Senior Profile: WWII Survival Shaped Ruth DeSousa’s Resolve
She Applies What She Learned To Life And Skiing.
At 86 and a bona fide survivor, Ruth DeSouza offers sound advice for seniors.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
When the air raid sirens blared in Bingen, Germany, residents scrambled down into their cellars for protection. The town on the Rhine was bombed again and again by Allied forces.
After each attack, Ruth’s mother would rush to the roof of their building to pick up the burning flares that had been dropped and hurl them off the roof so the building would not catch fire.
Historically, Bingen is on a critical transportation route established in Roman times. During the war, Allied forces were not trying to destroy the town but were aiming their bombs at the major railroad hub and communication lines.
But bomb drops were not accurate. High winds carried them off target into the town destroying schools full of children and homes of those who wanted no part of the war.
At that time, Ruth was an athletic school girl in Bingen. She was a gymnast, practiced ballet, played tennis, and learned to ski on a local farm hill. The turmoil of war shaped her resolve. She learned to expect little but to keep going no matter what.
Today, she lives by the resolve she forged during the war years. Ruth is slim and active at 86. She skis three or four days a week at Alta, Brighton, or Solitude. The other days she walks for 30 minutes. “You have to keep going, and you have to stay strong,” she says.
Ruth’s attitude has always been undaunted. As the war grew worse, Ruth’s family fled from Bingen. After the war, they walked for days to get home. As Ruth walked, she decided to use the fabric of her old school uniform and make a bikini for herself. She envisioned happiness even when life was full of misery.
Today, like the bikini she made long ago, she dresses fashionably and keeps a positive attitude. She advises senior women to be positive also. “Eat right and don’t let yourself get fat,” she says.
To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (September 29)
It’s Warm In The East, And The Rockies Are Turning White.
So it makes sense that one of the articles in this week’s package reviews the Tannus tubeless foam-filled bicycle tire and another explains why this is the best time to purchase a season pass.
Harriet Wallis, an active biker, skier, and SeniorsSkiing.com contributor wrote the piece on the foam tire. If you’re considering that as an option, it’s worth seeing her critique.
Mike “Bear Foot” Warner publishes SeniorSkiDeals.com. His piece on the economy of passes, even if they’ll be used for a portion of the season, is well-reasoned. Next month, we’ll add to the discussion when we publish our comprehensive listing of all the U.S. areas where seniors ski free.
Remember ski ballet, the short-lived Olympic demonstration event? Jon’s reminiscence about that graceful form of skiing is fun to read. The vintage Bogner video featuring Suzy Chaffee and John Eaves is a joy to watch.
Thanks for subscribing to SeniorsSkiing.com and for being a part of this growing community of older skiers. We still have SeniorsSkiing.com stickers available. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: SeniorsSkiing.com, Box 416, Hamilton, MA 01936. A new design is in the works.
In nautical terms, Senior Skiers are the stabilizing keel of the ski industry. As a group we represent 20% of total US skiers/boarders. Per capita, we ski more frequently and spend more than younger population segments. The industry sees youth and other factors as the fuel that keeps it sailing toward the future. That’s why it markets to younger generations. Senior skiers have power and influence. There are more of us every day; we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
Snow Has Arrived Around The West.
Utah first snow. Ski Utah
Half-Price Subscription to realskiers.com: Jackson Hogen, publisher of realskiers.com, publishes short essays related to the the sport. The current one, about older skiers, is titled “Not Dead Yet.” You can sign up for the essays and receive them free. I recommend getting a paid subscription where, among other things, you’ll find intelligent and comprehensive ski reviews (including the best skis for senior skiers). Subscribers also are entitled to one-on-one consulting with Jackson. That comes in handy when considering your next equipment purchase. Youngsters pay $19.95 for a year’s subscription. SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers pay $9.95. To sign up, visit realskiers.com. Scroll down to/click on “Subscribe Today!” Then click “Sign Up” in the “Annual Membership” box. Complete the form and enter SS17 in the field under “Coupon Code.”
COLORADO
Area developments for 2017-18 follow:
- Arapahoe Basin: 371 acres of difficult/extreme terrain to be accessible by hiking; 4 person lift to be added next summer.
- Aspen Snowmass: Snowmass celebrates 50thAnniversary with $6.50 lift tickets (opening day 1967 lift ticket price) on December 15, plus other activities throughout season. Aspen to host Olympic qualifying events when the U.S. Grand Prix stops in Snowmass January 10–14, 2018. Breathtaker mountain coaster opens at Snowmass in December.
- Cooper: Celebrates 75thAnniversary New Year’s Eve.
- Copper Mountain: Hosts Olympic qualifying events December 6-10. New Kokomo Express Lift and Koko’s Hut serves beginner terrain in West Village. Rocky Mountain Coaster opens this Fall.
- Eldora: New six-person high speed detachable Alpenglow Express lift ready for action.
- Loveland Ski Area: Celebrates 80thyear of operations; adds snowcat skiing in Dry Gulch.
- Purgatory: Expanded terrain with new intermediate and expert trails on the back- and front-sides; adding new gladed skiing; installed a mountain coaster.
- Silverton: will celebrate 50+” powder days with area-provided snorkels.
- Steamboat recently opened its Outlaw Mountain Coaster, the longest in North America.
- Telluride celebrates its 45th anniversary.
MASSACHUSETTS
BOSTON: 36thANNUAL SKI & SNOWBOARD EXPO kicks off season, NOV. 9-12, at SEAPORT WORLD TRADE CENTER. ADMISSION:$15 adults; Under 12 free. Paid admission includes one-year subscription to SKI magazine and a $10 Gift Card from GetSkiTickets.com. Purchase tickets online at www.skisnowexpo.com/boston-expo or at door.
MICHIGAN
Ishpeming: Eight skiing athletes/others to be inducted to U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame next April . They include freestyle icon “Airborne” Eddie Ferguson, freestyle’s somersault king Herman Goellner cross-country coach Marty Hall, ski mountaineers twin brothers Mike and Steve Marolt, and (posthumously)130 mph alpine speed skiing world record holder, Steve McKinnney. Ceremonies to be held at Squaw Valley.
MONTANA
Big Sky reported snow above 6500′. National long-range forecasts for the 2017-18 winter season predict average temperatures and above-average precipitation in the Rocky Mountain West.
PENNSYLVANIA
“First-Time Ski/Snowboard Program” gives beginner ticket, lesson and rentals for $59. Click here for more.
TEXAS/FLORIDA
NOAA reports that Harvey delivered 49.32″ of rain and Irma, 16″. At 30°F, 1″ of rain falls as 13″ of snow. The snow amount could be as much as 50″ dry powder under certain conditions. Using the 30°F/1″rain =13″ snow formula, the amount of rain from Harvey would produce 641.16″ snow; the amount from Irma would equal 208″.
Dick Brooks with Hurricane Harvey debris in Houston
Dick Brooks is a SeniorsSkiing subscriber who lives in Houston and Durango, Colorado where his home resort is Purgatory. He reports that his home was dry and that he and wife, Claire, have volunteered by preparing food for those impacted and by carrying damaged items to the curb. Dick sent this photo of nearby damage.
UTAH
Deer Valley, which Ski Magazine readers just named the #1 resort in North America, will host the 2018 Visa Freestyle International, January 10-12. The event determines the freestylers who will represent the US at the South Korean Winter Olympics in February. The event is held at night under lights. The steep slope is covered in bumps. It can get chilly, but it’s a terrific thing to see.
Opening dates for Utah resorts:
- Alta Ski Area: November 22
- Brian Head Resort: November 17
- Brighton Resort: Early As Possible
- Cherry Peak Resort: December 18
- Deer Valley Resort: December 2
- Eagle Point Resort: December 21
- Nordic Valley Resort: December 9
- Park City Mountain: November 17
- Snowbasin Resort: November 22
- Snowbird Resort: November 22
- Solitude Mountain: December 2
- Sundance Mountain Resort: December 8
VERMONT
OOPS. Ski Vermont recently announced that Parker Riehle, e group’s head, would leave that post to lead National Ski Areas Association. Citing personal reasons, he decided not to take the new position. Long time NSAA president, MIchael Berry, will remain in post until a new replacement is identified and transitioned.
Snowmaking and grooming improvements will improve the experience this season at Bolton Valley, Burke Mountain, Mount Snow, Okemo Mountain, Stratton Mountain, Sugarbush, and Suicide Six.
Okemo Ultimate season passholders now qualify for $49 lift tickets at Stratton Mountain Resort during the 2017/2018 season. Limited to one per day, non-holiday periods only, this special offer is non-transferable, and can only be used by the passholder. Stratton Summit passholders receive this same benefit at Okemo.
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