Short Swings!
We are seeking your financial support for SeniorsSkiing.com.
Currently, a handful of advertisers help us fund the project. What their fees don’t cover, our bank accounts do.
There are many expenses including technicians, designers, and other expenses associated with delivering SeniorsSkiing.com free each week and developing and publishing Subscriber-Only content. Next month, you will see a new section devoted to discounts on products related to your outdoor lifestyle. We plan to expand that over time.
Also, we’d like to start paying contributors and fund research that would inform resorts about ways to better cater to older skiers.
You can help by making a modest donation. We have considered charging an annual subscription fee, but prefer not to.
Some of you will ask if a donation to SeniorsSkiing.com is tax deductible. While we do not make a profit, we are not a non-profit, so (in the U.S., at least) gifts are not tax deductible.
We’ve tried to make it easy to give. Click here to reach a page with credit card options (or click Community on menu bar, wait for dropdown box to appear, and click Support SeniorsSkiing.com). Readers giving $15 or more will receive the new LIV2SKI patch and stickers, as well as the Old Man in the Mountain stickers.
For the next few weeks, a short request will be posted with each article.
We enjoy bringing you SeniorsSkiing.com weekly and, based on comments and other feedback, know that you enjoy receiving it.
Thank you!
Alpine Racing Suits
Spyder Wind Tunnel Test
The US Alpine Team in PyeongChang is wearing highly technical suits designed and made by Spyder. Each utilizes a combination of materials, placed and fitted for the specific needs of each racer. Apparently, no two suits are the same. Used for one race only, they then become hand-me-downs for junior development programs.
Paralympics
The 2018 Paralympics will happen March 9-18. Recently I met Nick Manley, an exceptional individual with multiple neurological issues. He told me that not too long ago he could get around only with a walker — an advancement from his time confined to a wheelchair. When we met at Copper Mountain, it was impossible to tell that he had experienced limited movement. He told me that his recovery was due largely to skiing. “Skiing saved my life,” is what I recall him saying. He sent this video summary of the 2017 Huntsman Cup event at Park City Mountain Resort. It gave me a new level of understanding about the grit and joyful will of adaptive ski racers. Thank you, Nick!
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Noticing more Tesla autos in ski area parking lots? Some areas are installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Here are a few I know about: Brighton and Snowbird in Utah; Crystal Mountain, Snoqualmie Pass, and Stevens Pass in Washington, Heavenly and Squaw in California/Nevada; Sunday River in Maine, and Jay Peak in Vermont. Know of others? Please include in Comments, and we’ll keep the list growing.
Colorado
Southwest Colorado got a 24 hour dump. Silverton received 24″, Wolf Creek, 22″, and Purgatory, 15″. I-70 areas including Aspen and Vail reported a foot.
Montana
Montana’s resorts are getting lots of snow. Top gainer is Whitefish with a 10’+ base. Direct flights to Whitefish and Bozeman are available from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Denver, Minneapolis, and Las Vegas. Visit the state’s tourism website for up to the minute snow reports.
Utah
Brian Head, in Southern Utah received 10″ and is expecting more. Eagle Point also benefited from the storm. Its web site indicates the area is thinking about reopening for President’s Weekend.
Skiing History Magazine
The newest issue has several articles about past Olympic greats. SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers are entitled to a free digital subscription to this gem of a publication. For details click Community/Subscriber Only Content/Skiing History Magazine. While there, you also can sign up for a free subscription to the paper edition of Ski Magazine.
How to Carve Video
This video addresses three common mistakes when carving on skis. It is well presented and may help you make better, more controlled turns in a variety of conditions.
Spirited Gift Item
G.Griffin Wine & Spirits in Rye, N.Y. custom engraves liquor and wine bottles like the bourbon bottle pictured. Check with proprietor Doug Kooluris (914-967-4980) regarding pricing, quantities and shipping.
Mystery Glimpse: Whose Olympic Medals?
[Many expenses for technicians, designers, and others are associated with delivering SeniorsSkiing.com free each week and developing and publishing Subscriber-Only content. Please help by making a modest donation by clicking here.]
Silver And Gold Belongs To…
We stopped at the wonderful New England Ski Museum in Franconia, NH, the other day to check out their current exhibit on the 10th Mountain Division and the veterans who contributed to the ski industry. Another small exhibit contained the medals of a famous Olympian, and since we are currently in the midst of the Pyeong Chang games, we thought we’d carry the Olympic theme forward and ask you to identify who these belong to and the events they represent. Please place comments below. Note the New England Ski Museum is about to open a brand new branch in North Conway on Feb 26. Keep growing NESM.
Medals. Whose?
Last Week
Thanks Vermont Ski And Snowboard Museum
Yes, indeed a hand warmer powered by lighter fluid. And as a commenter pointed out, put a flaming gizmo in our pockets to keep us warm? Ahhh, sure.
And yes, Zippo still sells a version of this. An original is considered a collectible to some.
What made reading the replies interesting was how many commenters noted they remember their fathers using this unusual device. In fact, I remember my dad using this to keep his hands warm at Aqueduct race track where he played the ponies in the middle of winter back in the 50s. I remember the little flannel bag and the draw string it came in. Since I was a kid at the time, it was off limits for me.
According to Google, this was called a Peacock Hand Warmer that was made in Occupied Japan circa late 1940s to 1952. Apparently, some GIs brought these home with them and others turned up in Army-Navy stores.
Many thanks to the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum for contributing this memory.
100 Year Old Skier Inspires Us To Become Our Better Selves
[Many expenses for technicians, designers, and others are associated with delivering SeniorsSkiing.com free each week and developing and publishing Subscriber-Only content. Please help by making a modest donation by clicking here.]
George Jedenoff, 100, Is In Love With The Mountains, The Snow, And Life. Everyone Who Meets Him Says, “I Want To Be Like George.”
The paparazzi chase George while trying to keep up.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
“Age is just a number,” he says adding: Don’t let age be a barrier. Do your best. Become your best. And keep on going. He’s a living legend at Alta.
He’s also quite a super skier who skis like a kid. He swings his feet on the chairlift. He cruises down steep trails. And when jumps into patches of powder he shouts with glee.
Two moguls meet. Alta’s new General Manager Mike Maughan welcomes George.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
To maintain his fitness, he works out every day for 45 minutes before breakfast. The workouts toughen him mentally and physically to keep him going even when life is unkind.
“Never give up,” is his motto.
On a chairlift ride, he leaned over to me and said: “People come up to me — sometimes with tears in their eyes — and tell me that I’ve inspired them to keep going and never give up. Of all the things to be remembered for, I’m so surprised that I’m being remembered for my skiing.”
But it’s more than just about skiing. It’s about life.
George stirs others to become their better selves — to try harder, to reach higher, and to never give up. While others are revered for their academic achievements, business success or community service, George is loved because he touches people’s souls.
Age is just a number even when it’s 100.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
Back in 1960, George was transferred to Utah to be the general manager of the Geneva Steel Plant. He was athletic, and he learned skiing from the best: Alta’s legendary Alf Engen, Snowbird’s iconic Junior Bonous, and Earl Miller, the granddaddy of release bindings.
George grew to love Alta’s powder, and when he was transferred away in 1967, community leaders honored him with a gift that was sure to lure him back: a lifetime season pass to Alta. He’s still using it! He now lives in California but he returns annually to ski Alta.
He’s a celebrity and a living legend. Skiers cluster around him to have their photos taken with him. The digital images become reminders to reach higher, try harder, and keep going — just like George.
Ski Utah has produced annual videos of George. The very first one, when he was 95, is still my favorite. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQ5IEUpKEA
http://www.skiutah.com/explore/videos/george-jedenoff-97-year-old-utah
https://www.skiutah.com/blog/authors/yeti/98-year-old-skier-george-the-powder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb23maq0rtQ
To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.
[authors_page role=contributor]