Top Reasons I Enjoy Being A Senior Nordic Skier

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In Response To Last Week’s “Top Reasons I Enjoy Being A Senior Skier”, We Hear From A Nordic-Loving Senior.

Credit: Dawn Green

Editor Note: Roger Lohr is publisher of XCSkiResorts.com, a top guide and center for cross-country news and destination information.

It seems the older I get, the more I enjoy Nordic (XC) skiing. It probably has something to do with being out in nature and also being confident on the skinny skis.

Roger Lohr is publisher of XCSkiResorts.com.

Nothing to Prove

There is nothing to prove but so much to enjoy going along a trail, whether going uphill or downhill. Well, truth be told, I enjoy the downhills much more than the uphills. Frankly, I completely endorse the two-car experience, where one car is left at the bottom of a trail and the other is taken to the top. Is this cheating? Maybe, but I am a senior XC skier; that’s my prerogative.

What A Feeling

It has always been enjoyable to help others with technique tips, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to really like when people appreciate my XC ski skills. Much of the enjoyment depends on having the right equipment and, with XC skiing, that is a very important factor. Narrow, fast, waxless skis for the tracks at a groomed XC ski area are great to enjoy the gliding sensation. Whether hearing the nearby brook bubbling, the fragrance of the pine or balsam trees, or stopping along the river to watch the water pass over ice-covered rocks, you find nature is at its transcendent best.

Downhill in the Forest

I also love using wider XC skis (either steel-edged or not) and a little more supportive boot with a wider binding system to go downhill in untracked snow on trails or off trails. Meandering and finding a way down in deep snow is what I call a good time, and the lightweight equipment makes it manageable. I often earn my turns by skiing up a hillside trail on waxless skis to capture some thrills on the slide back down.

The Mountain Road

I especially like taking the lift at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire’s White Mountains to ski back down on the Mountain Road trail whether it is groomed in a corduroy lane, roller coaster tracked, or is sporting a coat of any depth of new snow. That Mountain Road has never disappointed when I’ve taken friends on it.

Snowsport Brethren

My love of XC skiing includes no “attitudes” about my snow sport cousins on alpine skis, telemark or AT skis, snowboards, or snowshoes. We all can enjoy nature in winter and we all can enjoy mastering the snow for memories of the experience. In fact, on powder days I can think of nothing better than donning my snowboard hitting the slopes and floating down the powder paths to the lift to do it again.

Meeting on the Trail

I love to meet others upon the trail and chat about the trails, XC skiing, the equipment, and clothing. Sharing the outdoors with other active folks is great, and it always adds something to the outing.

Ski Anytime

With XC skiing, there is no midweek issue because you can ski anywhere there is snow and on any trail that has enough snow cover to support sliding and turning. Any day can be a great day XC skiing whether at the commercial XC ski area or up the street on a local trail network.

Ready for Anything

Being prepared helps, so on my outings I bring a small pack to carry water and other things that I might need such as dry gloves, a hat, compass, a scraper and spray to handle icing on the skis, and so on. In the old days, I’d carry a spare tip in case the ski broke, but that is a rare instance now as the skis are so well made. And speaking of the equipment, XC ski boots are so comfortable with the right sock set. It seems I’m out there in my bedroom slippers or barefoot.  Light, layered clothing works perfectly to keep me dry and warm. There’s no need for bulky insulation because XC skiing creates heat to ward off cold temperatures.

No Discounts Needed

When I get back home, I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and respect for nature. I’m not concerned with senior discounts because XC skiing is inexpensive at commercial areas where a trail pass is less than $20-30, or it is free on any other trail that you may find around town or in the local park. Either way, XC skiing keeps you active, feeling great, and in touch with nature, and that’s a triumphant triplet.

 

The Ultimate SeniorsSkiing Ski Quiz

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You’ve Think You’ve Been Around Snow Sports For A While?  Okay, Test Your Knowledge.

I know what you’re thinking; “Ultimate, I doubt it.” You’re a really good skier, you’ve been skiing for years and you’ve skied just about everywhere. “There’s no quiz about skiing that’s going to humble me.” Let’s see…

  1. As of the 2016-17 ski season, what state has the most operating ski areas?
  2. What state or province has the longest ski lift?
  3. What is the oldest operating ski lift in North America?
  4. What ski resort in the East has the greatest true vertical drop (lift-served, continuous fall-line runs)?
  5. Season pass holders account for what percent of all ski area visits?
  6. How long is the longest trail in the East?
  7. What ski area in North America has the greatest lift-served continuous vertical drop?
  8. In mph, how fast is the average detachable lift?
  9. In mph, how fast is the typical fixed-grip lift?
  10. What is the largest ski area in North America (as defined by lift accessible terrain).

Answers:

  1. This one surprises most of us: New York has the most with 48 followed by Michigan with 42, Wisconsin and Colorado tie with 30 each, California has 29, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire tie with 26 each and Vermont has 24 (Source: SnowBrains).
  2. Vermont’s Sugarbush has the longest lift, Slide Brook Express at 11,012 feet (just over two miles). The Slide Brook Express connects Lincoln Peak with Mt. Ellen and carries skiers in both directions (Source: Peter Landsman author of LiftBlog).
  3. The Single Chair at Mad River Glen (VT) is the oldest operating lift having been constructed in 1948. In 2007 it was been extensively renovated and updated (Source: Peter Landsman).
  4. According to the folks at MountainVertical.com, Whiteface in NY has the greatest true vertical drop at 3,216 feet. They define true vertical drop (or True-Up Vertical Drop as they call it) as “the most vertical distance at a resort that can be achieved on commonly skied, lift-served, continuous fall-line runs”.
  5. According to SAM (Ski Area Management) passholders now account for 40 percent of ski area visits.
  6. According to Wikipedia, Juggernaut at Killington (VT) is the longest trail in the East at 6.2 miles.
  7. Revelstoke (BC) with 5,620 feet has the most vertical drop (Source: MountainVertical.com).
  8. The average detachable lift moves at 12mph (Source: Peter Landsman).
  9. The typical fixed-grip lift travels at 5.6mph (Source: Peter Landsman).
  10. Whistler Blackcomb (BC) is the largest with 8,171 acres (Source: Liftopia The Blog).

In the comments section, let us know how you did. Were there any surprises? Are the any answers you’d like to contest?

This Week

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.Com (Dec. 15)

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Unusual Snow Stat, Happy Holidays, Celebrating Retro Togs, 10 Reasons To Be A Senior Skier, Urban Wilderness.

Here’s a strange stat from the National Weather Service:  There has been snow cover in every state this fall, and we are days away from the start of winter. That includes Hawaii and Florida. Remember, the La Nina forecast for winter includes colder and wetter in northern latitudes and warmer and average precip to the south.  Clearly, there are some anomalies in the weather pattern, an ongoing theme reflecting odd weather around the globe. Thanks again, to Snowbrains.com for bringing this up.

Holiday Gift Corner: Still Time!

Holidays are around the corner, and if you look back on the past couple of months of SeniorsSkiing.com, you will find some unusual gift suggestions for your snow-loving family and friends.  There is still time for last minute stocking stuffers. For your convenience, here are some links to those gift ideas:

We love our Buffalo socks; warm, thick, soft.  Nice to sleep in on cold nights.

Retro Togs

Even retro ski poles…

Moriarty hats, knickers, pegged ski pants, onesie ski suits, it’s all hiding out there somewhere.

We hope to have a bit of fun publishing our readers wearing some retro snow clothing.  We have some examples of old stuff found in the bottoms of trunks and storage bins that are still useful and, amazingly, still fit.  Check out out collection, get inspired, and reach for that wool sweater.  Take a pic and send to us!

Send to info@seniorsskiing.com (.jpeg, .png) with a short blurb. We’ll collect a bunch and publish them from time to time.

Stories This Week

Correspondent Jan Brunvand offers 10 good reasons for being a senior skier. Fun ideas.  What are your reasons?

Steve Hines discovers Urban Wildernesses, wild areas often in the middle of cities, or very close to urban centers.  Depending on where these are located, they can be excellent spots for cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, fat-biking.  More about fat-biking in winter in a later story.  It’s actually a growing sport that we will be exploring.

Welcome New AARP Subscribers, Boot Recommendations ARE IN

And a hearty welcome to our many new subscribers who found us through AARP. Look through our archives; we have more than 750 stories to peruse.  Check out our Subscriber-Only Content.  If you have any questions, write to us at info@seniorsskiing.com.  Comment on our stories, send us story ideas.  And tell your friends about us.

Check the hot-off-the-press Boot Recommendations for Seniors under the Subscriber-Only Content menu.

There are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away!

FIND OUR SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT HERE:

 

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