This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (July 20)
More On Skiing Chile, Fat Bikes For Seniors, Mammoth Invests In Summer, Lost Baby Robin, Alone In The Woods.
Casey grabs some pow at La Parva, Chile. Credit: Casey Earle
Summer is in full glory as we write this. So far, in New England, we’ve had a massive, long-lasting heat wave, heavy rains, clear skies, and classic summer days. We’ve been hiking, riding our bike in prep for a charity ride in a couple of months, sailing, and generally enjoying the outdoors. And that is probably not unlike what you, dear reader, are doing this summer.
In our recent survey, we asked what kinds of summer activities you were involved in. The collective responses revealed a demographic of active, fitness-oriented seniors who have a vast array of different activities off the snow. In a way, you inspire us to get going when we’d rather be lazy. We have readers who are volunteers restoring historic vessels, one Master of Foxhounds(!), lots of gardeners, car show exhibitors, swimmers, tennis and polo players, weight lifters, dog trainers, yoga practitioners, and community service activists. Well done, SeniorsSkiing.com readers! In fact, you’ve shown us another side of you, an interesting you that we’d like to know more about. So, we’re going to follow up with a new feature next winter profiling some of our readers who have unusual and noteworthy past-times. Stay tuned.
This Week
Our focus on the Southern Hemisphere continues with another look at skiing in Chile. This time, SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent Casey Earle tells us what to expect when you ski in Chile; be advised, it’s really different from your local area.
Long-time correspondent Pat McCloskey tells us about the emergence of the “Fat Bike”, a mountain bike with tires on steroids. Turns out, fat bikes are boon to seniors who love to ride the gnarly. If you’re looking for a new way to ride, check out what might be a serious game changer for our many readers who cycle.
Utah-based correspondent Harriet Wallis has time on her hands as she recovers from a wrist injury. She recounts a charming tale of rescuing a baby robin. Who hasn’t had an encounter with a baby bird outside the nest?
Washington state-based Yvette Cardozo has taken a trip down to Mammoth Mountain to report on the investments in summer activities funded by the Alterra Mountain Co., Mammoth’s new owners. It’s amazing what $10 million will do when poured into developing non-snow activities. How about a Mega-Zip line from 11,000 feet down to the base lodge? Whee!
Finally, we are publishing “Alone In The Woods, A Lost Hunter’s Guide,” a document we discovered a few years ago from the State of Maine. It is filled with advice and guidance on surviving in the woods if you are lost, injured, or just unlucky. Despite the folksy presentation and cartoon illustrations, the content is invaluable. We’re offering it as a free download to all readers. Tell us what you think.
El Nino Cometh
We’ve been called a bit nerdy for watching the El Nino conditions in the Eastern Pacific. Nevertheless, the La Nina-El Nino natural oscillation has shown to be predictive of the weather not only in North America but around the world. The latest report from the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Service says the probability for having an El Nino are literally warming up. Here is what a classic El Nino winter looks like: Remember, this is a prediction of the future in a chaotic weather system. Learn, but don’t place any bets.
A typical El Nino winter may be in store for 2018-19. Credit: Climate Prediction Center.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends about us. Remember, there are more of us every day and we aren’t going away!
Short Swings!
An old story tells of a teacher who before summer break would always advise his students to do three things: Take one long walk. Read one good book. Make one new friend.
It’s advice I try to follow.
Every day, before the heat sets in, I walk to the end of our road. It traverses a magnificent high desert landscape with tall cliffs and a verdant mountain slope. Some days I continue another 30 minutes across the desert, into a slot canyon and up to a waterfall. The temperature in this lush narrow space can be 20 degrees lower than the desert. It’s wonderfully refreshing.
I’ve read several books over the past few months. One of them is Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. Set in Milan and the Dolomites during the Nazi occupation of Italy, it’s based on the true story of Pino Lella, a teen-ager who uses his climbing and skiing skills to help Italian Jews escape to Switzerland. Pino becomes the driver/interpreter for a Nazi general, has a love affair, and experiences numerous nail-biting adventures. Following the war he moves to America and teaches skiing at Mammoth. Dave McCoy, Mammoth’s founder, is quoted saying seeing Pino in deep powder was “like watching a dream.” I found the book so absorbing that its 500+ pages went by in a weekend.
I thought that approaching 75, as I am, making new friends wouldn’t be so easy. But I was wrong. Just last week, I attended a workshop on conflict resolution taught by a Zen Buddhist monk and an Aikido master. I was the oldest person in the room. Many were half my age. But we were there to learn, to interact and to share stories. It’s nice to be in a group for several days learning new things and making new friends.
SeniorsSkiing.com Trail Masters
Next month we’ll announce the 2017-18 Trail Masters. 106 of you skied or exceeded your age last season. The ten oldest in the group range from 76 to 79. Each will receive our new Trail Master patch.
Indoor Ski Area To Open (FINALLY) in NJ Meadowlands
Year-round skiing and boarding will be available at Big SNOW America, a 12-story, 180,000 square foot indoor ski area in New Jersey’s Meadowlands. the area will be part of a shopping mall with 450+ stores and restaurants. Development of the indoor area started in 2003 and had numerous stops and changes in ownership. Once completed, it’s proximity to New York and it’s airports is expected to turn it into a major destination.
Mount Snow’s Carinthia Lodge is Gone
Built in 1960, it is being replaced by a $22 million structure that will carry the same name. The 38,000 square foot building is expected to open for next season.
SeniorsSkiing.com Fifth Anniversary Gathering
We’re planning a mid- October party to celebrate five years of publication. It will be held in a private room in a pub on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Advertisers and ski resorts are contributing SWAG. More details starting in September.
Summer Adventures At Mammoth Mountain
Non-Snow Activities Make Mammoth A Family Summer Vacation Stop.
Climbing the Via Ferrata at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.Credit: Peter Morning, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.
Ok, picture yourself, flat on your belly in “Superman” position, hurtling in the air down a mountain at 60 mph.
No wonder Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort calls this the Mega-Zip. It’s billed as the “most vertical in the USA” (some 2,100 feet from the top of the ski resort at 11,053 feet) to the bottom.
Definitely not for the faint of heart. Adrenalin junkies, line up here.
The mountain is aiming to open the zipline by late summer, before all these non-snow goodies have to close for the winter season (and skiing!). And it’s got three more adventures, one in the works and two others already operating. The “taste of climbing” wall called Via Feratta is being built. The ropes course for kids 12 and under (gotta grab ‘em early) is already open, as is the Woolly’s Mining Co, a gem mining adventure for kids.
The zipline starts at Mammoth’s top, 11,053 feet and plunges over what some locals call “Oh S*%t Cliffs,” heading down at speeds billed at “over 55mph.” The run is more than a mile long from top of mountain to the base, and you will be able to descend side by side with other folks on parallel cables.
The whole ride is actually in two stages, starting from the very top and going on a somewhat sideways path to the mountain’s Chair One, where people exit and get on a second line all the way to the bottom.
Mammoth hopes to open it by early September, which would give about a month before winter snows start.
The Via Ferrata, which translates to “Iron Path” is a mid mountain mostly horizontal traverse along a cliff face. Rebar is being secured into the cliff face and the adventure will include ladders, suspended bridges and iron rungs, among other things. There will be six different routes that progress in difficulty.
“We think of it as an intro to climbing,” said Justin Romero of the mountain’s marketing department. “The idea is to give people who have never thought of climbing an idea of what it’s like.”
You go with a guide, he added, you are clipped in at all times and the total vertical is about 180 feet as you follow a set trail for 300 feet more or less horizontally across the rock.
The website says “perfect for families, groups or individuals. No previous climbing experience required.”
Photos of what it might look like show folks in full climbing gear … helmet, harness and the rest.
Kids’ Ropes Course at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Credit: Peter Morning, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.
Then, for those kids you found climbing the kitchen cabinets while still in diapers, there’s the kids ropes course for children 12 and under. The site says, “Climb, stretch, balance and crawl your way through 10 different elements that include a climbing net, log walk, planks, swings and more before you rappel back to the ground to finish.”
But for the parents, it’s nice to see all this isn’t THAT high off the ground, and the final rappel drops a fairly tame 15 feet.
A lot of these improvements come courtesy of Alterra Mountain Co., which now has interest in a dozen ski destinations, including CMH (heli skiing). The company, which recently merged with Intrawest, pumped serious money into Mammoth. Some $10 million is being used this summer on the zipline, the cliff climb and both children’s adventures along with improvements to Canyon Lodge.
Besides the zip and climbing route, folks in summer can mountain bike, hike, just ride the gondola for the view and in the greater Mammoth Lakes area, fish, kayak and more.
Summer season is usually early June through end of September when the snows arrive.
For more information: https://www.mammothmountain.com/
People enjoy and photograph the view of lakes from the top of the gondola at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. This viewpoint is a short hike from the gondola top. Credit: Yvette Cardozo
[authors_page role=contributor]