weather diagram
Herb Stevens

The Skiing Weatherman-November 12, 2021

/2 Comments/in , /by

Cold air supply growing…

Before I look forward in this discussion, let’s look back. October was a very warm month relative to normal across the country, in large part because a sizable upper level dome of high pressure stretched across Canada and the northern states. Early snow cover over northern Asia and Canada are typically harbingers of a fast start to our winter sports season, and although Russia stocked up with snow early and often, the upper ridge over Canada meant that a buildup of early season snow cover there was a non-starter. Now that doesn’t rule out a quick start to the season, but it does make it tougher. The good news is that the pattern in the high latitudes has been changing, and snow cover is accelerating. That has led to a rapid buildup of the cold air that we need for snowfalls and snowmaking. Forecasters use temperatures at 5,000 feet as a proxy for predicting surface temps and just a couple of weeks ago, there was a warm anomaly at that level spread out from the Canadian Rockies to the Maritimes. But take heart, the supply of cold is growing and the jet stream mechanism for delivering the cold…upper level troughs…have started to appear. Here’s proof. First, the jet stream setup for 11/13…

That large blue ball of yarn centered over the western Great Lakes is a deep trough that has delivered snow to the northern Plains this week, and it will generate lake effect and mountain snow showers as it pivots east this weekend. It has the goods in terms of cold air, as you can see on this map of the temperature anomalies at 5,000 feet.

In November, we find smaller “chunks” of cold air than we will a month or two from now, and that is why you see orange to the west and east of the cold shot in the middle of the continent. That tells me that the pattern will be rather changeable through the end of the month, with the cold shots alternating with brief warmups…very typical for a transitional month like November. As time goes on, the supply of sufficiently cold air for snow will grow, and we can see that if we look at the 5,000 foot anomalies for the Sunday before Thanksgiving…

Notice that is appears as though the Lakes and East will be well supplied with cold air and the next cold air mass will be linked to the piece over the eastern third of the continent. The purple color you see over NW Canada suggests that the cold will be deepening, as well. So, it appears to me that the resorts in the Great Lakes and East will have opportunities for snowmaking leading up to Thanksgiving, and the air masses will, at times, be cold enough to support natural snow. In the West, more of an upper ridge will be in place and that will limit the opportunities for significant Pacific storms to lend a hand. The northern Rockies will catch a glancing blow from the NW-SE push of cold air masses, and that could generate some snowfall in the next couple of weeks. Let’s break it down by region…

Northwest U.S./Western Canada: Best shot at snow in the next week is higher elevation slopes in B.C. NW U.S. prospects very limited for now.

Sierra: West coast upper ridge keeps it mild and dry until further notice
Rockies: Glancing blows from systems diving into central/eastern U.S. trough brings light snow every few days to northern resorts. Central and south quiet for now.

Midwest: Upper trough, cold shots, and lake snow become commonplace up through Thanksgiving. Solid prospects for early openings.

Mid Atlantic/Southeast: Enough cold air penetrates from the north to get snowmaking started at times over the next couple of weeks.

Northeast/QB: Good snowmaking opportunities will develop leading up to Thanksgiving. Several shots at mountain snow, as well.

Devils-Thumb-Ranch-Cross-Country-Skiers-630x420
Roger Lohr

Buying NEW XC Ski Equipment

/4 Comments/in , , , /by

For newcomers to cross country (XC) skiing, deciding on the best skis can be intimidating, especially if you don’t want to rely entirely on retail sales people or on-line outlets for advice.

Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Colorado

The following guidance about selecting and using XC gear is general and intended to help you be an informed consumer.

Note that as a rule of thumb, standard XC equipment packages include skis, boots, bindings and poles and are less expensive than purchasing components individually.

Which pair of cross country (XC) skis is right for you?

Average recreational XC skiers should rule out light weight very narrow gear (used by racers) and waxable XC skis and/or wide steel edged XC skis (used by backcountry mountain skiers). Instead, consider looking at a lightweight XC ski with a waxless base. In general, these bases include skins or a pattern milled into the base (e.g. a crown or fish scale pattern) which allow one ski to grip the snow, while the other is pushed off to glide. They also keep the skier from slipping backwards while traveling up a hill. Note that ski length should correlate to skier’s weight.

Ski choice also is a function of where the ski will be used. Places with groomed, packed trails are best experienced using narrower skis. Wider (e.g. 55 millimeters in the shovel) and softer skis provide some stability in places without groomed trails (e.g. many golf courses and city parks).

Many people try to compromise and get wider XC skis to accommodate both groomed trails and ungroomed areas. I recommend choosing one type or the other or purchasing separate skis for each type of skiing.

For many newbies, the biggest obstacle to XC ski control is the incomplete use of the snowplow. Unlike heavier Alpine  equipment which accommodates snow plow turns, with XC skis it’s important to feel the weight on the boot heel against the edged ski and command it to push outward to plow. Without this “feel the heel” and push movement, the skis won’t plow and speed will increase rather than decrease.

New gear makes XC fun for newbies

XC ski boots are an important component of the package. Most boots have similar characteristics such as an ankle cuff, covered easy lacing, dry, warm, comfortable, etc. In general, higher boots with more substantial plastic cuffing provide better control compared to a lowcut soft boot. Stiffness or softness is associated with the torsional rigidity of the boot. Determining whether or not a boot’s sole is stiff is as easy as twisting the sole. Stiffer boots provide more stability.

Now that you know, make the right choices and enjoy your time in the snow!

 

 

 

 

skier on stilts
seniorsskiing

Test Your Skiing Knowledge

/14 Comments/in , , /by

skier on stilts

Each issue of SeniorsSkiing.com has a picture to help test your skiing knowledge. The pictures are from collections in a variety of participating ski museums, which we encourage readers to visit.

This big time skier was hardly stilted when it came to skiing or to publicity stunts. He was ski school director of the ski school of a New England area which has since changed names. The New England Ski Museum submitted the image for Test Your Skiing Knowledge.

Be the first to identify both the stilted skier AND the name of the ski area (before its name change) and receive a one-year membership to Outside+ ($79.00 value) with access to this season’s Warren Miller film, Winter Starts Now, plus two annual print subscriptions to your choice of SKI magazine, Outside, Backpacker, BETA MTB & more; access to extended gear reviews and instructional video from SKI from bumps to backcountry courses; Gaia GPS Premium access to thousands of maps and backcountry navigation recommendations; member-only content on all 18 sites in the Outside network, and full access to OutsideTV premium adventure films & series. Only answers sent to jon@seniorsskiing.com will qualify. Please do not submit your answer to Comments.

The correct answer and the name of the winner will appear in the next issue of SeniorsSkiing.com.

The winner of the last Test Your Skiing Knowledge  is Kay Geitner of Centennial, Colorado. She correctly identified the ski jumper as Alan Engen, past diector of  skiing at Alta and currently a member of SeniorSkiing.com’s Advisory Council. Kay taught at her home resort, Copper Mountain, for 28 years. She was the first American woman to graduate with the National Diplome from Ecole National de Ski and Alpinisme in Chamonix France. She represented the Pacific Northwest Ski Association at the US Junior Nationals and for five years represented Washington State at the Western States American Legion Championship in Sun Valley. Kay reports she’s been a SeniorsSkiing.com subscriber since we started in 2014. She wins a free pair of EZFIT Universal Insoles from Masterfit (retail value: $44.95).

 

Herb Stevens

The Skiing Weatherman-October 29, 2021

/1 Comment/in /by

Mother Nature picks up the pace…

Halloween is upon us and it’s now reasonable to think snow. In the past week we have seen some major amounts of snow fall in the West, particularly in the Sierras of California. After a very dry summer, a veritable firehose of moisture pointed at the coastal ranches and let fly. Thankfully, there was just enough cold air around to convert it to bountiful, base-establishing snowfall. Tahoe resorts hit the jackpot with 30-40 inches burying their higher terrain. Further south, Mammoth Mountain will be kicking off its season late this week. In the East, a major storm battered New England but it was too early to expect much in the way of snow…the higher elevations of northern New England did see snow, however, which put some pep in the step of the locals.

The Nor’easter was a classic case of what my grandmother called a “line storm”, which she said drew the line between an extended warm autumn and the start of a more winter-like pattern. That is exactly what is happening to the jet stream pattern now. “Endless Summer” is an iconic surf movie, but not a term that skiers and riders like to hear at this time of year. After weeks and weeks of an upper level ridge sitting over the eastern half of North America, keeping temps above normal, upper level troughs, which support storms and deliver cold air, have become more common. A solid cold shot will move through the Lakes and into the Northeast later next week, potentially producing the first meaningful snowfall of the season. Here is the 10-day forecast for snow from the European model…

It won’t be a massive event, but it will deliver at least a couple of nights of productive snowmaking temps across the higher terrain of NY and northern New England around the 6th/7th.

Here is the western snowfall forecast for the same 10 days…

Much of the snowfall that you see in CO and NM will come from an upper level disturbance that will track east and lead to the eastern event. Clearly, the northern Cascades and the ranges of BC and AB look to be the big winners as we head into November.

Last time, I referred to “analog” forecasts that are a big part of my long range forecasting methodology. I don’t just look at models, but rely heavily on “pattern recognition” and analog forecasting. Pattern recognition simply means that at my age, I have seen a lot of cold fronts come and go. Analogs are developed by looking at historical patterns and phenomena that are similar to what’s in place right now…on a time frame of weeks and months. Like many other things in nature, the weather tends to repeat itself. If you do the detective work and find setups in the past that match up with the present, you can forecast the future quite accurately. One set of analogs have me bullish about the start of the season over the central and eastern U.S. The common factors are a colder than normal May, a busy hurricane season with a significant landfall on the U.S., and widespread warmth in October, all of which occurred this year. Here is the temperature regime of the Decembers of the years that shared those events…

The pattern is changing, and this is where I feel we are headed, temperature-wise, for the next 60 days or so.  Look for the Great Lakes and East to get off to a quick start.  The West will be fine, too, as warm anomalies at elevations can be overcome.  Next time I will start the regional breakdowns…here we go!   

Cross country skiers
Roger Lohr

Tips to Buy New XC Ski Gear for This Winter

/1 Comment/in , , /by
Cross country skiers

Last winter XC ski gear was in demand like never before and all segments of cross country ski equipment sold out, with few or no options for retailers to reorder. There also was an uptick for backcountry gear and snowshoes.

Retailers are still experiencing demand and supply issues. Coupled with global supply chain challenges, everything from the components that complete a ski binding to the actual cardboard boxes in which products are shipped have been in short supply. Demand and wait times have increased dramatically for these vital pieces, further impacting supply. 

Responding to these factors, retailers placed orders as early as possible and for as much gear as they could get. But some wholesale distributors limited the amount of equipment they planned to make available in the US.

The result? Retailers may not be able to reorder sold out merchandise.

If you want to get new gear this year, here are some tips from Burlington, Vermont retailer Ski Rack:

Start Early

The earlier you begin the process the more likely you’ll get the right winter gear for you. The process begins with your own preliminary research into what you’re looking for and how you want to enjoy the outdoors this winter. Starting early is great! However, keep checking for new arrivals.

Buy Locally

Once you’ve identified the type of XC ski activity you’re interested in (for example, skiing in tracks, on ungroomed trails, in the backcountry, or ski skating) the next step is to head to a local gear shop and talk with the retail experts. They can be a great resource to help with sizing and to discuss various details, including differences between products. Consider custom fitting for all categories, to get the right gear the first time. This way, you’ll save time and avoid having to return something down the line when you find it’s not the right fit. By then, that item may not be in stock anymore.

Flexibility

Another key piece of getting winter gear this year is flexibility. There are lots of options from many brands that will serve you well. Some models may already be sold out for the year, pre-sold, or unavailable for months. It’s advisable to explore all options to see what the best fit may be, even if it’s not your first choice, but ACT FAST! If you find something you want at the store, don’t wait. It could be gone the next day or the next hour.

 

weather map
Herb Stevens

The Skiing Weatherman-October 15, 2021

/2 Comments/in , /by

A bit of a false start…

In the past week, some significant early season snow has fallen over portions of the western U.S. and far western Canada.  The season is off and running…at least for now…as Wolf Creek Pass in southern Colorado will open this weekend with limited terrain.  I wish I could say that it is a sustainable plan going forward, but unfortunately, the weather pattern that brought the early snow is breaking down and not locking in.  Here is a look at the jet stream pattern that lead to much of the western snow earlier this week…

On this map from Tuesday morning, the dark blue feature in the west is a deep upper level trough where cold air pooled after travelling south from Canada.  The counter clockwise flow around the center of circulation over northern Arizona dragged the cold air southward and mixed it with moisture pulled off the Pacific to provide the ingredients for Wolf Creek’s snow.  The high elevation of the ski area (10,000+ feet) in the San Juan Mountains helped, too. The result was 14 inches of snow…enough for the groomers to work with so some early turns will be possible this weekend.  The other notable feature on the map is the strong ridge that covers much of the eastern half of the continent.  Ridges are warm and late September and the first half of October have been a classic case of “endless summer” east of the Mississippi.  Heck, I haven’t even heard of any frost yet, let alone snowflakes.  

The pattern is going to change this weekend, however.  First, it is going to become more progressive.  That is, the troughs and ridges will be moving along across the continent.  For the most part, the jet stream has been in a stagnant mode for the past several weeks.  I would love to tell you that the ridge is going to break down and go away, but unfortunately, it is going to migrate northward in Canada.  That will allow troughs to cut underneath it and move across the U.S., with each trough bringing along a shot of cooler…not colder…air with it.  When the troughs pass through the West, the air will be chilly enough for high elevation resorts to pick up some additional snowfall, but the air masses just won’t be cold enough to generate snow or snowmaking temps further east.   And that is where the position of the migratory ridge becomes important.  As I indicated earlier, ridges support warmer air masses, and with warm anomalies headed for central and northern Canada, the process of stockpiling early season cold will become more difficult to start.  This map of 5,000 foot temperature anomalies, valid on the 24th, illustrates this issue.

The temperatures at 5,000 feet are an effective proxy for surface temperatures in the forecasting world, and you can plainly see that Canada is projected to be blanketed with (relatively) warm air later this month.  You can also see a cool swath over the East where a trough will be passing through, but again, it won’t be cold enough to jump start the season.  This is not a long term issue, though.  We just have to give the increasingly longer nights a chance to cool things down in the prime source region for U.S. cold and we will be starting the process from a warmer baseline this season.  I am still bullish on November, based on analog years I have identified.  I will delve into those in my next installment.  Until then, patience is a virtue.

Jonathan Wiesel

Yellowstone’s Winter Magic

/1 Comment/in , , /by

SOURCE: YELLOWSTONE EXPEDITIONS

In 1991, while guiding a small group in Yellowstone National Park, I tried to describe walking outside as the sun rose one February morning near Old Faithful:

“Morning light pours over the hills, reflecting off the frost in a blinding cloud of diamonds. Elk and bison shake snow off their backs, stirring after a long night’s chill. Duck and geese stretch and preen. Billows of geyser steam hover and settle, creating dense, lacy patterns on bowed pine branches. Yellowstone tastes of winter magic.”

Summer and Winter

To me, Yellowstone isn’t a great treat in summer. Yes, the combination of animal and geothermal activity is unique – but this year there were close to three million visitors, June to August. That’s too many vehicles and frowning faces jammed along narrow roads.

Winter is totally different. First, there’s almost no traffic (no bears either, although they may peep out of their dens in January). The only road that’s kept plowed runs east from Mammoth in the northwest to Cooke City, where it dead ends. All other roads are snow-covered and accessible by snowmobile, snowcoach (enclosed and heated tracked vehicles), or on skis or snowshoes.

Yellowstone’s winter is created for superlatives. No other place in the world has such an inspiring combination of wildlife and wild geology. It’s rich in history; has spectacular mountain scenery; and the park’s 2.2 million acres are yours without crowds or pollution.

Getting There

Yellowstone is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with little extensions north into Montana and west into Idaho.

To enter the park, you can travel north from Jackson Hole; west from Cody, Wyoming; or east from West Yellowstone, Montana. My favorite (fourth) route is east from Bozeman to Livingston; south through the Paradise Valley; pass through the sleepy town of Gardiner; and drive up to Mammoth Hot Springs, where you can overnight at the venerable Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, with elk grazing outside the ground floor windows.

Using Mammoth as a base, you can drive toward Cooke City, with a lot of photos stops for wildlife in the Lamar Valley, and then backtrack.

Heading South

From Mammoth you can get to Old Faithful by snowcoach or snowmobile, sight-seeing, skiing, and snowshoeing along the way. Norris Geyser Basin and the jaw-dropping Canyon of the Yellowstone River, with ice-laden and thunderous falls, are natural stops.

The center of the park is a volcanic crater, 40 miles across, with the world’s greatest concentration of geothermal features: geysers and fumaroles, mud pots and hot pools. One of my favorite Yellowstone memories is a morning ski on a snow-covered wooden boardwalk, watching a bison standing above a steam vent, basking in the warm air billowing around his belly.

Snowpack around Mammoth can be thin, but Old Faithful has reliable conditions and all kinds of good trails. You’re guaranteed to see lots of elk and bison, maybe coyotes, possibly wolves.

SOURCE: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK LODGES

In winter, bison are relatively indifferent to humans, since they’re intent on scarce forage and surviving sometimes bitter cold, but it’s not something to count on. I’ve skied within feet of a bison, on a narrow trail with a cliff to one side and sheer drop on the other. We came around a corner and there they were. We carefully didn’t make eye contact with the cows and calves that plodded toward us, and I could hear muttered prayers from the other skiers (my teeth were chattering too hard to enunciate).

Of all the times I’ve visited Old Faithful, the most indelible and endearing memory isn’t a glorious streamside tour, two feet of light fresh snow, or being mock-charged by a bull elk. It’s the smiles on three kids’ faces as one cold morning they dropped tablets of food coloring in glasses of hot water, ran outside the Snow Lodge, and threw them in the air! It was a cold morning, and the droplets turned into rainbows of frozen mist – blue, red, green – that slowly drifted in the breeze and disappeared. So a half-dozen of us adults did the same thing.

Now, that’s magic.

Resources

The Mammoth Hotel and the Old Faithful Snow Lodge provide Yellowstone’s only winter accommodations and dining other than yurt village/guide service Yellowstone Expeditions (https://yellowstoneexpeditions.com/). They typically open for the season mid-December 20th through early March.

You can book accommodations by contacting Yellowstone National Park Lodges (https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/). For a snowcoach tour, I’d recommend Yellowstone Alpen Guides in West Yellowstone (https://seeyellowstone.com/), especially if you want skiing or snowshoeing.

skiing weatherman map
Herb Stevens

Skiing Weatherman: 2021-22 Outlook

/0 Comments/in , /by

Even though we are just a few days past the first day of astronomical summer, I find myself already taking a peek at the northern Rockies when I am working on forecasts for my golf course clients. Why? The skier/weather nerd in me comes out as I look for the first weather station reporting snow in the air. Like you, I am already starting to anticipate the coming winter sports season, so here are my early thoughts on the weather for the upcoming season.

As always, the first thing I do in putting together a long range outlook is to check the status of ENSO…El Nino Southern Oscillation. ENSO is a measurement of the surface water temperature anomalies in the equatorial regions of the Pacific Ocean. When those waters are warmer than the long term average, we have an El Nino. When they are cooler than average, La Nina is present. Last winter we had a La Nina, and another round of La Nina is in storm for us this winter. The following map shows the cooler than normal anomalies already in place in the Pacific basin.

skiing weatherman map

Computer model forecasts designed to focus on ENSO suggest that the La Nina will strengthen in the coming months, as illustrated by this summary of those models. The thick red line is the consensus of the models, and as you can see, that line drops slightly below the -.0.5 Centigrade threshold that indicates La Nina for several months, suggesting that this episode of La Nina will be a weak one, in a fashion similar to last winter.

skiing weatherman map

So, what does that all mean? Well, because the oceans contain 1,000 times the energy that is contained in the atmosphere, the state of the ocean’s water temperature distribution exerts a major influence on what the overlying jet stream looks like. Here is a graphic that shows you the most common jet stream configuration during a La Nina Winter…

skiing weatherman map

The first thing to note is the confluence of the Polar and Pacific branches of the jet over the northwestern corner of U.S. as well as western Canada. These are two areas that typically have a solid to spectacular season of snowfall in La Nina. The combined jet stream delivers cold air and carves out a trough much of the time across the Great Lakes and Northeast and these two regions also usually benefit from a cool Pacific setup. Across roughly the southern half of the country, La Nina winters can be more of a challenge. That doesn’t mean that the Pacific jet can’t deliver storms to the Southwest…it can, and will…but the more common jet pattern will favor resorts across the northern half of the West. The region that finds a La Nina least desirable is the Southeast. Here, an upper level ridge is more favored, and that leads to milder than normal temps more often than not. Snowmaking will likely be king in the southern Appalachians this season. The final graphic I would like to share with you summarizes snowfall anomalies during La Ninas…

skiing weatherman map

seniorski1
Herb Stevens

The Year in Review

/7 Comments/in /by

El Nino, Stay South. La Nina, Go North.

If you haven’t already done so, it’s close to the time when the skis and snowboards get tucked away for summer hibernation.  Between Covid-19 restrictions, National Forest leases, and Old Man Winter calling it quits prematurely in much of North America, forces have conspired to end the season for the majority of winter sports enthusiasts.  This is my final posting of the season, so I thought I might take a look back at the season that was.

Just as is the case when putting together a winter forecast, a review of the season has to be framed by the state of the Pacific Ocean.  That is, were we in the midst of an El Nino, a La Nina, or neutral conditions with respect to the water temperatures in the equatorial regions of the Pacific?  The answer is La Nina, because those waters were colder than the long term normal throughout the season.  In the summer and fall, I am often asked by friends where the best skiing will be in the coming season.  When an El Nino is present, I always tell them to favor the central and southern resorts if they are headed west.  Conversely, if it is going to be a La Nina winter, I advise that they stay north of I-70.  Why? Well, here is a map of the average winter snowfall for all La Nina years.

It is clear to see that when La Nina conditions are present, the jackpot for snow is typically found in the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest, including far western Canada.  Although the correlation is weaker the farther east you go, due to the extra distance from the warm/cold pools in the Pacific, you can see that generally speaking the Upper Midwest and the northern resorts of New York and New England do pretty well.  How did this season work out?  Here’s the Top 10 resorts in terms of snowfall, through March 15th (the latest I could find).

No surprise that all ten are in the West.  Only occasionally does a Jay Peak or Sugarloaf push their way onto this list and after a paltry amount of snow in March, there will be no New England “contendahs” this year.  Now, notice where 9 of the Top 10 are located…north of Interstate 70!  Alta is the only exception, and they are only slightly south of that line of demarcation.  Also, Alta’s normal snowfall is close to 550 inches, and I doubt that they will get that extra 200 inches to reach normal snowfall between mid-March and when the lifts stop turning at the top of Cottonwood Canyon.  Moral of the story – if it’s a La Nina, stay north of I-70.  If it’s El Nino, head to the central and southern resorts.

Elsewhere, the Upper Midwest bucked the La Nina trend with a below normal snowfall season at most resorts. In a more typical La Nina fashion when a southeastern upper ridge brings spells of warmth, the season was more of a struggle at times in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast but these regions had several runs of stellar conditions if your timing was right.  The Northeast enjoyed a solid season, with a “Fabulous February,” and then the flakes stopped flying in March.

For those of you who might think on a broader scale, I leave you another way to measure how this season worked out with respect to snowfall.  It’s a graph of seasonal snow extent (in square kilometers) from December 1st through February 28th, which constitutes “meteorological winter.”

This winter was better than 5 of the last 6 and 7 of the past 10 and the data trend over the past 50-plus years is positive, contrary to what some folks want you to believe.  The models that focus on El Nino/La Nina are hinting that we may be in La Nina again next winter, something to consider as you start to put together your travel plans.  Thank you very much for reading my column the past several months.  Right now, though, “That’s a wrap!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roger Lohr

Make More Tracks: A Personal Note At The End Of The Season

/2 Comments/in /by

XC Has Grown In Participation. Hopefully, Make More Tracks Played A Role.

Dawn, Appleton Farms, Ipswich, MA. Credit: NSNA

The Make More Tracks Resource Guide and series of articles in each issues since October was conceived to provide readers of SeniorsSkiing.com with information to expand their options in the winter of the pandemic. It was intended to provide info and perspectives about mostly XC skiing.

As someone who dreamed about skiing as a little suburban boy and has skied since high school, I’ve found that mixing my snow sports is a great idea for my body and mind.  It appears on first look that XC skiing is “too much work” compared to riding the lift and pointing down to let gravity take the effort. The fact is that XC skiing can be done at any individual’s pace that is comfortable. You can avoid the uphill trails, you can ski for as long as you like, you can rent equipment at a XC ski area where the trails are groomed, tracked and maintained regularly, and you have many other options with XC skiing. The physical, psychological, and spiritual wellness association with XC skiing are simply undeniable.

Snowy day in the Lincoln Woods.

The folks who produce SeniorsSkiing.com felt that the pandemic would impact the alpine skiing experience.  Even though the vast majority of readers of SeniorsSkiing are not into XC skiing, it was assumed that perhaps this would be the year that alpine skiers would consider trying it. The statistics at the national Cross Country Ski Areas Association tell us that all the XC ski areas saw many alpine skiers trying XC skiing this year. We hope that Make More Tracks played a part for SeniorsSkiing.com readers to decide to try XC and that they had a new and meaningful experience, one that will continue for years to come.

As the SeniorsSkiing.com Cross Country Ski and Snowshoe Editor, I want to thank Mike Maginn, Jon Weisberg, and Jonathan Wiesel for their wisdom and roles in producing the Make More Tracks Resource Guide and article series for the readers of SeniorsSkiing.com.

So, next winter on a sunny day in the high teens or low twenties, consider dressing lightly, visiting a XC ski area and go experience natural outdoors on XC skis. You’ll be glad that you did!

 

Editor Note: Visit Roger’s XCSkiResorts.com to learn where you can stay and XC ski in delightful inns and lodges across the US.

Pat McCloskey

Look Back: US Season Wrap

/2 Comments/in /by

A Wide Lens View Of How Large And Small Resorts Managed To Deal With Restrictions And Constraints.

[Editor Note: Pat McCloskey is a regular contributor to SeniorsSkiing.com.  This article first appeared in Chronicles of McCloskey.]

Ski resorts took COVID compliance seriously, allowing the season to happen. Credit: Pat McCloskey

First, let me say I was glad that we HAD a ski season. From changing my boots in the lot at Laurel Mountain to the Covid 19 security seen above at June Mountain, CA, the theme was always the same: Please comply with the mask and social distance rules so that we can stay open. Wearing a mask is a small price to pay for the knowledge that the areas were doing the best that they can to stay open during the pandemic. The gentleman on the left in the orange jacket said to me that he appreciates all the public was doing this season to help them stay open. He was concerned not only about the skiing but for the welfare of the many employees that operate a ski area. Their livelihoods depended on compliance from the public.

No matter where I went this year, the theme was the same: Please comply for us to stay open. It was interesting to see how things transpired as the season went on. The mask laws were always enforced everywhere. When Jan and I went to Deer Valley in February, they had staff monitoring the lift lines to make sure that people had their masks on and up and over the nose. Signs were everywhere in ski areas this year instructing people to social distance in the lift lines and everywhere on the premises.

The only thing that was hard for lifties to monitor was riding the chair lift. In the beginning of the season, there seemed to be more of a concern for only riding two people per chair—whether it was a triple or a six pack. That seemed to expand the lines significantly. Then there was the polite request from the lift line monitors for people to ride together if comfortable. More and more people rode together which reduced the lines, but face masks were still enforced no matter how many people loaded

Pat and Jan McCloskey at Deer Valley for mid-winter vacation.

the lifts together. Everyone had the option to ride alone. We were at Mt. Rose in Tahoe last Monday, and a guy beside me requested to ride alone. I told him I completely understood, and he was very gracious. I also told him that we were all fully vaccinated, and he said he was too but didn’t trust anybody. He was nice about it but stood firm that he wanted to ride alone and that was fine with us. Generally the line monitors everywhere gave people a chance to ride as they felt comfortable.

All in all, I had the opportunity to get a good read on how the ski areas were doing with initially skiing in the East and then two western ski trips to see how it was being handled in Utah, California, and Nevada. One of the other comments from the ski area personnel was that they knew they were being monitored by the state. And their fear was that if the state saw non-compliance or lack of enforcement on the part of the ski areas, they would shut them down. This was the fear from last summer when there was a lot of speculation about whether the ski areas would open for 2020-2021 and if they would stay open. So far so good. My intel from friends in Colorado and Vermont also confirmed that initially there were issues with chair lift lines but as the season progressed, that seemed to wane a bit. The larger areas had lift line issues but the smaller areas or more remote areas had no issues at all.

Arcing beautiful groomers at Mt Rose with Tahoe in the background: A memory to carry thru the summer. Credit: Pat McCloskey

So as we wrap up another ski season and as areas slowly start to close, I am again grateful that we had a season in these very trying times. It will be interesting to see how the areas did financially seeing that there was a different scene this year. No big apres ski scenes, restaurants at 5o percent capacity at best with the “Grab and Go” food options being the norm. Most areas got their money up front with the sale of IKON and Epic Passes which is the only way to go considering the price of daily lift tickets. But the food and beverage sales had to take a hit.

I always get a little melancholy with the knowledge that I won’t be on the slopes for another eight months. I thought about that when I was making some nice giant arcs on some great groomers at the end of the day at Mt. Rose. I thought to myself, “Pat, this is what you need to think about this summer when you are getting that ski itch.” I love the feeling of making the skis carve on some great groomers. It brings a smile to your face for sure. Even though the western snow pack was down 50 percent this year, and the really cool stuff was not accessible, it was still fun to rip the groomers and that feeling of making a nice rounded arc turn never gets old. So bring on the spring and summer. They are fun seasons too, but I will be looking forward to another ski season as the leaves start to turn in the fall.

mikemaginn

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (April 9)

/1 Comment/in /by

Spot-That-Resort, Top To Bottom Telluride, Skiing Weatherman, Question: Buy Now?, Cycling Lessons, XCSkiResorts, Focus Mindset, Killington In Spring, Ski Club Prep In Oz.

Emily Dickinson said: “A little Madness in the Spring / Is wholesome even for the King.”  So here’s a little quiz that might drive you a little nuts. See how you do in this exercise in pattern recognition.

Below are seven aerial shots of New England ski resorts taken a week or so ago by an aviator friend. Can you identify them? Hint: there are three in New Hampshire, two in Maine, two in Vermont. All photos credit: C. Michael.


Mountain 1
Mountain 2

Mountain 3
Mountain 4

Mountain 5
Mountain 6

Mountain 7

Answers:

This Week:

Telluride has trails for everyone from beginners to expert. And it is certainly less crowded than the resort that starts with V.

Our Vicarious Vacation series moves west to Telluride for a top-to-bottom ride.  What’s notable about Telluride is that it is a high-altitude, long-run resort. Our skier deserves some kudos for making it down non-stop. Click here.

Herb Stevens, the Skiing Weatherman, reports that the spring skiing for the near future is West. Western and Northwestern resorts have “money in the bank” for a longer lasting season.  Click here.

Vail Resorts has dropped the price of its Epic pass 20 percent. It is certainly a strategic play to get more customers. The forecast is: cheaper passes and no reservations (also part of VR’s package) equals lots of people lining up. And we add the uncertainty of COVID, and we have some complications in deciding to buy a pass now or not or perhaps not ever. This week’s Question For You asks for your opinion. Click here.

Trek Navigator allows a comfortable, upright riding position. A fat seat helps.

We are transitioning to coverage of bicycling topics, a pasttime that many of our SeniorsSkiing.com readers pursue in a serious way. Here’s correspondent Marc Liebman’s take on some lessons he learned long ago and have been reinforced by his recent training program.  Click here.

In this most unusual year, we have published a series of articles and a Resource Guide on alternative snow sports called Make More Tracks. And, as we have seen, interest in those alternatives—XC, fat biking, snowshoeing, winter hiking—has spiked.  A major contributor to that series has been Roger Lohr, publisher of XCSkiResorts.com, a directory and source of information about where to stay, equipment, and technique. His article summarizes the value that XCSkiResorts.com brings to readers.  Click here.

Ski Coach Bob Trueman (r) puts emphasis on the mental aspects of skiing.

Ski coach and contributor Bob Trueman offers some advice about how to set your mind on your ski practice.  His advice is simple and direct: form a specific goal for a specific action and do it.  The actions will lead to results.  His is an interesting perspective that has aided many skiers to leverage and improve their skills. Click here.

Killington and the blue bird day.

Videographer and contributor Don Burch offers a visual gift for us.  It’s a snapshot of Killington on a beautiful, blue bird day. What more could you ask for?  Click here.

Finally, we hear from our correspondent in Australia, Dave Chambers, who reports on his ski club’s work party weekend, prepping for the ski season coming soon down under. Oz’s ski season doesn’t get rolling until late June-early July so this club gathering is a great way to build camaraderie before the snow flies. Click here.

Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com.  Remember there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.

Early snow at Gravbot Ski Club welcomes work party in Mt. Hotham. Credit: Dave Chambers

 

 

Herb Stevens

Skiing Weatherman: West Still Strong, East Hanging In

/0 Comments/in /by

Some Powder. Trail Counts Good.

The weather pattern that dominated the month of March in the eastern half of the country has continued right into April…unfortunately.  I communicated with a resort manager in Vermont last week and found out that the mountain, which has a high base elevation…had received exactly one inch of snow last month.  One %#$$@*& inch!  A good number of areas pulled the plug after offering skiing during the Easter weekend as the lack of snow and late month rain beat down the base depths to the point where skiing and riding couldn’t be extended any further.

Going forward, I wish I could tell you that some late snow was on the way to sustain the sliding for several more weeks, but that is simply not the case.  The strong ridge at the jet stream level that took shape a couple of weeks ago over northeastern Canada is still there, and a piece of that ridge has extended into the northeastern U.S. the past week, leading to temperatures that continued the shrinking of the snow supply.  While it will be turning cooler in the East relative to normal for the last two weeks of this month, it looks like “too little, too late.” Lastly, base depths never got overly deep during the heart of winter, then the snow drought hit in March, and right now, we are left with a dwindling supply on the slopes.  So, in the East, get it while you can.  Grab the rock skis, bring the sunscreen and the tailgate gear and have a go at it.  This weekend there will be about 20 resorts to choose from in the East and trail counts are still pretty healthy.

In the West, the spring skiing season is also underway with the resorts sitting on much more in the way of “money in the bank.”  That is, ample snowfall through the season has built up the base depths to an extent that skiing and riding can easily continue for several more weeks.  Keep in mind that a good number of resorts will be closing, or have already closed, because their deals with the National Forest Service say they must, regardless of how much snow is still on the hill.  But overall, the season still has plenty of legs throughout the West.  In this region, there is actually hope for a little more in the way of snow.  Here’s a map of the snowfall for the next couple of weeks.

It’s not a ton of snow, but if you time it right you might be able to squeeze in a few more powder turns before calling it quits for the season.  British Columbia has been the big winner in terms of snowfall this season, which is to be expected during a La Nina winter, and they are in line for a dump or two, or more, in the coming weeks.  Unfortunately, a Covid resurgence has caused many of the resorts in that province to close for the season.

The turns are out there if you really want them, but you might have to work a little harder to make them.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Pac NW/B.C.:

Late week snow will set up one more weekend of winter surfaces.

Central and southern Sierra:

Perfect spring skiing weather coming up for the next week.  Sunny, mild days and overnight lows below freezing to preserve and set up the snow.

Rockies:

Mild days, chilly nights, and any precip in the next week will be light.

Midwest:

Lutsen, Minnesota appears to be the only resort still operating.  Light rain and snow most days next week.

Northeast:

Warm pattern turns cooler late next week and beyond.  Better hustle to get those turns in.

Mid-Atlantic/Southeast:

The party is over.

 

 

 

seniorsskiing

Question For You: Buy Now Or Wait?

/23 Comments/in /by

To Buy Or Not To Buy (Yet): That Is The Question.

It should be clear by now that if you intend to ski more than two or three times a season at mid-large resort, a season pass is required. Basically, walk-up tickets are major resorts are in the $15o to $200+ range which is fine if you have limited interest, time, or abundant resources.

Now we learn that Vail’s Epic pass will be sold at a 20 percent discount from last year’s. Vails chief executive Rob Katz clearly states that the strategy is to “move ticket buyers to a pass.” Dropping the price is certainly one way to do that. It’s also a way to add to the revenue line after a year of increased expenses for COVID.  So the push is on to buy a pass.  For example, the Epic Northeast Midweek Pass for seniors 65-plus has dropped to $271.  In the west, the Tahoe Value Pass is $359 for seniors. Pretty tempting.

Predictable consequences: More people showing up, crowding parking lots, longer lift lines? Or, more darkly, not being able or wanting to ski at a resort because of ongoing virus restrictions which still may be a factor in 2021-22? Unpredictable consequences? Who knows?

Question For You: Given the bargain prices for season passes, do you plan to purchase one as soon as you can (i.e., now), wait and see, or skip it because of…what? Will you be looking forward to heading to bigger resorts with your new pass? Will you continue to be content with “mom and pop” hills where you can ski mid-week for cheap?

Please comment in Leave A Reply below.

 

Marc Liebman

Three Bicycling Lessons Relearned

/8 Comments/in /by

Reflection On The Past Before Starting This Year’s Biking Season.

Marc’s Trek Navigator 400 allows a comfortable, upright riding position. A fat seat helps.

With gyms closed to Covid, way back in August 2020, I started riding my bicycle five days a week as a way to get ready for the ski season. I live in North Texas where the terrain is relatively flat. We don’t have hills or mountains, we have rises. I also decided to ride on neighborhood streets because there are crazy people driving while reading and sending texts and emails.

Arbitrarily, my initial goal was to ride 15-20 miles a day, four to five times a week at a steady speed of around 10 miles an hour. My Trek Navigator 400 has three ranges and eight speeds within each range.

My road cycling career began back in the fifties on a Raleigh bike with three speeds which we upgraded to six. Back then, I was a 13-year-old member of an Air Explorer troop in Germany. We-our scout masters, parents and us scouts- decided to take a long-distance bike trip during the summer.

Several conditioning/trial trips later, we took the train from Frankfurt to Calais, the ferry to Dover and another train to London. Four days later, we took the Tube to Watford and headed out to the youth hostel in Stratford-on-Avon. Six weeks later, we were back in London after having visited more castles and churches than I can remember.

There were other bike trips in the following two summers, and, from them, I learned three important facts about biking. One, the youth hostel or inn where we were staying was always upwind at the top of the highest hill in the area.

Two, one can ride farther than one thinks. Back then as an Air Explorer, we tried to do 50-75 miles a day, depending on the terrain. Where it was relatively flat, 75 miles in a day was a no brainer. Hills and rises, well, that’s different

Three, bike seats are uncomfortable.

Fast forward six plus decades and after seven months of biking, the lessons learned have not changed. My house/destination is at the highest point in the neighborhood and on the last mile or two, whatever wind is blowing, it is in my face.

When I started, I could barely ride eight miles.  I’d ride remembering some of the tougher legs on those three trips. When this post was sent, weather permitting, 12 miles per day, four to five days a week is the norm. Going father is more about time available than fatigue. At an average of roughly 10.6 mph, 12 miles takes an hour and 10 minutes. Twenty miles would take close to two hours which is more time than I want to spend pedaling since I have other things to do, like write books and magazine articles.

And guess what, even with a wider, padded seat on my bike, after 12 miles, my butt still hurts!

The latest from Marc’s bike app: Map My Ride.

Roger Lohr

Make More Tracks: XCSkiResorts.com Saw Boost

/1 Comment/in /by

Increased Interest In Nordic Makes XC Site A Place For Information.

XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr and wife Kimberly at Bretton Woods. That’s Mt. Washington in the background.

XCSkiResorts.com was established in 2003 as a major source of information for recreational and travel-oriented cross country skiers and snowshoers and it entered uncharted waters when the pandemic hit. Would anyone want to travel to go cross country skiing?

According to site founder and editor Roger Lohr, “The response was the best year ever for the site in terms of visitation, but what I really enjoyed were the unprecedented number of phone calls to talk about cross country skiing with people.”

They wanted to talk about where to go, equipment to use, and what the different ski areas were like. Lohr commented, “Due to the COVID situation there were astronomical increases in visitation on the site in December as many people were thinking about cross country skiing, and then January and February continued growing.  Obviously, getting outdoors on cross country skis was viewed as a good thing to do to stay safe.” He added, “People are looking for information about cross country skiing and there is plenty of content on a variety of topics to be found on XCSkiResorts.com.”

The site focuses on information about where to go and what to do for cross country skiers. Lohr stated, “This is a difficult segment to reach compared to cross country ski racers.  I try to create interesting themes to engage these occasional cross country skiers.” There are recommendations for cross country skiing family destinations and food events, tips on getting started, romantic vacations, ski areas that have invested in sustainability, what to wear, and the newest gear. The Top 10 Page, which is the most popular page on the site has more than a dozen different category lists.

Much of the content on XCSkiResorts.com is also posted on other sites such as SeniorsSkiing.com, where Lohr joined Jonathan Wiesel of Nordic Group International to contribute content for the Make More Tracks Resource Guide and article series. XCSkiResorts.com content can also be found on SnoCountry.com, WhitebookSki.com, SunandSkiAdventures.com, BraveSkiMom.com and others as well as the @XCSkiTravel Twitter feed.

The site includes resort pages that are segmented by region featuring about 50 ski areas across the nation including a few state association pages. There are also hundreds of shorter descriptions for ski areas that do not have a separate page. The article content is separated into sections such as resort features, products, personalities, and sustainability, all focused on cross country skiing.

XCSkiResorts.com was initiated in 2003 as a partnership with SkiAmerica. Lohr commented, “I’ve been dedicated to getting more people to go cross country skiing and snowshoeing more often since I got involved in snowsports, and I expect to continue plugging away at it.”

XC resorts like Great Glen Trails in NH offer groomed trails, lodge, instruction. Accessible and affordable.

 

Bob Trueman

Add Insult, Avoid Injury

/6 Comments/in /by

“Your Problem Is, You Don’t Know What You’re Doing”.

Ski Coach Bob Trueman (r) puts emphasis on the mental aspects of skiing.

In modern times this sentence wouldn’t score well on the “how to make friends” scale. And yet it is in reality very informative. You just have to look at the real meanings of the words used, and not the colloquial inference.

In fact, from the view point of performance enhancement it is a critically important observation. Whether that performance is in something physical, like skiing, cerebral, like academic endeavor, or practical, such as business.

The most fundamental tenet of Neuro Linguistic Programming, and other performance enhancement psychologies, is that if you want to change your outcomes you must change your behaviors. “If it isn’t working, do something different”.

The instructional approach to this is either to tell you what you are doing wrong, or just to tell you what to do. It sounds reassuringly practical, but doesn’t work well in practice.

The reason for its limited efficacy is that in order to do something else, it is best to know what you are doing just now. And that is the hard part. And here, dear reader, we come to the import of the insulting first sentence above.

Frustration

More often than not, indeed I’d say pretty well on every occasion, when I first begin coaching someone (in anything at all, not just skiing), they do not have a mechanism to help them to know what they are doing. It is what they are doing, that is creating the outcomes they don’t want. And it is not having current awareness of what that behavior is that is getting them so frustrated and making it so difficult to change.

When I ask a skier after a short section of skiing, “What were you doing as you skied down there?”, it is incredibly common to get the answer , “I don’t know. What do you mean?”

Well, what might I mean?

What are you doing? You must have been doing something, or nothing would have happened. If what happened was what you wanted in all respects, then what you were doing was, for you, at that time, 100 percent appropriate.

If what happened was not what you wanted, then whatever it was you were doing, was not 100 percent appropriate to the achievement of your desired outcome.

The first, and most important job to be done, then, is to find out what it was you really were doing. To do that we’ll need to work together to discover ways that will work for you in letting you become aware of what you are actually doing as you ski.

Six Senses

We’ve got six senses: Smell, Taste, Hearing, Sight, Touch, and Proprioception

The best for skiing are the last three. You could look to see what you’re doing. You could feel for something tangible. And you could feel in a generalized “feely” kind of way.

You could also listen, say, to your skis on the snow. The remaining two require a degree of proximity to the snow which, even were they to work, you might not want to try too often!

Give this some thought. It could help you enormously.

Can you come up with some ways that would suit you for enhancing what is known as your “present moment awareness”? It is this awareness that will enable you to make the changes you are looking for.

Controlled Skiing.

Awareness example:

Here is the kind of thing I’m getting at. You will already know that leaning back in your boots is a tendency to which we are all subject. You will also have discovered through doing this, what James Thurber characterized in his “Fables of Our Time”, when he wrote that “you might as well fall flat on your face, as lean over too far backward.”

You need to be not leaning, or sitting, back. Rather, you need to be forward “in your boots”.

But how to do this? More importantly, how to ensure you are always doing this? There is often so much going on inside your head when you are skiing that you haven’t got the attentional focus required to know if you are or are not

So, we need a simple mechanism to employ that will tell us in real time whether or not we are “forward”, and if so, to what degree. Next time you ski, choose an easy—nay—very easy slope. Set yourself the challenge of skiing pleasantly, down the next 200 meters. No more.

Set yourself the additional goal of being aware of your shins. Your goal is to know, at all times, how much pressure between your shin and the front of your boot, you can feel.

Nothing more! Absolutely no other goal on this 200 meters.

At the end of the 200 meters, it does not matter at all how good bad or indifferent your skiing was. DO NOT GIVE YOURSELF FEEDBACK ON THAT ASPECT.

You must, if you wish to learn how to improve, ONLY review your original goal. Did you feel your shins against your boots?  Yes/No? Were you able to do so at all times? Yes/No?

There is NO answer to these questions which will not help you. If you answer your own question with “I don’t know”, you’ve learned something useful. If your answer is “yes, and no”,  you’ve learned something useful. If your answer is “yes, and yes”,  you’ve learned something useful.

It’s one of the few real win-win scenarios that exists.

Whatever your answer, you can reset your goal, refocus your attention, and learn something extra on the next200 meters.

The key to success with this process is to be very strict in your goal setting. It must be simple, singular, and susceptible to review.

[Editor Note: Check out Bob’s website for more articles and videos on how to ski in control. Click here.]

© Bob Valentine Trueman. All rights reserved.

Sunday River, ME
mikemaginn

Happy Spring To All

/6 Comments/in /by

Passover, Easter, Baseball Opening Day, Spring Rituals: All Welcome As The Year Moves On.

Spring comes to Sunday River, ME. Credit: Charlie Thomas

SeniorsSkiing.com is taking a break for the holiday week.  We wish all our readers a safe and healthy time, especially if you’re Zooming with friends and family or venturing out for the first time in a while. 

To our amazing contributors to our recent fundraiser:  All premiums have been mailed and are on their way to you. Thanks so much for supporting SeniorsSkiing.com.

Remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away. [And Let’s Go, Red Sox.]

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” – William Shakespeare

 

mikemaginn

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 26)

/1 Comment/in /by

Spring Is Here, Quitting Time? Corn or Mashed? Beech Top-to-Bottom, Diggins World Cup, Ski Art III, Skiing Weatherman.

Spring: Time for renewal. Time for change. New directions.

“It was such a spring day as breathes into a [person] an ineffable yearning, a painful sweetness, a longing that makes [them] stand motionless, looking at the leaves or grass, and fling out [their] arms to embrace [they] know not what.” John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga.

The slightly updated quote [pronouns]  brings us to where we are on the calendar: Spring has descended and the “ineffable yearning” is happening as we speak.  The sap is running in the sugar bush, maple syrup is boiling (and boiling), and it becomes impossible to ignore the change in the air.

Sign of spring: Tuckerman Ravine, 1938. Credit: Mt. Washington

Especially, this year. We made it through in one way or another, and we “fling out [our] arms to embrace [we] know not what.” We are in that special place called the interim, between the way things were and the way things will be.  We know how it was this year—creative adaptations to restrictions and constraints for those who were determined to book time on the snow—but we can only hope the future season will approach normalcy.  We can hope, but we don’t know; no one does. Such is the nature of the interim.

However, we know that Vail is doing some bet hedging. The ski resort empire has dropped the price of its Epic pass by 20 percent for 2021-22.  That’s $200 off the Epic and about $150 off the local Epic, both sharply undercutting the rival Ikon pass. Season pass sales last summer helped Vail buffer the losses to revenue from the epidemic, and cutting prices dramatically will help ensure more of the same for the upcoming season. Presumably, people who buy passes intend to use them, unless they can’t because of virus restrictions.  We don’t know for sure but we can bet a number of last season’s pass buyers—Epic and Ikon—regretted buying a pass when the industry shut down and/or tried to get credit or their money back. Will those who grumbled and who didn’t get the value they expected last season step up to buy a discounted pass when the future is still behind a veil of uncertainty?

Regardless, the season pass is the future. Clearly, Vail has strategically pushed the market in that direction. Forget about buying a walk-up lift ticket, unless you intend to ski just one or two times in a season.  Let’s hope this upcoming season finds all those tricky dependent variables clicking into place: people buying, restrictions removed, and snow piling up. At least that’s what we ineffably yearn for.

By the way, the Epic Northeast Midweek Pass for seniors 65-plus has dropped to $271.  In the west, the Tahoe Value Pass is $359 for seniors. Pretty tempting.

Good luck, Vail.

——————————————————————————————

Attention Donors: We will start sending premiums from our recent fundraiser this week and next.  Please be on the lookout for our mailing to you.  And please be patient as the mails aren’t what they used to be.

Holiday Break: SeniorsSkiing.com is taking a break for the Easter/Passover holiday.  We wish everyone a peaceful and restoring holiday, hopefully with friends and family. Be safe.

Update on Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg: Jon had been hospitalized since mid-February and is finally in rehab. He is on the mend and is looking forward to getting back in shape. Thanks for all your concern.

——————————————————————————————

This Week

Our Question For You this week asks if when you will call it a season.  What’s your criteria? How has this decision been affected by the restrictions/constraints imposed by resorts to keep employees and visitors safe? Click here.

Correspondent Marc Liebman opines on corn snow—when it’s good and not so good—and mashed potatoes. He asks if you know the difference and what to do when faced with both conditions.  Click here.

Diggins says experience is teaching her about her capabilities and how to win. Credit: Cross Country Skier

Cross-country editor and XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr reports on Jesse Diggins World Cup victory in this year’s XC FIS competition. She’s the first American woman to win a World Cup title in history, and the first American to win gold since Bill Koch’s victory in 1982.  International competition at the World Cup level is intense, and her victory is a huge achievement for the US team and for women in sports.  Click here.

An almost unworldy mood at the start of a run.

Once again, correspondent/videographer Don Burch has produced a wonderful, expressive video in his Ski Art series. Some of these images would be great prints to mount in your den.  Click here.

Our Vicarious Vacation series continues with a run down Beech Mountain, NC, top to bottom.  You’ve seen the Alps and the Rockies in this series. Now, it’s time for a more prosaic example of Southern Skiing at a mecca for skiers in the mid-Atlantic. Click here.

Dawn at Round Vally from the grooming team. Credit: Mountain Trails

Correspondent Pat McCloskey takes us to Round Valley, UT, where he fat bikes around a network of trails maintained by a community foundation.  Pat took a break from his ski-week vacation at Park City to visit the nearby center for all kinds of winter and summer outdoor sports. Round Valley has trails for fat biking, xc, snowshoeing, and winter hiking/running, with enough space for everyone to stretch out. Pat notes the locals and local seniors are fit and take advantage of the snow, 300 days of sunshine, and the beautiful surroundings.  Click here.

Finally, the Skiing Weatherman Herb Stevens reports the pattern that continues to dominate the weather this time of year: The West is wild, the East is winding down, although there might be a chance for another dose of snow in the Northeast this week. This pattern of wild West, wimpy East seems to have hung in over the past several seasons.  Click here.

Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com.  Tell your friends, and, remember, there are more of us every day. and we aren’t going away.

 

 

Herb Stevens

Skiing Weatherman: West Strong, Last Call East

/2 Comments/in /by

Bluebird Days. Light Snow.

The weather pattern hasn’t changed much in the past week as the jet stream set-up has continued to feature a cold trough over the western half of the country and a milder to warm ridge over the eastern half.  It has been another snowy week in the West, although amounts of fresh snow have been a little less than the prior week.  In the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast it has been a warm week, and both base snow and trail counts have taken a hit.  Changes in the pattern are underway, however, as low pressure centers that get ejected out of the western trough head northeast and mount an attack on the ridge.  The ridge is formidable though, and it won’t back down without a fight.  It will take three surface storms to knock down the ridge enough to cool the atmosphere sufficiently for snow to fall instead of rain.  That third storm will impact the Northeast later this weekend and into next week and could possible represent the final opportunity for significant snowfall, as the pattern will shift to a warmer regime right after Easter.  Here is a look at a snowfall forecast through Tuesday morning.

You’ll notice that New Hampshire and Maine look like the big winners.  That is because one low pressure center will move through Ontario as it weakens with a secondary low center taking shape over Cape Cod before it moves through the Gulf of Maine, strengthening as it does.  That track will most benefit the White Mountains and the resorts of Maine.  After picking up very little snow in the past three weeks, and with Easter weekend on the horizon, a healthy shot of snow would help sustain quality skiing and riding through the holiday.  Some light snow will accompany the passage of another trough and cold front on Good Friday and that will help refresh the surfaces, as well.

In the West, the persistent trough will produce its final shot of snow late this week (especially in CO and WY) setting the stage for a wonderful weekend with bluebird skies dominating as the trough swings out of the region and into the center of the country.  A new trough will arrive next week, however, bringing early week snow to the Northwest and midweek powder to the full length of the Rockies.  Here is a snowfall forecast through Friday for the West.

The amounts you see are pretty much split between the end of this week and the week of the 29th.

Many of the resorts in the Midwest have closed, but the larger areas are still open.  Some light snow amounts will fall across the northern Great Lakes later this weekend.  In the Southeast, about a half dozen resorts are still operating, thanks to high base elevations and aggressive snowmaking through the season.  That snow can’t hold on much longer against the strength of Old Sol, though.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Pac NW/B.C.:

Beautiful weekend on the slopes.  Light to moderate fresh snow early next week keeps the powder party going.

Central and Southern Sierra:

Great spring skiing this weekend. Back door cold front turns it a little colder next week, but no significant snow in sight.

Rockies:

Sunny weekend on the slopes.  New trough delivers light to moderate snow from MT to NM first half of next week. Light snow next weekend in northern resorts.

Midwest:

Light snow across the far north this weekend.  Mild start/colder finish next week with another round of light snow.

Northeast:

Spring conditions rule after mild, damp week.  Opportunity for meaningful snow late this weekend/early next week in northern NY and northern New England.  Another round of light snow late week.

Mid-Atlantic/Southeast:

Great spring skiing Saturday (3/27).  Colder air mass arrives later Sunday.  Spring skiing continues next week. Call resort before you drive, though.

 

Loveland
seniorsskiing

Question For You: When Do You Quit?

/42 Comments/in , /by

Stay Till The Final Melt, Or Had Enough Already?

Some are done, some have more to come. Credit: Loveland

We know skiers who save up their skiing days until springtime. Fair weather skier, they are.  March is when they go out in earnest, conditions permitting. And there are others who decide to bag the season after President’s Day. Or St. Patrick’s Day. Still others make the weekend trek to the mountains every weekend until their favorite resort closes down.

Several years ago, we read an article in SKIING magazine about a couple of resorts in the West which extended their seasons because the snow conditions were extraordinary. So, they went through the expense of keeping staff on board, grooming, maintaining, and all that as well as advertising their later closing date. Result: Turnout was lower than expected. Skiers had moved on. When you think that the hard-core who show up are probably season pass holders, the net increase in revenue probably wasn’t close to being worth the effort?

So, how about you? Are you putting away your snow stuff? Taking the cover off the boat? Playing “Winter Rules” golf in early spring? Oiling up the bike chain? Booking tennis dates?

Question: When do you quit for the season? What’s your marker/ decider? How was this year different?

Please comment in Leave A Reply below.

Marc Liebman

Corn Snow And Mashed Potatoes: Know The Difference.

/7 Comments/in /by

One Fun, The Other Not So Much.

Spring brings corn for a few precious hours. Credit: Jans

We’re nearing that time of year in New England and the upper Midwest where the snow melts a little during the day and freezes at night. The repetitive process creates tiny balls of ice. In the morning, they’re rock hard but as the sun comes up, they melt a little and turn into ball bearings lubricated by water. The condition is known as “corn snow.”

The skis carve when rolled on their edges, a platform builds up under the bottom making it easy to unweight, if you are old-fashioned like me, or roll your knees in the direction you want to go.

The day starts with rock-hard, frozen granular until the melting starts. Then for the next three or four hours, the skiing is divine. Depending on the temperature and the slope’s exposure to the sun, by mid-afternoon, the snow becomes sloppy. That’s when it is time to quit and start early again the next day.

Corn snow: Coarse, granular, and wet. Credit: FIS

In the Rockies, the drier snow doesn’t “corn up” as well as it does in the east. Until late in the spring, the conditions are packed powder at the top and soft and mushy as you come down in altitude.

Late spring snows in the Far West and east of the Mississippi are often full of moisture. The snow is heavy. Gloppy is an appropriate term. Way back when, we called the conditions mashed potatoes.

Venture into mashed potatoes, and you’ll find that turning requires effort and strength. Unless you have your weight equally balanced throughout the turn, the heavy wet snow grabs your skis, making turns hard to make.

Lose your balance in mashed potatoes, and you are in what we used to call a “slow, twisting fall.” If you are lucky, you get up, wetter than when you went down and keep skiing.

Mashed potatoes? Go home.

However, if you are a subscriber of SeniorsSkiing.com, danger lurks in the mashed potato fall. Even with modern bindings and shorter skis that reduce the torque on the leg, your bindings may not release immediately. Why? Because the initial torque may be below the threshold needed to free your boot. Then as you “slowly” fall, torque is slowly applied to the leg that might result in a nasty spiral fracture. The break could take weeks, even months to heal.

So how do you ski corn snow? The answer is simple. In the morning when it is hard and rutty, ski the same way one would hard, frozen granular. Then, as the snow softens, ski the same way you’d take on packed powder and enjoy the corn snow ride.

How do you ski mashed potatoes? Avoid the condition. Go home and ski another day!

 

Ski Art
Don Burch

Ski Art III

/2 Comments/in /by

Don Burch Offers Another Intriguing View Of The World Of Skis And Snow.

An almost unworldly mood at the start of a run.

Don’s been experimenting with various techniques to take ski videos into an aesthetic direction.  His third offering combines a haunting melody and moody visuals.  Music is Gravitated by Edgar Hopp. Click on the image below to watch the video.

Pat1
Pat McCloskey

Make More Tracks: “When All Else Fails, We Still Have Trails”

/0 Comments/in , /by

A Network Of Trails Run By Community Foundation Offers Multi-Use Recreational Activities.

Pat rides tubby tires, taking a break from skis. Round Valley, UT, has 25 km of trails for XC, biking, hiking. Summer activities include trail running, horse riding, mountain biking in the Park City area. Credit: Pat McCloskey

The motto above is the moniker of one of the most interesting trail systems I have seen to date. Round Valley, near Park City, UT, is a paradise for cross country skiers, fat bikers, hikers, and dog walkers. The well groomed trails encourage multi- use and 25 kilometres is groomed for traditional cross country skiing and freestyle XC over 700 acres of preserve.

This preserve was once slated for development until some of the townspeople thought better and put together a foundation to encourage an alternate use for the land. Click here to read about the Mountain Trails Foundation. They were successful, and today, it is a very popular place for recreation. Well marked, and used for many pursuits, it shows how forward thinkers can offer an alternative to the rabid development of available land for housing or commercial pursuits. Especially in a town where recreation is king.

Not only are the trails well marked and groomed, but there is a sense of pride that you can feel there with all the activity. Some of the different things that I noticed was the general health and shape of the people who regularly use the system. At altitude, it is impressive to see older people skating up a steep hill on freestyle XC skis. With a big smile on their face they greeted us as they hammered up the hill to the summit which has a breathtaking view of the surrounding Wasatch Mountains. You could see fat bikers off in the distance climbing on miles of trails and the traditional cross country skiers making good use out of the track setting. Gliding along they smiled and said hello as their dogs followed in hot pursuit.

Lots of dogs play with their humans along the way. Credit: Pat McCloskey

Speaking of dogs, I was amazed at how many of them were along with the hikers, skiers, and riders . At no time did they interfere with activity and they seemed to know to get to the side when going downhill so as not to impede the progress of their owners. All off leash, they seemed to have a sense of how to move with the flow of traffic and at no time did they seem like a menace to anyone on the trails.  Even the dogs are welcomed to get into shape and never avoid a hill for fitness. But their sense of the trail layout and the difficulty of some trails and the gentle grade of others showed me that man’s best friends are more aware than I thought.

I always say when I venture west how impressed I am with the fitness of people out there. Even “older” folks seem to be in great shape and don’t let their advancing age hinder their pursuit for outdoor activities and the great visuals of the Wasatch. I suppose if you have over 300 days of sunshine, world class skiing, water sports, and multi use trail systems like Round Valley, you really have no excuse not to take advantage of the great outdoors. They have a great life out there.

For more information on a really well thought out recreation area, check out Mountain Trails and see for yourself how active people can make a difference to better their lives and other lives as well.

Dawn at Round Vally from the grooming team. Credit: Mountain Trails

 

 

mikemaginn

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 19)

/1 Comment/in /by

ISHA Treasure Chest, Wildcat Polecat Run, Hemingway Excerpt, Jan’s Series Wrap, Gift From COVID Year, Shared House Tips, Nordic Colorado.

I-25 in Northern Colorado during the Big Weekend Storm. Credit: eptrail.com

“There Is Much Weather In A March Day”: Irish Proverb.

Indeed, March has us betwixt and between. We had some beautiful mid 60s to 70 degree days early on in New England, then an abrupt switch to zero degrees and wind chill driving the sap up in the sugar maples around the farm. We march into spring hoping for those bluebird days and t-shirt skiing, and maybe that’s in the offing, based on the cockamamie fluctuations we’ve been seeing.  There has been that huge, record-breaking dump of snow in Colorado for a potential season extender. We know I-70 and I-25 (see above) were a mess heading out of Denver. Pent-up demand is everywhere.

The new snow and cold temps are treasures for those chasing these coming weeks of spring skiing. A surprise, considering the wobbly start of the season in the Rockies. The West and Northwest have more than enough snow to carry on to Memorial Day. Snowmaking might be the extender device of Northeastern resorts. Unlike other years when resorts extended their seasons with late snows and found the numbers of visitors disappointing, this year we predict demand will keep folks coming out until the last snowflake melts into a vernal pool.

The ISHA Treasure Chest.

Speaking of treasures, we’ve just been cruising around the website of the International Skiing History Association. ISHA is a non-profit whose mission is to “preserve and advance the knowledge of ski history and to increase the public’s awareness of ski heritage.” To do that, the organization publishes Skiing History Magazine, a well-produced, bi-monthly, full color publication that has interesting articles about the sport’s past: equipment, places, personalities, and the like. Subscribers have access to the magazine’s entire archive collection, enough material to while away many an evening.

In addition to the magazine, ISHA maintains other treasures on its website. You can find profiles of people from the world of skiing from racing to business leaders to resort founders and on and on. There’s also an incredible library of videos with interviews and documentaries, a thorough and detailed directory of ski museums , collections and libraries around the globe, a section on Canadian ski history, a history of Nordic skiing and jumping, a glossary of ski terms over the years, Olympic lore and facts. There’s also a collection of vintage ski art and posters from the classic travel posters of yore to magazine covers, ancient woodcuts, and photos. And an extensive racing results resource that covers Olympics, World Cup and World Cup Championships

ISHA also sponsors an annual awards event that honors ski authors, filmmakers and broadcasters.

For researchers and enthusiasts, there is an incredible, massive ski bibliography assembled over a number of years by the Chief Librarian of Whitman College Henry Yaple. It contains a listing of every book, dissertation, film video and piece of software published on skiing, in English, between 1890 and 2002. The resulting two-volume work, comprising 732 pages, was published by ISHA in 2004. It lists more than 7,000 items, all searchable on the ISHA site.

We know SeniorsSkiing.com readers would love to belong to ISHA and read Skiing History Magazine. Such treasures and such value are available through a new discount introductory offer.

From now until June 30, you can join ISHA and get a subscription to Skiing History Magazine for only $12 for six issues with auto-renew. Be sure to use the code SRSKI21 to get this fantastic discount.  Click on the ISHA Take A Run On Us ad in the right column or click here to access the details and sign up.

Incidentally, ISHA is searching for a new CEO to lead the organization. It’s a real opportunity for someone with leadership and non-profit experience as well as a commitment to winter sports.  If you’re interested, contact Chan Morgan, Chairman of the Board, via email at Chauncey.g.morgan@gmail.com.

This Week.

 

Our Question For You this week asks you to think about the good things that might have descended to you and yours from this one year of virus restrictions and constraint. What’s the gift you have been given? Click here.

We found a wonderful short story by Ernest Hemingway for our Snow In Literature series that takes place in the Swiss Alps and includes descriptions of skiing techniques and equipment in the 20s. We’ve included an excerpt from the beginning of Cross Country Snow as well as a link to the entire story. Enjoy. Click here.

View from Wildcat to Mt. Washington. That’s Tuckman Ravine on the left. Credit: Tamsin Venn

Correspondent Tamsin Venn visits Wildcat in New Hampshire on a perfect spring skiing day. Here’s her report of her experience.  Click here.

And we found a wonderful top-to-bottom video that shows a continuous run on Polecat, the longest green run in New Hampshire, from the top of Wildcat to the base lodge. It looks like a wonderful, easy trail. Click here.

Here’s Part Six of Jan Brunvand’s story of his skiing career, bringing us up to date on his adventures in Utah and beyond.  Here’s a guy who has been skiing for eighty years, and he still gets a thrill out of it.  Click here.

Our Make More Tracks story this week brings us to Colorado, normally thought of as headquarters for Alpine ski resorts. There are many excellent Nordic resorts across the state, and this article from the Nordic Approach highlights several of them. Click here.

Correspondent Karen Lorentz profiles the famous green-parka-clad Ambassadors at Killington, who help visitors navigate the huge resort as well as create a climate of friendliness and welcome. Click here.

Web designer and skier extraordinaire Alice Winthrop offers some rules that help make sharing a ski house stress- and conflict-free.  Alice is SeniorsSkiing.com’s designer and IT consultant who also created Resercal, an app that takes confusion out of house sharing. Click here.

Finally, Herb Stevens wings in with a report on next week’s weather. The West continues to get snow, not so much in the East. Click here.

Final Note: We have finally received all the labels and envelopes from our printers for mailing our premiums to our donors who contributed during our recent fundraising. We should be starting our mailings in a week or so. 

Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends and remember there are more of us every day and we aren’t going away.