Find Ski Buddies Near You Through NSCF
Now Our Readers Can Pinpoint Local Ski Clubs. Check Out Their Events And Activities.
Clubs rule. Ski with friends and the fun begins. Austria circa 1920s.
In Flying Solo, a recent article by XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr, the joys of solitary skiing, nordic or alpine, are highlighted. From the comments, many readers agree. There are definitely benefits to going at your own speed, especially when you ski with people whose skills are at different levels.
On the other hand, wouldn’t it be great if you could find like-level companions to ski trip with? Share costs, enjoy group discounts, even socialize and form friendships with? Well, in last spring’s Subscriber Survey, we found that 49.33% of respondents wanted to find other skiers in their region to ski with. That’s a huge need we identified in the senior sport sport enthusiast population.
With those needs in mind, we approached the National Ski Council Federation to see if we could work together to bring its resources together with our subscribers search for ski pals.
The National Ski Council Federation is an umbrella organization that serves 29 ski council across the US, providing communications, education and benefits to member councils. Those councils are comprised of many ski clubs with a total membership of about 300,000 folks. These ski clubs plan trips, both locally and to distant resorts, providing serious discounts on lift tickets, instruction and other expenses. You can decide to join a club or join a club’s trips to see if membership might be for you.
If you want to check out ski club activities near you, just go to SeniorsSkiing.com’s top Navigation Menu bar, click on COMMUNITY, then pick FIND SKI BUDDIES WITH NSCF. There you will find a map you can click on that will take you to the NSCF site where you can drill down to discover ski clubs in your region, state, and city. From there, you can identify a club officer’s email. Connection made.
Now don’t be shy. Ask a friend to join you. This might open up a whole new and improved snow sport experience.
All of this is offered to SeniorsSkiing.com readers, including non-subscribers, at no cost.
Special thanks to the National Ski Council Federation executives who worked with us to create this link.
The National Ski Council Federation can connect you to a local ski club.
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.Com (Dec. 9)
Subscriber-Only News, Gift Ideas, Season Photo Book, Are SmartPhones Upstaging Ski Talk (?)
A Message To Our Subscribers
It’s been a busy week at SeniorsSkiing.com headquarters. Not only is the ski season ramping up everywhere, the holiday gift rush in acceleration mode. And we have some great news for our subscribers.
As you may be aware, SeniorsSkiing.com has created a number of free and valuable benefits for our subscribers. These include:
- Skis recommended for seniors, developed in collaboration with realskiers.com.
- Ski resorts in North America where seniors can ski for free, developed with the help and support of the National Ski Areas Association.
- Discounts and really great deals on top brands from Experticity which has created a special “team” just for our subscribers.
- A 16-page eBook collection of historic ski posters, compiled with the International Ski History Museum.
Up till now, these were offered as exclusive downloads to new subscribers when they received their welcome email, the final step in the subscription process. We couldn’t put these on the magazine’s site because they were meant for subscribers only, and we didn’t have a “firewall”.
But many subscribers either missed or lost the email, forgot to download the special content offerings or just didn’t know we had these benefits available. So, we had to respond to many individual requests from existing subscribers to send these offerings well after they subscribed because they were intentionally not on the site.
Over the past months, we’ve worked with our technical consultant—the wonderful Alice Winthrop of Gatehouse Web Design—to develop a way for our special content to reside on the site without the need for a username and password for subscribers. We don’t like passwords, and we bet neither do you.
Here’s the new pop-up to access Subscriber-Only Content. Only your email is necessary to enter.
The answer is simple. We’ve created a Subscriber-Only Content area. To access it, go to the top menu bar, click on COMMUNITY. Under that, click on SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT. Then, click the download you want. You will see this pop-up appear that asks you to confirm your email address. Enter it, and you will get your download.
Bear in mind, this is brand new and we may have a few wrinkles. Your patience is appreciated if you run into issues. Nevertheless, it is a huge step forward in getting our special offers and benefits into the hands of our readers.
Let us know what you think.
Gift Ideas For Senior Skiers
Also this week, co-publisher Jon Weisberg has an article in the Huffington Post with gift ideas for seniors that we think you’ll find interesting and…different. Check it out.
Of course, for subscribers-only, you have access to serious discounts from many top brands through Experticity. All you have to do is register as a SeniorsSkiing.com subscriber. Those instructions can be found in our new Subscriber-Only Content area.
Document Your Season In A Photo Book
Utah-based correspondent Jan Brunvand advises us to start the season with the goal of producing a photo book of each day you head out either on slopes or trails. He’s been creating a record of his season as a book for years. Find out how easy it is to do.
Are SmartPhones The Ruination Of “Ski Talk”?
Correspondent Harriet Wallis has clearly drawn a line in the snow. SmartPhones and skiing don’t mix. She tells us about an incident where technology came between people, detracting from one of most pleasant aspects of snow sports.
Next Week
Interested in skiing with others? The results of our Spring Survey 2016 revealed that many of our subscribers are looking for skiing companions. We’ve been working with the National Ski Council Federation to show you how easy it is to connect with a ski club.
And much more news and interesting ideas.
Stick with us, tell your friends, share our online magazine, please. And remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Early One Pole Skiers
Short Swings!
CALIFORNIA
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows announced that five of its skiers were named to the 2017 U.S. Alpine Ski Team. All are part of the area’s development system and have been successful in International Ski Federation (FIS) competition.
COLORADO
Numerous Colorado resorts offer free skiing for young children—a definite benefit for grandparents taking the kids for a ski holiday. Ages, dates, and other details vary by resort, and are worth checking on line or when making reservations. Among the resorts offering this perk: Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Snowmass, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Loveland, Purgatory Resort, Steamboat, and Telluride.
MONTANA
Absaroka Dogsled Treks is based out of Chico Hot Springs in Pray, MT, about an hour from Bridger Bowl and two hours from Big Sky. The outfitter offers tours, ranging from $125 for a six mile trip (small kids free) to $450 for the day. Chico Hot Springs has a great natural hot pool where the community gathers to soak and an outstanding kitchen, recognized far beyond this little wonder, 45 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.
NEW ENGLAND
Open Snow, the very excellent snow forecasting site, has reported that New England is in for “an arctic blast” for the next 10 days. That means big time snowmaking. But beware, it’s also going to be windy up there this weekend, so bundle up.
NEW YORK
Internationally renown artist Jeff Koons, 61 and a nascent snowboarder, designed the graphics for 50 boards that will be sold for $5,000 each at a fund raiser in New York City for the Chill Foundation, a charity established by the founders of Burton snowboards. The foundation helps children from underserved communities learn through competitive sport.
UTAH
Salt Lake City is offering the Ski City Super Pass with discounted tickets at Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude, free public transportation to get there, and discounted rentals. Available with lodging packages at participating Salt Lake City hotels. Staying in Salt Lake City and skiing different areas is a great way to experience the Wasatch Front. Many restaurant and entertainment options.
Park City’s KPCW radio interviewed SeniorsSkiing.com co-publisher, Jon Weisberg about (what else?) seniors who ski and why they’re important to skiing. The podcast can be heard by clicking here. Jon’s comments start at 39:00 if you want to skip ahead.
Utah Olympic Park in Park City will host luge athletes from over 20 countries competing for a chance at a World Cup title, December 16 and 17, 2016.
WYOMING
Moe’s Original Bar B Que opened in Jackson Hole. FeaturingSouthern soul food, the chain resto was named one of the Top 10 Rib Joints in the U.S.
OTHER
Patagonia is offering 50% past-season products. The on-line deal is good for Tuesday, Dec 13, only.
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