Holy Cow! Harriet’s Got Two New Hips!
How To Be A Good Friend While Your Friend Heals.
Harriet is getting back in shape after hip surgery. Harriet Wallis
Like many seniors, I’m rebuilt with mechanical parts. For me it was two knees and now it’s two new hips. I’m a heap of stainless steel.
While my hips learn what they’re supposed to do, I’m mostly stranded at home with a lot of pain, inability to do what I usually do, and boredom.
People good-naturedly say: “If you need something, call me.” But you can go one step further in being a good friend to someone who just had a joint replaced.
Give help.
I grew up as a New England Yankee – self sufficient and self reliant. I just won’t call somebody for help. Your friend might have a similar outlook.
Call your new-joint friend and announce.
Don’t ask – just announce that you’re coming on Wednesday to do a useful task such as: run the sweeper, move a chair onto the patio, or clean a bathroom. New joints don’t bend, stoop or swivel very well. And they’re quick to swell up. Some tasks are really hard for us to do.
Create an outing.
Another option is to call your new-joint friend and announce that on Wednesday you’ll drive him/her out for coffee, go to the park for some sunshine, or go to the grocery store.
For me, just because people see that I can walk, talk and smile does not mean that I’m back to normal. Not by a long shot. We who have new joints can use some acts of kindness and help even though we don’t ask for them.
Editor’s Note: SeniorsSkiing.com’s long time correspondent, Harriet Wallis has written about many topics since this online magazine started. She’s just won the SkiUtah Journalist of the Year Award for the second time. She wrote about her decision to replace her knees and documented her recovery in a series of articles that are a “must read” for anyone contemplating this operation. Now with two new hips, we know she will be working back to top shape with the same courageous vigor she demonstrated before so she she can enjoy the outdoors again
Backwoods Ski Club: Informal Senior Group, No Rules, Just Fun
Good Times On Gore Mountain With Senior Skiers.
Gore Mountain Resort is headquarters for the Backwoods Ski Club. That’s Whiteface in the distance. It’s not always this foggy.
Credit: Pat McCloskey
I am riding the chair at Gore this week with my good friend Mike Smith. He said to me, “McCloskey, I have found the meaning of life—speed, horsepower and altitude.” Mike is an avid skydiver and pilot as well as a real good skier. At 66 years old, he has more energy than most people.
He makes a home for the Backwoods Ski Club at Gore Mountain Ski Resort, NY. There are several senior skiers who are regulars at Gore and like Mike, have more infectious energy than a lot of folks their age. At 75, John Daly is the ringleader and is constantly herding his group of skiers who are all in their 70s and 80s. John is a retired businessman from Amsterdam, NY and makes Gore his second home in the winter. If you ever think that you have to slow down as a senior skier, you should spend a day like I did with Mike and the affable crew from the Backwoods Ski Club.
What kind of activities does the Backwoods Ski Club engage in?
Aside from skiing, they are very social. No dues, no bylaws, just an invitation to join their club is all that is needed. Your membership includes a little varnished pin that is made of wood that simply states—”Backwoods Ski Club.” They have a potluck lunch every other Wednesday and an end of the year social at the area with a catered meal.
How have they seen skiing change over the years?
One of the reasons they like Gore is that it is managed by the Olympic Regional Development Authority in conjunction with the State of New York. There’s very little commercial development, and they like that just fine. Gore is family and senior-oriented. The lodge is filled with gray hairs and not crowded. Mike says skiing in general has become very commercialized with focus on real estate development. Gore is a throwback of sorts with focus on skiing. That is why the folks from Backwoods love it.
What advice for a mid week club?
John Daly says that it is fairly simple. Gather the skiing friends and make a plan to meet on Wednesdays, just like them. The simpler the plan, the better they like it.
Back Country Ski Club members love the double blacks, even scary ones like this.
Credit: Pat McCloskey
Does Gore offer any assistance to seniors?
Aside from a casual meeting place in the lodge, they offer seniors a special season pass rate of $270.00 for anyone over 70. They have mid-week adult clinics (not just seniors), including package meals, lift tickets, and instruction.
How large is the club?
Mike and John are not really sure. They have lost a few folks in the past season, but the membership is pretty full and most are avid skiers who are retired or have the flexibility to ski in the morning and then manage their affairs in the afternoon.
What’s the lessons learned about ski clubs?
The key ingredients to the success of the club are flexibility, humor, infectious ski culture, and the rules are there are no rules.
Masters Program At Kirkwood: The Trend Continues
Sierra-Tahoe Resort Hosts Seniors “Ski For Life” Special—Clinics, Education, Socializing.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort in the sunset. A free test Masters Program will run on April 14 for all seniors.
Credit: Kirkwood
Kirkwood Mountain Resort in the Sierra Tahoe region is joining a number of ski areas that are conducting programs focused on their senior skiers. Kirkwood says they have found their senior skiers and riders want to socialize with others, get the best value for their dollars, and ski confidently on uncrowded, safe slopes, similar findings to SeniorsSkiing.com’s reader surveys.
So, Kirkwood is starting a “Ski For Life” program where 50-plus season ticket holders can learn about the latest equipment, learn to ski or ride “smarter, not harder” and conserve energy, and get guidance on fitness and nutrition.
The program features a day with coaches and staff starting with a continental breakfast, stretching and small group ski clinics organized by skill level. And, apres-ski social time. The resort is starting with a free test program for all seniors on April 14.
SeniorsSkiing.com salutes Kirkwood for considering this program. Actually, Kirkwood is joining Jack Frost Ski Area, PA, Dodge Ridge, CA, Waterville Valley Resort, NH, and a few others who are specifically focusing on making the outdoor winter experience more rewarding and interesting for its seniors. Thanks, Kirkwood. Other ski areas, are you listening?
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