Early Season Ticket Ticket Deals
Silly you, if you didn’t buy a pass or ticket bundle last March, or May, or even in September, before prices went up each time. But fear not, there are still deals and discounts if you know where to look – and we do.
These early season ticket deals will help you save money, to use for apres ski or a lesson to tweak last year’s legs. Don’t delay, since some are one-day only deals.
$25 Lift Tickets & Rentals at Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) wants to be the world record-holder for the number of people skiing in jeans. To do that, it is hosting its first-ever Ski In Jeans Day on Saturday, Dec. 9, with $25 lift tickets and $25 performance equipment rentals, whether or not you are participating in the denim day. There’s also $100 off group lessons and live music to kick off the season and celebrate the most famous pants in the West.
The official count for the world record is at Noon at the base of Sweetwater Gondola, and participants should meet at the base of Sweetwater to be included in the official count. Participants will scan at the Sweetwater RFID gates to be counted, and then all skiers and riders will gather at the top for a group photo to commemorate the historic moment.
Just so you know – the previous world record for most skiers and riders in jeans was set at the The Remarkables Ski Area in New Zealand earlier in 2023, with 102 total visitors on the slopes wearing denim. The 70+ Ski Club skied at The Remarkables and nearby Cardrona this past August, but that’s another story for another time.
First Tram Ride at Big Sky
The biggest on-mountain infrastructure project in Big Sky history, the Lone Peak Tram, opens on December 19, 2023, and the first ride is being auctioned to the public to support local charities.
https://bigskyresort.com/tram-grand-opening#auction
All proceeds will the Big Sky Community Organization, Gallatin River Task Force and Morningstar Learning Center.
Winning bidders also get a professional photographer to capture every moment of the journey, a champagne toast at the summit of Lone Mountain and a special memento to commemorate this historic occasion.
Quebec’s Ski Passe-Partout
Purchase by November 30 for a chance to win $5,500 in prizes, along with 30% discounts at 75 downhill and XC members of the Quebec Ski Areas Assn.
https://boutique.maneige.ski/en/products/ski-passe-partout
The discount deal is to celebrate and promote the new-this-season is RFID direct-to-lifts technology starting in January 2024 at participating resorts.
$4 Lift Tickets at King Pine, New Hampshire
It’s called Ticket Roll Back Day, and it’s an annual tradition. Ski or ride all day for just $4 on Thursday, Dec. 21. The resort promotes it as an excellent opportunity for families and friends to enjoy the thrills of winter sports without breaking the bank. For sure! Tickets must be bought online in advance on www.kingpine.com.
On Mountain Art Show
Okay, it’s not a ticket deal, but a free art show is still a deal. Vail Resorts has launched The Gondola Gallery by Epic in which artists “wrap” gondolas with their art. First up is Park City, then Stowe, then Whistler Blackcomb. The art-wrapped gondola cabins show the different ways skiers and snowboarders experience the mountains. There’s also a video series spotlighting each artist’s personal journey and artwork from concept to creation. Artists include Lamont Joseph White, Jim Harris, Levi Nelson, and Chief Janice George and Buddy Joseph.
See you on the slopes!
Incentives For Elder XC Skiers
Two folks enjoying the trails at Cross Country Ski Headquarters in Roscommon, MI
About a quarter of the cross country (XC) skiing population is older than 50 years old and as the large segment of population known as Baby Boomers continues to age, they are remaining active – many of them are looking for softer or easier forms of recreation and cross country skiing and snowshoeing fit that prescription.
It is important for elder people to exercise because it can help fight both physical and psychological maladies. Everyone understands the need to stay physically active. There is a growing body of research indicating that physical activity is beneficial for the brain, particularly the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain where working memory partially resides and is most susceptible to problems associated with aging. There is extensive evidence that outdoor exercise has positive impacts on sleep, depression, and anxiety. No matter how old you are, it just makes you feel good, too.
The SeniorsSkiing.com Subscriber Survey showed that the priorities of the elder skiers include: discounts; easy access to the area facility from the parking lot; newsletter or website pages dedicated to specific activities catering to elder skiers; instruction or guide tailored to elder skiers; and a meeting place or set-aside areas in the lodge for elders.
There are XC ski resorts and lodging establishments that have elder-friendly characteristics and the incentives almost always include discounts for older people. Many XC ski areas offer lower priced trails passes for seniors. At Bear Valley Adventure Center in CA, skiers aged 60-69 get more than a quarter of the trail pass price discounted and those aged 70 and older get nearly a two-thirds trail pass discount.
At Tahoe Donner Cross Country in Truckee, CA the senior 4-week program is on Fridays at 11:30 AM for people age 60 and older to learn to ski in a fun, supportive environment. Skiers can select any of three-visit sessions starting on Jan, Feb, and Mar. The program includes trail pass, rentals and instruction.
Many elder skiers are retired and as such, they have more flexibility in their weekly schedule – also known as mid-week availability. During the week most cross country ski areas have few patrons, thus the development of group offers, activities, and programs at the ski areas. Cross Country Ski Headquarters in Roscommon, MI has the Golden Years Ski School on Jan 10, 2024 for beginners and returnees who will get a lesson and a guided ski tour for $55. The Silver Streak Week (Monday-Friday on January 8-12, 2024) at Cross Country Ski Headquarters and other Michigan XC ski areas is for those 60 and older with complimentary facility access (free trail pass), free hot cocoa or coffee, and free demos.
Programs such as JacksonXC’s Friday Gliders & Easy Sliders and Tuesday Trekkers provide a group experience that’s taken advantage of by mostly older folks. Such programs coordinate a scheduled weekly outing for groups such as the Easy Sliders, which is a group of skiers who cross country ski on easier trails (and they get tips from a guide) snowshoe group. For these examples, the JacksonXC in NH is the starting point and after the tour, people meet back at the lodge for an après ski spread with wine, snacks and coffee. Garnet Hill Lodge in North River, NY hosts a weekly snowshoe club and Cross Country Ski Headquarters reports a similar group regularly drives two and half hours from Grand Rapids to visit and ski the area.
At Lapland Lake Vacation Center in Northville, NY there’s a lower priced trail pass and local senior activity programs bring groups of senior skiers to the resort for planned activity outings usually with lessons.
“Road Scholar” is a brand within the Elderhostel program intended for adults (many who are older) who want to travel, learn and stimulate discourse and friendship among other people for whom learning is the journey of a lifetime. The Garnet Hill Lodge in NY has 4 different dates for the Road Scholar XC ski program during the winter months with programming inspired by the hostels and folk schools of Europe offering short term groups divided by levels to explore trails and learn about wildlife, nature and the garnet mines in XC ski and snowshoe experiences.
Craftsbury Outdoor Center hosts Masters programs for groups on different days catering to beginners in a skier group geared to first timers or those who want to improve the basics meeting weekly on Tuesdays in the morning from early January to early March. There is also the Intermediate Masters program that meet on two different midweek days and a Competitive Masters program that meets on Sunday afternoon or Thursday morning.
The folks taking advantage of cross country ski offers are proof that you’re never too old to get out and enjoy nature in the winter. If you are an elder skier or someone who would like to try cross country skiing or snowshoeing, check an XC ski resort near you for special programs.
The “New” Lake Placid Olympic Museum
Where were you, February 22, 1980?
If you were like most of us, you were glued to the television, watching the USA take on the heavily favored Soviet Union in the semi final hockey event at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
Miracle!
USA 4, URS 3, in what Sports Illustrated among many others believe is the greatest sports event of all time..
The scoreboard from that night still exists, and now hangs in the entry foyer of the recently redone Lake Placid Olympic Museum at the Olympic Center on Main Street in Lake Placid. The final score is still the same, frozen in time.
Credit: Lake Placid Olympic Museum
In town for skiing at nearby Whiteface Mountain, or just passing through the village, the Museum is a most- stop highlight of any visit to the area.
The highlight for most is the hockey game with artifacts on display, like uniforms worn by the American athletes and the full set of credentials from members of the team. Goalie Jim Craig”s pads and stick are there alongside the US net from the Russian game. But the main attraction is the on-demand video of the game which, although it happened more than 40 years ago, is still stirring no matter how many times you watch. The game replay, called by ABC announcer Al Michaels, is now in its own alcove in the museum. Expect the number of people watching at any time to spill over into the adjacent hallway as the final seconds of the “Do You Believe in Miracles” contest tick down.
But the museum is more than just the hockey game. The walking tour begins by highlighting the presence of winter sports activities in the Lake Placid area dating back to the 19th century. There is plenty from the original Lake Placid Olympics in 1932 that brought the Games out from being just a European festival and established the Adirondacks village as an international center for winter sports.
The story of the 1980 Winter Games is told starting from Lake Placid’s designation as the host in 1974 up through the competitions six years later. Besides the hockey, highlights include the remarkable five gold medal in five speed skating events by Eric Heiden, the wall of Olympic posters, an impressive display or artwork from winter games throughout the years, uniforms from the Lake Placid games, especially the ubiquitous blue with yellow trim outfits worm by the many volunteers staffing the games, and pins that were actively traded on the streets of the village each day during the games. There are 784 different pins on the wall display.
Credit: Phil Johnson
Not all the museum features are static. There is a bobsled rigged to give a simulated ride to visitors, a visual recreation of a ski jump, and a sensory cross country skiing experience.
The original Olympic and Winter Sports Museum was created as a private, not-for- profit in 1980. It came under the public Olympic Regional Development Authority in 1994 and was granted tax exempt status in 1998. It was renamed the Lake Placid Olympic Museum in 2011.
The museum today is a contemporary showpiece. The renovation was begun in 2021 under the guidance of Buffalo-based consultant Hadley Exhibits, a more- than- 100 year old A-list firm whose credits include the 9-11 Memorial and Ellis Island Museum in New York City, the JFK Library in Boston, and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The museum is now open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for those 7-19, or in the military.
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