A Much Better Way To Boot-Up
Taking The Pull Out Of Pulling On Boots.
Every now and then I come across a product that makes a big difference in the comfort of older skiers. I’ll explain in a minute.
No more wrestling with boots. Ski Boot Horn makes a BIG difference.
Credit: Ski Boot Horn
I always boot-up in the parking lot. The difficulty of that process advances with age. Over the years, I’ve found that using boot warmers on the way to the mountain makes it easier to get boots on — especially on very cold days, when the shells are stiff and resistant. Because I find it easier to be seated, I carry a folding chair in the car.
Recently I learned about the Ski and Snowboard Boot Horn, and, WOW, does it make a difference! This specially-designed sheet of flexible and slippery plastic is placed in the boot and helps your foot slip into place. It is simple, effective, and costs less that $10, when purchased online.
In addition to letting your feet slip in easily, the boot horn helps avoid foot and ankle pain from earlier injuries, while putting on boots. It also protects hand and finger injury and discomfort that can occur in the frustration of trying to get boots on in very cold conditions.
The ski boot horn website features a few useful videos about ways to improve getting your boots on, including useful tips about boot liner care. For reasons I don’t understand, there’s even a video of a group of skiers dropping into Jackson Hole’s iconic Corbet’s Couloir. I checked that one off on a deep powder day almost 25 years ago.
I haven’t tried the boot horn with cowboy boots, fishing waders, skates, etc., but the makers claim it works well for them and for all types of shoes. I’ll try those as the seasons change, but for now, I treat my Ski and Snowboard Boot Horn like I treat my AMEX card. I don’t leave home without it.
We’ll Have What They’re Having
Skiing En Masse Down A Mountain In The Buff Must Have Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time.
We’d like to have at the conference table when the idea for this video came to up. Not sure where or when this took place, but thanks to Mountain Life magazine for bringing it the world and for Sweetgrass Productions for the flick. It is from their feature-length film, Valhalla. If you took part, tell us what possessed you. Thanks anyway to the, ahem, streaking skiers. Probably NSFW.
“Road Scholars” Flock To Winter Learning Programs
XC Skiers mug it up at Craftsbury VT’s Outdoor Center. Programs include Yoga, Film, Music & Dance,
Credit: Roger Lohr
XC and Snowshoeing Plus Study Opportunities From Lapland to Oregon.
From Roger Lohr, founder and editor at XCSkiResorts.com:
The Road Scholar program is a brand within the Elderhostel program intended for adults who want to travel and learn and stimulate discourse and friendship among other people for whom learning is the journey of a lifetime. This is an institution that attracts 97,000 participants on multiple-day travel programs enjoying a wide variety of subjects while providing comfortable and inexpensive lodging. This year there are 17 different winter outdoor adventure programs (Nordic and alpine skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, etc.) and participants can select from among domestic and international travel and scores of dates from January and March.
The Minnesota Winter Sampler (6 nights, $776, program #7933) has dog sledding, snowshoeing, and XC skiing, learning about the dynamics of wolf packs at the International Wolf Center and an overnight in a yurt.
The Trees For Tomorrow program (Road Scholar program #7310) has been offering natural resources education workshops to students, teachers, adults, and others in Wisconsin’s Northwoods in Eagle River, WI since 1944. Participants stay in rustic dormitories that have comfortable bedrooms, central bathroom facilities and a lounge with a fireplace.
This is a week of XC skiing and snowshoeing on trails, and ski instruction is provided for all skill levels. Naturalists will talk about how animals and plants adapt to the difficult northern winter conditions. Participants will visit a waterfall and learn orienteering skills on snowshoes. They’ll also visit the Kovac Planetarium, the world’s largest rotating mechanical globe-style planetarium.
Classic New England XC scene at Craftsbury Outdoor Center.
Credit: Road Scholars
Annually there are many Road Scholar programs in Yellowstone National Park but the variety of Road Scholar programming is best exemplified at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont (program # 20276). They’ve got three yoga programs (in January, February, and March) that incorporate daily outdoor activities such as XC skiing and snowshoeing. A program for Film & Fiction is scheduled with participants viewing a variety of film genres with a North Country theme and discussions following each film. The group will also read short fiction set in northern settings by contemporary authors ranging from contemplative to humorous with following discussions. A New England Music & Dance program is scheduled for early February to learn the history of traditional country dance and song from New England, the Canadian Maritimes and beyond with live music and a contra dance, too.
Road Scholars can visit Lapland where Auroras live.
Credit: Road Scholars
There are winter trips to Colorado, Alaska, and Oregon but if you want to discover your inner Arctic explorer, there’s a trip to Finnish Lapland (11 nights, $6,500, program #21695) where reindeer outnumber the indigenous people by 10-1. You’ll drive your own dog sled team, spend a night in a glass igloo to bask in the aurora borealis show, and join the crew aboard an icebreaker.
Participant surveys show that 92 percent of the individuals on a Road Scholar trip learned something new and 20 percent fulfilled a lifelong dream. For more information about Road Scholar programs, call 800-454-5768, or visit www.roadscholar.org to view a myriad of programs to select among hundreds of national and international regions.
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