Short Swings!
What are Your Favorite Apres Ski Cocktails?
“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues,” Abraham Lincoln
In case you’ve been in Siberia or solitary, you may have noticed the return of the cocktail. Search “Skier’s Cocktails,” and you’ll find a variety of hot toddies, Irish Coffees and Mulled Wines. Some spike hot chocolate with whiskey, brandy, or peppermint schnapps. There’s even a fancy Crème Brulee Martini (Vanilla vodka mixed with Frangelico and Cointreau, shaken and served in a chilled cocktail glass with a crushed-graham-cracker rim.)
Before bed, following a day in the cold, I enjoy a combination of bourbon, honey, and chamomile tea. After a day of spring skiing, I favor pilsner and lemonade on the rocks.
Do you have a favorite mixed après ski drink? If so, send the recipe and its name. We’ll give each a try and, assuming the taster(s) recover, make it part of a SeniorsSkiing.com après ski drink guide. When submitting, let us know if you want your name included with your drink. We’ll do our best to provide proper credit.
While on the subject, the call for ski jokes is still open. We received a handful, but need more to publish a collection.
Send jokes and cocktail recipes to jon@seniorsskiing.com.
In closing, here’s W C. Fields on one of his favorite subjects: “If I had my life to live over, I’d live over a saloon.”
R.I.P. Warren Miller
Warren Miller died Wednesday at his home on Orcas Island. He produced 500+ adventure sports films in his lifetime, narrating many in person on annual tours. As a kid in Troy, N.Y. I looked forward to his visit to the R.P.I. Field House, which filled to capacity with skiers whose laughing, hooting, and hollering added to the joyous presentations. He was 93.
California
Mammoth Mountain is targeting entrepreneurial gig workers by providing work space and lift privileges at four resorts for $99 a month. The workspace is called The Fort, a satellite of the same type facility on L.A.
Colorado
The big SnowShow ski trade exposition in Denver is underway. It is the first time Snowsports Industries Association (SIA) and Outdoor Retailers (OR) have joined forces.
Crested Butte and other Western resorts are experiencing lower bookings, the direct result of poor snow conditions.
Japan
Twelve people, including eight soldiers, skiing on the slopes of a volcano near a hot spring resort in central Japan were injured earlier in the week by flying rocks from a sudden eruption. One soldier died.
Utah
Snow (finally) arrived. Alta got 24″, Brian Head, 21″, Snowbird, 21″ All other areas got from 15″ to 8″.
Vermont
Killington, Pico, and Tesla have joined forces to provide charging 45 electric vehicle charging stations.
Mystery Glimpse: Tennis, Anyone?
She Also Skis Pretty Well. Any Guesses?
This should be a challenge. No hints this time. Please write your response in COMMENTS below. Wild guesses welcome on this one.
Many thanks to the United States Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, Ishpeming, MI for providing this picture.
Credit: US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame
Last Week
Some funny responses to this one from last week.
These three stuffed creatures are the official mascots of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Powder (rabbit), Coal (bear), and Copper (coyote) represent three resources which are abundant in Utah. They also symbolize the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius, which is Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”
Not sure why a “Higher” is symbolized by a bear, or “Stronger” by a coyote. We get the “Faster” for the rabbit. Anyway…
Thanks again to the Alf Engen Ski Museum, Park City, UT. for the contribution.
Five Questions To Ask Before Taking A Lesson
If You Haven’t Taken A Lesson In A While, These Questions Can Reassure You Are Getting What You Need.
Last week, we listed five scenarios when you should consider taking a lesson. The next logical question is how do I figure out whether or not the ski school and/or the instructor can help me? The bad news is that there is not really a good answer. However, any senior skier considering taking a lesson should try to find the answers to the following five questions that are listed in no particular order. And, the great thing about being a senior skier is that we have the experience to evaluate the answers and separate the truth from the B.S.
- Are you certified? Right answer: Yes, I’m level 2 or Level 3.
- Have you taken a clinic on teaching senior skiers? Right answer: Yes. Here’s the caveat. The Professional Ski Instructors Association (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI) has not come out with a standard nationwide framework for teaching. Some of the PSIA/AASI regions have their own certification programs but most don’t. Among those that do, the content and rigor varies a lot.
- Does your ski school offer special instruction for senior skiers? Right answer: Yes. The problem is that there are precious few ski areas which do. There is a greater likelihood that you’ll find instructors who are senior skiers who have experience teaching their peers than ski areas who have specialized programs for seniors.
- How old are you (the instructor)? Right answer: I’m 50+. You want someone who can relate to you and who may share the same physical limitations and challenges facing all senior skiers. There are many instructors who have retired from the business world and work as ski instructors to stay active in the sport. Find them!
- How often do you teach senior skiers? Right answer: The best possible answer is, “I teach seniors all the time” or “I only teach seniors.” This is where your instinct comes in. If you get a BS answer, then you have a decision to make.
So those are the questions I suggest you ask. What else you can do in the way of due diligence and how you evaluate your answers is up to you.
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