This Week in SeniorsSkiing.com (March 9)
Many of you took advantage of the new Discounts for Seniors page.
New advertisers joined the program in the past week. We encourage you to visit the page and take a look. Jon and I are selecting advertisers we think you’ll like. To participate in the program, they commit to giving a decent discount.
For example, Wild West Jerky is a small, artisanal jerky maker in the tiny town of Levan, Utah. The community is supposed to be in the geographic center of the state. Knowing this, early Mormon pioneers wanted to name their town, Navel, but the more pious among them were reluctant to do so. Their compromise was to spell navel backwards.
According to Jon, who considers himself a jerky junkie, Wild West makes the best product he’s ever tasted. The company uses all organic meats (beef, pork, buffalo, elk, salmon), processes it by hand, and keeps everything purely natural.
Wild West gives SeniorsSkiing.com readers a 20% discount.
CP Visor Helmets, which makes stylish, practical helmets with a built-in visor that eliminates the need for goggles is selling its product to readers for 20% off.
And Tipsy Elves is offering15% off its selection of retro and silly outfits. If you want to stand out at an end of season party, click on the Tipsy Elves ad.
This week, Harriet Wallis profiles the very active 82-year old, Barbara Stewart, whose father founded Sundance, the Utah resort associated with Robert Redford.
Tamsin Venn tells us about Park City’s new silver mining history tour on skis. Included is a short video of the ore train the resort used in its early days to transport skiers to the bottom of a 1,700′ elevator ride after which they’d get on a chairlift!
Marc Liebman explains how High Fives Foundation is helping skiers and other severely injured athletes get through recovery.
Jon gives his picks for Salt Lake City restaurants that many visitors to Ski City USA may not know about. He also reviews Pebble Creek in Southeast Idaho, a good place to visit with wonderful hot springs nearby.
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Someone mentioned more than 10,000 Boomers retire every day. An unkown percentage of them must be skiers. Twenty percent of all US skiers and boarders are 52+. We’re an important force in skiing, and we’re not going away.
Short Swings!
The first rule for skiing powder is to get to it before anyone else does.
NO FRIENDS ON A POWDER DAY???
It skis best when untracked, and it doesn’t stay untracked for long. The other day at Grand Targhee in Wyoming, I bought a ticket that gave access to the lifts an hour before opening to the public. The other option would have been pricier cat skiing. As it turned out, eight runs in untracked were more than adequate. Once the others arrived — especially the boarders — the snow got cut up quickly and the skiing, while still nice, was no longer the same. It’s a joy to look down a slope devoid of tracks, to drop in, and have that bottomless experience so difficult to convey to those who haven’t. In your wake is a series of cursive turns that are yours. Warren Miller referred to them as your skiing signature.
Speaking of Warren Miller, someone in Montana mentioned he had seen a bumper sticker with this: Thank You, Warren.
Skiing History magazine Honors NASTAR’s 50th
International Skiing History Association (ISHA) will honor NASTAR’s 50th anniversary Friday evening, March 23, in Squaw Valley. The occasion will be featured during ISHA’s 26th Annual Awards Banquet, which also will honor the year’s best creative works of ski history, including books, films, websites and other media projects. Click here to purchase tickets.
Melting Western Snowpack
A just-published snowpack study by Oregon State University and UCLA shows reduced snowpack since 1955. It’s not snowing less; snow in higher elevations is melting earlier in the season.
Canada
EPIC Pass has added these Canadian resorts for next season: Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, Nakiska, Mont Sainte Anne and Stoneham. EPIC now provides access to 61 resorts worldwide.
Mont Tremblant is introducing its new Tonik Pass which gives 118-day access to the mountain, including 28 weekend days. It’s on sale until April 9 for $449, plus provincial taxes. A $75 add-on gives first track access, gear tune-up, $200 gift certificate at Boutiques Tremblant, other benefits.
New Hampshire
Cranmore Mountain will host its 22nd annual Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race, March 9 – 11, honoring the founding father of ski instruction who joined the resort in 1939. Event includes Friday night uphill race, welcome reception and Dual GS Race; vintage skiwear contest and silent auction, Saturday afternoon. Proceeds to benefit New England Ski Museum. Free spectator admission.
Utah
Winter had a late start across the West, but March came in like the proverbial lion. Some Utah resorts received 120″ in the last 30 days!!!
Deer Valley 2018-19 season passes are available. Purchased before Oct 15, the adult price is $2365. Senior (65-71) is $1205, and Super Senior (71+) is $1,100.
Vermont
Killington will install a new 6-person high speed bubble chairlift at South Ridge.
Visit skivermont.com for up-to-date conditions for the state’s 20 alpine ski areas and 30 cross country ski centers.
Grants to Enable Injured Athletes
David Weiner is being helped by High Fives Foundation
In January, the High Fives Foundation granted $30,678.00 to ten US athletes seeking to reach their recovery goals. One of the grants went to David Weiner, an experienced skier who lost control on black ice and hit a tree. Started in 2009, High Fives has helped 188 athletes with living expenses, insurance, travel, health, healing network, adaptive equipment, winter equipment, etc.
Pebble Creek: A Locals Area That Deserves A Visit
Many readers have expressed interest in learning about lesser-known areas.
When I mentioned that to a representative of Visit Idaho, he suggested visiting Pebble Creek and Pomerelle, both in the southern part of the state.
First stop was Pebble Creek, 2,200′ of impressive vertical not far from Pocatello. I skied there two days and stayed nearby in Lava Hot Springs, at the Aura Soma Lava.
Pebble Creek has about 1,100 acres of green, blue, and black in the Caribou National Forest. The base sits at 6360′. It’s a wonderful place with terrific trail, bowl, and glade skiing served by three chairs. I was fortunate to visit right after a dump, because at the time, the area, like others in the region, was behind reaching its typical 250″ total.
For almost seven decades (2018-19 will be its 70th season), Pebble Creek has been the teaching and gathering place for residents of Pocatello and the surrounding area. It has a friendly vibe. I was there on a Friday and Saturday. Friday is when kids from far and wide arrive in school busses for a day of instruction. Under the guidance of Mary Reichman, longtime owner and GM, the program has introduced skiing to children of all economic backgrounds. Because of the area’s generosity, many children from challenging circumstances have learned how to ski or board.
On the road to Pebble Creek near Pocatello
A new owner recently entered the scene. Shay Carl is a 38 year old who made a bundle in an Internet venture, returned and bought his hometown area. He has the resources and plans to introduce upgrades. His brother-in-law, Mike Dixon, is the new GM.
I have a recommendation for readers who want a low key, off the beaten path experience: Fly into Pocatello (flights from Salt Lake City and elsewhere), rent a car, stay at Lava Hot Springs or Pocatello (I tried both), and ski a few days at Pebble Creek. It’s a real bargain. If you’re 66, the day pass is $32. Stay at any hotel in Lava, and you’re entitled to two passes for the price of one!
Lava Hot Springs at night
Lava has a state park with multiple odorless mineral water pools, one hotter than the other. Sit there for 20 minutes and any ache or pain you brought from home or hill disappears. If the pools don’t do it, the massage services at Aura Soma Lava or other places in town will. While there, dine at Port Neuf Restaurant or River Walk Thai. For breakfast, the Chuckwagon is outstanding. Pocatello is bigger and with more lodging and restaurant options (the new Fairfield Inn and Suites sits on a hill overlooking the city). It’s also the home of the Museum of Clean, a 75,000 square foot facility dedicated to the history of cleaning. A quirky idea, well worth the visit.
Outside its Pocatello fan base, Pebble Creek is not well-known It has terrific terrain and, except on Fridays when the kids descend, you’ll have the place to yourselves.
I’ll cover Pomerelle Mountain Resort next week.
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