This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Feb. 9)
Northeast Snow, Editorial On Senior Empowerment, A Senior Skier Person Zero, More Stuff For Car Safety, Discovering Beaver Mountain.
The blue is snow. Pretty significant coverage for the Northeast at last.
Credit: NECN
As we write this, the anticipation is mounting for a significant mid-week snowfall in the Northeast. From Maryland to Maine, it appears the region is going to get—to finally get—a nice covering that will add to the meh base and draw crowds for the coming weekend, President’s Day and beyond. The season has been up and down here with occasional rain mixing with dustings since Christmas. How’s your season going? Please let us know where you are and what kind of conditions you’ve seen this winter so far.
This Week
This week we have an important editorial for our readers that indirectly stems from last week’s visit to the OR show in Denver. Please read Tools For Empowerment. We outline our rationale for publishing the boot and ski for senior recommendations and all the other valuable assets we have created for our readers like the Where Seniors Can Ski Free directory. Basically, it is all about raising the profile of seniors in the whole snow sports—and outdoor recreation—industry and arming them with knowledge they can use to guide buying decisions of different kinds. It also puts the onus on the industry to be aware of what needs seniors have and what kinds of gear fits those needs. Let us know what you think.
We have a new Mystery Glimpse for you. Many respondents spotted the “hot hill” as Tuckerman Ravine, but the specific event and the date varied from reader to reader. Curiously, some respondents noted that they were actually present at the event where the photo was taken. Find out the whole story.
Who is he? Why is he smiling? Credit: John Nelson
Correspondent John Nelson has skied with a 74-year old ski host at Big White in British Columbia who may fit the profile of the perfect senior skier. Fit, retired, skis 120 days a season, works on a glorious ski hill, lives in snow country. Carlan Silha, the lucky guy, is the kind of all-year active senior that we admire and aspire to be. Meet him here.
Marc Liebman adds to his list of what to keep in your car for safety backup when you head to the snowy mountains. Does your car have any of this equipment? Consider the unexpected happens with unexpected regularity. Be prepared.
Finally, Utah’s Harriet Wallace discovers another hidden gem of a ski resort right in her back yard. Beaver Mountain, the “Beav”, lies in the opposite direction of the bigger Wasatch resorts. As a result, she finds a charming area, comfy lodge, great terrain, and no crowds. Virtual visit here.
We’re off to take advantage of some of that new snow up country. We’ll report on what will be our first trip out this season. Seriously. Boot bag ready, skis sharpened, clothes about to be packed. Stay tuned. New Hampshire here we come.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com and please tell your friends. Remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Beaver Mountain, Utah. This is uncrowded. Nice.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
Short Swings!
Skiing, boarding and other Winter sports are about to get their quadrennial boost as the world tunes into the PyeongChang Olympics.
Courtesy ABC News
In some parts of the world it will help grow the sport. I doubt that will be true in the U.S., where for 35 years the total number of annual U.S. skier/boarder visits has remained relatively flat.
Add in other factors like climate change, ticket cost, paying off student loans and mortgages, and robust competition for our leisure time, and things don’t look good for skiing’s future.
Many of us grew up at a time when popular media presented skiing as the paragon of glamor and cool. The sport was being discovered by the masses. Wherever there were nearby mountains, ski trains carried city slickers to their slopes and trails. Ski clubs were a major organizing factor. (Ski clubs are still a terrific way to enjoy good value and meet new friends.)
Skiing no longer holds the same cultural status, except, perhaps, for the spectacle of the Winter Olympics when mass marketers pay the sport’s superstars big bucks to jump on their brandwagons.
I hope this Olympics gives the sport a boost in the U.S. and worldwide. If would be nice to know that enough newcomers are at least making up for those who leave the sport.
It also would be nice if winters returned (at least in this part of the West) with greater force and more cold.
Whether or not that happens, tune in to the Games and enjoy them. Better yet, push the record button, leave the house, get to the mountain, and ski!
LIV2SKI Patch and Helmet/Ski Sticker
In December we asked for suggestions for our first patch. Several ideas were submitted, resulting in the patch pictured here. The closest suggestion came from Pavel Lia .We like it so much that we also had neat small stickers made. They’re perfect for helmets and skis. We’ll be making them available in the next few weeks.
Your Vintage Ski Poster May be Valuable.
New York’s Swann Auction Galleries produced high prices for vintage ski posters during it’s February poster auction. Top sellers included Palace Hotel St. Moritz, Zurich, 1920 ($11,400); Union Pacific / Sun Valley Idaho, circa 1940 ( record $10,800); Sun Valley / “Round House” on Baldy Mountain, 1940, (record $7,800), and several Dartmouth Winter Carnival images.
You and Friends in Your Own TV Show?
A reality TV casting producer in NY is seeking a group of 70+ friends who are “sassy senior citizens” for a new reality TV show. The company’s notice states “Think Real Housewives but slightly older and more fabulous. They’re looking for “loud, over-the-top personalities,” preferably in warm-weather locations. To throw hats in the ring email mckayla@crybaby-media.com with bios/pics.
Sustainability at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows
Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows expects to be using 100% renewable energy by December. The resort is partnering with Liberty Utilities and Tesla on state-of-the-art battery storage for storage of surplus energy.
Mystery Glimpse: Shiny Gizmo
Whatizzit?
This beautifully designed object comes from the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum. What’s it for? Have you used one? When was that, by the way? Let us know. Scroll down to add your COMMENTS below.
Credit: Vermont Ski And Snowboard Museum
Last Week
Once again, it is clear there are some sharp-eyed ski historians out there in reader-land. There were lots of very astute comments.
This photo comes from a SKIING Magazine Oct 1969 story by John Jerome. His article reports on the revival of New Hampshire’s legendary Inferno Race on Mt. Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine in the spring of 1969, the event pictured here. Unfortunately, the article didn’t report the name of the racer in the picture.
According to Jerome, the last previous Inferno race was in 1939 when Toni Matt scared himself silly by schussing the headwall. Numerous debates have ensued about whether his run was a mistake or intentional. Regardless, Toni found himself deeply rooted in ski history lore.
Thirty years later, in 1969, the race was held as a “loosely controlled Giant Slalom”, hence the gate you see in the picture. [Dave Irons, you got that right!] The idea was to prevent anyone from doing a Toni on the headwall which, by the way, has a 55 degree pitch. The weather was miserable, temp rising from 13 degrees to mid 20s at race time with a wind blowing at 75. For the record, here were the winners: Veteran’s Category—George Macomber, Junior Category—Duncan Cullman of Franconia, NH. But, Jerome reports, the bravest of all was 55 year old Adams Carter who, in honor of his participation in the three original Infernos in the 30s, foreran the course.
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