As the count down to Valentines Day commences, Jon has collected a number of gifts from the expensive to the practical. What? You don’t think warm underwear is a lovely Valentine’s gift idea? Well, he has other suggestions. From the latest Huffington Post Post 50.
Heading down Big Dipper at Alta.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
We looked over the initial results from Subscriber Survey 2016 and realized we wanted to respond immediately to some of the questions you raised. You will find a capsule summary of responses to your questions in We Hear You. Please note that we do have a FORUM, and it can be a useful tool if you want to connect to other senior skiers. Look at the topmost dark blue menu bar, second menu pick in from the right, just to the left of ABOUT. Seems as if it’s been a best kept secret all this time. More results will be coming soon.
Curiously, one of the themes you mentioned in your survey advice was to help ski resorts and senior skiers form groups like the Over The Hill Gang that started in Copper Mountain, CO in 1976. This week, we present a profile of OHG and how it works. Can you get a gang like this together where you ski?
Our friend and skiing colleague, The Ski Diva, wrote a useful set of tips on keeping your feet warm. You know what cold feet can do to your day. Thanks to The Ski Diva for letting us reprint her advice.
SeniorsSkiing.com’s ace correspondent Harriet Wallis shows us the “Skiers’ Paradise”,—Alta— in all its glory. Alta has much to offer senior skiers, and, in this resort review, Harriet shows us some of its treasures.
And, for those who always wanted to ski Montana but found the getting there part a bit of a chore, there is news inside about a new airline route. You can get a more direct flight into Bozeman, opening up your way to Big Sky.
Preview:
Next week, we’ll be posting more data from the Subscriber Survey, a resort review of the venerable Cranmore Mountain, North Conway, NH, a profile of our favorite Nordic site in Massachusetts, more product reviews, and whatever else comes over the transom.
Meanwhile, do two things:
1) Check our FORUM. That’s where you can link up with other kindred spirits.
2) And, tell your friends about SeniorsSkiing.com.
Our Second Subscriber Survey 2016 closed just this morning, and we wanted to respond right away so you know we are listening. There is some important information in here for our readers that respond to the questions you raised via the survey.
Mission—Just to be ultra clear: Our mission is to help the ski industry see the value of seniors who actively engage in snow sports. And to help you keep at it. To do that we are going to promote the senior demographic’s value proposition in as many ways as we can. One idea that is taking form in some Alpine ski areas are “Senior Days” or “Master Clinics” which are mid-week events focused on a variety of engaging activities. We have found some ski resorts that are staging these events and we are going to tell you and the industry all about them. If the idea of “Senior Days” takes off, you can help us promote it. Stay tuned. We are also going to continue to promote senior-oriented products, cover fitness ideas, influence ski instruction and describe destinations you might like.
Discounts—Where are the discounts is a big question you asked. Some immediate advice back to you: Many ski areas offer senior discounts if you buy online, especially a few days before you go and if you buy multi-day passes. There are online ticket discounters that are really making a difference. Check those out here. Other areas have deep, deep discounts for season passes if you buy in September. So, they are out there, you just have to look. Also, SeniorsSkiing.com ran its Second Annual Ski Area Survey of ski resorts to determine which were the most “senior-friendly”. Check out the results here. You guys offered more ideas here. And here’s a list of deals for seniors from Ski New Hampshire. And here’s a deal site for the Tahoe area. Thanks to the International Ski History Association, we also published a directory of ski areas in North America that offer free skiing to seniors. If you are a subscriber, you should have downloaded that when you signed up. Finally, we posted an article about where you can find senior-friendly Nordic ski resorts.
Another option for discounts is going on a package deal ski vacation with a group. We had recent articles about Roads Scholars Nordic and Alpine trips. We plan to tell you about more group travel options as we form relationships with bona fide trip organizers.
If you know of any other super deals and discounts, please let us know on the FORUM/Destinations.
Meet Ups—Another big question you asked was how to meet other like-minded seniors for skiing, socializing and hanging out. To facilitate that, we want to make sure you know about our FORUM that is apparently one of SeniorsSkiing.com’s best kept secrets. Our subscribers should already be registered to post on the FORUM. The FORUM can be found by clicking on the darker blue banner at the top, just to the left of ABOUT. We just started a new topic called Meet up/Get Together on the FORUM. Use this place to post your intentions. Ski clubs and groups can use this to announce events. Please follow the Rules For Being A Citizen Of This Forum.
We learned a lot from this Second Subscriber Survey 2016. We heard about the challenge of reading blue letters on blue background and we’re talking steps to adjust that. We also heard about the need for special ski instruction. We’re with you and have some articles planned to discuss that topic. There are many other ideas you offered and they are all interesting and much appreciated.
We are energized and excited to hear from so many of you. We appreciate your words of support and hope to hear more from you as we develop. Tell your friends. Remember, there are more of us every day, and we’re not going away.
The FORUM allows subscribers to communicate with each other.
Our friend and fellow online ski magazine, The Ski Diva, has just posted a really helpful article on cold feet management. This is important folks. Cold toesies can ruin your day and might even discourage you from enjoying the world of winter outdoors. Take a moment to check out The Diva’s suggestions, and feel free to add your own in COMMENTS. Click on the toes to link to her site.
With Big Snow finally coming to the East Coast, we are getting the dust off our snow sports equipment. Next week, we’ll have some reporting about classic New England skiing and, with the Mid-Atlantic getting whomped, we expect to hear from our contributors down there about new-found snow.
Move over, Big Papi, Big Air is coming to Fenway. Spectators can oo-ha on Feb 12-13.
This week’s issue
From contributor Pat McCloskey, read about HoliMont, a relatively low-key private ski club in Western New York State. We’re planning an article on private ski clubs in general but this one is an interesting preview. Lots of programs for families and it’s open to non-members during the week.
Paul Foy reviews a collapsible water bottle from Hydrapac that helps solve the problem of how to hydrate on the hill. Dehydration is a real menace, especially in seniors, and doubly especially for seniors in higher altitudes, so this one is worth paying attention to.
We also trace a phenomenon that’s been going on in different places and different ways for a while: Skiing in the city. Tokyo, New York and now Boston are making different attempts to bring the mountain to the town. LATE BREAKING NEWS: WINTER JAM IN NEW YORK THIS WEEKEND HAS BEEN CANCELLED. REASON: TOO MUCH SNOW EXPECTED! GO FIGURE.
We are publishing the results of our Reader Poll about ski patrollers lifting tickets from speeders. This one has us scratching our heads. Check the results and tell us what you think the data is saying.
Subscriber Survey Reminder
We’ve been blown away by the response to our second Subscriber Survey 2016. Thanks to all who have responded. But, we’d like to hear from those who haven’t. Shortly after our weekly issue gets delivered this morning, you’ll receive a reminder to take the survey. Please take five minutes and respond. Last time. Big finale. It helps us help you. Thanks.
Good Luck, Mid-Atlantic States.
SSAWS indoor ski dome near Tokyo was demolished in 2002.
Credit: Morio/Wikipedia
Every once in a while, a curious idea becomes a reality. Why not bring snow to the city and provide a place for people to have a great winter experience? In Japan, the reality involved a $400-million investment in an indoor ski-a-rama called Lalaporte Ski Dome SSWAS. Built in 1993 in Chiba near Tokyo, it featured a 800 meter run and, at the time, was the largest indoor ski venue in the world. The vision melted with the extended Japanese recession; the structure was demolished in 2002.
But the idea of skiing in the city still has legs. Lots of people go cross-country skiing in New York’s Central Park; when we lived on the Upper West side several decades ago, the park was where we learned how to divine the right color wax for our wooden skis. Now, the city is planning a Winter Jam in the park where city folks can have a taste of snow sports. [EDITOR NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO AN EXPECTED BLIZZARD THIS WEEKEND ON THE EAST COAST. CUE THE IRONY.] On Jan. 23rd, the NYC Parks Department and the Olympic Regional Development authority will bring Gore Mountain snow guns in to create a 15-foot-high snow mound and enough white stuff to cover a football-field-sized area. There will be free skiing, snowboard, sledding, snowshoeing, lessons, hot chocolate, and the inevitable snowball fight. Here’s a video from a previous Winter Jam.
Not to be outdone, Boston is also getting into the snow-in-the-city derby. The US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) is staging a Polartec Big Air event in, wait for it, Fenway Park, home of the vaunted Red Sox. While the public can’t actually take to the snow, on February 11 and 12, they can watch top snow board and ski competitors doing aerials off a gigantic, 140-foot high ramp that stretches from deep center field to home base. This is actually an International Ski Federation (FIS) sanctioned event, featuring Olympic champs and hopefuls. [Note to organizers: Don’t get too close to the Green Monster.]
Since Boston declined to participate in the selection process for the 2020 Summer Olympics, perhaps this is an opening gambit for the 2026 Winter games. Maybe not.
Move over, Big Papi, Big Air is coming to Fenway. Spectators can cheer the aerialists on Feb 11-12.
Poll results are in. A clear majority of SeniorsSkiing.com respondents have never seen a ski patroller lift a ticket from a speeding skier. One out of five have seen that happen only once. Interestingly, early results from our Subscriber Survey 2016 suggest that speeding skiers are a problem for seniors. Your thoughts?
Have you ever looked uphill and seen this guy coming?
Credit: US Ski Team
You can’t see it but these folks are smiling as they skip to the lifts at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows.
Thankfully this week, the snow began to fall and the temperature dip in the Northeast. New England snow machines are making the “cold gold” and snow sport seniors are in full swing. Meanwhile, the West has been experiencing huge dumps of snow. Our San Francisco-based correspondent Rose Marie Cleese brings us news of the very happily snow-covered Sierras in her round-up of resort snow conditions.
Gate to the Chutes at Mt. Rose. Steepness ahead. Credit: Pat McCloskey
In another in our series of SeniorsSkiing Guides, our new contributor Pat McCloskey recounts his first trip to Mt. Rose with its challenging Chute collection of steeps. Find out how seniors can economize on the price of a day ticket.
Correspondent Steve Hines is an avid outdoorsman, Wilderness First Responder and knowledgeable REI staff person. For seniors who are contemplating starting or returning to Nordic skiing, Steve outlines the basic kinds of bindings currently on the market and rates them in terms of “ease of use.”
SLC-based Jan Brunvand recollects his experience with ElderHostel, now Roads Scholar. There are several different learn-and-ski Alpine and Nordic Road Scholar trips available; the groups are small, the prices reasonable and the friendship fast and firm. Check out his past trips with the group, and, if you’ve been on one of these, tell us about it.
SeniorsSkiing.com regular correspondent Harriet Wallis was at the OR (Outdoor Retail) Show in SLC last week and scoured the floor for interesting and useful products for seniors. She collected five good product ideas for you to contemplate. Here’s her on-the-scene report.
Finally, we had a chance to review the TomTom Bandit action camera, the newest entry in the “stick on your helmet” field. It has excellent optics and a cool “shake-and-edit” feature that allows you to create an instant video ready for sending to friends and family via cyberspace.
Watch Out For Our Subscriber’s Survey
You can expect to see our Second Annual Subscriber Survey to appear in your inbox shortly after you receive this week’s issue of SeniorsSkiing.com. This year, we’re offering a few incentives for you to complete this short (five minutes, honest) survey. Last year, we had an incredible 50 percent response rate. Come on, guys and gals, let’s hear from you.
An elegant skier, Stein Eriksen was an Olympian, instructor, skiing ambassador and charming personality.
Credit: Deer Valley
As part of our new SeniorsSkiing Guides, we have two new resort reviews to check out. These reviews are designed to focus on aspects of different ski areas—Alpine and Nordic—that are “senior-friendly.” New contributor Jan Brunvand tells us about Powder Mountain, north of Salt Lake City, the second largest ski area in North America. (Bet you didn’t know that.) He shares the incredible bargain “PowMow” has for certain seniors.
XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr offers his advice to seniors on Alpine and Nordic skiing Bretton Woods in the shadow of Mount Washington, NH. He even gives you some starter-kit routes to follow, a helpful guide for newbie visitors.
Finally, Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg remembers his personal encounters with Stein Eriksen, the ski legend who passed away this week.
Previewing Next Week’s Issue
Coming up next week expect to see our Sierra Roundup about what’s happening in the snow-laden West, thoughts about ski instruction for seniors and more product reviews. We’ll post our highly interesting poll results about Ski Patrollers lifting lift tickets. Have you participated in our poll yet?
We welcome your article ideas and comments; let’s hear from you!
Also, we are launching our Second Subscriber Survey soon. Look for it in your email and please help us by responding.
Tell Your Friends
Finally, tell your friends about SeniorsSkiing.com; send them a link and let them see for themselves what we trying to do. We are a grass-roots effort, a group of snow sport enthusiasts with an awesome team of correspondents and contributors who see a need to give seniors a voice in a youth-focused industry. Our mission is to raise the profile of seniors who love snow sports, sharing news and ideas for “senior-friendliness” to all. As one of the members of our Advisory Board said, “There are more of us every day, and we are not going away.”
The magnificent Omni Mt. Washington Hotel lies at the base of Bretton Woods’ Mt. Rosebrook.
Credit: Bretton Woods
Bretton Woods is part of the Omni Mount Washington Resort at the southern base of the mighty Mt. Washington in New Hampshire on Route 302. The resort includes three significant snow resort assets: hotels/inns (the historic Omni Mount Washington Hotel, the Bretton Arms Inn), the Bretton Woods alpine ski area and the Nordic Center. Spectacular scenery and many photo opportunities abound!
Alpine Skiing at Bretton Woods
The alpine ski area has 464 acres of skiing and snowboarding on 62 trails and 35 glades and three terrain parks. There are 10 lifts including four high-speed quads, food outlets at the main lodge and, up on the slopes, there is a restaurant at the top of the Bethlehem Express lift. There’s also a cabin destination for snacks and libations accessible by T-bar near the top of Mt. Stickney, and a unique candy store (!) at the top of the Zephyr Express lift.
Snow and Terrain
Sunrise run at Bretton Woods. Notice the corduroy.
Credit: Roger Lohr
Bretton Woods is known for consistent snow conditions, and it’s rarely ever windy. They’ve got snowmaking on 92 precent of the trails. Over the years, Bretton Woods was known as an easy mountain with few steep slopes and that, in fact, is one of the best reasons for older skiers to become aficionados of the area. The runs are short and the lifts are fast, and this allows older skiers and riders to turn on the jets and avoid getting tired from runs that are too long.
The ski area has now become recognized for its grooming by earning first place mention in a skiers poll. It also has excellent accessible glade skiing that can be enjoyed by intermediate skiers and boarders and has the longest lasting powder. Bretton Woods has an excellent layout with the four high speed chairlifts helping to spread skiers out on the mountain, which keep lift lines reasonable and often nonexistent. The West Mountain and Rosebrook areas on the mountain are separated from the main mountain, and they provide plenty to explore both on the slopes and in the glades.
Bretton Woods is host to many multigenerational families, and you rarely see out-of-control skiers who are skiing or riding too fast. I’ve always enjoyed the slope edges at Bretton because they provide terrain that is accessible and ungroomed and most Bretton skiers avoid these parts of the slopes. Untracked powder can remain on the slope edges and in glades for days following storms.
Suggested Alpine Skiing Itinerary For Seniors
My recommendation for Bretton Woods is to take the Bethlehem lift and then ski to the Rosebrook lift. Take a few runs in the Rosebrook area in some easy glades, but don’t go too far to the east, or you’ll end up back down at the base. From the top of the Rosebrook lift, go west and keep your speed up to reach the West Mountain for runs in the glades on that side of the mountain. Enjoy plenty of narrow runs in the West Mountain trees. There’s a restroom at the base of the West Mountain quad, if you need it.
The lodge has plenty of free storage bins and services in the basement, a cafeteria on the first floor, a bar, restaurant, and a climbing wall on the third floor. The food at Bretton Woods is standard ski area fare.
Special offers for seniors include a $25 midweek/non-holiday lift ticket for ages 65+, and those 80+ ski free everyday. The popular Wiser Woods weekly program (offered Tuesdays January 5-March 15, cost $125 for the season plus lift ticket) lets skiers and riders age 50+ with similar interests and ability ski with one of Bretton Woods’ instructors and enjoy the camaraderie of others during morning coffee socials and end of season get together.
Nordic Center: Lift To Mountain Trails
Nordic trails offer views of Mt. Washington at Bretton Woods.
Credit: Bretton Woods
The Nordic Center is adjacent to the grand hotel, and it has 100 km of XC ski and snowshoe trails. Take trails to the yurt for a popular destination about 5 km from the Nordic Center, and you’ll enjoy some thrilling downhill on the return trip. There are various locations to stop and rest along the way including a river bridge, which is a great place to take photos.
The lift-served Mountain Road trail may be the most fun to be had on XC skis in New England. I’ve taken many friends on the Mountain Road because it is much easier to take the lift up and then ski downhill on the trail, and it has incredible scenery and views. This 7 km trail is accessible from the top of the Bethlehem Express quad at the Bretton Woods alpine ski area (five minutes from the Nordic Center via complimentary resort shuttle). Along the way, take a side trip on a T-bar lift to the Stickney Cabin for snacks and libations and to ski additional trails on the way back to the Mountain Road. For senior or novice XC skiers, the Mountain Road is sure to be a lifetime highlight!
Correspondent Roger Lohr, on the Mountain Road, is publisher of XCSkiResorts.com
Credit: Roger Lohr
While you’re at the area take the free shuttle and go check out the historic Omni Mt. Washington Hotel for some drinks or dinner. It harkens back to the time of the grand hotels (bell boys, ski concierge, etc.) and it has been renovated with a new spa, wonderful restaurants and bars, and even a dance club in the basement for late night action.
Bottom Line
A full day of alpine skiing for skiers older than 64 on weekends or holidays is $73; midweek is $63, and skiers older than 79 are complimentary for alpine or Nordic skiing. The Nordic Center is $14 for skiers aged 65-79 and only $7 if you are a lodge guest at the resort. The Nordic High Country pass is $31 (or a $10 add on to a ski ticket) for one ride on the Bethlehem Express lift with unlimited use of the T-bar at Mt. Stickney.
Bretton Woods Resort Alpine Trail Map
Bretton Woods Resort Nordic Trail Map
Salt Lake City-based Jon Weisberg has been waiting all summer to explore the biggest ski resort in America. With this season’s huge—and apparently ongoing—dump of snow on the Wasatch Mountains, he makes his first visit and has some senior-focused suggestions for getting the most out of your visit. Here’s his report from the powder fields of Park City, recently published in Huffington Post’s Huff 50. If you’ve been to the new mega-resort, what’s your advice? Is bigger better?
This Is The Utah Bucket List Resort Few Visiting Skiers Ever See.
Brighton is a held in high regard by senior skiers for its friendliness and its powder.
Credit: Brighton
I kept hearing three sounds at Brighton on December 22, the first day of Winter, 2015. Early morning trail runs were knee deep. As more people arrived, I entered the forest. There were places where depths reached my thighs.
Sound One: Teen-fueled screech of Yippee! HooHaw! YowWee!
Sound Two: Less frequent and muffled thunder of avalanche bombs.
Sound Three: My quiet laughter in moments of pure joy.
Jon’s tracks through the trees on his early morning run at Brighton.
Credit: Jon Weisberg
Brighton is Utah’s oldest resort. It was started in 1936 and is at the end of gorgeous Big Cottonwood Canyon road, 14 serpentine miles, including two linked hairpin turns. It’s next to Solitude, and both can be skied for a slight ticket premium.
Brighton is a local’s favorite and known for its boarders. But it has a longstanding following of older skiers and should be on our collective bucket list.
http://www.brightonresort.com/mountain/trail-map/
Brighton is at the end of Big Cottonwood Canyon, a natural snow machine.
Credit: Brighton
Many thanks to our enthusiastic readers who continue to inspire us.
Credit: Parents Magazine
Jon and Mike, Co-Publishers
And our wonderful regular correspondents: Harriet Wallis, Rose Marie Cleese, Susie Winthrop, Steve Hines, Roger Lohr, Tamsin Venn.
Last spring, we did our first Subscriber Survey to learn, among other things, just who our readers were. We learned that you guys like discounts first and foremost. We also learned you that 55 percent of our respondents skied more than 30 days a year! Now that is impressive considering that the average number of skier days for all demographics was 7.6 in 2013-14, according to Snowsports Industries America.
That our readers are passionate about skiing continues to be validated by a new sliver of data. SeniorsSkiing.com’s first major poll revealed that in late August and early September, 66.3 percent of respondents had ALREADY bought their season passes and another 6.3% were about to. Clearly, you were taking advantage of early-bird discounts. And you definitely planned to ski at a favorite ski area. A lot. Here are the results.
Rain comes with early season skiing. Lilly Venn braves the drops at Bretton Woods and gets to see the moody views towards the Presidential Range.
Credit: Tamsin Venn
For seniors who like to zig without the worry of another skier’s zag, one of the best times to hit uncrowded slopes is in the rain. Sometimes that is what these early season ski days bring us. It’s not exactly the bluebird day most of us hope for, but before you turn on the TV for a Netflix binge, consider these advantages.
Does anyone have skiing-in-the-rain pictures or stories to share?
Editor Note: Skiers who are also sailors think rain is just another way to enjoy your sport. And remember the old expression, “There is no bad weather, just bad clothing.”
Ski Archives glittering gala was held on Nov. 5 at the Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
The country’s largest ski history and research organization, Ski Archives, held its annual gala and fundraiser that helps support its mission. And SeniorSkiing.com contributed four gifts to the silent fund raising auction.
SeniorsSkiing.com contributed four gift bags to the Silent Auction.
Credit: Harriet Wallis
Each SeniorSkiing gift included ski socks by Darn Tough of Vermont, a GripPro hand strength trainer, and a Boot Horn that slides your foot easily into ski boots.
The Ski Archives gala event honors individuals and organizations that set the high mark for their influence on the ski industry.
This year, the late Dick Bass, the co-founder of Snowbird, unstoppable outdoor enthusiast, and the first person to climb the highest point on each of the seven continents, was posthumously awarded the S. J. Quinney Award for his contributions to the ski industry. Bass died in July.
“He had a life long love affair with Mother Nature,” said his son who accepted the award.
And Ski Utah earned the state’s top ski industry award—the J. Willard Marriott Library History-Maker Award—that’s presented for extraordinary accomplishments in winter sports.
For 40 years Ski Utah, the state’s non-profit trade organization, has been promoting Utah’s fabulous snow that pumps $1.3 billion annually into the state’s economy. It markets come-to-Utah tourism worldwide, and it fosters winter recreation for in-staters.
The late and legendary Dick Bass, co-founder of Snowbird, was honored for his contributions to the ski industry.
Credit: Snowbird
In a nutshell, Ski Utah promotes the ski industry and the Ski Archives preserves the history of it.
The Ski Archives was founded about two decades ago by ski enthusiasts and visionaries who 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 in Salt Lake City 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, it’s a prime research collection, and it’s open to the public. This year’s event was held November 5 at Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.
Mt. Blanc Credit: AndreaPerino
Snowbird is one of 16 ski resorts designated as “Senior-Friendly” through SeniorsSkiing.com’s second annual ski area survey.
Sixteen resorts in the East. Midwest, West/Northwest, and Canada are recognized as “Senior Friendly” for their proactive efforts to meet the needs of older skiers.
The selection is based on input from SeniorsSkiing.com’s second annual survey of US and Canadian resorts, reader input, and industry sources. Factors taken into account include free or discounted lift tickets and a variety of features—such as resort-sponsored clubs, close-to-lodge parking, and other amenities—which readers of SeniorsSkiing.com have identified as important.
The resorts designated as friendliest to seniors are (*designated Senior-Friendly in 2014-15):
East
Attitash Mountain Resort, Bartlett, New Hampshire
Special ski school clinics, discounts, clubs, social activities; $50 season pass (80+), 30% discount (65-79).
Cannon Mountain Ski Area, Franconia, New Hampshire
Ski school clinics, discounts, curbside assistance, $50 season pass (80+). 14% discount (65-79).
Cataloochee, Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Free skiing (65+).
Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Jeffersonville, Vermont
Reserved areas in lodge, discounts: ski shops, rentals, school; area sponsored clubs, social activities, $20 season pass (70+0.
Sugarbush Resort, Warren, Vermont
$199 mid-week season (65+); free skiing (90+).
Waterville Valley Resort*, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
Silver Streaks ski club: clinics, races, social events. 30% discount (65-79), $25 season pass (80+).
Midwest
Crystal Mountain, Traverse City, Michigan
“Retired Not Tired” program: provides local retirees opportunity to return to skiing; actively enjoy winter in the company of peers. 42% discounts for mid-week season passes (56+), $29 season pass (80+).
Mt Zion Ski Hill, Ironwood, Michigan
Ski school clinics, curbside assistance, close-to-lodge parking, restaurant discounts. Free skiing (70+), 20% discount (65-69).
West/Northwest
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Colorado
Close-to-lodge parking, clubs and activities. Single day tickets $25 (70+), season pass $75.
Hogadon Ski Area, Casper, Wyoming
School clinics, equipment carts for gear, clubs and activities. 25% discount (65+), free skiing (70+).
Mt Hood Skibowl*, Government Camp, Oregon
School clinics, mid-week parties, clubs/activities, mid-week motor coach transportation. Free skiing (75+), 30% discount (65-69).
Purgatory Resort, Durango, Colorado
School clinics, equipment carts for gear, mid-week parties, curbside assistance, valet parking, close-to-lodge parking. 30 percent off season pass (65 -79), $120season pass (80+).
Snowbird, Snowbird, Utah
Generous season passes discount; 10% food discount for seniors in all dining facilities (including new Summit at Snowbird). Ask the cashier.
Sundance Mountain Resort, Sundance, Utah
Sundance Senior Ski Group (free for 65+); lift ticket ($15), season pass ($125). Includes all skiing, x-c ski/snowshoe trail facilities, use of lift in summer months. Coaching available on select dates throughout season.
Tahoe Donner, Truckee, California
School clinics and discounts, mid-week parties, close-to-lodge parking, clubs, awards banquets, equipment rental discounts. Free skiing (70+), 45% discount (65-69).
Canada
Lake Louise Ski Resort*, Lake Louise, Alberta
School, equipment discounts. Free skiing (80+), 20% discount (65-79)
All Senior-Friendly resorts will be receiving an award plaque from SeniorsSkiing.com. Many of these resorts report that up to 40 percent of mid-week skiers are seniors taking advantage of fast lift lines, space in the lodge to spread out, as well as other low-cost, or no-cost amenities.
SeniorsSkiing.com salutes these resorts and thanks them for setting an example for the ski industry and for making seniors feel welcome.
Huff Post’s Post 50 Blog features our own Jon Weisberg reporting on the 98 resorts in North American where seniors can ski for free. The list of resorts both large and small were compiled by the National Ski Area Association and also published in Ski History magazine.
Regular subscribers to SeniorsSkiing.com will be emailed a copy of this listing. New subscribers will receive a copy as well as an ebook of historic ski posters.
The White Mountains frame Bretton Woods resort with a first dusting in mid October. Credit: Bretton Woods
We’ve been watching reports of snow in high altitude places in the West and East which makes the coming of winter seem a bit rushed this year. There are still leaf-peepers on the roads of Vermont and New Hampshire, and snow on Halloween decorations doesn’t seem to ring true. For those of us in New England, the snow fall brings a reflexive response conditioned by last year’s Snowmaggedon. Yes, bring it on, but hopefully let it regress to the mean.
By now, you’ve probably heard that Killington opened on Oct 18 with a small army of zealots skiing on manufactured snow. (BTW, Killington was the last ski area in New England to close last spring. The last run of that elongated season was in late May.) Sunday River followed a day later with 750 season ticket holders playing hookey from work and school to record their first of presumably many days of snow sport to follow. Our friend and colleague, The Ski Diva, puts these early days of enthusiasm in perspective. See her astute advice on surviving what she calls the White Ribbon Of Death here.
And yet, according to NOAA, this year’s El Nino has become a stronger predictor this year. OpenSnow, our favorite snow forecaster, explains that despite the early showing, this year might be less snowy than we’d like.
Nevertheless, now is the time to:
Meanwhile, let’s remember winter is a special time for senior snow enthusiasts. In describing winter, Robert Frost says,
If you head out on the Atlantic Ocean in a canoe and run into trouble, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will send a 110 foot cutter to rescue you. End of story.
A SAR team practices at Yosemite.
Credit: US Park Service
This is not always the case here on land. The U.S. Park Service also maintains Search and Rescue (SAR) teams in each of the National Parks that have large wilderness and mountainous tracts. It costs each park visitor one and a half cents to maintain the SAR teams. These government agencies are supported by our tax dollars, and it seems well worth what we pay. The USCG has other responsibilities and is considered part of our armed forces. With the largest defense budget in the world, expectations that they conduct SAR activities seem reasonable. But, there’s more to it than that. There is a tradition of rescue at sea that dates back 200+ years. It’s part of our nation’s History and our values.
A comparison of SAR at sea and SAR in the mountains seems apt. However, several states have passed legislation to charge rescued individuals. Colorado was one of the first to pass a “hiker responsibility” law. If you require a rescue and are subsequently deemed to have acted in an “irresponsible” manner, you must pay the cost of the rescue. New Hampshire, in July 2014, changed a law which had been on the books since 1999 to lower the threshold for when to bill hikers for rescues. Under the original law, hikers had to engage in “reckless” behavior; now they need only be “negligent.”
Cost is a key consideration. Many of you senior snow enthusiasts out there have observed the ski patrol rescue injured skiers. Many of these are paid professionals but many also are volunteers.
The Knoxville Tennessee News Sentinel reported, “In Great Smokey Mountain National Park, total search-and-rescue costs for 2012 reached $253,550 with 104 incidents, two involving fatalities.” Hikers and climbers in European countries can purchase rescue insurance.
The results of these laws have seen two teenagers billed for $30,000 dollars for a rescue in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. In Arizona, a lost trail runner hid from SAR teams to avoid being billed.
I disagree with these laws and would like to see SAR in our woods and mountains take a more courageous stance like the USCG’s. There is a strong tradition of helping those in need and the nobility of such attitudes enriches us all.
New Hampshire’s Hike Safe program exempts holders from repaying SAR costs, except where reckless or negligent.
Another answer is education. “Hike Safe” programs like New Hampshire’s are great safety tools. A hiker can apply for a hike safe card which validates they have been through proper training. This card, however does NOT protect them from being billed for a needed rescue.
The goal is to insure safety in our back country locations and not to “shame” individuals who may have taken a calculated risk and lost. Many mountain communities have selfless volunteers who participate in SAR. Let’s follow their lead and act on our values to care for those who need help. We can adopt the concepts and traditions of the Coat Guard to back country and mountain rescues. Get rid of “hiker responsibility laws”.
Editor Note: These comments reflect the views of veteran mountain and hiking expert Steve Hines and are not those of SeniorsSkiing.com. Steve is a wilderness guide, Wilderness First Responder and a volunteer trip leader for the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Station de ski du Semnoz with a view of Mont Blanc offers by-the-hour lift tickets. That’s different.
Pre-season cocktail hour among veteran skiers often leads to talk of the new season’s pass prices. In 2001 or 2002, when Park City Mountain Resort changed its senior pass from free to $300, a flurry of letters to the editor registered collective outrage. Not to mention that even at $300, it was a great deal for a season’s pass. Now, under Vail’s ownership, it doesn’t matter if you’re 19 or 89, the cost is $599 for locals and $789 for everyone else. To be fair, they throw in the rest of the Vail-owned resorts with the purchase, but not The Canyons, the area next door under Vail’s management.
A short drive away is smaller, more intimate Sundance. Vertical and skiable acreage are smaller, but on weekdays it is less inhabited. On powder days, it is vacant, providing one untracked run after another, some on steep, continuously pitched terrain. Sundance’s food is equivalent to that of a well-reviewed restaurant. And maybe because he’s an older dude, Robert Redford cuts a great deal for seniors (65+). This year, a day pass is $21, up from $15 last season and $12 a few years before that. The season pass is $125.
We’ll be publishing an updated list of where and when the mature set can ski free. Last year, those privileges started at 63 (McCauley Mountain Ski Center, Old Forge, NY) and clustered around 70.
SSAWS (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Skiing) Indoor Ski Dome outside Tokyo had three-hour day passes.
Throughout the industry, ticket-pricing models tend to follow the same ideas: Age, full day, half day, night, multi-day passes, 10 packs, etc. When it was in business, Lalaporte Ski Dome SSAWS, the indoor ski center outside of Tokyo, sold three-hour tickets. The monotony of the place made three-hours seem especially long.
We’ve just learned of an area not far from Chamonix that offers tickets based on the number of hours you choose to ski. Semnoz, is a short drive from Annecy, with a direct view of Mont Blanc. It is 5575′ above sea level, a midget compared to Mont Blanc’s 15,778′. Semnoz is a local’s place, which like Sundance, is reported to deliver endless untracked following big powder dumps.
We mention Semnoz because paying to ski by the hour is an idea that might deserve some attention here in the States.
BD TV will show you how the back country looks and the people who go there.
Credit: BDTV
Black Diamond, the climbing, skiing, mountain sports equipment and apparel manufacturer, is introducing BD TV, a new online film series. According to the company, the series is “dedicated to sharing stories from the soul of climbing and backcountry skiing.” The first season covers ski mountaineers, avalanche forecasters and hometown heroes discussing lifelong goals, alpine starts, family traditions and building a life around the unending love for sliding on snow.
To preview the series and watch some amazing mountain scenes, click here.
The view from the top of the world is pretty impressive in Warren Miller’s new flick: Chasing Shadows
Credit: Warren Miller Entertainment
Warren Miller created the ski movie genre. We remember the days when Warren’s movies included surfer music, sight gags and a narrator (was that Warren himself?) wise-cracking about how skiers would do almost anything to get on the mountain, including forgetting to mow their lawns (think Southern California).
Now, Warren Miller Entertainment produces a knock-out ski documentary/art/thrill film around this time every year; it has become the most predictable harbinger of the upcoming winter season. “Chasing Shadows” is this year’s offering. It will be playing around the country starting in late Sept. The cast features athletes from basically corner of the sport. And the scenes of mountains around the world are stunning.
For information about where to view “Chasing Shadows”, click here. Go and get inspired. Check out the trailer below. Pretty impressive.
Athletes
Rob Kingwill – Seth Wescott – Chris Anthony – Rachael Burks – Sho Kashima – Hannah Kearney Jonny Moseley – K.C. Oakley – Dylan Walczyk – Caroline Gleich – Jeremy Jensen – Steven Nyman – Matt Philippi – Ian Provo – Neil Provo – Lexi duPont – Amie Engerbretson – McKenna Peterson – Øystein Aasheim – Marcus Caston – Kaylin Richardson – Espen Fadnes – JT Holmes – Ian McIntosh – Ingrid Backstrom – Sage Cattabriga-Alosa – Mark Abma – Rory Bushfield – Chris Benchetler – Pep Fujas – Eric Pollard
Destinations
Nepal – Colorado – Wyoming – Utah – Alaska – France – Chile – Italy – Japan – Switzerland