Health Tips for Spring Skiing
Protecting your exposed skin, your eyes, and the rest of your body on the slopes in the strong spring sun is important at any age, and especially for us seniors who are more vulnerable to skin cancers, cataracts and dehydration.
These tips and reminders are from the University of Utah Health Services.
Snow can reflect up to 90% of sunlight and UV rays, increasing your exposure to damage. Since UV exposure increases at altitude, at the top of the mountain your UV exposure could be up to 50% greater than a day at the beach.
This is true even on cloudy days, because sunlight can still filter through the cloud layers.
Any exposed skin needs sunscreen of SPF 40 or higher. Zinc-based sunscreens provide the best protection since they reflect the sunlight.
- Re-apply sunscreen every 2-3 hours.
Women should avoid high-gloss lipsticks or balms in favor of a product with SPF.
- Re-apply every 1-2 hours to prevent dryness, chapping and sunburn.
Opt for a thin neck gaitor for added sun protection of the face and neck.
If you do find yourself sunburned, try calamine lotion, aloe or Vaseline to reduce pain and irritation.
- It’s a good idea to plan ahead, and pack a small bottle, jar or tube of one of these sunburn treatments in your toiletry kit.
Eye Care
Up to 90% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can bounce off the brilliant white snow surface back into your eyes. This means skiers and boarders – especially seniors – are at a greater risk for snow blindness, corneal sunburn, eye cancers and macular degeneration.
Long-term overexposure to UV radiation has also been linked to an increase in developing cataracts. And UV rays can prematurely wrinkle and damage the delicate skin around the eyes, and who needs more wrinkles!
Since prolonged exposure to snow reflection can cause lasting and permanent damage to your eyes, it is critical to always wear sunglasses or goggles on the mountain, including apres ski.
Wear tinted goggles, or sunglasses that completely wrap around the face.
Use polarized lenses with a UV400 rating, which filters out 99.9% of harmful UVA and UVB rays.
Don’t be fooled by cloudy days. UV rays can penetrate through clouds and haze, even on overcast days, when it’s difficult to see in the dreaded “flat light”.
Hydration
You work up a sweat in spring skiing/riding, so staying hydrated is even more important than in zero-degree downhill days.
Carry a small, flexible water bottle in your parka for hydration on the go. Even a few sips mid-run will help.
Polish off a glass of water at lunch or during a snack break.
Never pass a drinking fountain without using it.
Have a glass of water for each alcoholic drink you consume, and one more before bed.
This article was adapted from one on the Ski Utah website.
https://www.skiutah.com/blog/authors/lexi/spring-break-beyond-safety-tips-for
Cross Country Skiing in New Hampshire
Bretton Woods Nordic Ctr
In the winter, the snow-covered hills and mountains in New Hampshire beckon cross country (XC) skiing families, couples, and individuals aged five to 95. Each year thousands of recreational XC skiers make the sojourn to the Granite State for the beauty and serenity of winter outdoor recreation and rewarding wellness associated with cross country skiing.
New Hampshire’s XC ski areas range from packed trails heading out from a barn that offer stunning views to top notch facilities with trails maintained by snowcats and covered by snowmaking. Many resorts offer equipment rentals, clinics and lessons, and retail goods for what cross country skiers need to get started. Some XC ski resorts have guided tours and luxurious overnight accommodations. Here is a sampling of XC ski resorts in New Hampshire:
Across the grounds of the historic Omni Mount Washington Resort in the White Mountain National Forest, the Bretton Woods Nordic Center is one of the largest cross country ski areas on the East Coast. The 100 kilometer trail network crosses open fields, meanders through woods of spruce and fir, passes beaver ponds and mountain streams, and traverses open hardwood stands. There are many outstanding vistas of Mt. Washington from the trails for taking photos.
There is classical and skate skiing as well as snowshoeing on trails prepared with state-of-the-art grooming machines. Visit on-trail destinations including a warming cabin on Porcupine Trail and the lift-served Mount Stickney Cabin.
At the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road on the Pinkham Notch side you’ll discover the magnificent setting of Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center. With 45 kilometers of cross country skiing, snowshoeing plus an old fashioned tubing hill, Great Glen offers everything needed for a full day of winter fun.
Great Glen’s scenic trail system offers an enjoyable combination of well-protected spruce and fir-lined trails plus wide open options offering breathtaking views into the Great Gulf Wilderness and surrounding peaks of the Northern Presidential range. Two warming huts are available throughout the network, including the scenic Great Angel Cabin with its stunning views into the Great Gulf.
With an average base elevation of 1,600 feet, plus one of the few Nordic snowmaking systems in the region, elevation really does make a difference at Great Glen, often allowing earlier skiing plus a deeper snow base throughout the season.
For even more adventure, guests of all ages will enjoy a comfortable winter tour on the 9-passenger Mt. Washington SnowCoach. This van with snow treads transports guests (weather permitting) to tree line (approximately 4,200 feet) on Mt. Washington into a sub-arctic world for a truly unforgettable adventure.
Great Glen is affiliated with the Glen House, which has 68 guest rooms that are reflective of the simplicity of Shaker design while its lobby embraces the history of the Mt. Washington Auto Road. Great Glen skiers can stop and visit the Notch Grille pub inside the Glen House, which has various seating options and a full service bar with drinks, full meals or lighter fare, a fireplace, and breathtaking views of Mount Washington out the back windows.
Jackson XC, on Rte. 16A in Jackson, NH, is a bucket list entry for Nordic skiers whether the preference is quiet striding through New England forests or all out skate skiing on an international race course. This 100 kilometer trail network through forest and farmland is woven into the fabric of this classic New England ski village with a heritage of skier hospitality. The JacksonXC ski trails are suitable for all ability levels and there are miles of dedicated snowshoe trails. This is the quintessential Nordic or xc skiing experience with the covered bridge, white steepled church, brookside trails, and the accompanying New England village with all of the trappings. JacksonXC operates under a Special-Use Permit with the White Mountain National Forest and with the cooperation of 76 private landowners and the town of Jackson. There’s a courtesy patrol to assist skiers on the trails if needed and a rescue service staff is trained and certified with the National Ski Patrol System. The maintained xc ski trails in and about the village of Jackson pass many country inns that are spaced throughout the region and the trails often lead right to the door of local inns, shops, and restaurants.
The Adventure Center at Waterville Valley has approximately 70 km of trails, which are groomed and tracked for skating and classic skiing and is known for its wide trails, which are dependably well groomed. Waterville is nestled in a high valley within a ring of mountains in the White Mountain National Forest. The town is a planned community where everything is at a skier’s fingertips. There are the great trails, a fitness center, indoor skating rink, and the Town Square (where the Adventure Center is located), which features a variety of restaurants and shops. But most significantly, Waterville Valley and its services and amenities make it great for families.
Waterville has two separate trail networks including the South End and the North End, which can be accessed by skis or by driving. Snowshoers are welcome to trek along the edge of the trails. Trails lead to easily accessible points of wonder including Greeley Ponds, Snow’s Mountain, Cascade Brook, and the Big Pines. Ask for assistance at the Adventure Center to reach these destinations.
Mt. Washington Valley Ski Touring & Snowshoe Center has more than 45 km of inn-to-inn trails, plus ski school and rentals. Trails connect the towns of Intervale, Kearsarge and North Conway offering views of the Saco River and Mt. Washington. Explore trails winding through riverside hayfields, mountainside spruce and hemlock forests offering a diverse selection of terrain for all abilities from easy rolling hills to more challenging intermediate and back country trails. Guided star-gazing tours and animal-tracking clinics are offered. In February, trailside businesses prepare a variety of goodies from hundreds of pounds of chocolate! Chocoholics xc ski or snowshoe the trails to enjoy chocolate prepared every way imaginable returning year after year to enjoy the Chocolate Festival, now in its 33rd year!
Gunstock Mountain Resort Outdoor Center is in Gilford, NH. The 27 km of trails are groomed for classic and skate skiing. Lessons and equipment rentals for xc ski, snowshoe, and fat biking are available at the Outdoor Center which also employs snowmaking to guarantee skiing as much as possible. Evening snowshoe ridge tour hikes are offered at night with a chairlift ride up the mountain and use of headlamps and snowshoes. Gunstock also offers a unique experience for XC skiers to accompany their dog to enjoy skiing out on the trails. Skijoring as it is known, is a hands-free skiing experience with Gunstock Outdoor Center XC supplying the tools and techniques needed to have a great day with your furry friend.
On the west side of New Hampshire is the Dartmouth Cross-Country Ski Center, located at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. The area maintains 30 km of groomed trails for classic and skate skiing in 3 areas at Oak Hill/Storrs Pond, Garipay Field and the former Dartmouth Golf Course. Trail tickets to these trails can be purchased in the Dartmouth Outing Club House near Occum Pond, which is on Rope Ferry Road or at the Oak Hill Ticket Booth and Warming Hut, which is located in the Oak Hill parking lot. There is ice skating on Occom Pond when it is frozen and the center has rental equipment including XC skis, snowshoes and ice skates.
Eastman Cross Country Center in Grantham, NH is on a golf course and residential community convenient to Route 89 at Exit 13. Situated on a golf course, Eastman has 36 km of groomed trails with 16 km of skate skiing and it is a Rossignol XC demo center. There are lessons and xc ski and snowshoe equipment rentals available. Destinations include the Troll House and John’s Glen Hut. Starting in January on Tuesdays the Snowshoe and Soup includes soup and bread after the group snowshoe outing. After an outing in the clean, brisk air of Eastman’s hills, enjoy an après ski bite or brew at Forbes Tavern also located at The Center at Eastman.
Nordic Skier Wolfeboro XC is a XC ski trail network run by a nonprofit ski club now celebrating 50 years on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, NH. Get trail passes at 47 North Main Street in Wolfeboro. There are 30 km of groomed trails for classic and skate skiing and 35 km of snowshoe trails. Nordic Skier has one of the best retail outlets for XC skiers including rental gear for XC skiing, snowshoeing, and ice skating. The Nordic Skier focuses on trail grooming and has plenty of testimony to verify the quality of their trails. They’ve acquired a low-snow grooming machine to offer the best trail conditions with the least amount of snow cover.
Some of the New Hampshire areas incorporate sustainability into their operations. The Glen House Hotel has a geothermal system that provides heating and cooling and offsite energy-generating projects harnessing hydro and solar power. There are at least two XC ski facilities in New Hampshire that offer EV charging stations including the Glen House hotel at the base of prestigious Mt. Washington and Eagle Mountain House in Jackson near Black Mountain.
Many people who tried the sport for the first time during the pandemic are returning to the trails and are bringing their friends and families with them. Cross country skiing brings people together, and gets them in touch with nature while doing something healthy, simple, and fun.
Many of the XC ski areas offer their season pass holders at participating cross country areas a one-time, complimentary, or discounted trail pass for a single day of cross country skiing or snowshoeing at other cross country ski areas in NH. Click for a list of ski area season passholders that receive 50% off a one-day trail pass at the following XC ski areas at https://www.skinh.com/deals/season-passes
New Hampshire has more cross country ski areas across the state and for contact information at the SkiNH cross country ski areas click https://www.skinh.com/resorts
Seeking the Snow in Tahoe
View of Lake Tahoe (credit M. Roth)
After an early start to the ski season here in the East that I would describe as less than stellar, I went west, to Reno, Nevada to seek better conditions. My goal was the smaller ski areas within a short drive from Reno, not the larger and well-known ones on the side of Lake Tahoe in California.
Our the first day driving up the Mount Rose Highway, there were snowbanks as high as that 8’-0” high as we increased in elevation – a very encouraging sign of things to come.
The smaller ski areas in the Reno area are certainly not the magnitude of Heavenly or Kirkwood, Northstar or Palisades Tahoe. But since you can ski just one trail at a time, and these areas have the elevation to have and keep snow and they are much bigger than one would expect, they stack up well compared to an eastern“small area”.
Mount Rose Ski area, which you can see the slides from Reno, is the largest of the three areas we visited, with 2,000 feet of elevation and starting at 8,250 ft. Beautiful views of the Reno Valley, of course continual blue bird skies, without a cloud in site. There was plenty of snow on the mountain and the trails were groomed perfectly.
The surfaces at times were very much like Eastern skiing from groomed corduroy and as the day progressed some hard packed showed up. Now if the temperature was above 32 degrees, all that hard pack snow would have been soft packed powder because there was a very deep base below of 200-300 inches of snow.
In fact, one of the skiers with us, who was from California, commented that us easterners must love these conditions (which although he didn’t come out directly saying it, I don’t think he liked the surface). For me, wherever I can get on the snow, I am happy with the surface, unless of course it is boilerplate and to be honest , I have not encountered that in a very long time. Ski areas have made great advances in snow making and grooming to provide a good skiing surface most of the time.
Diamond Peak, just 27 miles from Reno, also the way to Lake Tahoe, offers great views of the lake as you ski down that you must stop and take a photo. This area is smaller than Mount Rose with the base at 6,700 feet and topping out at 8,540, with 1,500 feet of vertical and an average annual snowfall 300 plus inches.
There are 28 trails marked and plenty of glades, with 655 acres of skiing. Great terrain to ski. Don’t forget to checkout their senior pass rates ($225 for years 70-79, Free 80+, and no blackout dates).
The third area, which was the smallest but not the least important, was Sky Tavern, a strange name for a ski area but with a history that ages way back into the late 50’s. The area probably has the most meaning for skiing and promotion of skiing with the youth of the Reno Valley. This area is the oldest and largest non-profit ski and snowboard learning area.
Owned by the City of Reno, this ski area is devoted to teaching and training the city’s youth who want to learn to ski as well as aspire to skiing as a high school / college / olympic goals. The area staff is devoted) to this project. Founder Marcie Herz established the program in 1948, and her remaining family is still involved with the area.
This area’s learning and training staff can be compared with programs at Stratton Mountain School and other eastern ski schools and high school programs which don’t spend pots of money to train their children to become aspiring ski athletes.
Sky Tavern has 7,583 feet of base and 8,238 at the top, with about 800 feet in elevation, so they receive plenty of snow due to the high base elevation. On the weekends you can expect lots of training and families participating in this unique venue. They train in ski racing, terrain parks, aerials, and the park is striving to be a year-round training facility.
While staying in Reno, there are plenty of venues with a reasonable nightly cost as compared to staying on a mountain. We stayed at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino which gets you plenty to eat and play after skiing.
Rentals were also as easy as 1, 2, 3, at the base of the Mount Rose Highway, at Blue Zone Sports. The ski’s we rented were excellent and the staff were more than accommodating. You can get all your skiing gear at a one-stop rental/purchase shop.
I certainly recommend skiing these areas in lieu of the big boys on the other side of the highway.
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