Turns Through Time – A Ski Story Spanning 90 Years
Photo by Lori Roux
Editors Note: This article comes from special contributor Lori Z. Roux.
With the sun reflecting off the white peaks, Francoise felt the familiar pull of the mountains, a reminder that age is just a number on a perfect day like this. At nearly 93, she was meeting her two great-grandchildren, who also live in Jackson Hole, for a ski date. One five and the other eight, nearly nine decades separate them, but they share a passion for the mountains, and the enduring joy of skiing.
Born and bred in Geneva, Switzerland, my mother-in-law began skiing in the Alps as a kid, skinning up Verbier before there were lifts. It seemed normal to her, incorporating her passions for both fitness and skiing. After moving to the United States in 1959 with her husband and children, they went on ski adventures both on the East coast and in the mountains of the West.
They came to love Aspen, but on a trip to Yellowstone in 1965, she urged husband Jacques to set down roots in a new place that was being built, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. They bought land and built a small house which they used for vacations until Jacques, a physician, took a job in town as the local OB/GYN. This transformed their lives, making Jackson Hole the heart of their family story.
Today, Francoise’s vision for a life in Jackson Hole has come full circle. Her son Laurent (my husband) lives and works here, as I do. Her grandson Vincent and his wife, Lauren, are living and raising their children here. The great grandkids embrace the mountain lifestyle as their Grandmama does, learning to make turns before they could walk and hiking from infancy. The other kids, grandkids and great grandkids make regular visits to the extended family in Jackson.
On this day, a lively group of Roux’s occupy a Sweetwater Gondola heading to Casper. From the gondola car, Camden, the eight-year-old points. “Let’s do that one first!” We all head up the Casper chair to Wide Open, and the group slaloms down, together. Francoise’s youngest son, Eric, has bought his first season pass at 65, and takes off, making turns that mimic his mother’s legendary smooth style.
She has practiced since her youth and is more comfortable on skis than in shoes, and it shows. The little ones are halfway down the trail before they stop to make sure that everyone stays together. They take off again, this time, into moguls dwarfing them in size.
On the chairlift, Camden stresses that he wants to explore the mountain. So off we go to hit Casper once more, then on to the Teton Lift, before heading back down to the Gondola. “I think I’m better than the other five-year-old’s on the mountain,” says Harlow, with sure confidence. “I can handle it,” she adds when we advise her of a particularly steep pitch.
We leave Grandmama at the bottom, her knee reminding her of decades of ski adventures. We all share hugs before making our way back up. To see Francoise, a ski pioneer in Jackson Hole, sharing her passion with the fourth generation, made this a truly unforgettable day.
Actually, any day that four generations ski together is a truly unforgettable day.
In the Shadow of the Matterhorn
In the Shadow of the Matterhorn
Editors Note: This article comes from SeniorsSkiing reader Elliot Entis.
For the week of Christmas oblivion, I was skiing the Matterhorn with family: Cervino Italy connects with Zermatt on the other side of the divide to form one very large ski arena. We lodged on the Italian side where the prices are half of staying in Zermatt, the food is better and you can ski both sides anyway. But in the Italian side you do miss out on Royalty watching. The princes and princesses are all in Zermatt (I know cause we all gondola’d over the top for lunch among the glitterati, and yes they glittered, though it was not clear if they actually skied). It was a family week: my wife Margaret, myself, son Jon with wife Martina and two tween and younger granddaughters. What could be better? Well… maybe a bit more snow? Yeah the plague struck there as well. They actually had enough to ski on, hard pack but not icy, no powder. But that’s not really the point: you go for the skiing but you stay for the scenery. What’s not to love skiing in the shadow of the Matterhorn, towering above you in touching distance from every angle.? Bucket List. And don’t ignore the restaurants dotting the slopes . Not EPIC pass cafeterias, real restaurants where both skiers and poseurs can mingle, some wobbling back to the piste, others like myself stretching out and trying to figure out how to avoid the drunks on their apres lunch lurch downhill. And yes, at least once I was not totally successful, but she did apologize after crashing into me. Burp on.
My takeaway; I call the place “Practice Mountain”, wide open slopes where even the Blacks are just Blues, no trees, just all relaxing fun skiing but ultimately boring if you stay long and the off-piste slopes (that look like Vail’s Back Bowls) are not covered . But no complaints, and as suggested, you’re there for the gestalt. And that it has in epic abundance. Plus I learned a lot about local geology. After a day of scenery gazing I suddenly realized what the name Matterhorn means. With my brilliant powers of deduction, after seeing dozens of identically shaped lesser peaks surrounding the gigantically larger Matterhorn, I was dumbstruck by a flash of inspiration: Of Course! It’s the Mother Horn! Not only that I learned a bit about how this all came to be: a tale of the kingdoms of ice, schist, Africa and Europe.
But I won’t bore you with more. Likely you knew all of this before, or you can look it up.
And with my tale of the snows of yesteryear, I wish you great hope and happiness for the New Year. And a word of advice: keep a passport within reach.
Short Swings: Timely News From Here and There
There’s always something new and wonderful happening in snow country. This is our every-once-in-a-while roundup of timely news tidbits from here and there to tickle your fancy, wherever that is.
Smugglers Notch
The popular family-oriented resort in Northern Vermont has been sold to a local investment group which also purchased nearby Burke Mountain earlier this season.
Smuggs, as it is known to many fans, has been owned and operated for the past 29 years by William Stritzler, whose family will continue to have an ownership stake. Bill’s daughter Lisa will serve as an advisor on the future of the mountain. Bear Den Partners intends to keep Smuggler’s Notch low-key and independent.
Over the past year, Smugglers’ Notch was named #2 Ski Resort by USA Today readers, earned a Tripadvisor Best of the Best Award, and was recognized as Ski Magazine’s Best Family Resort.
Big Sky –
The Montana resort has three newsworthy in-bounds openings this season, all of which I just experienced on the 70+ Ski Club trip to Big Sky earlier in February –
- Madison 8 – The longest eight-passenger chairlift in North America opens up the glorious long cruisers and some gnarly tree skiing on the Moonlight Basin side of the mountain. It replaces the cranky old Sharpshooter lift.
- The Igloo – An ice house hang-out close to the base of the Powder Seeker lift and the Tram, has lots of cool spots inside (literally – keep your jacket and gloves on), at carved alcoves with your choice of faux-fur covered ice benches or regular chairs. There’s also plenty of seating and standing room outside in the afternoon sun, for pre-apres conversations and beverages.
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Photo by Evelyn Kanter
- Kircliff – The new glass-enclosed observation deck at the top of the Tram, is included in the price of the tram, whether you ski down or just sightsee. Put on protective no-scratch booties over your ski/snowboard or walking boots to step onto the see-through glass floor for a vertiginous look down a zillion feet. Or not.
Idaho Sled Dog Race –
It’s been cancelled for this season, perhaps permanently, for lack of snow and the bail-out of supporting sponsors.
Organizers held the original race, dubbed the McCall Ultra Sled Dog Challenge, in 2018 and ultimately staged 300-mile and 100-mile races five times. However, in addition to canceling races in 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, organizers had to cancel or suspend the lengthier races due to low snow or avalanches the last three consecutive years.
As an Iditarod Qualifier and part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown, the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge has drawn mushers from as far away as New Hampshire, Canada and even Alaska for a chance to compete on steep trails through Idaho’s West Central Mountains. The Rocky Mountain Triple Crown also included the Eagle Cap Extreme near Joseph, Ore., and the Race to the Sky near Helena, Mont., both of which have faced similar challenges in recent years.
“The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is reputed to be one of the toughest anywhere with over 36,000 feet of climb,” race founder Jerry Wortley told SeniorsSkiing.
“It’s gratifying to know that multiple ISDC mushers have progressed to the Iditarod by way of our race, including an Iditarod Rookie of the Year and a Most Improved Iditarod Musher. Also of special note, female mushers have consistently dominated the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, having won every 100-mile race and all but one 300-mile race since our event’s inception.”
It’s a sad end to an event popular with both locals and visitors – and also for the competitors, both the two-legged ones and the four-legged ones.
Loon Mountain Resort
The New Hampshire resort has opened Little Sass, a new 120-foot conveyor lift designed to make the first-time ski and snowboard experience easier for newcomers. Located at the base of the green-circle-rated Sarsaparilla trail, Little Sass adds an important first step to Loon’s learning progression..
Beginners can advance from Little Sass to the enhanced Sarsaparilla Carpet conveyor lift, which has been upgraded with new high-speed terminals at both the top and bottom and provide a quicker ride up a longer slope, helping beginners continue to build skills.
Loon also has an 18-foot superpipe, one of the largest in the East, for skiers and riders who aren’t beginners.
That’s it. See you on the slopes.
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