Teton Gravity Research website. Click here for my Ski Chile comments.
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