This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Feb. 3)
Park City Review, Self-Teaching Tips, Industry Insider Book Review, Changes With Ages, Hand Warmer Frugality.
There’s an old New England axiom that says half your wood pile should be left on Ground Hog day, the official mid-point of winter. However, this year, we have a feeling “winter” is going to stretch well into spring thanks to the amazing quantities of snow west of the Mississippi. And the weather people are predicting a cold, cold February for the east. Cold is what is needed around New England for more snow and snow making. It’s been an up and down season here.
Park City is lower in altitude than other Wasatch resorts, making it easier to adapt for low-landers.
Credit: Park City Mountain Resort
This week, correspondent Tamsin Venn shows us how seniors can rock and roll at Park City, a huge Utah resort that is, in fact, the largest ski resort in North America. By linking with The Canyons under the banner of Vail Resorts, one can ski for miles. Interesting, Park City is relatively low altitude (7,000-ft), making adjustment for flat-landers a little easier.
Karen Lorentz has sent in an interesting review of SKI, INC., the biography of Chris Diamond, a ski resort developer and manager who has seen enormous changes in the business. He’s very clear, however, that some resorts have not changed enough and are at risk of becoming outdated. Check out her review.
Marc Liebman, a new SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent, tells us about how his skiing style has changed over his 40-plus years on skis. Clearly, it is important to adjust as capabilities change. What do you think? Still ripping at 75? Tell us.
Finally, veteran SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent Harriet Wallis shows us how to save those little hand warmers for another day. Harriet also writes regularly for the SkiUtah blog.
Please don’t forget to check out our Subscriber-Only Content, under the COMMUNITY tab in the top navigation menu. Our latest offering for Subscribers is a free eBook by Seth Masia on how you can Ski Younger Now.
We depend on our readers to pass along our online magazine to friends. That’s how we keep growing. So please tell your pals about SeniorsSkiing.com. There are more if us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
February is National Bootfitting Month.
Boots! You either love them or you hate them. If yours give you grief, take heart. February is National Bootfitting Month, and the folks at America’s Best Bootfitters are encouraging skiers to visit one of the America’s Best Bootfitters shops to improve boot performance, comfort, warmth, and fit.
Skiing Magazine Folds.
The buzz during last week’s SIA Snow Show in Denver is that Skiing Magazine has folded. The magazine started publication in 1948. The grapevine suggested it will become part of Ski Magazine, another publication in the AIM Media group. Skiing’s website is still up, but the mag’s media kit is no longer posted.
CALIFORNIA
The Audi FIS World Cup returns to California after a 19 year absence. It takes place March 9-12 at Squaw Valley Resort.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Jackson Ski Touring Center will host an exhibition of abstract paintings throughout its trails. The paintings, to be displayed in niches of snow and other natural materials, will be shown February 11. They are the work of two New Hampshire artists. Cost is $5 on foot; day trail passes discounted for seniors.
UTAH
Alta is supporting the Outdoor Industry for Clean Air and the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. The area joined the other groups by signing a letter for clean air to Utah legislators. Each year inversions in the Salt Lake Valley increase in density and length, causing significant health issues for residents and visitors. The Utah Legislature pays lip service to the problem but does little to change it. Alta skiers can look down Little Cottonwood Canyon to see an ocean of smog covering the valley.
OTHER
A few of the many interesting products found at the big SIA Snow Show last week in Denver:
- HangEmRight Ski Hangers are a simple and colorful way to store skis. $14.99
- DexShell makes waterproof, breathable socks, gloves, and headwear. The products are demonstrated in a tank of water. They work.
- Vintage Ski World is a source for vintage ski posters, photos, and equipment. Always a fun site to visit! Enter code RJA10 for 10% off.
SeniorsSkiing Guide: Rocking And Rolling For Seniors At Park City
The Largest Ski Area In The US Has Something For Everyone.
Park City Mountain Resort connects to The Canyons, making the largest ski area in US.
Credit: Park City Mountain Resort
The choice of skiing at Park City, UT, just got more mind boggling. Last year, Vail Ski Resorts linked Park City and The Canyons via the Quicksilver gondola on Pine Cone Ridge. Voila: a ski area of 7,300 acres with 41 lifts, and 324 runs, currently the largest ski area in the U.S.—six miles across as the raven flies. That means a lot of choice for us seniors on the endless white folds of the Wasatch Range.
Plus, at only 7,000 feet at the base, the altitude is easier to adjust to than some higher Western ski resorts.
Park City is lower in altitude than other Wasatch resorts, making it easier to adapt for low-landers.
Credit: Park City Mountain Resort
Park City trends toward broad slopes while The Canyons to narrower tree-lined trails. Many trails present drops off into tree skiing at various pitches. Big bowls with double black diamond labels offer fabulous powder skiing. Gulches and gulleys lead to further adventure. Currently Park City is having the snowiest January in about nine years, eight feet and counting.
The new eight-passenger Quicksilver Gondola has changed the game here. Adventurers can start at the Orange Bubble Express at The Canyons, say, ride the Red Pine Gondola to Timberline to Iron Mountain Express to Quicksilver Gondola. By the time they’ve skied over to Park City, they may want to take the free bus back.
By contrast, Park City skiers take the Crescent Express to reach The Canyons, and so have access via one lift to entertaining steep pitches they once had to hike to.
In 2015, Vail Resorts invested $50 million in upgrades at Park City. It transformed the sluggish Motherlode Express (good on a powder day) to a high-speed quad. It turned King Con, popular for rip groomers, into a six-pack. It also created two new trails at the Quicksilver Gondola mid-station, built Miner’s Camp Restaurant there, added seating to on-mountain restaurants, and invested in snowmaking.
In Park City, the sports vibe is strong. Park City and Deer Valley hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and the resorts have been drawing the youthful and ambitious ever since. Visit Utah Olympic Park to catch more Olympic fever, and visit the Alf Engen Ski History Museum. Admission is free.
Skiing does get crowded, and some say the best time to ski is during the Sundance Film Festival in January when everyone is indoors watching movies or on Sundays when many are in church. A new app, EpicMix Time, lets you track lift line wait times. At key lift junctures, an LED board gives you that same traffic information.
The best way to ski Park City is to buy the Epic Pass, which lets you ski all Vail resorts. But the early season savings end in the fall. The best bet is to buy senior (65-plus) tickets online seven days in advance.
The White Pine Touring Nordic Center with 20 km of groomed XC track at the Pro Shop in the Hotel Park City is well worth the visit to stretch your limbs. On community appreciation day, many older fit speed demons constantly lapped us on skate skis. This center truly appreciates their seniors and offers free passes for those 65 and older.
The Facts
7, 300 acres
Base elevation 6,800 feet; summit 10,026 feet
330 trails, 41 lifts
Average annual snowfall: 355 inches
8 percent beginner, 48 percent intermediate, 44 percent expert
Night time is for dining, shopping, visiting and relaxing.
Credit: Park City Mountain Resort
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