This Is What You Told Us You Want
A few months ago, we reported on the key finding from our Spring reader survey:
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Grandparents are a significant influence getting grandkids into the sport. Once the kids have been introduced, almost 95% stay with it.
Another significant finding is that 56% of respondents reported they spent between $1000 and $5000 per person last season on skiing, boarding, and related activities. More than 10% spent $5000 or more, per person.
The survey also produced robust responses to the open-ended question about how we’re doing and how we could improve. The congratulatory messages gave us a nice feeling. The critical ones focused primarily on technical issues. The majority expressed what you, our readers, want to see covered in SeniorsSkiing.com. Those suggestions fall into six categories, which, when you think about it, reflect the general interests of older snow sports enthusiasts.
Here they are:
Travel/Resort Reviews/Ski Clubs
Readers want to know more about ski resorts outside of where they live, as well as in Canada and Europe. Many of you inquired about organized ski trips. In response, we’ll be increasing our coverage of ski clubs, and I’ll report on a variety of unusual ski programs from the Italian Alps.
Discounts and Free Skiing
These are important reader interests. This season, we’re expanding our list of resorts where seniors ski free (or virtually free) to include Canada.
Finding Other Older Skiers
So many of you want to meet up with your skiing contemporaries. The ski club system is a great way to accomplish 
that. Many clubs don’t require local membership to participate in their trips. For more information on ski clubs: http://skifederation.org. And the 70+ Ski Club has many regional and international offerings. When traveling in the US, look for a local chapter of the Over-The-Hill-Gang. They give free mountain tours for older skiers.
Health/Conditioning/Recovery
Readers facing joint replacement or recovering from other health issues want more guidance from those who already have been through the experience. How to prepare, how to recover, how to stay fit for the coming season. We have a good selection of those articles and welcome more. If interested, click “HEALTH” on the home page menu bar and start exploring.
Equipment and Technique
Readers want information about ski school programs with special senior offerings. We’ll report on them as we learn about them. Please let us know of your favorites. In terms of equipment, we work closely with realskiers.com to present the best ski selections for seniors and with America’s Best Bootfitters for the best boot choices.
General Editorial
Your suggestions include more articles profiling interesting older skiers. More on snow predictions and snow science. More on X-C (cross-country veteran, Roger Lohr, was recently named X-C and Snowshoe Editor). More on backcountry, snow biking, and Ebikes. Adapting to our age. Identifying good retirement places for older skiers.
Your input gives us direction and lifts us in moments of doubt. We’ll continue to do our best to inform you, to create a community of older skiers/boarders, and to heighten awareness of the importance of the older population to the sport.
Coasting Most Of The Way
Senior Cyclists Love Gravity And Vice Versa.
Franconia Falls offer a cooling off spot. Bring your bathing suit! Credit: Tamsin Venn
Pedaling up and down hills on a mountain bike has its rewards, but we prefer trails that have an emphasis on the downhill. We suggest three great places in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at or near ski areas to do just that. Important: We use suspension mountain bikes that absorb the bouncing over roots and rocks.
The Lincoln Woods Trail off the Kancamagus Highway (Route 112) just west of Lincoln, N.H., is one good trip. You cross the suspension bridge over the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River and follow it on a gradual climb 2.8-mile bed of an old logging railroad (https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whitemountain/recarea/?recid=74669). At the next bridge, you turn left up the trail to Franconia Falls, which is spectacular with a natural water slide. Go ahead, jump in and cool off. The return trip is a screaming downhill all the way back to the parking lot. You dodge some of the old ties and rails still visible. Total trip 6.5 miles up and back.
Another good coaster is The Franconia Notch Recreation Path (https://www.traillink.com/trail/franconia-notch-recreation-path/). The asphalt path runs the length of the Franconia Notch State Park, following the Pemigewasset River for nine miles, ending at the Flume Gorge, then merging onto Route 3 for the last five miles back into Lincoln. The first leg is a bit of a climb up to Cannon Mountain, then the path drops, tempting you to whiz down the hills after you’ve crawled your way up, but there is a 20 mph speed limit (!)
The path passes Echo Lake, the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tram, The Old Man of the Mountain Historic Site, where you can use a brilliant visual gizmo to recreate the old stone face above you (the Old Man tumbled down in 2003). You also pass Lafayette campground (ice cream anyone?), The Basin (icy water cool down?), and finally the Flume Gorge. Bring a lock for your bikes. This trip is eminently doable thanks to Rodgers Ski & Sport (http://rodgersskiandsport.com/) which will shuttle you from its store in Lincoln to the path’s start for $10 a person.
Remember the Old Man? Here’s a unique tool to bring him back, sort of. Credit: Tamsin Venn
Next day, we zipped south to Waterville Valley Resort via I-93. The extensive well-maintained cross-country ski trail system is a blast for biking. You cut through the woods and explore a variety of trails for all abilities through the National Forest. Everything from meandering dirt fire roads to gnarly single-track is available, plus lift access to biking trails on Snow’s Mountain, the first ski trails in Waterville Valley. (http://www.waterville.com/adventure-center/).
Our favorite run is to take the Snow’s Mountain Chair ($9 single ride and $21 all day pass) and zoom down the wide Livermore Road back into town, crossing babbling brooks and wood bridges, in an Eden-like setting. We branch off onto Swan’s Way, a single track, which leads you back to the Town Center. More scenic is to follow the Connector past the Mad River. Then relax outside with live music and cold drinks, even if you didn’t necessarily break a sweat.
Trail junctures post YOU ARE HERE maps (a good printed map is also available), graded beginner, intermediate, expert in XC ratings, so you always know where you’re going.
Do you have a coasting trip you could recommend? We’re open to suggestions.
At the top of Snow Mountain Chair at Waterville Valley. Credit: Tamsin Venn.
Developing Golf Course Ski Trails
New Revenue Source For Those Beautiful Fairways.
Snowmaking at a golf course? When it is too cold to play golf, might as well ski. Credit: Nordic Group International
Cross country (XC) skiers hit a hole-in-one once their local golf course, which has been converted to an XC ski area, is covered in snow. Golf courses are ideal for XC skiing as they are often easier than other trail networks for skiers, and they provide easy access to people looking for a convenient winter excursion. And now, Nordic Group International (NGI) will pay $500 for a referral of a golf course that is interested in developing winter recreation such as tubing and cross country (XC) ski operations (and becomes a client of NGI). There are currently more than 170 golf courses in North America that have groomed XC ski trails.
Jonathan Wiesel of NGI wrote an article for Golf Course Management Magazine in 2009, and he is now putting his money where his mouth is. That is, he is looking to help golf courses in snow regions develop winter operations. Why would a golf course facility want to add winter activities? The opportunity includes increased revenue, maintaining staff positions, providing community recreation, providing winter amenities for existing or prospective property owners, and so on.
A gold course in winter is a perfect setting for xc skiing, and perfect for seniors who prefer gentle slopes. Credit: Nordic Group International
Profitable winter operations could include XC skiing, tubing, sledding, snowshoeing, fat biking, sleigh rides, dog sledding, ice skating, food and beverage sales, lodging, and special events such as winter weddings and meetings. NGI has teamed up with the SE Group (an premier mountain/outdoor planning firm) to offer services such as feasibility studies, planning and design, snowmaking and lighting, tubing/snowplay layout, turf management strategies, construction oversight and marketing planning.
While such an operation makes sense in a region where it snows regularly during the winter, having a snowmaking operation would guarantee favorable snow conditions. Regular programming can extend the operating season at both ends to increase revenue from early and late season activity. Additionally, lighting the trails will attract skiers and tubers that are unable to visit during the daylight hours.
Such a winter operation would work well in an area that is a major population center, but it also allows resort destinations to take advantage of the winter season. The capital investment for an operation would involve variables such as site topography, extent of existing infrastructure and facilities and the size and orientation of the market. With as little as four-six inches of snow, a winter operation could be launched.
The golf course winter operation is not a pipe dream. Successful winter trail facilities have been in existence across the continent for many years in places such as Woodstock Resort, VT, Sun Valley, ID, Bretton Woods, NH, Weston, MA, Garland Resort, MI, Calgary, AB, Bozeman, MT, and in Breckenridge, Aspen and Steamboat in CO. For more info, contact the trails and land planning consultant at www.nordicgroupinternational.com.
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