This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Nov. 16)
Fifth Anniversary Party Bash Report, Revised Free Ski List, New Trail Name Series, Big Bell Mystery, November Poetry From Robert Frost.
The Upper West side of Manhattan reverberated with the laughs and chatter of the SeniorsSkiing.com’s Fifth Anniversary Bash at E’s Bar and Grill last Wednesday.
Mke Maginn (l) and Jon Weisberg, co-publshers
Several ski journalists attended.
This Week
We have an important article from The Ski Diva, our friend and colleague Wendy Clinch, who advises us how to regain and maintain confidence. It’s a topic that we know many seniors struggle with as we change our style to accommodate our changing capabilities.
This week’s Mystery Glimpse has an excellent puzzlin’ pic from the Alf Engen Museum, Park City. It’s an artifact that folks who’ve been around the Intermountain area may know. And see who those two stars from last week were. Okay, one was Judy Garland as a young skier.
Correspondent Don Burch had a great idea. While waiting for the snow to fly, let’s do series on unusual and memorable trail names. His analytic inclinations had him researching trail maps and making sense or at least some observations about what was common, different, thematic, etc., at a group of ski resorts. So, this week, we present his thoughts about trail names at resorts in California. More next week.
Finally, we have a November poem by Robert Frost. November is a special month as it can be viewed as the swing time between brightness and light and doom and gloom. Here’s an homage to “bare November days.”
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS. Remember, dear readers, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
Last evening we celebrated our fifth year of publishing with a party in New York City. The crowd that showed up had a good time. Many walked away with raffle prizes.
The idea for a magazine dedicated to older skiers, boarders, and snowshoers developed over several years. Living in Park City, I saw that, midweek, almost everyone on the lift was my age or older. Ski magazines, by contrast, were publishing things mostly for and about younger people.
As the concept formed, I used the lift to bounce ideas. For those of you familiar with market research, the chair ride became a series of 8-10 minute focus groups.
MikJone Maginn and I are friends from college. We both graduated when giant green animals with pea-sized brans were feeding from tree tops. Following graduation, he spent time on the editorial staff of Skiing Magazine. We stayed in touch over the years, and I suspected that despite a busy consulting practice, he might have some time. He understood the concept immediately – a growing cohort of older skiers without a core. Would he be interested in partnering? The next day he agreed, and we immediately started to plan.
SeniorsSkiing.com launched less than a year later with zero subscribers. As we enter our fifth year of publication, we have subscribers, worldwide, who, last season, generated up to 50,000 monthly page views. The numbers keep growing.
The earliest advertisers – Masterfit, DeBooter, and 70+ Ski Club – have been joined by others wanting to reach active, outdoor-oriented seniors.
SeniorsSkiing.com is a true labor of love. Contributors aren’t paid, but they like to share their experiences and stories with an ever-growing audience. We go through considerable effort to publish annual lists of areas where seniors can ski free, the best skis for seniors, and the best boots for seniors. Realskiers.com and Masterfit provide the data for the ski and boot lists.
The party last evening was terrific. Numerous attendees told us they made plans to ski with new friends they met there. Several walked away with excellent raffle prizes, including a four-day trip to Okemo Mountain in Vermont (courtesy, 70+ Ski Club), a pair of Apex ski boots, and two Orsden parkas. Others won DeBooters; Bootsters; GearBeast cell phone holders; Buffalo Wool Company bison wool socks; Safe Descents, ski and snowboard insurance, and lift tickets to Powder Mountain in Utah. The SWAG tables were heavy with materials from Skiing History Magazine, Powder Mountain, Solitude, Ski Pennsylvania, Mont Saint Anne, and Sunday River.
The person travelling the longest distance to get there was Mauro Cevolo of Alpskitour. He came from the Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, where his company conducts weeklong guided skiing to Courmayeur, Mont Blanc, Zermatt, and other snow-covered marvels, returning each night to a classic hotel in the scenic town of Saint Vincent.
You’ve helped us get to five years. Please tell your older skiing friends about SeniorsSkiing.com. As for our part, we plan to keep you informed with relevant and timely information of interest to the older snowsports enthusiast.
News of resort openings from the mountains.
Here are a few from this week’s email:
Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows (CA) Nov. 16
Brighton (UT) Nov 15
Brianhead (UT) Nov 16
Copper Mountain (CO) Nov 16
Grand Targhee (WY) Nov 16
Okemo Mountain (VT) Nov 16
Stowe (VT) Nov 16
Sugarbush (VT) Nov 17
Crystal Mountain (MI) Nov 22
Skier vs. Drone
Salomon released this clever video of French racer, Victor Muffat-Jeandet competing on a GS course against champion drone racer, Jordan Temkin. Most resorts have no-drone policies, but Snowbird, where this was taped, must have given special permission. Short and amusing, with a surprise end: click here.
Great Holiday Gifts for Older Skiers
Over the next month, I’ll highlight unique and useful gift ideas for older skiers.. The following, which I’ve mentioned before, advertise on SeniorsSkiing.com. Simply click on the ads to reach the sites.
- GearBeast is a $9.95 rubberized cellphone carrier, worn around the neck and with a small pocket to hold ID, a credit card and some cash.I’ve been using it for several months and consider it essential. I no longer misplace the phone. Equally important for skiers is that there’s no way you’ll drop the phone on the lift. Because it’s around the neck and under the parka, the battery doesn’t drain lie it does in a parka pocket. Mine is black, but GearBeast comes in a variety of colors. A very good item.
- Bootster is a compact device that serves as a ski boot horn. It rolls up and fits in your pocket. Some of you have written in about DIY devices for getting boots on. One of the beauties of Bootster is that it goes where you go, making it ideal to get boots back on after lunch on the hill. $25.00
- DeBooter is a skiboot jack.I keep mine in the car and loan to others in the lot. It works extremely well, even with stiff, cold boots. Your foot comes right out without difficulty or pain. One of my friends reports that his grandkids love his DeBooter. $39.95, less 20% SeniorsSkiing.com discount.
- Safe Descents is emergency ski and snowboard evacuation insurance.It covers ambulance or air evacuation services if injured in-bounds at any ski resort in the United States. That’s in addition to other coverage like sending a loved one to the hospital and/or getting back home following a hospital stay. These and other benefits have a maximum of $25,000. A thoughtful gift to drop into any stocking. $56.99 for the season.
Now Available: List of Best 2019 Skis For Seniors
We just published the list of 2019 skis identified as the best for older skiers.
The 61 selected skis generally have a softer flex, which helps them engage snow with minimal exertion, allowing older skiers to turn more easily and to ski longer without tiring. Twenty-one women’s models are included.
The skis were selected during the annual national ski evaluation process organized by the renowned ski review site, Realskiers.com.
The recommended skis are grouped into six categories, each based on the ski’s width, which helps determine the terrain where its performance is optimized.
If you’re considering a purchase, we recommend first identifying the most suitable category, then skiing the selections using a demo program. This may be accomplished by working with a quality ski shop.
The categories and their characteristics follow:
- Frontside (aka “Carving” skis)encompass the broadest range of skier abilities from entry-level to experienced. They are for use on groomed terrain. Wider models are usable off-trail.
- All-Mountain East are versatile skis that work equally well in on-trail and off-trail conditions. This category is suitable for those who have not skied in a few years.
- All-Mountain West are good for use in the West by high performance skiers. They are adapted for off-trail use but can be skied on-trail by skilled skiers.
- Big Mountainare essentially more maneuverable powder skis. They are inadvisable for regular on-trail use.
- Powder are specialty skis for use in deep powder only.
- Technical skishave high performance race ski characteristics and are suitable for caving turns on hard-snow.
To access the list click here.
Realskiers.com is a first rate site for any skier interested in learning about equipment and being exposed to the expert perspectives of it’s publisher, Jackson Hogen. SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers can subscribe to Realskiers.com for $9.95, half of it’s normal rate. As a subscriber, you also have direct access to Jackson and his points of view about what equipment might be best for your needs. It’s a fantastic deal. To sign up, visit Realskiers.com. Scroll down to/click on “Subscribe Today!” Then click “Sign Up” in the “Annual Membership” box. Complete the form and enter SS18 in the field under “Coupon Code.”
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