Spring Is The Time To Play Games
Try This New Game: It’s A Cross Between Where’s Waldo And A Scavenger Hunt.
Find the Bear. Credit: Harriet Wallis
I was skiing at Deer Valley, and I was taking photos. I’m always taking photos. It’s what I do. I never know when I’ll need a certain shot to illustrate a story.
Find the flamingo (?!) Credit: Harriet Wallis
The next time I skied Deer Valley, I was with a friend. I showed her eight photos including the carved bear skiing on a roof, a flamingo wearing a white cross outside one of the ski patrol buildings, and a bronze Native American sculpture. I challenged her to find the real things as we skied around the mountain.
We covered a lot of trails that day. Deer Valley has more than 2,000 acres of skiing, six bowls and 101 ski runs. The hunt forced us to ski a trail once, so she could look for an item, and then move on rather than sticking to one trail over and over. It was a whole new angle on having fun.
Bingo! She found everything shown in my photos. And we were thoroughly tuckered out.
Find the mountain goat. Credit: Harriet Wallis
How To Play
If you are used to taking photos only at scenic spots, try snapping photos of things you see around your favorite mountain, such as a certain trail sign or an unusual weathered tree. Then show the photos to your friends (if they’re whacky enough) or to your grandkids. Challenge them to find those things. You can even offer rewards.
If the springtime slopes start to become ho hum, silliness will add new zest.
To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.
Find the warrior. Credit: Harriet Wallis
Senior Skiers: St. Bernard Is Watching O’er
St. Bernard, The Doggie’s Namesake, Is An Actual Saint.
St. B points the way to an Alpine mountain hut. Credit: Bri-Tri.
[Editor Note: This tidbit was submitted by LuAnn Snyder, a freelance writer from Maryland.]
Here’s a bit of trivia about the Patron Saint and Protector of Skiers: St. Bernard of Montjoux.
Little is known for certain about St. Bernard of Montjoux who was probably born in Italy, c. 996 and died at Novara, Lombardy, Italy in 1081 at the age of 85.
He was proclaimed the Patron Saint and protector of skiers, alpinists, and mountain climbers by Pope Innocent XI in 1681 and confirmed by Pope Pius XI (himself a mountaineer) in 1923 because Bernard spent more than four decades conducting missionary work in the Alps by ministering to the welfare of the scattered inhabitants. His Feast day is celebrated on May 28.
St. B has his own flag.
He is said to have been ordained a priest, made vicar general of Aosta and built schools and churches in the diocese. He is especially remembered for two hostels he built to aid and save the lives of pilgrims on their way to Rome who were lost in the mountain passes or who had fallen victims to avalanche, exposure, and other mountain hazards. The mountaintop on which he’d build his monastery in the Alps, between Switzerland and Italy, is named for him: Great and Little Bernard.
He was further honored in the late 1800’s when European dog breeders renamed the Alpine Mastiff, the St. Bernard. The St. Bernard dogs were formerly used by the heroic monks who were accompanied by their well-trained dogs to go out in search of victims who may have succumbed to the severity of the weather. The Saint Bernard dog was especially breed to assist travelers in this mountainous region.
His image appears in the flag of some detachments of the Tyrolean Alpine Guard. He is also the patron saint of skiing, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, mountaineering.
You may want to keep St. Bernard in mind if you unexpectedly find yourself on top of a double-black diamond. You never know..
If you’re stuck, St. Bernard will send his pups.
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 30)
Easter/Passover/Spring Arrives, Song Sample, Stumped-The-Crowd Mystery Glimpse, New XC Editor, Ski Boot History, Season Pass Quandary Redux, Big Sky Report, Big Party At Alta For 94-Year-Old Skiin’ Guy.
Credit: FamilySkiNews
This week is a milestone pivot point for the 2017-18 ski season; it’s Springtime in full glory, and ordinarily parkas come off, t-shirts abound, zaniness ensues, and the snow sport world looks like the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party with bunnies galore.
This year, snow will still be falling in the Northwest and Upper Rocky Mountains. According to OpenCountry’s Joel Gratz, snow showers will continue this week with a big storm in the possible future for all the mountains out there at the end of next week. Clearly, this season is hanging on, and if you’ve put your skis away for the season, time to rethink.
The Sierras have a huge base, and corn snow seems to be growing out there. In the East, several New England resorts are extending their season for a couple of weeks, deep into April. See Jon’s Short Swings column for more information. If you haven’t tried spring skiing, you have a perfect chance this year. Wear sun screen. Bring a t-shirt with a relevant message. There’s plenty of snow in the mountains.
Ray Conrad Ski Songs Of The 60s Available Now.
Last week, we announced that you can now download a collection of ski songs recorded by Ray Conrad back in the 60s. The response from our readers has been quite impressive. Nostalgia rules, we think. Here’s a sample of one of Ray’s songs, one of our favorites, “Two Cubes And A Slug Of VO”. Click below to play and listen. Fun stuff. TO ORDER AND DOWNLOAD ALL 16 SONGS, CLICK HERE.
This Week
Mystery Glimpse Unsolved. No one guessed who that rugged looking skier was from last week’s Mystery Glimpse. Click here to find out who he was. Quite a personality, and, had he survived, he clearly would have made a much more lasting impression on the world of snow sports. This week’s Mystery Glimpse is also a real puzzler, thank to the Museum of Sierra Ski History and 1960 Olympics.
You will also see that Roger Lohr, publisher of XCSkiResorts.com and a frequent contributor to SeniorsSkiing.com has now joined as Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoe editor. XC skiing is a terrific sport for seniors; it’s safe, accessible, inexpensive, and brings many benefits of movement, achievement, and the joy of being outdoors. Snowshoeing is also terrific for older former skiers. We love to cross-country ski right across the street in Appleton Farms. It’s something you can do basically all your life and never get tired of it. Roger brings his expertise to our pages, and we welcome him.
And here’s Roger’s story on spring cross-country skiing.
Marc Liebman, another frequent SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent, weighs in on why ski boot design has lagged in innovation. Basically, the fundamental concept of your current ski boot is the same as those old Rosemounts you had in college. Check out his story.
The season pass uproar surrounding the IKON versus M.A.X. pass doesn’t seem to be fading away. Here’s another opinion from correspondent Don Burch who focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of each for Eastern skiers.
Co-publisher Jon Weisberg reports on another stop on his now-famous ski trip through Idaho and Montana. He skied Big Sky and found it, well, big. Check out his story.
Correspondent Harriet Wallis honors 94 year old Bob Murdoch, who is the second oldest member of Alta famous Wild Old Bunch. Here’s her report on his birthday party and how he started skiing at Alta before there were lifts. Think about that for a second. Congratulations Bob. Keep on keepin’ on.
Discounts For Seniors
Please visit our Discounts For Seniors page. There are some unusual and useful products that you purchase for yourself or as gifts. Just click on the ad you like to go the vendor’s site.
This week, we are highlighting Parakito Essential Oil Mosquito Repellent. “What?” you say, “Mosquito repellant?” Yes, think about it. Summer is coming, and some people just don’t get along with DEET and other potions found in commercial products. Parakito is different with natural ingredients and can be used with wristbands and various clip-on devices and roll on dispensers. Check out their comments section to see what users have to say. Yes, it is definitely different, and it might just keep those nasty skeeters away from you this summer.
Remember mosquitoes can carry some nasties that result more than an itch.
Thanks again so much for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Please tell your friends, and remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Snow in the Sierra last week. Credit: Nathan Kushian
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