This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (May 26)
Survey Results Highlights, Trailmaster Statistics, Fitness Focus Series Starts, Senior Woman Skier Wanted.
Click on the picture to learn how to do a body squat.
Credit: New York Times
This week, we have waded through the responses to the Spring Subscriber Survey 2017 and, by analyzing the data, we are discovering exactly who our readers are. Jon does a nice job summarizing the main points of the research. Thank you for responding; we had an incredible 27% response rate again. That’s really an impressive sign of engagement of our readers. We continue to be awestruck how much our readers want SeniorsSkiing.com to continue to be a voice for them.
We are also announcing statistics on our Trailmasters, those readers who “skied their age”, that is, the number of days equal to or exceeding their age. This year, we had 77 respondents who qualified as Trailmasters. The statistics on their average age, number of days skied, and number of years as a skier are interesting. We will publish the full list of names when we verify the topmost super skiers.
We are also starting a summer series this week we’re calling Fitness Focus. Respondents to our survey suggested we have more articles on fitness, so here you go. With each edition over the summer, we plan to focus on one exercise, stretch, pose, activity that can benefit seniors’ conditioning. Our inaugural article is on the squat which can be performed as moving exercise or as a yoga pose. It’s considered one of the “essential” exercises. Hope you like the series.
Finally, we were approached by a talent agency who is looking for a senior female skier who can appear in a TV commercial. The timing is tight, so if you know someone, take some quick action. Click here for the details.
We will be starting our summer schedule next week. That means, we’re going to be publishing every other week instead of weekly. We’ll still be at SeniorsSkiing.com world headquarters, however, so if you have ideas, comments, etc., you know where to find us.
If you want a few SeniorsSkiing.com 3″ x 3″ stickers, just send us a stamped, self-addressed envelope to SeniorsSkiing.com, Box 416, Hamilton, MA. 01936. We’ve already received many letters from far and wide, even a nice chap from Australia has sent for some.
And remember, dear readers, there are definitely more of us every day, and we are not going away.
SHORT SWINGS!
We spent last weekend with the kids.
Not our own children who live far away or are busy with their own spawn. These are a group of younger friends, ranging from early 30s to late 50s. They’re all single. They enjoy hiking, making food, talking about ideas. It was tiring and terrific. We walked them to the rock art down the road and showed them how to look for stone tools and points in our desert landscape. Conversation went to all the places people tell you not to go: politics and religion among them. It also took us to music and art. We sat around the fire pit underneath what Bob Dylan, in “Mister Tambourine Man,” termed “a diamond sky.” Everyone participated in the kitchen and cleaning up. Age differences were more apparent when discussing past political and cultural events. But what we had in common — an openness to each other’s experiences and ideas — bridged those gaps. A business acquaintance used to advise taking younger colleagues to lunch and asking what mattered to them, what they’re reading and what ideas they’re following. I had several relationships like that when I was younger. It helped me get a broader sense of what was going on. Throughout the ski season, I’ve used brief chairlift conversations toward the same end. A few days with younger people who aren’t part of the family is a terrific way to refresh knowledge and spirit. It’s also a bit exhausting…but well worth the effort.
VERMONT
KILLINGTON has 17 acres open. Senior (65-79) tickets are $55. They plan to be open until the snow melts.
PARLOR is a New England custom ski maker. Working with Vermont-based American Museum of Fly Fishing, Parlor has developed a spectacular looking limited edition ski featuring art by Nick Mayer. The skis are $1000 and for each pair sold, Parlor donates $150 t0 AMFF. Thanks to contributor Jan Brunvand for calling this to our attention
WISCONSIN
Wigwam, the venerable sock manufacturer, recyles about 2000 lbs of socks each month and will make them available to people in need. It’s all part of the company’s goal of becoming a zero landfill company. Wigwam also plans to work with Martex Fiber to recycle discarded yarn and eliminate textile waste.
OTHER
Emerald Expositions, producer of the semi-annual Outdoor Retailer show, has acquired the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show. Outdoor Retailer will merge the Snow Show into its January event, making it the largest outdoor and snowsports industry gathering in North America. The first combined show will occur in January, 2018.
SPOT is a small satellite connection device that signals home and/or search and rescue when users are stranded or lost. As of April SPOT products had initiated 5000 rescues worldwide. I had difficulty getting over some tech issues to make it work. But I’m confident that the more thechnologically adept can figure it out. The device works virtually anywhere. The company has a 50% off sale: www.FindMeSPOT.com/SafeSummer
Our supply of current SeniorsSkiing.com stickers is dwindling. If you’d 
like some for your skis, helmet, locker, car,friends, or just to enjoy the pleasure of a good looking graphic, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to SeniorsSkiing.com, Box 416, Hamilton, MA. 01936. Over the past few weeks, requests have come from as far away as Australia.
You Are 66.6. You Skied 25.4 Days. You Buy Lunch At The Lodge.
And, You Like SeniorsSkiing.com.
The most recent SeniorsSkiing.com reader spring survey explored how readers spend a typical ski day and how much they spend in the process.
As with earlier reader surveys, this one had a 27% response, unusually high in the world of print and digital magazines. It shows that the SeniorsSkiing.com community is enthusiastic and engaged! We plan to use this information to help change perceptions about older snow sports enthusiasts within the ski industry.
Who You Are
- The average age of all respondents is 66.6
- The average number of days skied in 2016-17 was 25.4. Trailmasters, those who reported skiing their age or more, had an average age of 66.03 and skied, on average, 84.49 days. (I’m humbled, with a total of 35 days—less than half my age).
Where You Stay When You Ski
- More than 56% stay at your nearby condo or home or in a hotel or lodge close to the resort. About 44% drive from your homes located up to three hours away.
How Long You Ski and Who You Ski With
- More than 60% ski with one or two companions; about 25% ski alone.
- Almost 50% ski 3-4 hours and almost 38% ski 5-6 hours. About 6% ski six hours or more.
How Much You Spend
- For a typical day at your home resort, 30% of you spend $100 or more per day for lodging, passes, restaurant and at the ski or gift shop.
- For a typical day on an away from home multi-day ski vacation, about 50% spend $200 or more per day.
- More than 53% buy lunch at the lodge. Almost 33% make apres ski beverage and snack purchases at the area. Almost 10% also purchase dinner there.
The survey also requested comments and advice.
You asked for more articles on areas in the Northeast, Midwest, Canada, and Europe, more on equipment, exercise, technique, and discounts. Several readers asked about ride share programs and ways to meet others for a day on the slopes.
One or two readers asked if we could organize content more clearly. A few commented on having to re-enter their email addresses (that happens when the device history is cleared or a new device is used). At least one suggested changing the name because “none of us want to be reminded that we are old.”
Some would like to see more about restaurants and “great culinary experiences.” Requests for more personal stories surfaced, especially about experiences with hip and knee replacements. A few asked for more articles about female skiers, instructors, patrollers. Several asked for more ski club pieces. A few commented with humor, “Tough to ski my age anywhere in the US. There just aren’t that many days in the season.”
Mike and I are committed to continuous improvement for SeniorsSkiing.com. Your input is valuable to that process. We also appreciate the many comments stating “Keep up the good work.” This one seems to sum it all up: “An excellent website with great info…keep on keeping on.”
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