This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Oct. 21)
New Features: Industry News, Ski Recommendations For Seniors, Plus Advice On Carving, And An Often-Neglected Miracle Drug.
Pat McCloskey’s article on the Modern Ski Turn in this week’s edition explores the power of what you see Ted Ligety doing above.
Credit: NY Times
As the season ramps up in the West (A-Basin opens today!) and snow forecasts start to appear in Vermont, SeniorsSkiing.com is moving into snow season mode. There are some important new features we are launching this week.
- Short Swings! is our brand new round-up of industry news organized by state. Many ski resorts, equipment vendors and others in the industry have discovered SeniorsSkiing.com and have sent us buckets of news almost every day. We decided to start a new weekly feature that gives you access to this information. Tell us what you think.
- The Best Skis For Seniors. We are often asked for equipment recommendations for seniors, particularly skis. We are very excited to announce that we’ve worked with realskiers.com, a much-respected source of technical evaluations of skis and other equipment. The result is a list of 38 skis just for seniors culled from the many than were tested by realskiers.com. This is an exclusive, FREE offering for our subscribers who have already been sent a notice and link for downloading the article. New subscribers will receive the link when they submit their email address. This is a big deal, folks, and we hope you find this a valuable addition to SeniorsSkiing.com
With snow in the air in so many places, we thought we’d help you start think about the season. Correspondent and PSIA instructor Pat McCloskey offers some pre-season advice to seniors about the modern ski turn. We are guilty of buying new, shaped skis and never taking a lesson on them. This year, Pat’s article encourages everyone to think about technique, and we are sure going to take a lesson to put this advice to work.
Finally, we hear about the critical importance of hydration for seniors, especially active seniors. If you are exercising in any way, you are going to have to replace fluids. If you don’t, you will suffer some unpleasant symptoms. It’s a personal story from one of our editors, one that we hope you find useful.
So let the lifts start to spin. We are getting ready. And remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
A Weekly Round-Up Of Industry News.
CALIFORNIA
11th annual Alpenglow Sports Winter Film Series will be held at Squaw Valley’s Olympic Village Lodge, November 17.
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows promoted Tom Feiten to VP, Marketing and Business Development, overseeing marketing and sales. Before joining the resort in 2011, he helped Teton Gravity Research revitalize the Teton Gravity Research annual film tour. He also worked eight years as Director of Strategic Finance for Booth Creek Ski Holdings in Vail, CO.
COLORADO
Arapahoe Basin will open for the season on Friday, October 21.
Ski Younger Now, instructed by Seth Masia at Vail Ski and Snowboard School, is a great program for older skiers. This season there will be four monthly midweek clinics (Tuesday thru Thursday, December 13-15, January 17-19, February 14-16, March 14-16) and one over the Martin Luther King Jr Day weekend (January 14-16). More at skiyoungernow.com or call Seth at 303.594.1657.
Colorado Cross Country Ski Association (CCCSA) announced the lineup (classic and skate skiing) for the inaugural 2017 Colorado Nordic Race Series taking place at four iconic Colorado destinations between January and March 2017.
GetSkiTickets.com announced it now offers discounts on ski lodging as well as lift tickets for resorts across North-America.
MICHIGAN
Boyne Resorts appointed Ian Arthur Chief Marketing Officer, a new position on the company’s executive team. He joins Boyne Resorts with 30+ years of marketing and related experience. Much of his career success has been achieved in the resort and travel industries.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Omni Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, NH was named one of the Top 25 Resorts in New England in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards. The awards recognize the best travel destinations from around the world.
UTAH
Ski Utah published its fifth annual Ski Utah Magazine, including, among other features, a comprehensive guide of all of Utah’s 14 ski resorts. Highlighted is an article about the Ski Utah Interconnect Tour, a great opportunity to ski six Utah resorts in the central Wasatch Mountains in one day. Online at: http://bit.ly/SkiUtahMagazine2016-17.
Deer Valley Resort has a new offering: Guests can hit the slopes with Olympic athletes such as Heidi Voelker, Shannon Bahrke, Kris “Fuzz” Feddersen, Kaylin Richardson, and Trace Worthington.
POWDR, owner of “experiential businesses” (e.g. Copper Mountain, Killington/Pico, Mt Bachelor, Boreal, others) announced it has rebranded. www.POWDR.com.
VERMONT
Okemo is offering its transferrable “3 & Easy” multi-pack that includes three days of lift access, valid any day of the season, with no restrictions. Lift access can be redeemed one day at a time or all on the same day. $204 for seniors (ages 65-60); $186 for super seniors (age 70+). Special offer available until October 31.
OTHER
SeniorsSkiing.com co-publisher was interviewed on Rudy Maxa’s World with The Careys, a nationally-broadcast radio program. Podcast of interview: http://rudymaxa.com/podcasts/2016-2/
Vail Resorts announced that it has added three days at Whistler Backcomb to its Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass.
The Best Skis For Senior Skiers
Soft Flex. Minimal Exertion. Skis for Six Different Scenarios.
Update Dec 27, 2016: Subscribers can now download the list of recommended skis by going to the top navigation bar, click on Community, select Subscriber-Only-Content, choose the download and reconfirm your email address. If you are not a subscriber, consider subscribing. It’s free, lots of interesting articles for seniors who love winter sports.
Ski manufacturers have never designed a ski for senior skiers. With about one million on the slopes, there’s enough of us to justify the investment.
But don’t hold your breath.
There is a breakthrough this season. For the first time, an in-depth evaluation of the best skis for older skiers is available. This is good news since choosing a new pair of skis, regardless of age and ability, has never been easy, and the abundance of brands and models is always confusing.
The evaluation is the result of collaboration between SeniorsSkiing.com and realskiers.com, the go-to site for in-depth ski equipment evaluations. The free list is available to all SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers.
Of the many 2017 skis tested, 38 were identified as suitable for senior skiers. Most have relatively soft flex, allowing the sidecut to engage with minimal exertion. The result is ease of turning and forgiveness, which, regardless of physical condition, reduces stamina loss.
In other words, using these skis, it’s easier to ski more runs and have more fun!
Working with testers from around the country, realskiers.com has been reviewing ski equipment for many years. The results are gathered each spring and published in September, where abbreviated reviews are available free and in-depth information comes with a modest, paid annual subscription.
The recommended skis are grouped into six categories, each based on skiing preference, location, and snow conditions. They are:
Frontside (aka “Carving” skis)
- These skis encompass the broadest range of skier abilities from entry-level to experienced and are for general use on groomed terrain. Wider models are usable off-trail.
All-Mountain East
- Skis that are extremely versatile and for general use on groomed terrain. They also work off-trail.
- This category is suitable for those who have not skied in a few years.
All-Mountain West
- These are good for use in the West by high performance skiers and are good both for groomed trails and for powder.
Big Mountain
- Skis for use on big mountains with selections for strong and for less strong skiers.
Powder
- Specialty skis for use in deep powder.
Technical
- These have high performance race ski characteristics and are suitable for carving turns on hard-snow.
While many consider skis to be unisex, some women prefer skis with weight and flex more suitable to their size and physique. The list identifies women’s skis, as well.
When selecting skis…
- Identify the most suitable category.
- Work with a quality ski shop.
- If possible, demo selections to compare before purchasing.
To Access the List
SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers were emailed a link to the list. The email was sent on October 14, 2016. Check your inbox or spam folder.
If you have not yet subscribed, click on this link and sign up using the subscription form in the right column or the pop-up which will appear on the page. After confirming your subscription, you will receive and email with a link to the list of senior ski recommendations. And, as a new subscriber, you will have access to discounts and deals on gear and clothing from top brands, and a lot of info relevant to the older snow sports enthusiast!
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