Destinations Archives - Page 15 of 15

“Road Scholars” Flock To Winter Learning Programs

January 9, 2015/0 Comments/in Destinations/by Roger Lohr

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.

Eat Your Way To Fitness: Gourmet Ski Tours

December 29, 2014/0 Comments/in Destinations, Home Top Box 1, Nutrition/by Roger Lohr

Lots of Chocolate: Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Events Collected By XCSkiResorts.com

From Roger Lohr, XCSkiResorts.com: Want a guilt-free way to indulge yourself with food while exercising? XC Skiing is one of the best forms of aerobic exercise but if you go on a “Gourmet Ski Tour” on your xc skis or snowshoes, you may very well eat your way to fitness at a number of trailside food stops. What a grand time so go ahead, eat, ski, and be merry – appetizers, wine, champagne, fondue, entrees, desserts, and more.

Here’s a cross section of the culinary XC ski events that are planned this winter across the country with a varied menu of fun and fine cuisine.

EAST

Smugglers Notch in VT has Sweets and Snowshoes every Wednesday night 7-9 PM for adults only. Hot cocoa, coffee, and desserts await snowshoers after a 30-minute trek to a pavilion and campfire. A warming meal of hot soup, bread and beverage at a trailside cabin is a destination for the Soup and Snowshoes guided trek mid-day on Sundays, and on Tuesday nights there’s a Snowshoe Adventure Dinner at the mountain summit.

Eastman (NH) Cross Country’s Nordic Nibbles in Grantham, NH on January 18 has a Scandinavian theme with a visit to a fire pit at each stop for cheese from a local smokehouse, Lindt chocolate, gingerbread cake and pastries, local dairy milk for hot coco, soup, and the main meal from 11 AM – 1 PM.

Munching along at Eastman's outdoor ski party. Credit: Roger Lohr

Munching along at Eastman’s outdoor Nordic Nibbles ski party.
Credit: Roger Lohr

The Valentine’s Day Destination S’Mores Station at Bretton Woods Nordic on February 14 with two self-guided tour for sweets from 10 AM – 4 PM. The shorter tour will be less than 2 km on easy trails so it’s great for the kids. Purchase S’Mores Kits at the center or at the station to make your own.

The Chocolate Festival at Mount Washington Valley Ski & Snowshoe Center in Intervale, NH on February 22 is an inn-to-inn affair at 10-12 stops to experience your chocolate fantasies including moose and fondue. Go on a tour of any length and actually gain calories, even if you ski as far as 20 kilometers. A shuttle is also available for those that have overindulged at the event dubbed the “Sweetest Day on the Trails.”

CENTRAL

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Ironwood features cuisine from local restaurants that can be purchased at a nominal fee along a designated route along the trails at the Taste of the Trails on the ABR trails on March 7 at 11 AM – 2 PM.

MOUNTAINS

Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, CO hosts the Grand Huts.org Progressive Dinner on Feb 28 with a multi-course meal at outposts along the trail in a fundraiser for the huts.

Just Desserts Eat & Ski in the Enchanted Forest in Red River, NM on February 28 features goodies from 20 different local restaurants at three trailside stations with up to 100 desserts within a 4 kilometer loop. Their motto is, “It’s not a race, just a gorge fest.”

The Rendezvous Trails in West Yellowstone, MT features cuisine from local restaurants that can be purchased at a nominal fee along a designated route along the trails at the Taste of the Trails on February 7.

Crested Butte Nordic Center has has the Magic Meadows Yurt Dinners reached by a 2 km ski or snowshoe tour where 10 gourmet dinners are offered during the winter including the Saturday Yurt Dinners each month, and special dinners on Winter Solstice on December 20, New Year’s on December 31 and Valentine’s Day on February 14.

Look to the Galena Lodge in Ketchum, ID for the Full Moon Dinners on nights associated with the full moon, (Jan 3 & 4, Feb 3,4, & 5, Mar 5,6, & 7, Apr 3 & 4) whereby you can go ski or snowshoe ($5 snowshoe rental offered) and then return to lodge for a four-course dinner at $40 or half price for kids under 12. There are also special Wine Dinners, Holiday Dinners, and a Valentine’s Day Dinner.

Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, MT has the Glide & Gorge event on March 8 from 11:30 AM-2 PM with trail luncheon stationed with appetizers, soups, entrees, desserts from the Ranch’s four-star kitchen, local brew, wine, music and shuttles.

WEST

Royal Gorge XC Ski Resort in Soda Springs, CA has the Royal Fondo Tour on Jan 25 with skiing or snowshoeing to various huts along the trails for snacks and lunch at the resort deck.

Tahoe Donner Cross Country Center in Truckee, CA has the Taste of Truckee presenting food from local restaurants along the trails on Mar 22.

Cypress Mountain outside of Vancouver, BC has Ladies Only Chocolate Fondue Snowshoe Tours on Friday and Sunday nights starting at 6:30 PM. Warm up with a mug of steaming apple cider before enjoying appetizers then a chocolate fondue Jan 9 & 23, Feb 6 & 20, and Mar 6. These programs include rental equipment, trail access, guides/instructors, and the appetizers.

A Gaggle of Santas: Merry Christmas From SeniorsSkiing.com

December 26, 2014/0 Comments/in West/by mikemaginn

Santas collaborate at Brighton Ski Resort, UT., after delivering presents to entire world.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Coming Back From Injury: Avoid One-Sidedness

December 24, 2014/1 Comment/in Conditioning, East, Home Top Box 3/by mikemaginn

Adaptive Ski Instructor Provides Advice on Predictable Issues for Returnees

Alisa Anderson, Smuggler’s Notch’s (VT) adaptive skiing program manager, is a highly-specialized PSIA instructor who, over the past 20 years, has applied techniques and tools for skiers of all kinds who need a little extra help getting down the mountain.

Adaptive Ski Instructor Alisa Anderson guides a student on the “Snow Slider” at Smuggler’s Notch.
Credit: Alisa Anderson

She trained at the National Sports Center for the Disabled, Winter Park, CO, where she learned how to use bi-skis, mono-skis, and outriggers. At Smuggler’s Notch, she purchased a “Snow Slider” which is basically a walker on skis. While these tools are mostly used with people who have chronic physical disabilities, she also helps people who can ski on their own skis get back to skiing after injury, accident, or knee, hip or shoulder replacement.

“It’s important that people coming back from an injury take a lesson from a trained instructor,” said Alisa. “One reason is to help them get through the natural apprehension that you’d expect after being through major surgery and a year or so of rehab. The other reason is to spot and correct physical mistakes before they become habits.”

Most people coming back after rehabilitation, she said, will clearly favor the healing side. “It’s natural. There’s been a trauma to the area, and the body wants to ‘save’ that side. What you see are people not pressing the ski on that side or being very tentative about flexing.” That stiffness is risky because the skier doesn’t have bi-lateral control.

People aren’t even aware they are favoring one side, she said. That’s where coaching comes in.

“If they continue to be stiff and one-sided, they are going to form some bad behaviors. Stiff muscles lead to fatigue, and the risk of injury goes up,” she said. “They need to be constantly in motion.”

The solution is for the instructor to give the student skier active feedback on what she sees. “Basically, I remind the student to focus on keeping pressure on the front of the boot and weight on the ball of the foot. It’s really back to the basics. It’s important for the skier to loosen up, extend, get tall and bend their joints into through the turn.”

Alisa says that one lesson might be all a skier needs, others, maybe a couple more. “Most people get it pretty quickly. It’s just a matter of getting through the first days doing it right.”

Alisa knows what she is talking about. In addition to her experience as an adaptive ski instructor, she’s also recovering from ACL reconstructive surgery. “I have to wear a brace. It reminds me all the time about what it’s like to be rehabbing. Sometimes, I don’t like wearing it, but I do it, and I’m still skiing.”

Get Into The Spirit: Cannon Mountain Aerial Footage

December 23, 2014/0 Comments/in East/by seniorsskiing

If You Need Some Inspiration To Get Out There, Here It Is.

Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire looks deep in snow as of today. Wonderful and dramatic shots of a beautiful and venerable ski area. Credit White Mountains TV 16.

Free Skiing For Seniors: A Directory From Skiing History Magazine

December 11, 2014/4 Comments/in Destinations/by mikemaginn

There are dozens of ski areas that offer free skiing to seniors.

Join the ISHA to receive Ski History Magazine

SeniorsSkiing.com’s partner, the International Ski History Association, has just published an incredibly valuable resource for senior skiers. In the November-December 2014 issue of Skiing History Magazine, there’s a directory of where seniors can ski for free or for discounts in North America. Thanks to ISHA President (and Seniorsskiing.com Advisory Council Member) Seth Masia for this important information. Consider joining ISHA to receive Skiing History and other benefits such as DVDs and subscriptions to popular skiing magazine. Also a nice gift for ski buffs.

GoPro Flipping Out On Mt. Cook

December 10, 2014/0 Comments/in Features, International/by seniorsskiing

Free-skier Tom Wallisch corks it on New Zealand’s Tallest Mountain

Some say skiing is flying with different expectations. Take a look at this short video from GoPro with professional free-skier Tom Wallisch down in En-Zed. Aside from the corkscrew flip, the view of these snow fields is breathtaking. By the way, winter in New Zealand is summer in the Northern Hemisphere. And the South Island is one of the most beautiful places on earth. So, if you want a unique July Fourth party, off you go.

Breaking News: Vail Connects Park City and Canyons

December 9, 2014/0 Comments/in West/by mikemaginn

High-Speed Gondola To Link Both Areas

The recent acquisition by Vail of Park City Mountain Resort is yielding a major new development. Vail will link Park City and Canyons Resorts together, creating the largest ski area in the US with over 7,300 acres of skiable terrain. Click here to read the whole story from the Salt Lake Tribune. Your move, Colorado.

Dec 9 Story From the Salt Lake Tribune

Glittering Evening At Ski Archives Fund Raiser in SLC

December 5, 2014/0 Comments/in Other News, West/by Harriet Wallis

Movers and Shakers honored.

Twenty years ago, ski enthusiasts and visionaries realized that historic ski photos and manuscripts should be collected to assure they wouldn’t be lost in dusty attics and that old albums wouldn’t be tossed out. The resulting collection is housed on the University of Utah campus in the J. Willard Marriott Library, and it’s called the Ski Archives. It has grown to be the largest cache of skiing and snow sports history in the country, and it’s a prime research collection, and it’s open to the public.

The Silent Auction is part of the annual fundraiser for the collection.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The Ski Archives is supported by an annual fund raiser and silent auction. During the gala event this Fall, awards were presented to extraordinary individuals. This year’s top honor went to Deer Valley president and CEO Bob Wheaton who earned the S. Joseph Quinney award – named for the ski visionary and founder of Alta Ski Area. Seven medalists in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic earned the History-Maker awards.

Joseph Quinney Award winner

Deer Valley's Bob Wheaton received the prestigous S. Josephy Quinney Award Credit: Harriet Wallis

Deer Valley’s Bob Wheaton received the prestigous S. Joseph Quinney Award
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Bob Wheaton began at Deer Valley in 1980 doing maintenance as the resort was being built, and he worked his way up to become resort president in 1997, a position he continues today. With Wheaton at the helm, Deer Valley has been rated the number one resort in North America seven times by readers of SKI Magazine. He credits his staff for the resort’s success.

History-Maker Award winners:

Josh Christensen, Park City, Utah, gold medalist, slopestyle skiing.

Kaitlyn Farringron, Bellevue, Idaho, gold medalist, slopestyle snowboarding.

Sage Kotsenberg, Park City, gold medalist, snowboarding half pipe.

Ted Ligety, Park City, gold medalist alpine skiing giant slalom.

Danelle and Rob Ulmstead, Park City, Paralympic bronze medalists, alpine super combined.

Keith Gabel, Ogden, Utah, bronze medalist, Paralympics snowboard cross.

In addition, two organizations celebrated milestones. The Utah Nordic Alliance, with emphasis on bringing skiers into cross-country and providing training and race events, was founded 25 years ago. And the U.S. Ski Team celebrates its 40th anniversary in Park City.

SeniorsSkiing.com was a silent auction partner.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Flash: Colder, Snowier Winter 2015 Forecast For New England

December 2, 2014/0 Comments/in East, Features, Home Top Box 2/by mikemaginn

Latest Prediction from WBZ-TV Meteorologist Forecasts Cold and Snow

With the season just getting started, we’ve been diligently watching snow forecasts as we know know you have as well. As we reported in an earlier post, Joel Gratz, our favorite snow meteorologist who prognosticates at OpenSnow, has been compared a number of weather models and found a consensus for dry in the Northwest, snowy in the Far West, and uncertain from the Rockies to New England. But, then he says, don’t trust long range forecasts.

2015 Snowfall Predictions for New England
Credit: WBZ-TV Graphic

With a couple of more months of data and many models to contemplate, Barry Burbank, Boston’s WBZ-TV meteorologist, has just put a new winter prediction in play. Barry says that he’s “relatively confident of a cold and snow winter overall.” He is calling for more snow in the New England area, 10-20 inches above average, for a total forecast of 55-65 in Boston. That places 2014-15 as the third consecutive year above average. He also is calling for cold, speculating that the Polar Vortex that vexed the Midwest last winter will be moving eastward. Below average temperatures should reign especially in January when he expects an “outbreak of arctic air.”

So, New England senior snow enthusiasts, this is good news. It also means you have to dress for the weather, prepare your equipment your car, and your self. As the old Swedish expression says: “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” Get ready.

Here’s Barry. Click here for WBZ’s Winter 2015 video report.

Afterglow: Visual Night Skiing Poetry

November 7, 2014/0 Comments/in Features, West/by mikemaginn

When Was The Last Time You Skied In The Dark? We bet it wasn’t like this.

Credit: Sweetgrass Productions

So far, this year’s pre-snow-season has seen at least two new dazzling ski movies hit the screens. First, we couldn’t help but notice Warren Miller’s 65^th ski movie, No Turning Back, which we reviewed here and concluded it was the best yet. That movie is working its way around the country, showing in schools, colleges, theatres and even ski lodges. Click here for show times and locations near you.

Now, we have Afterglow, a short but incredible visual feast featuring night skiing in light suits over dramatic Alaskan wilderness terrain. Think about that for a second. Night skiing. Light suits. Alaskan wilderness. Think of the logistics. And you have troubles getting your grandkids booted up for the day.

Credit: Sweetgrass Productions

This is a creative cinematic experience that goes into places we guarantee you’ve never seen before. Big time ski pros Pep Fujas, Eric Hjorleifson, Daron Rahives, and Chris Benchetler take slo-mo runs down night-time chutes and powder pillows with dramatic big lights capturing the flying snow. The best part is when they wear LED-light suits and head down into the darkness. The effect is otherworldly and quite beautiful. We had instant flashbacks to our college skiing nights at Song Mountain in Tully, NY, where the dark skies and arc lighting made us lose our sense of space and proportion. This movie brought those impressions back, leaving us wondering where, when and if we should try that sort of skiing again.

The film is presented by lighting manufacturer Phillips, Atomic and produced by Sweetgrass Productions, a far-edge filmmaker which is out to “capture the indescribable”. You can watch this one online; it’s just about 10 minutes. We bet you will be forwarding it to your skiing buddies.

All of this visual spaghetti adds to the building psyche-up for the coming season, a season which has already started in some places in Colorado and Maine.

The 2014-15 Season Officially Starts: Guess Where

October 17, 2014/0 Comments/in West/by mikemaginn

Lifts are open in the high Rockies!

What we’ve been waiting for has finally happening. Subtly, to be sure. The lifts opened on Oct 17 at Arapahoe Basin, the first ski area to open this season. Robin’s egg blue day. Let’s hope we see more of those this year.

First run at A-Basin.
Credit: Al’s Blog

To read the scoop on A-Basin’s opening day, click here for Al’s Blog, the official Arapahoe Basin blog. To scrutinize what is happening right now on the mountain, click here for A-basin webcams from OpenSnow, another cool ski website.

Snow is coming soon to a mountain near you.

Deer Valley Buys Solitude

October 8, 2014/0 Comments/in West/by seniorsskiing

Pre-Season Acquisitions March On Through the Wasatch Mountains

Will Deer Valley Change The Sign?
Credit: CityWeekly.Net

There goes another one. First, Vail scoops up Park City. Now we have Deer Valley, a top-shelf brand, picking up Solitude. Who’s next?

Here’s the full story from the Salt Lake Tribune. And here’s the official press release from Deer Valley. Operations at Solitude won’t shift over until May, 2015. We wonder if bigger is better when it comes to ski area ownership. Remember conglomerate corporations from the 80s? We shall see, won’t we?

What do you think?

[Thanks to Harriet Wallis, SeniorSkiing’s correspondent in SLC, for spotting this one.)

Breaking News: SLC Dubs Itself “Ski City USA”

September 18, 2014/0 Comments/in West/by mikemaginn

Salt Lake City launches campaign to attract skiers to a “base camp for skiing”.

Hi From Ski City, USA
Credit: Visit Salt Lake

Visit Salt Lake President Scott Beck isn’t pulling punches when he says a new $1.8 billion campaign to boost SLC’s brand is aimed at luring skiers away from Colorado’s storied resorts. Expect a flurry of online and print advertisements promoting Salt Lake City’s short drive to four close-by world-class,

mountain resorts, international airport, restaurants, night life, and bars.

Click here for the full article from the Standard Examiner.

Breaking News: Vail Resorts has purchased Park City Mountain Resort

September 11, 2014/0 Comments/in West/by Harriet Wallis

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Vail Resorts has purchased Park City Mountain Resort for $182.5 million in cash, creating the country’s largest ski resort covering more than 7,000 acres.

The Colorado resort announced the acquisition Thursday morning, adding that the sale resolves all litigation with Powdr Corp., Park City Mountain Resort’s parent company.

Why Senior Ski Clubs Matter

September 10, 2014/1 Comment/in Destinations/by Jon Weisberg

Benefits of Membership Go Beyond A Ride To The Mountain

My early years of skiing were with the Troy (NY) Ski Club. At 11, I was the youngest member, attending Thursday night meetings at the YWCA to sign up for the Sunday bus trip to southern Vermont or the Adirondacks. Instruction by an older member was part of the package. I’ve since learned that others in the club went on to prominence in the world of skiing. It was a good beginning, and it was there I learned the value of ski clubs.

70+Ski Club Gathers At Snowbasin, UT. Clubs are a natural magnet for senior skiers.
Credit: DailyHerald.com

For many, ski clubs are still at the center of their skiing lives. Snowskiclub.com lists five reasons why:

Friendship—Meeting new friends with common interests and great networking

Convenience—The trip leader makes all arrangements. Members simply “pay, pack and participate.”

Economy—Group purchasing results in better lodging, lift, and airline prices, often at premier resorts that have “bid” on attracting them. Some clubs own lodges, making accommodation costs extremely economical.

Camaraderie—Trip prices generally include parties, mountain picnics, après ski events, and a meal or two. Off-season, ski clubs gather for a host of summertime activities.

Ski clubs serve many interests and ages. We asked leaders of several leading clubs about the value of ski clubs to the 50+ skier. Here’s what we learned:

NSCF organizes councils in each state.
Credit: NSCF

“Ski clubs encourage older adults to keep active,” says Jo Simpson of the National Ski Council Federation and President of the Sierra Ski Council. NSCF represents 29 councils comprising hundreds of clubs and thousands of members across the US. The group works with the ski industry to promote skiing and boarding to members and to provide them with discounts on goods and services. Click here for a good place to find a club in your area.

Ski clubs help people connect—especially if divorced, widowed and/or not comfortable getting back in the social scene. “Ski clubs can be a safe outlet for developing lasting friendships,” says Debbie Rima, VP

LSS is also an “adventure” club.
Credit: Lone Star Skiers

Trips, Lone Star Skiers & Adventure Club, Dallas, one of whose members is 95 and still racing.

“Many of our members are retired and their children grown,” explains Ann Lawson, VP Special/Travel, Grindelwald Ski Club, Pasadena. “We’re attracting people who fit that profile. It’s a growing area of opportunity for other ski clubs around the country.”

Of the clubs responding to our request for information only one indicated an insurance benefit.

Snowbounders offer liability insurance.
Credit: Snowbounders

Snowbounders, Orange County, CA, maintains liability insurance for all members as part of the membership fee. According to Bill Houck, a member of the Snowbounder board of directors, the club takes après ski to an entirely new level with activities such as dog sledding and hot air ballooning.

As for my après ski philosophy? Remember that recent T-shirt?

Cruise. Booze. Jacuze. Snooze.

Do you belong to a club? What’s your experience been?

Sugarbush Offers$199 Mid-Week Boomer Season Pass. Thank you, Sugarbush.

September 8, 2014/0 Comments/in East/by mikemaginn

Thanks, Sugarbush, For The Deal!

Mid-Week Skiing Means Deals and No Crowds
Credit: Sugarbush

Sugarbush Resort is offering a wonderful deal: Mid-week season pass for $199 for 65+ skiers. For mid-week Boomer skiers, this is a good thing. Thanks, Sugarbush, for acknowledging senior skiers. Click here to BUY NOW.

Powder Skiing Fantasy in Swiss Alps

August 11, 2014/0 Comments/in International/by mikemaginn

GoPro Channel hosts unbelievable footage from little camera.

Can you see how Nate Wallace is doing this? He’s holding a little GoPro camera on the end of an aluminum pole. The effect shows that this kind of powder skiing is nothing short of exhilarating. If you’ve never tried deep powder, this is what it’s like. Click here to be transported.

Truly like a dream.

Excellent
Credit: Nate Wallace/GoPro

Exhilarating.
Credit: Nate Wallace/GoPro

Incredible.
Credit: Nate Wallace/GoPro

Buddy Up: Senior Ski Clubs Have More Fun

August 8, 2014/9 Comments/in Home Top Box 1, West/by seniorsskiing

Alan Engen Recounts How Alta’s Wild Old Bunch has been meeting on the mountain since 1969.

With the baby boomers now reaching retirement age, there is a growing population of senior age skiers on the slopes, some of whom are even active in competitive skiing activities.

As a result, senior ski programs are becoming a significant part of many ski area activities in the Intermountain Region. For example, at Snowbird, Junior Bounous has his “Silver Wings” program. I used to have an Alta seniors program called “Silver Meisters.” In addition, various “seniors” ski clubs abound such as The Over the Hill Gang, The One Ski in the Grave Ski Club, The 70 plus Ski Club, and a special group here in Utah called the Wild Old Bunch.

WOB clowning around at Alta circa 1970.
Credit: WildOldBunch.com

In 1969, several senior ski buddies started the Wild Old Bunch by getting together on a weekly basis to enjoy Alta’s famous deep snow conditions. The founders were Art Wilder, Foley Richards, Johnny Bell, and Rush Spedden.

Shortly after, Rush Spedden made a home movie of the group skiing powder. Spedden named the film “The Wild Old Bunch.” This title gained immediate favor with Wilder, Richards, and Bell. It was decided by unanimous decree to

adopt the name on a permanent basis. Foley Richards created a patch for identification purposes which, in turn, became the groups logo. The smile face is well-known around local ski circles and quickly sends a message as to what the group is all about—namely enjoying the pleasure of winter skiing and the companionship that goes with it.

By 1973, the group had grown to about a dozen or so regulars and, by the end of the 1970s, it had about 130 active skiers from ages 50 on up. Because most of the membership consists of men and women retirees from the hectic pace of the corporate world, they have time to ski whenever they wish throughout the week. Rush Spedden solemnly told me the club’s rules when I was given my special membership WOB patch. He said, “The only rule is…there are no rules.”

Throughout the winter ski season at Alta, the Wild Old Bunch can be found congregating at Alta’s ALF’S mid-

WOB is one of the many ongoing senior ski clubs that endure across the country.

mountain restaurant at 11:00 a.m. several times a week. One of the articles written about the WOB said, “There, they swap jokes, agree to disagree, boost a few toddies and welcome other skiers.”

The driving inspiration binding this group was Rush Spedden who passed away at age 97 in late 2013. He served as the WOB primary spokesperson for many years. He was not only an outstanding skier; he was a noted engineer/scientist, teacher and historian in Utah. Rush Spedden’s generous donation to the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation made it possible to add a special pair of handmade skis from the Alaska gold rush days of the mid- 1800s to the permanent exhibit in the Alf Engen Ski Museum near Park City.

Intermountain ski history certainly includes the wonderful contributions of senior groups such as the Wild Old Bunch, and they deserve special mention as ambassadors for the joys of skiing at any age.

Alan Engen is a SeniorsSkiing Advisory Council member and recognized ski historian and author.

Matterhorn In Motion

July 29, 2014/1 Comment/in Destinations/by mikemaginn

The Peak: Swiss Videographer Makes The Mountain Come Alive.

Christian Mulhauser is a young, self-taught Swiss photographer and videographer who, in this short clip has managed to capture the magnificence of the Matterhorn. The different sequences are dynamic; no longer does the peak look like a silent statute; instead, it is a player in a vastly changing environment.

This Bubble Is Heating Up

July 21, 2014/1 Comment/in East, West/by Jon Weisberg

What is hot, orange and headed uphill?

Okemo recently announced installation of its Orange Bubble, a heated-seat, six-pack chair, the first of its kind in New England. And, Canyons Resort in Park City installed its Orange Bubble Quad a few years ago. I’ve taken that lift, and the warmth and orange-filtered view are nice‑especially on a bitter day.

Like riding up in a ski goggle
Credit: Rob Bossi/Canyons

The technology gives the seats a fast charge when the chair passes through the lift terminals. Fannies and spirits are in a good mood on the way up. These seats have been popular throughout Europe for the past decade and recently started migrating to North America. Vail installed the seats on its Number One gondola about three years ago.

Heated seats on a bubble chair are a vast improvement over the heavy wool blankets worn from the 40’s to the 70’s to fight cold at Stowe, Killington, Mad River, Bromley, Aspen, Gore and Holiday Valley. Under certain conditions, they froze cardboard stiff. Under all conditions, they were pleasantly musty. Under no condition was your butt comfy and warm.

Scott Pierpont, SVP Sales, Doppelmayr USA, explains this emerging North American trend as providing another level of comfort beyond the bubble. His company built the lift at Canyons Resort.

Keeping Tushies Happy Credit: Rob Bossi/Canyons

Both he and Rick Speer, president, Leitner-Poma of America, the company that built the new Okemo lift, believe that we’ll be riding on many more heated seats over the coming years.

“It’s all about skier comfort,” Speer explains. “The older you are, the more you’re going to like it.”

Why orange? We have our theories, but what do you think?

Here’s how it looks and feels. The spiel from the Canyons…

First Ski Area and Resort Survey Results Coming Soon!

July 2, 2014/in Destinations/by mikemaginn

We were curious about what ski areas and resorts were doing to accommodate the rapidly growing number of senior snow enthusiasts who were coming to play. So, we launched our First Ski Area and Resort Survey, polling a number of key areas in the US and Canada about lift discounts, amenities and special deals for seniors. The Good News: There are great deals out there including FREE SKIING! at some very special senior-friendly ski areas. The Opportunity: There is a lot of room for improvement for expanding many ski areas’ programs that will attract seniors. We are still muddling through the survey data, but we’ve already identified a number of ski areas that will be named Super-Friendly for Senior Snow Enthusiasts. Stay tuned to find out!

One of our excellent questions.

Snowbird’s Pipeline Conquered By Junior Bounous at 80 (Taken March 8, 2014)

March 14, 2014/1 Comment/in Destinations, Features, Ski Heroes, West/by seniorsskiing

Snowbird’s Pipeline (the top to bottom ravine in center of picture) : One of North America’s toughest ski routes, descends from Twin peaks above Snowbird. First skied by Junior Bounous in the early 70s. He skied it again during his 80th year. Junior is an inspiration to senior skiers everywhere.
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Skiing Super Heroes!!

March 14, 2014/0 Comments/in Ski Heroes, West/by Jon Weisberg

Why not ski in costume?
Credit: Jon Weisberg

Spidey and Cap’n America, Skiing’s Super Heroes, about to save the day at the top of Snowbird tram. Senior Skiers, do you ski in costume? If you could choose one, what would it be?