Short Swings!
I’m in the desert with my skis. There’s snow in the higher elevations but the nearest lifts are a few hundred miles away.
It’s nice to be enjoying a respite from winter. But I feel like a city dweller, removed from my favorite pastime. It’s not permanent. I have the good fortune of being able to get in the car and drive to a mountain. One ski friend just had shoulder surgery. Another is recovering from a spine operation. A few have new hips or knees. They’ve been sidelined for the season. Mine is self-imposed R&R. Resting for a few weeks before returning for a few final days on the hill. I need the hill. I need the snow. I yearn to be back on skis.
Discounts For Subscribers
Ear buds are difficult for me. I feel like using Crazy Glue or nails to get them to stay in my ears. Conventional headphones work but can be bulky; they tend to block out other sounds. Aftershokz headphones use bone conduction to deliver sound to the inner ear. Instead of covering your ears, AfterShokz rest against the bone in front of your ears. They deliver superb sound, but they don’t interfer with other sounds around you, like that snowboarder coming in fast or the the approaching car when you’re road biking. The company is selling them to SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers for 15% less than they can be purchased elsewhere. The wireless version costs as little as $110; wired as little as $42.00. Visit the Discounts for Seniors page and click on the Aftershokz ad.
Late Snow
Don’t give up on the season quite yet. Late March and early April generally produce excellent snowfall. I just visited SnowForecast.com, a site reporting on snowfall around the globe. Each area receiving snow in the past seven days is represented with a red dot. The U.S. map looks like it has measles!
Alpskitour
Alpskitour is our newest advertiser. The Italian company organizes 5-day ski tours limited to groups of seven, each accompanied by a professional guide/instructor who knows the best routes and dining locations. General areas covered include Aosta Valley, Breuil-Cervinia, Zermatt, Cormayeur Mt Blanc, and Pila. Unless requested otherwise, the terrain explored is intermediate to advanced. My wife and I plan to try it out next March. If interested in joining us, please drop me a line: jon@seniorsskiing.com.
Other
News from the resorts is slowing down. Most of the announcement have to do with season pass offerings, new snow, and the occasional fund raiser. This week, the most interesting items are from Colorado and Killington.
On March 19, Colorado Ski Country USA reported that resorts across the state received up to a foot of overnight snow, the first wave of several expected by month’s end. Telluride led the state with 12″, Winter Park got 10″, Steamboat and Powderhorn got 9″. The least amount was 6″ at Eldora.
Killington‘s year round season pass, with access to everything at any time, is available to 65+ for $79 a month ($948 for the year) until June 14. The Unlimited Season Pass is on sale through June 14 for $629 (65 – 79). The Mid-Week (M-F) pass (all ages) is $519. 80+ skiers pay a nominal processing fee for free season passes.
If you, your ski area, ski club, or others have information to be shared with the SeniorsSkiing.com community, please email jon@seniorsskiing.com.
60s Ski Songs Now AVAILABLE!
You Can Now Download Ray Conrad’s Classic Collection Of Ski Songs.
After many delays, procrastinations, and technical ups and downs, SeniorsSkiing.com is happy to announce that Ray Conrad’s The Cotton-Pickin’ Lift Tower And Other Ski Songs, is now available for download from CDBaby. CLICK HERE.
Ray has kindly agreed to exclusively offer his songs recorded back in the 60s to readers of SeniorsSkiing.com. The music is download only and costs $20. SeniorsSkiing.com is sharing the proceeds with Ray who, at 95 years old, is ecstatic that people are still interested in his music.
In the early 60s, Ray Conrad wrote and performed skiing songs in a folk music style that was gaining popularity in cafes, clubs and college campuses. His songs are satirical, silly, clever, and funny, spoofing the people who ski or want to look like skiers. You can listen to clips of the songs on CDBaby.
Here are the songs from The Cotton-Pickin’ Lift Tower And Other Ski Songs:
- The Cotton-Pickin’ Lift Tower
- Snowdrift Saloon
- The Flatlander
- Three-Pin Bill
- Two Cubes and a Slug of VO
- Mogul Mouse
- A Skier’s Daydream
- The Big Downhill Skis
- Marie
- Number One Fun
- The Ski Instructor
- La La
- Skier’s Bible School
- Nastar
- Round-Bottomed Bogners
- An Ounce of Prevention
Remember, this is download-only from CDBaby. Once downloaded and on your hard drive, you can play these songs through your iTunes or music player, transfer them to your Smartphone, listen at the gym or heading up to snow country in your car.
Let us know what you think about this little bit of ski history on SeniorsSkiing.com.
Mystery Glimpse: Straight Down
Who Is This And What Is He Best Known For?
Let’s see if you can identify this skier who blazed some very impressive trails back in the 40s and 50s.
Hint: He was also a pilot.
Last Week
We are frequently impressed by the deep knowledge our readers have on the personalities and history of snow sports. This week, we were blown away by the several contributors who absolutely nailed the story behind this famous picture. Well done, readers.
Here’s the story: In 1206 AD, a Norwegian king died and left his baby son, Hakon Hakonsson, as heir to the throne. To protect the infant from enemies, two skiers carried him through treacherous winter terrain to safety in Lillehammer. Their rescue is commemorated every year in the 54=kilometer Birkebeiner race, named for the birch bark gaiter they wore to protect their legs.
Thanks again to the New England Ski Museum for the painting and caption. Congratulations to NESM for opening its new facility in North Conway, NH.
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