Captured these four plates last week in the parking lot of Park City Mountain Resort. Note that SKI LEX is on a Lexus. At first I thought the 1 in SKI UT1 was an I. Maybe the plate of a skiing urologist?
We’ve selected some of the cleverest plates for the new “Licensed to Ski” poster. It is available as a gift in our annual SeniorsSkiing.com fundraiser which runs through March. Click here to donate.
Today, we start passing the fund-raising hat. Your contributions allow this shoestring operation to send you 8-10 original articles and other content, every-other-week, free-of-charge. We’re requesting a minimum contribution of $14, or $1 per issue; more if you can. All donors will receive the new Senior Skiers Rock! stickers. Donors of $50 or more will receive the Licensed to Ski poster displaying photos of ski-themed license plates from around the U.S. Click here to make a donation.
Fund-raising reminders will appear on SeniorsSkiing.com for the next three issues.
This week you’re in for a treat.
Jon’s Short Swings! column carries a link to an interview with him in The Storm Skiing Podcast, one of the fastest growing ski podcasts in North America.
Herb Stevens, The Skiing Weatherman, has a lot to comment on recent weather events favoring the Middle Atlantic and Northeastern states.
John Gelb addresses a skiing menace putting all of us at risk: dangerous. reckless skiers and what can be done to avoid and, hopefully, stop them.
Harriet Wallis has done a superb job pulling together reader and other input about ski groups where older skiers can meet up with others to take some runs.
With a tongue in cheek title, Don Burch captures the cold, windy nature of Eastern skiing with his newest short video: Breezy Days Skiing the Ice Coast.
Mike Roth brings a reader’s story to life with one of his highly descriptive and amusing cartoon illustrations.
And Jonathan Weisel gives a first-rate description of the work of the Cross Country Ski Areas Association and how it is improving XC skiing for its growing body of participants.
Finally, see if you can come up with the correct answer to this issue’s Test Your Skiing Knowledge feature and enjoy the newest additions to SeniorsSkiing’s growing collection of ski-themed license plates.
Enjoy the Beijing Winter Olympics!
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-13-at-5.13.53-PM.png86556seniorsskiing/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngseniorsskiing2022-02-03 17:00:592024-08-15 14:52:42This Issue: February 4, 2022
Each season, at this time, we pass the fund-raising hat. Your contributions, modest and generous, help keep SeniorsSkiing.com arriving to your inbox free of charge.
Please click here to access our fundraising page. We’re requesting a minimum contribution of $14, or $1 per issue. Readers contributing $50 or more will receive Licensed To Ski, the original 28” x 22” poster of clever ski-themed license plates from around the US. All readers who make a gift of $14 or more will be mailed the new “Senior Skiers Rock!” stickers for use on helmet, skis, car, locker, wherever you choose to express support for and pride in older skiers.
SeniorsSkiing.com started in 2014 to provide an information source for 50+ skiers and snowboarders. After a few seasons, it became evident that the site also serves as a virtual community, connecting older snowsports enthusiasts around the globe.
To date, we’ve published almost 1,700 original articles about issues relevant to the older participant, resorts, people, equipment, technique, injury and recovery, etc.
Keeping the lights on carries a price tag: maintaining the site’s platform and its subscriber mailing lists; employing parttime services of webmaster, graphics people, etc.
Your gifts, along with revenue from a handful of advertisers, allow this shoestring operation to collect and distribute, free, original content written specifically to your interests.
Over the next four issues, reminders of the fundraiser will be posted with each article. Please take a minute now by clicking here and making a contribution.
Thank you for subscribing and for your support!
SeniorsSkiing Featured on The Storm Skiing Podcast
For the past few years, Stuart Winchester, of The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast has been interviewing ski industry insiders and thought leaders. He takes an informed approach with the 90-minute podcasts, that many followers listen to while driving to the mountain. In the current Storm Skiing Podcast, Stuart and I discuss SeniorsSkiing.com and the role and influence of older skiers in the US. Click here to tune in to this just-published interview and the 70+ others in The Storm Skiing Podcast archive.
Update: Stevens Pass Passholders vs. Vail Resorts
A few weeks ago we reported that 20,000 Stevens Pass (WA) pass holders had signed a petition asking owner Vail Resorts to refund 60% of their pass cost because only 40% of the area is open. As of this writing, the number of signatories had grown to almost 45,000. The ski area, now with a newly installed manager, has opened far more terrain, and Vail Resorts is offering discounts on next season’s Stevens Pass and Epic season passes.
Vail Introduces “Phone Free” Zones
Credit: John LaConte/Vail Daily
In an effort to reduce lift line delays due to skiers distracted by their cell phones, the resort has started “Phone Free Zones.” Not a bad idea, especially if they extend it to the chair ride, itself. A few days ago, I was riding a four-seater at Alta while the guy next to me gave a Zoom lecture on economics. Interesting info. Wrong venue.
Klaus Obermeyer Is 102
Happy 102 Klaus!!
Aspen legend, Klaus Obermeyer, celebrated his 102nd birthday last week. An early instructor at the resort, he went on to develop such skiing staples as the quilted down parka, the first nylon windshirt, the dual-liner ski boot and the 2-prong ski brake. Klaus once told me that as he aged, he found it easier to ski than to walk. Happy Birthday, Klaus!!!
Alan Engen Reflects on His Father, Alf
Alf (l) and Alan Engen in 1989, when Alf was 80. Source: Ski Utah
Ski Utah podcaster, Tom Kelly recently interviewed Alan Engen about his father, Alf, and his own experience as a member of one of the nation’s most prominent skiing families. Listen to it by clicking here.
South Korean Chair Rolls Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9LNcmi6H9g
No serious injuries occurred recently when a chair at South Korea’s Bear’s Town Ski Resort lost control and rolled backward. Passengers jumped to safety before the chairs piled up in the terminal.
Fan Mail
Jim Cobb, manufacturer of The Bootster ski boot shoehorn, received this note last week from a SeniorsSkiing.com reader: I tried a friend’s Bootster and had to get my own because it works so well! I have very limited range of motion in my left big toe joint due to bone spurs, so it is VERY difficult getting my ski boot on. The Bootster makes it so much easier!
Mikaela Outskis T-Rex
More from the world of bizarre Beijing Olympics promo videos. Readers in the US may already be seeing this on their screens.
BABY OLYMPICS
How can we not fall for this three-minute video of toddlers in Olympic garb competing for Gold? (Be sure to click “Watch on You Tube.)
An Interesting Ski Video
Those of you who follow Short Swings! are aware of my general criticism of me-too ski videos. This one, featuring Sam Cohen and Michelle Parker, takes a different and more interesting approach. It documents a ski mountaineering expedition into a remote region of the North Cascades. The two adventurers carry gear for several days in North Cascades National Park, eventually taking the steep climb to a thrilling ski descent. 12 minutes of really interesting scenery, climbing and skiing.
Beijing Winter Olympics
The games start today. As you already know, a lot will be different: virtually all ski and board events will be on manmade snow; there won’t be big, international crowds, and a lot of attention will be on non-sporting activities. But, like every other Olympics, this one will be exciting to follow. I can’t wait for the men’s and women’s downhill. The course has some heart-stopping drops and jumps. Enjoy the Games!!!!
Stormy Midwest and East…West getting hungry for powder…
I had a couple of days on the snow early this week…a terrific day at Sunday River and a very disappointing day split between Wildcat and Attitash. You can add me to the list of those taking Vail to task for the manner in which they are operating their eastern resorts and I will leave it at that. The pattern has not been for the faint of heart of late, as an upper-level trough has been energized by the co-mingling of cold air from the north and milder air to the south. We saw an east coast blizzard last weekend and an enormous storm this week, one that prompted winter storm warnings from New Mexico to Maine on Wednesday. In my experience, that is something that I have never seen. While the trough has benefitted resorts in the Midwest and East, the West has been sitting under a dry upper-level ridge much of the New Year and snow has been sparse. Will that change anytime soon? Let’s take a look.
The eastern trough/western ridge couplet will remain in place for a while, and a look ahead to late next week’s jet stream gives me a chance to explain why by illustrating a forecast trick I learned a long time ago. Here is a look at the jet stream for next Friday…
Clearly, there is a deep trough over the East and a ridge just offshore of the Pac NW. But I want to focus on the trough east of Hawaii. When an upper trough is located in that position, or southeast of Hawaii, its’ counterclockwise flow helps to pump warmth into the ridge to its north, which strengthens the ridge. When the two features get hooked up like that, they tend to remain in place until one or the other weakens or is forced out of the region. That combo “teleconnects” to an eastern trough, so if you are checking out jet stream features on your favorite weather site, that trough’s position relative to Hawaii can tell you a lot about the near-term weather downstream over the U.S.
So, with that in mind, let’s jump ahead another week, to the start of President’s Day weekend…
It looks like the trough will still be in control from the Plains to the east coast, and the ridge will still be just off the NW coast. But, the trough east of Hawaii is no longer there. As a result the ridge is weaker and the northwesterly flow on its’ eastern flank will allow some Pacific moisture to slide down from the northern Cascades to the central and southern Rockies. That is not a blockbuster storm track, but it will support a break from the recent diet heavy on packed powder and bluebird skies. There are some early signs of changes in the position of thunderstorms in the southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean by mid-month, and if that comes to pass, we are likely to see a trough…and significant snows…return to the West late in the month. In the shorter term, though, most of the storm action will remain over the eastern half of the country.
Regional details…
Northwest U.S./Western Canada: Only the occasional weak disturbance passing through B.C. and Washington will produce snow for the next week or two.
Sierra: December’s snow is holding up well, and will have to continue to do so for a while longer.
Rockies: Only the northernmost and southernmost resorts have a shot at some snow for the foreseeable future…from the two branches of the jet stream working around the pesky offshore ridge.
Midwest: Every few days, a Clipper system will slide southeastward through the Great Lakes, producing light snow and modest backside lake effect.
Mid Atlantic/Southeast: Good temps for snowmaking for the next week or so. Expect one or two significant snow events this month.
Northeast/QB: Sizable late week snow gets period off to fine start. Several shots at fresh snow in the next two weeks thanks to the trough.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/senior-ski1.png576943Herb Stevens/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngHerb Stevens2022-02-03 16:50:332022-02-03 19:42:10The Skiing Weatherman February 4, 2022
In the past couple days many of you have read about two skiing tragedies: one affected multiple lives (a 5-yr old girl who was killed by an out-of-control skier), and the family she leaves behind, plus the alleged “killer,” a 40-yr old skier who has been charged by French authorities with manslaughter. As always would love to hear your thoughts and ideas about this.
The above is horrifying to all of us, and a true example of the most disturbing trend I’ve noticed over 30+ years: an explosion in reckless skiing and riding. As a ski instructor I see this ALL the time, and I’m always wary of super fast skiers/riders, particularly when I’m teaching, because then I’ve got real people with me for whom I feel incredible responsibility to keep safe.
Clearly something should be done about this epidemic on our slopes. But what?
First, I’ve made it a point to start reporting instances of too-fast, or out-of-control skiers/riders. I’ll report occurrences to either “courtesy” patrol or ski patrol, and also ask them “why don’t you position staff on green and blue runs which attract too-fast skiers, and move them off under a threat of getting their ticket pulled”? If patrollers hear this frequently, they’ll do something – they’re first responders.
On trail signage at Park City Mountain Resort Photo: Jon Weisberg
Second, whether I’m in a lesson teaching kids/adults, or simply free skiing myself, I take great care to constantly look uphill before starting down, to see whether or not I’ve got clearance for my next 15-30 seconds of turns. And I’ll always wait the extra time to let fast people go by me.
In a lesson, I’ll make sure to place myself in a constantly turning series of arcs that place me between my students and faster skiers above. I can still observe them do a skiing task, and yes, it’s risky for me, but I believe the combination of my turning back and forth, along with my students immediately below me, makes that section of trail unappealing to super-fast skiers.
It’s sad ski areas don’t do more to police the trails. But they don’t need to…by law. If you read the all-encompassing “waiver of liability” contained on the backs of all day ski tickets, and included as a mandatory item to read and e-sign before you’re allowed to purchase tickets/passes online, ski areas in general have zero liability for bad things that happen on their hills…it’s all part of the inherent risk of skiing.
For me, I’ve got to TELL ski area courtesy patrol, ski patrol or management when I experience a dangerous situation, especially on green/blue terrain where there’s the expectation that skier proficiency is lower; therefore the speed of guests on that terrain should be lower! If we don’t tell responsible ski area people about dangers we witness, then we shouldn’t expect anyone to take reasonable actions. It’s up to all of us, because no one wants to hear about an innocent skier or rider being killed by an out-of-control skier – but’s it’s happening.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-30-at-12.48.23-PM-e1643572176385.png971728John Gelb/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngJohn Gelb2022-02-03 16:45:172022-02-03 19:47:05Can’t We Stop the Fast & Dangerous Skiers/Riders?
I recently was part of a conference call of U.S. and Canadian cross country ski area operators. The conversation touched on who our guests are, their wants and their needs; whether we’re in a growing business (short and joyful answer: yes!); and what we need to do to create new skiers and to retain past visitors. The questions are all part of the normal agenda at these monthly meetings; they’re survival matters in our industry.
On the call were Board Members of Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA, usually pronounced “Kssaa”), an unassuming but extremely effective force in the Nordic ski world in North America. It’s a familiar name among Nordic area operators and suppliers; less so among the several hundred Nordic clubs with groomed trails; and an enigmatic acronym to most retailers.
Group Lesson Source: Jackson Hole Nordic
As for the skiing public, about the only folks who know about CCSAA have learned of it through the logo on its exceptionally useful consumer website, https://xcski.org, which provides information on why, where, etc. to enjoy XC skiing. If you have any interest in XC, take a look at the site – it’s incredibly informative about the value of groomed trails, benefits of instruction, spotlights on XC areas and regions, etc.
That unfamiliarity is ironic but not surprising when you consider that CCSAA is a trade organization that promotes the sport but historically hasn’t tried to promote itself to the public. At the same time, it not only represents the entire recreational side of the Nordic industry (including ski publications and organizations) but generates and serves as a resource for much of the media coverage of cross country skiing.
Reese Brown, Executive Director, Cross Country Ski Areas Association.
CCSAA’s Executive Director is 62-year-old Reese Brown, a vigorous and versatile leader who has given the organization a more recognizable face and name in the industry at in-person meetings, frequent Zoom calls that discuss implications of the COVID era, and bi-weekly newsletters. Most of CCSAA’s Board are in their 50s and 60s, with, literally, decades of experience in a challenging industry.
For XC skiers, CCSAA’s accomplishments are pervasive but often may seem subtle or even mundane. Examples include helping persuade major snowcat manufacturers to explore Nordic markets; working with insurance companies to provide liability coverage at reasonable premiums (otherwise your trail pass would cost many times the current rate); and negotiating with the U.S. Forest Service to grant multi-year use permits.
CCSAA has developed a consistent signage system so skiers understand what direction to ski in; whether
CCSAA trail signage
skating/snowshoeing/fatbiking/walking is allowed on certain trails; what difficulty rating suits you best, etc. There’s also a defined way to measure trail length (sometimes called “non-repeat kilometers”). This approach may seem self-evident, but years ago some managers measured two-way routes in both directions. In one instance, a trail “network” advertised 30+ kilometers for a single non-repeat two-way 6-kilometer trail.
New in the CCSAA repertoire is primary-level consumer, retailer, and operational research, so we’re able to determine what’s growing, shrinking, or has plateaued. Knowing that you’re in a healthy business not only encourages improved services and facilities but may also enable XC areas (for example) to find new investors or loans, community partners, event sponsors, and media coverage.
So next time you’re out on the XC trails, smile at the signage, enjoy the grooming, and recognize that CCSAA may also be responsible for sensible COVID policies, inexpensive trail passes, and your use of public lands.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Group-lesson-JH-Nordic-4-1-scaled-e1643569361536.jpg463728Jonathan Wiesel/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngJonathan Wiesel2022-02-03 16:40:272022-02-03 19:46:29BEHIND THE SCENES WITH CCSAA
FINALLY, the East Coast got hammered. Although this newest addition to the Don Burch ski video canon was produced before the big storm, everything about it – color, sound, scenes – expresses its title: Breezy Days Skiing the Ice Coast.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Breezy-Days-Feature.jpg6751200Don Burch/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngDon Burch2022-02-03 16:35:562022-02-03 19:53:58Breezy Days Skiing the Ice Coast: Don Burch’s Newest Video
Finding out about senior ski groups is like sharing tales around a campfire. A few words whet our interest and we sit on the edge of our seats waiting for more. As we build a list of senior ski groups, we have some exciting clues that really whet our interest, and we’re on the edge of our seats. So let’s throw another log on the fire, and help us fill gaps about the groups and add new groups to the list.
Skiing alone. Photo: Jon Weisberg
Senior ski groups are usually not an official part of the ski areas, so they’re usually not mentioned on the websites. We have to find them other ways.
We especially need: where the group meets and when they meet. And tell if there’s a way to connect with a group or identify them on the hill. Some groups wear name tags, small flags on their ski poles, or a special patch on their jackets.
If you know of a senior ski group or can add more information about these groups, please fill in the Leave a Reply message box following this story.
Here’s what we have so far.
New Hampshire
Tom Jefferson perfectly sums up the need to connect with a senior ski group. “I was in the situation of being a lone skier as my partners of years past had either moved away, passed away, or given up the sport,” he said.
“I met a gent in the gondola at Loon Mt, NH with a TOHG flag attached to his pole. He told me about the Top of the Hill Gang. It has been a perfect fit for me and many others. Members throughout New England. Inexpensive, well planned regional trips along with an annual jaunt out West. Hiking, biking, etc. at other times of the year as well.”
Also in New Hampshire, a senior group meets at Waterville during the week, said Glen Lapham.
New York
“At Greek Peak in Virgil, New York we have a group called the TOGS – Tough Old Geezer Skiers. Very informal criterion for joining the crew. Preferably you have to be over 70 but we welcome youngsters in training for geezerhood,” said Gerald Rehkugler. “Many of us have chosen to wear name tags with our first name and the phrase Tough Old Geezer Skier emblazoned on a reg tag. Until the covid crisis we have had an end of the season Tough Old Geezer Skiers luncheon in March.
Pennsylvania
“I’m the current president of the 55+ Ski Club,” said Dave Werner. “It was started at Roundtop Mountain Resort located in York County, Pennsylvania, in 1979. We used to gather in the bottom of the lodge at 9:00 on weekdays, but due to the current Covid restrictions limiting indoor access, we just meet up with each other on the slope. More information about the club can be found by checking out our website at 55plusskiclub.weebly.com.”
Nationwide
The 70+ Ski Club typically offers week-long trips to different US ski resorts and international ski destinations. Travels include everything: hotels, tickets, transportation, and of course cocktail parties and dinners together. It includes boomers, singles, and couples who like to stay active and travel. Club members may enjoy free and discounted skiing and have developed lasting friendships. https://70plusskiclub.org/
Delaware
“We are weekdayskiers.org, a group of mostly seniors in Delaware. Yep, that’s right. In Dela-where? We ski in the Poconos in Pennsylvania every Tuesday in January and February. Come and join us,” said Idylle Patz.
Indiana
The Alpine Ski Club is in Bloomington, Indiana, said Cathy Meyer, a trip leader for the club. “You will find folks who share your interests and schedules. Clubs are happy to welcome new members!”
Utah
Alta’s Wild Old Bunch (WOB) has been going strong for 50 years and its members come from all over the US and the world. The group gathers on weekdays about 11-11:30ish at the only round table in Alf’s mid-mountain restaurant for snacks and conversation. Some days it’s a large group while other days its just a few. It all depends on who’s skiing that day, and the virus has temporarily stifled some who would gather. On the hill, look for the large WOB patch that many wear on their jackets. For information about the WOB, email Alta’s Communications Manager Andria Huskinson: andriah@alta.com
At Sundance, the Senior Ski Group meets every other week, offers a discounted day ticket on those days, and some days include coaching. For more information, click on Seniors Ski Group in previous sentence or contact Ralph Childs at 801-216-4178.
California
Charles Cheskin said, “On the Hill Gang Los Angeles is a senior ski club whose members are located primarily in the Los Angeles area. The group skis at Mammoth Mountain from Monday to Friday one week each month in January, February, March and April. We meet each morning at 9:30 am outside the Canyon Lodge and break up into smaller groups of like skier ability. Lunch is usually at mid mountain McCoy Station restaurant. Apres ski is from 5:30 to 7:00pm in the breakfast room at the Sierra Lodge Hotel in Mammoth Village. We welcome new members!”
Also in California, “Snowbounders Ski Club in Orange County. Average age over 55. We ski locally midweek and have weeklong trips to Mammoth,” said Roger Phillips. Also monthly luncheons, several annual parties, hikes, etc. Costs $30 per year to join. All information is at our website snowbounders.org.
In the San Diego area, “The Don Diego Ski Club has been serving San Diego area skiers since 1959. We run three midweek bus trips to Mammoth Mountain every winter, along with hiking, biking and social outings all year. Most of our members are over 60,” said Ed Offstein.
Colorado
The Gray Wolf Ski Club serves the Seniors of the San Juans, including those skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area, according to Jan Brunvand.
Rosie Piller says, “If you’re in the Boulder/Denver area, you can join the Flatirons Ski Club. We don’t have an age requirement, but most of us are seniors. We do day trips to Vail resorts in Summit and Eagle Counties and to nearby resorts on the Ikon Pass (Copper Mtn, Winter Park). We also have overnight trips to farther away places (Crested Butte, Steamboat, Aspen, Wolf Creek, Fraser/Winter Park, etc.).
She continues, “Copper Mountain has a wonderful seasonal program called the Over the Hill Gang. See https://www.coppercolorado.com/plan-your-trip/lessons-rentals/lessons/adult-seasonal-programs for details. As you can see on the web page, this costs extra and it is intended to be used over a period of time (Jan – Mar, up to 4x a week), not for visitors who are in town just for a vacation week. You ski in groups led by instructors who give tips, but these are not official lessons.”
In addtion, she adds, “For holders of the Vail Epic Pass (or Vail Local Epic Pass) visiting Summit County, there’s the Summit 50+ Ski with Us Meetup(https://www.meetup.com/silverthorne-skiing-and-snow-boarding-meetup-group/). They meet Tuesdays at Breckenridge and Thursdays at Keystone and break up into groups to ski at different levels. No charge. Join the meetup to learn more.
First of its kind
This list is the very first of its kind. Thanks for getting it going. If you can add more info about these groups or if you know of another senior ski group. Please fill in the Leave a Reply message box following this story.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-30-at-3.26.48-PM-e1643581652674.png967728Harriet Wallis/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngHarriet Wallis2022-02-03 16:30:592024-08-20 15:12:05Finding a Senior Ski Buddy / Part 2
Editor’s note: Virtually all of us have amusing or near-miss skiing stories. Send in your stories and we’ll publish the most interesting…along with an original Mike Roth cartoon depicting the event.
An original Mike Roth illustration.
Reader Michael Hudson writes: I was a ski patrolman at Mt Hood, Oregon, back in the 60’s. I helped rescue a young lady whose long hair got twisted into the rope. Thanks to an alert lift operator and the scissors I was carrying, the event didn’t end in tragedy.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/20220202085817_00001-scaled-e1643835316985.jpg562728Mike Roth/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngMike Roth2022-02-03 16:25:512022-02-04 22:37:37Hair Cutting Skills Save Skier’s Day
Each issue of SeniorsSkiing.com has a picture to help test your skiing knowledge. Generally, the pictures are from collections in a variety of participating ski museums, which we encourage readers to visit. Note: this picture is not from a ski museum.
Look closely and you’ll see that these dogs are towing a very large tire. It was not being sledded to an 18-wheeler stuck on the Interstate. But it was on its way to an extremely large, unusual and briefly famous snow vehicle from the late 1930s and early ‘40s. The first reader to correctly name the vehicle and the expedition it was part of will win an as-yet-to-be-determined, but useful, prize. Note: only answers sent to jon@seniorsskiing.com will qualify. Please do not post your answer as a Comment.
Numerous readers sent in “Bronzey” as the name of the item pictured in the January 21 Test Your Skiing Knowledge. They were almost right. The correct brand name, submitted by Norm Morin of Winterport, Maine, was Ski Spree. The wax was made in the 1960s and 1970s by Ray Letarte in the kitchen of his Westbrook, Maine home. He poured the hot, melted, wax into muffin tins to cool, giving the wax its distinctive shape. It was sold primarily in New England with the slogan “Ski On Bronze”. Many readers remember it worked best on warm spring days with wet snow. Norm, who’s been on boards more than 60 years, mostly skis at Sugarloaf.
The picture comes from Made In Maine, an exhibit of the Maine Ski and Snowboard Museum.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-01-22-at-7.51.59-AM-1-e1643923139899.png315728seniorsskiing/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngseniorsskiing2022-02-03 16:20:262022-02-03 19:45:24Test Your Skiing Knowledge
We’ve selected some of the cleverest plates for the new “Licensed to Ski” poster. It is available as a gift in our annual SeniorsSkiing.com fundraiser which starts now and runs for the next three issues. Click here to donate.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Licensed-to-Ski-Poster-LG-e1643768094106.jpg926728seniorsskiing/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngseniorsskiing2022-02-03 16:15:222022-02-03 19:44:28LUV2SKI: The Poster
Last issue, a handful of readers had difficulty accessing articles. If you find yourself in that situation, please see the guidance at the end of this document.
Several weeks back, we introduced LUV2SKI, the photo gallery of of skiing-oriented license plates.
So far, we’ve collected about 100 of these clever combinations of letters and numbers gracing vehicles around the country. Many of the images will be included in the Licensed To Ski poster we’re producing as a gift for the upcoming SeniorsSkiing.com fund-raiser.
This week, we’re introducing a new, yet-to-be named feature. Fellow ski journalist, Mike Roth, is a talented cartoonist, whose work has appeared on this site and elsewhere. Mike will be illustrating personal stories submitted by SeniorsSkiing readers. Take a look at Hanging On for Life and (Almost) Getting Eaten by the Rope Tow to see his clever take on two reader tales. Send in any story from your skiing experience. We’ll publish the most interesting along with a Mike Roth illustration.
In this week’s Short Swings! column, Jon contemplates what to do when the sky is falling. He also reports on current industry developments and a variety of timely skiing curiosities.
Snow seems to be selective where it chooses to fall. Skiing Weatherman, Herb Stevens, explains the dynamics of the weather and gives an accurate forecast of what that means for ski areas across North America. Paying attention to Herb’s reports provides a good education in meteorology.
At 96, Junior Bounous is an American deep powder icon. Frequent contributor Harriet Wallis, temporarily sidelined with a ski-induced fracture, wrote this terrific profile.
Don Burch shares his love of skiing by producing short artistic videos. His most recent, Fun Times at Mount Snow, Okemo & Stratton, has me longing for those sweet New England ski days of my youth.
Frequent contributor, Pat McCloskey, reports on a day of skiing with Kathy Brennan, new CEO, PSIA- Eastern Division and her interesting take on lifelong learning. Jonathan Weisel reviews Celebrate Winter, the third book from Nordic Olympian, John Morton. And don’t miss the opportunity to win a prize in the Test Your Skiing Knowledge feature.
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https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/margery-martin-1-1-e1642627707492.png548728seniorsskiing/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngseniorsskiing2022-01-20 12:45:162022-01-20 22:49:36This Week: January 21, 2022
As we approach the approximate halfway point in the skiing/riding season, the slopes in all regions of the U.S. and adjacent to Canada are in good condition, with the western half of the continent still benefitting from the astounding amounts of snow that fell in late December. This season got off to a roaring start in the West and a sluggish one in the East, but the jet stream pattern that delivers cold and storms has favored the Midwest and East for a couple of weeks now. A western ridge/eastern trough couplet has dominated, and that setup will remain in place much of the time for the rest of this month. In early February, a subtle change will lead to a turn to milder weather in the East. If we look at the jet stream map as this forecast gets underway, we see strong ridging that stretches up to Alaska where the clockwise flow around that ridge can tap deep cold air over northern Canada.
In that position, the ridge is far enough west to allow small packages of jet energy to slide down its eastern flank and bring some snow to the inland ranges of West. Not major snow, due to the lack of a direct tap into Pacific moisture, but after lots of bluebird days of late any new snow is very welcome. The coastal ranges from B.C. down through California will be kept rather dry by the eastern flank of the large upper ridge sitting offshore. The jet level flow along the coast is nearly northerly right now, so the disturbances will be able to dive all the way to the Mexican border, which would bring the resorts south of I-70 some light snow this weekend…the fast movement will limit the input of Pacific moisture, but the “freshies” will do a nice job of softening the surfaces a bit.
As has been the case for the past couple of weeks, the real forecast challenges will come over the eastern half of the country, where the interaction of the northern and southern branches of the jet stream determine the track and intensity of surface storms. In the Rockies, the track of the storm determines who get heavy snow and who gets light snow. In the Midwest and East, it determines much more, with sleet, freezing rain, and plain rain often part of the landscape. If we look at the Monday morning 1/24 jet stream, we can see a good example of the forecast challenge.
The systems that swings through the Southwest is headed out to the southern Plains, where it could join forces with northern stream energy moving into Minnesota. If they phase into one larger trough, another substantial winter storm would impact the Midwest and East. Just where the two branches of the jet combine will determine whether the surface low goes up west of the Appalachians, just east of the mountains and along the coast, or it stays off to the south. All three have vastly different outcomes in terms of “who gets what”. Right now, I favor the two streams staying separate with light snow in the Lakes and Northeast. This busy pattern will persist until the trough eases west at the end of the month, perhaps supporting a “cutter” low into the Lakes at that time.
It has been decades since I’ve skied the East. Once I discovered Western skiing, I traded the long flight for the long drive, eventually moving to Utah to shorten the time to the slopes. But Don Burch is giving me second thoughts. He’s developed an appealing alternative ski video genre (shot largely at Eastern areas). His most recent, “Fun Times at Mount Snow, Okemo & Stratton,” makes me long for those long-gone New England ski days.
Click on the image to screen this 60-second gem.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/fun-times-thumb.jpg11001960Don Burch/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngDon Burch2022-01-20 12:20:282022-01-20 22:27:07Don Burch’s Fun Times (at Mount Snow, Okemo & Stratton)
Editor’s note: Spend enough seasons skiing and most of us will get into some form of trouble. Last issue, I explained how I got into hot water by inadvertently becoming end-of-day Pied Piper to a bunch of kids who followed me on a long winding trail, while their parents anxiously waited their return. A few readers emailed their tales of on-slope woe.
Mike Roth is a ski journalist who writes a regular ski blog for the Albany Time Union. He is also a talented cartoonist and and architect. When asked, last minute, if he had time in his busy schedule to illustrate these reader stories, he responded, “When do you need them?” A few hours later, Mike emailed his drawings.
This cliff-hanger happened to Jeffrey M. Fine when he was 40, but he still remembers the day. Jeffery is now based in Dillon, CO.
Sometime in the 1980’s while living in Indiana, I took a trip out to Squaw Valley. I thought I could ski KT-22, and it almost cost me my life. While skiing down the right side of the run, I caught an edge and almost went off a cliff with a 50’ drop. I managed to fall just before going over the edge and held on with my fingers in the snow (I was highly motivated to grab anything) while my skis hung over the edge in space. The ski patrol was able to throw me a rope and pull me to safety. I feel very lucky to have survived!
And here’s a rope tow tale from Ed Schultz, Penn Yan, NY. It happened when he was 30.
Back in the early 70’s skiing a small area in Massachusetts near Wooster, (can’t remember the name), I got on the rope tow. I had one arm behind with my pole straps around my wrist. What I didn’t realize was that the poles were bouncing in the snow behind and my pole straps somehow got twisted so when I went to get off I was caught on the rope. The rope tow rose up at the end toward a building housing some of the tow’s mechanism. I had visions of being carried up and going splat on the building. There were no safety stops in those days. Fortunately, I wriggled and twisted, freeing the straps and exiting the tow just in time.
Have a personal ski story you’d like to share? It can be about almost anything.Send it to info@seniorsskiing.com. We’ll share the most interesting with SeniorsSkiing’s 17,000 subscribers, along with an original Mike Roth illustration.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-17-at-7.54.30-PM-e1642474837357.png548728Mike Roth/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngMike Roth2022-01-20 12:10:062022-01-20 15:09:18Hanging On for Life and (Almost) Getting Eaten by the Rope Tow
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.
The object pictured here was made in the kitchen, but its nothing you’d want to eat. It was available throughout New England in the 1960s and 70s. One more clue: The image comes from the Maine Ski and Snowboard Museum‘s exhibit, “Made in Maine.” What was the brand name for this useful little object? The first reader to send the correct answer to info@seniorsskiing.com wins a soon to be determined but useful prize.
The Maine Ski and Snowboard Museum shares many stories from Maine and the state’s role in the development of skiing and snowboarding. Last summer, the museum moved from Kingfield to a new home on the Access Road to Sugarloaf. The current “Made in Maine” exhibit explores the development of skiing and snowboarding through equipment made in the Pine Tree State. If you’re in the area, be sure to visit.
Michael Bannon, Bartlett, NH, was the first reader to correctly identify the picture in the last Test Your Skiing Knowledge. It’s the upper chairlift at Thorn Mountain, Jackson, NH. Thorn Mountain opened in 1949 with two single chairlifts stacked one above the other to give a vertical rise of more than 1,000 vertical feet. Thorn closed about 1956. Michael has been a Level 3 PSIA instructor since 1966. He’s been a SeniorsSkiing.com subscriber for 5 years. Congratulations, Michael! You’ll soon be receiving a container of Slide On, the dry lubricant spray that helps your feet slip in and out of ski boots. One application lasts for a month of frequent boot use. One 2 oz. can is good for the entire season. The picture was submitted by The New England Ski Museum, located in Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire. Admission to the museum is always free.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-17-at-7.23.12-PM.png206296seniorsskiing/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngseniorsskiing2022-01-20 12:05:582022-01-20 15:08:15Test Your Skiing Knowledge
Just added a few new plates to the gallery. A terrific original poster of these and other skiing license plates will be the premium for the annual SeniorsSkiing.com fundraiser starting next issue. Enjoy the gallery (and please continue to send in pictures).
Unfortunately, Covid continues to impact our lives…even on the hill. Jon’s Short Swings! column explores the different ways two neighboring Utah ski areas – Park City Mountain Resort and Alta – are handling Covid. He also describes the time he was banned from a ski area in the 1970s. Don’t miss the link to an informative critique of the trails constructed specifically for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.
Skiing Weatherman, Herb Stevens, has another clear-headed report on what’s happening, weatherwise, throughout ski country.
In her debut piece for SeniorsSkiing, Cynthia F. Jones explains the joys of skiing after a 30-year absence and her contentment with staying on the greens. It’s a fun read.
Veteran ski writer, Karen Lorentz reports on new lifts and other infrastructure improvements at Okemo. You’ll find her in the photo of the first people to ride one of the new chairs.
A piece by Jon on managing flat light while skiing has been updated from when it first appeared several years ago in Huffington Post .
Don Burch’s newest video production, December Skiing, is a gentle and beautiful visual summary of the month. His soft touch is a welcome contrast at this time of the fast-paced ski video.
Taking a cross-country ski vacation? Roger Lohr, SeniorsSkiing.com’s X-C ski editor, recommends four locations for the classic New England experience.
Seth Masia, editor of Skiing History Magazine, summarizes that publication’s most recent issue. Skiing History, produced by the International Skiing History Association (ISHA), is a consistently good read and well worth the modest cost of ISHA membership. Free digital copies are available by clicking on the adjacent ISHA advertisement.
Finally, try guessing the name of the short-lived New England ski area pictured in Test Your Skiing Knowledge. No one correctly identified the ski instructor pictured in the last issue. Read about his interesting background. And the latest reader-submitted crop of ski-oriented license plates is shown in LUV2SKI.
Please tell others about SeniorsSkiing.com. It’s an important way to grow our community of older snowsports enthusiasts. Do you have ideas for articles? Please send a note to info@seniorsskiing.com. Problems with accessing the site (yes, there are occasional problems)? Please email the same address. Thanks for reading and look for the next full issue on Friday, January 21.
This is the first issue of SeniorsSkiing.com of 2022. I wish all readers good health, happiness, and peace for the New Year. But Covid’s omicron variant is challenging that wish for good health. It’s spreading fast, even among those who have been triple vaxxed. For most of the infected, it appears to be less taxing than Delta or earlier iterations. One side effect reported by several people I know, is hearing loss.
Ultimately, omicron’s virulence may cause such widespread infection that we’ll achieve herd or crowd immunity. That remains to be seen.
We’re older skiers and, by definition, more vulnerable to serious illness from the virus. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll divide our cohort into two categories: those who stay at lodges when they go skiing and those who ski and return home. Each is subjected to infection on lifts and in day lodges. Those overnighting in lodges have the additional risk of exposure from employees and other guests.
I don’t know if Utah is typical, but in terms of looking at the intersection of skiing and Covid, it is relevant.
Alta has no mask or vaccination-proof requirements. That, according to several friends who have skied there multiple times this season. The area recently closed its Watson Shelter because some staff tested positive. Alf’s remains open but with no mask or vaccination-proof requirements. The midmountain day lodge does keep windows open, according to a source working there.
Alta’s Smiling Rock Photo: Harriet Wallis
By comparison, day lodges at Park City Mountain Resort (indeed, all Vail Resorts ski properties) require proof of vaccination and masks to access food-service and tables.
On the day I’m writing this, a front-page article in The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Covid swept through several of Alta’s overnight lodges, causing some guests to leave early, rather than risk getting ill. Of the five lodges, the only one requiring proof of vaccination is The Rustler. Snowpine, totally rebuilt a few years ago, follows Utah’s libertarian spirit and requires neither vaccination nor masks. The lodge’s website is devoid of any reference to Covid.
The Tribune quoted a 74-year-old guest who beat it back to her California home: “I’m not going back to Utah. It’s a COVID [nightmare]. Nowhere has better powder than Alta. Too bad it’s in Utah.”
The Christmas feast at our friends’ home was a lot of fun. Three guest couples, all contemporaries; all skiers; all known to the host and hostess but not to each other. Following festive fare, our ever-creative hostess, asked each of us to talk about the first time we skied and about a time we got into trouble while skiing.
The answers to Question #1 revealed surprising similarities among the men: none had been particularly “athletic” in youth. But then they were introduced to skiing. Each of the wives became interested through their husbands.
Getting into trouble on skis produced stories of literal, cliff-hangers; skis lost in deep powder, etc. Listening to these tales of woe, reminded me of the time I inadvertently became the end-of-the-day Pied Piper to a bunch of kids whose anxious parents awaited their return.
It was in the mid 70s and Pam and I were skiing Plattekill, an 1100’ ski hill with a variety of interesting terrain in the Northwestern Catskills, a few hours north of New York City.
Pam returned to the day lodge as I took one last run. At the top, I entered a trail I hadn’t noticed before. It was more of a road than an actual trail, one of those endless runs looping back and forth through the forest. A few minutes in I heard laughter behind me. I looked back and counted 12 little ones following.
Back to Pam waiting in the lodge; wondering, Where’s Jon? Around her, clutches of agitated parents wondering, Where are our children? Several minutes later, I walk in, followed by the kids. Emotional parents embraced their missing ones.
The angry area owner yelled at me from across the large room, accusing me of taking the kids on a closed trail. I called back: “The trail wasn’t roped off, and I didn’t know the kids were following.” His response: “Do you know how much it costs for rope?”
I was banned from returning to Plattekill; a punishment promptly ignored. Those kids must now be in their 50s!
Have you gotten into trouble while skiing? Send in your stories. We’ll publish the most interesting.
Stevens Pass Petition: 20k Signatures
In a mere five days, more than 20,000 Epic Pass holders at Stevens Pass ski area in Washington, signed a petition demanding that Vail Resorts refund 60% of the cost of their passes. Why 60%? They claim that VR sold passes while knowingly planning to keep 60% of Stevens Pass terrain and a majority of lifts closed for the season. The petition gives VR a deadline to act by January 15 before filing a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division and the Attorney General of Washington State. Click here to read the petition.
Incivility at Beaver Creek
According to a posting by the victim’s wife, her husband was struck by someone skiing in a group. When he confronted the person, another man in the group removed his skis and gave her husband a severe beating, leaving him with a broken rib and other injuries. The group, thought to be in their 30s, skied off and were not found. The incident was reported to patrol and the Sherriff’s office. It occurred December 31 at Beaver Creek.
Park City Patrollers Seek Raise
The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) rejected Vail Resorts’s offer of a starting wage of $15 per hour. The patrollers want $17. Current wage is $13.25. More than 200 patrollers are working without a contract. Other Park City Mountain Resort employees receive $15 per hour minimum. Patrolling requires extensive training and patrollers generally are responsible for supplying their own equipment. If VR blinks, minimum wages for patrol throughout its many holdings will climb.
Timberline and Ski Bowl Discontinue Free Skiing for Seniors
Subscriber, Thomas Levak, informs us that Timberline and Ski Bowl (OR) have discontinued free skiing for super seniors (73+). Lift tickets for 65+ skiers are $65 (days) and $45 (nights), and skiers are required to make advance reservations for the days and times they want to ski (perhaps not a bad idea given that limited numbers of skiers are allowed for different time slots). Thanks for the info, Thomas!
New Advertisers: Booster and Slide On
The Booster Dynamic Power Strap is an elastic power strap that replaces the power straps found on most boots and helps you ski better, regardless of skill level. It is used by 80% of all Olympic skiers. Slide On is a dry lubricant spray that helps your feet slip in and out of your ski boots. One application lasts for a month of frequent boot use. One 2 oz. can is good for the entire season. Click on the Booster/Slide On ad for more information.
Snowbird’s Golden Anniversary
Believe it or not, The Bird opened 50 years ago. Those of you who have been there, know its magic. If it’s still on your “to do” list, take steps to get it done. Its 2500 skiable acres are accessed by tram and 10 chairs. It connects to Alta, for a combined 5000+ acres terrain. I have many memorable days skiing thigh-deep (sometimes waist-deep) Snowbird powder with friends. The resort produced a 3-minute video telling its history. Click on the image, above.
Patagonia Walks the Talk
Patagonia makes superb, durable outerwear and redirects a portion of its profits to support environmental and other worthy causes. Another example of the company’s progressive policies is its closing all its stores from Christmas through New Year’s while paying employees.
Austria Tightens Covid Rules for Brits
Austria has classified the UK as a “virus variant” region. Effective December 25, visitors from the UK are required to quarantine 10 days upon arrival, even if fully vaccinated. Given that Austria is a major destination for UK skiers, this is a big deal. Exceptions: Those fully vaccinated and boosted who have a negative PCR test. Children under 12 are exempt. Teens meeting certain conditions also may enter the country.
Record Snow Records
More than 200″ (almost 17′) fell in the Sierra’s in December. Utah is getting hammered with one pulse after another. Revelstoke (BC) has received 21’+ so far this season. All that snow prompted me to look into snow accumulation records. An amazing 1,140″ (95′) was recorded at Mount Baker Ski Area (WA) (4,200 feet elevation) during the July 1, 1998 to June 30, 1999 snow season. Mt. Ibuki (Japan’s Honshu Island) measured 465.4″ (38.8′) February 14, 1927. The most snowfall in 24 hours (6.3′) was measured in Silver Lake, CO, April 14-15, 1921. Mount Shasta Ski Bowl (CA) recorded the most snow from a single storm: 189″ (15.75′), February 13-19, 1959.
Brrrrrrr: New Ice Hotel on Italian Glacier
A bedroom is the ice hotel next to Capanna Presena Refugio
A new ice hotel is now booking reservations. The luxury facility is on Italy’s Presena Glacier at Passo Tonale in Trentino and features intricate ice carving on both interior and exterior surfaces. The three-igloo-room facility is next to the Capanna Presena Refugio.
Vintage Cars in Snow
Here, from Weather.com, are 53 photos of cars in snow…most of them stuck in the snow. They’re from both sides of the pond and fun to see. Click here to view.
Another Weather.com entry: 91 vintage images of people playing in the snow. Notice that virtually every person pictured is smiling. Of course, they are! They’re in the snow. Click here to view.
Do you have information you want to share with other members of the growing SeniorsSkiing.com community? Send it to jon@seniorsskiing.com. Use the same address if interested in contributing articles. Please forward SeniorsSkiing.com to other older skiers who may enjoy receiving it. Or simply tell them about the site.
The 2021 holiday period provided epic snow conditions across most of the West with trails counts and surface conditions rather sketchy over the eastern half of the country. While storm after storm nailed the West, a typical La Nina upper level ridge over the southeastern states was enhanced by a sudden spike in the output of the sun, as detailed last week. The solar flux increase has reversed course in dramatic fashion as the red line on the following graph shows…
With the change in the solar flux, that pesky southeastern ridge has been crushed and replaced by a skier friendly upper trough as illustrated on this map…
That trough has delivered two snowfalls to the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast this week and troughs will be the dominant jet stream feature over the eastern half of the U.S. for the next several weeks. The northwesterly flow across the Great Lakes will deliver cold air masses that will support major snowmaking efforts, as well as natural snow at times. One source of natural snow will be “Alberta Clippers”…smaller scale troughs that originate in west-central Canada before tracking through the Great Lakes and into the larger jet stream feature further east. Mid-winter Clippers produce fluffy snow north of their centers and usually bring along a reinforcing shot of cold air with them. After a mild autumn and early winter, the waters of the Great Lakes are still warmer than normal, so meaningful lake effect snow can still fall although we are approaching midwinter. Lake effect has helped boost trail counts and soften surface conditions in the Midwest during the past week and that trend will continue. Clippers can turn into something more formidable as they approach the east coast if a smaller scale trough also comes rolling along in the southern branch of the jet stream. If the two streams phase, which strengthens the trough, very often the result is a bonafide Nor’easter.
I don’t want to forget the West, but the parade of storms that pounded that half of the country for the final three weeks of December has slowed down considerably, and with an upper ridge axis just off the west coast for much of the time in the next 2-3 weeks, the amount of moisture that reaches the Cascades, Sierra, and Rockies will be much more limited. Systems will crest the top of the ridge and spin down through B.C., the Northwest, and the northern Rockies at times, but they will be weaker than their December cousins. The southern branch of the jet looks to be more active later next week, so the southern Sierra and Southwest resorts could be in line for a refresher event at that time. As long as the trough dominates in the East, though, there will be more bluebird days than powder days out west.
Looking further down the road, here is a jet stream forecast for the 21st that looks good to me…
The clockwise flow around the ridge over the northeast Pacific will deliver arctic air to the trough covering the eastern two thirds of the country, sustaining the winter weather that is now locking in. By this time, conditions coast to coast should be outstanding.
Here are regional highlights…
Northwest U.S./Western Canada: This week ends with one more heavy snowfall. Weaker systems move through with light snow next week.
Sierra: Development of upper ridge stops the storm parade for the next week and likely beyond. Southernmost resorts could pick up new snow late next week.
Rockies: Upper ridge dominates going forward. Bluebird skies common…snowfall harder to come by.
Midwest: Winter has locked in. Lake effect, clipper snows and virtually unlimited snowmaking windows continue.
Mid Atlantic/Southeast: Two snowfalls in the past week have helped. Favorable pattern continues in place much of this month.
Northeast/QB: Cold dominates this month. Presence of upper trough will pick up the pace of natural snow.
SeniorsSkiing.com encourages readers to submit accounts of personal experiences on the hill. The following, sent in by Cynthia F. Jones, expresses her joy of returning to skiing following a 35-year absence.
Vanity Fair 1919
I ski only green runs. At 73, coming back to skiing 35 years after the briefest taste of its magic and delight many years ago, I’m having so much fun it should be illegal.
So…why am I writing this? First I LOVE that I found the SeniorsSkiing website – it’s been inspirational. The articles and information have opened doors to let me know I CAN re-embrace skiing as a senior. However, when it comes to connecting with senior ski groups – I realize I’ll probably never ski at the level of those members (acing the blue runs, tackling the single and double black diamonds), so there probably isn’t a peer group for those like me who just enjoy cruising the greens. Or maybe we are just the silent elder skiers.
Truth Magazine 1896
My goal is simply to have fun and continue to embrace the joy, the stoke and absolute zen I find on the mountain. Experiencing that perfect glide downhill (if the body is willing to cooperate on any given day) is worth all the effort.
Ok – I’m saying this in full view of senior skiers – I may never tackle a blue run. I do sometimes cast a glance over at them, on my fun runs, but they don’t beckon yet and the call to go blue may never be strong enough. The one thing I don’t want to do is take the fun out of skiing with “should’s.” And right now I’m having tons of fun.
My reintroduction to skiing was via a student in my yoga class. Forever will I be grateful to Sue for encouraging me to take that plunge back into something I had not been able to continue in my 30’s due to life circumstances. And yet – while eternal gratitude will always be there – Sue is a highly skilled skier (she’s been skiing for decades) and she quickly tired of skiing with me since my goals and skills on the mountain are quite different from hers.
Woman’s Home Companion
But hey – it’s all good. I take the occasional group or private lesson, as I explore different mountains, to keep my confidence growing. I’m exploring the “Senior Friendly” ski resorts…it’s one of the most enjoyable travel adventure projects I’ve had in a long time. I have no goal or personal need to graduate from the green slopes because I’m HAPPY!
And mostly I’m delighted, that now, in retirement, I can make following the powder a priority in life (I’ve put everyone on notice that a snow alert has priority over EVERYTHING!).
So here’s to the greenies if there are others out there – life is good!
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-01-at-1.59.34-PM-e1641070810196.png976728Cynthia Jones/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngCynthia Jones2022-01-06 19:30:492022-01-06 22:37:30Musings of a Greenie
Now in its 66th winter season, Okemo is one of the most technologically advanced ski areas in the East.
The first -chair passengers of the new Quantum Six at the top terminal: (l to r) Resort Guest James Kraft, Okemo GM Bruce Schmidt, Journalist and Ski Historian Karen Lorentz, Okemo Director of Resort Operations John Neal and Director Of Skier Services Steve Clark. Photo:Bonnie MacPherson
This year’s installation of two express lifts maintains that tradition with the debut of an express replacement for the Green Ridge Triple and the new Quantum Six Express lift at Jackson Gore, providing greater and quicker access to upper Jackson Gore, home of several expert trails and Tuckered Out, a classic winding New England run.
This is great news for seniors like me who enjoy skiing from Jackson Gore to South Face and getting lots of runs in less time. It has the added bonus of comfort of quick rides on really cold days. Fifty years ago, I might have gotten eight runs all day. Now, thanks to these new, fast lifts, I can get 12 to 20 runs in four hours. The Evergreen lift will put the frosting on my exercise cake by making possible upper mountain laps on blue favorites.
Quantum Six will disperse people more quickly from Jackson Gore to Okemo’s main summit when they’re skiing to the Evergreen Summit Express. Okemo recycled its Quantum Four Express bubble lift to replace the fixed-grip Green Ridge Triple and named it Evergreen Summit Express. The renamed lift increases rider capacity, cuts ride-time in half, and adds a bubble, providing greater comfort on cold, windy days.
A new, short connector trail with snowmaking re-routes skiers from the Mountain Road trail to the Evergreen’s loading station. For those coming from Jackson Gore, the new trail and lifts not only reduce the time it takes to access the main Summit, it cuts the time to access the summit of South Face from Jackson Gore’s base from approximately 40 to 25 minutes.
Senior Director of Mountain Operations Eb Kinney noted the Evergreen lift offers a good alternative to the Sunburst Six for skiing a host of upper mountain trails — like Timberline, Sapphire, Tomahawk, and Jolly Green Giant, several tree runs, and some easy greens. Greater usage of this underutilized lift/skiing area will reduce lift waits at the popular Sunburst Six, he said.
Installations of the new lifts followed existing lift footprints and skier loading areas.
Part of Vail Resorts’ multimillion-dollar capital improvements plan for Okemo this year are upgraded snowmaking infrastructure, addition of a new grooming machine, improvements to the Clock Tower base area, and new shuttle service between Okemo’s main parking lot to the Clock Tower base.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-05-at-2.26.42-PM-e1641418063312.png562728Karen Lorentz/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngKaren Lorentz2022-01-06 19:15:362024-08-20 15:13:48Okemo Debuts New Express Lifts
A version of this article first appeared in 2015 in Huffington Post.
I was hardly able to move; disoriented on terrain I’d skied for years. Other skiers seemed to be managing fine. But the light was flat, and my eyes could no longer pick up contours in the white on white.
Flat light sucks. Credit: Jan Brunvand
“Flat light,” a version of whiteout, greatly reduces the contrast that helps anyone on snow see where the dips and moguls are.
In extreme conditions, every skier of every age is affected, and the best way to get to where you’re going is to ski near trees, where their dark forms create visual contrast against featureless snow.
But these were not extreme conditions. Skiers and boarders were easily moving around, while I was in a featureless and confusing snowscape.
Credit: Jan Brunvand
Older skiers have older eyes. According to Dr. Jeff Pettey, Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Utah’sJohn A. Moran Eye Center, all skiers eventually experience decrease in on snow contrast sensitivity. The most common culprit is cataracts, the cloudiness that forms on the eye’s lenses, causing loss of clarity and decreasing the quality of light focused on the retina. Cataracts can start forming when we’re in our 40s and 50s, though they’re more commonplace in our 60s and 70s.
Less common are processing issues related to diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. They decrease the quality of the signal transmitted to the brain.
For me the eye opener was the other skiers who hardly slowed down while I was straining just to find the trail. I had been treated for age-related macular degeneration. But cataracts? A few weeks earlier, the ophthalmologist told me they were early stage. Those baby cataracts compromised what I could see in the snow!
After a minute or so of discomfort, I donned my goggles and headed down.
Getting Goggles Right
Choice of goggles and goggle lenses can make a big difference helping senior skiers with compromised vision navigate flat light conditions.
Most goggle manufacturers agree that the more light entering the lens the greater the definition and contrast. The trick is to select a lens whose color helps enhance depth perception. Amber, yelloe, rose, green and gold lenses tend to transmit more light. Photochromatic lenses, which change color under varying light conditions, can be effective.
While some industry experts recommend polarized lenses, the glare-reducing technology used in many sunglasses, others advise that in extremely flat light a little glare helps distinguish between ice and snow, making the trail more readable.
No More Fog
Regardless of light quality, fogged lenses get in the way of good vision. Having lived through many seasons of foggy goggles, I’ve explored many approaches to reducing the curse. Wipes, saliva, goggles with built in fans, products and technologies that claim to keep lenses clear under all conditions. Some work better than others, but none do a really good job.
SnowVision Rx goggles integrate prescription with inner lens
The unique SnowVision prescription goggle, virtually eliminates foggy goggles by positioning the presciption lens at a distance from the face where it remains cool, while providing a full range of vision using bi-focal or progressive lens technology.
Gee Whiz!
Some inventors have gone beyond goggle and lens with ideas that would remove the “flat” from flat light. Among them, twin laser beams projecting a contoured grid of the surface in front of the skier. The idea is to navigate, videogame-like, through the contours. Lower tech, but equally out there, is a built in spray gun system that skiers would activate to send a fine blue color onto the snow, forming the contrast needed for better visibility. Similar sprays are used to make race courses easier to read in flat light.
Artist’s concept of Earth and Sun. Credit: NASA
While lasers and sprays remain in the planning stages, Michael Barry, past-president of the National Ski Areas Association has this advice for those of us with aging eyes: Get to the mountain early and ski until early afternoon. This strategy works best for the first half of winter when light tends to flatten as the day progresses.
As the Earth’s axis shifts and daylight lengthens, pop on those rose-colored goggles and enjoy every last run.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Flat-Light2-e1539089365912.jpg502728Jon Weisberg/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngJon Weisberg2022-01-06 19:00:542022-01-06 22:32:22BLINDED BY THE (FLAT) LIGHT: SENIOR SKIERS CAN SEE CLEARLY IN SNOW
Don Burch sent in a video treat: “December Skiing.” It’s one of his signature short productions that makes you want to be back on the mountain. Click on the image to screen. I’ll also include it in the next issue, which will be distributed Friday, January 7.
Many thanks to readers who sent notes of appreciation for SeniorsSkiing.com.
Best wishes for a Healthy, Happy 2022 with many great turns! Jon
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/december-skiing-video-thumb.jpg7401303Don Burch/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngDon Burch2022-01-06 18:45:002022-01-06 22:30:55December Skiing Video
XCSkiResorts.com recommends these classic New England towns and areas for a cross country ski vacation:
Stowe, VT, is quintessential New England with its white steepled church and main street lined with stores.
Source: Trapp Family Lodge
It’s also the home of the Trapp Family Lodgeof Sound of Music fame. Trapp Family Lodge has a 110 km trail network with 60 km of groomed and machine-tracked trails. Stowe has a full range of dining and shopping options. Other nearby XC resorts include Bolton Valley, Stowe Cross Country Center, and Edson Hill.
Woodstock, VT is another winter mecca with inns, restaurants, unique shops, and a national historical park.
The Woodstock Nordic Center operated by The Woodstock Inn & Resortoffers two trail systems right in town covering more than 45 km. The Mount Peg trails begin on the golf course at and climb to the summit overlooking the village below. On nearby Mt. Tom, the Center grooms more than 20 km of trails on old carriage roads in the midst of Vermont’s first tree farm and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.
The Mt. Washington Valley in the White Mountains of New Hampshire has some of the best cross-country skiing in the East.
“Enchanting” is the best word to describe Jackson, the paragon of New England towns and home to Jackson Ski Touring Foundation, a non-profit organization chartered to provide and maintain XC trails on more than 80 private properties and national forest. Country inns are scattered throughout the region. The base lodge is accessed through a scenic covered bridge.
Covered bridge at Jackson Ski Touring Center, New Hampshire Photo: Roger Lohr
Great Glen Outdoors at the base of Mount Washington is a magnificent setting with 45 kilometers of XC skiing, snowshoeing, and an ol’ fashioned tubing hill. Great Glen’s scenic trail system offers an enjoyable combination of well-protected spruce and fir-lined trails plus wide-open areas with breathtaking views of Mt. Washington and surrounding peaks. On the trails is the classic New England Glen House Hotel, with 68 rooms, a pub and restaurant. For even more adventure, enjoy a comfortable winter tour on the 9-passenger Mt. Washington SnowCoach, which transports guests to an unforgettable journey to a sub-Artic world on Mt. Washington.
Skiing at Bretton Woods, NH Photo: Roger Lohr
Bretton Woods Nordic Centeris a thriving cross country ski center on the grounds of the Omni Mt. Washington Hotel. It. The grand Bretton Woods hotel has 100 km of XC ski laced throughout 1,700 acres of spectacular scenery. The Mountain Road, accessed via a lift at the Bretton Woods alpine ski area, offers spectacular vistas of Mt. Washington from a 7 km groomed trail down to Route 302.
Bethel, Maine is home to theBethel Inn and Carter’s XC Ski Center, and Sunday River Resort’s alpine ski trails. The town settled in 1774, retains its small-town lifestyle.
Bethel Inn Resort , Bethel, ME
The XC ski trails, which meander through forest to a picturesque, covered bridge are canine friendly. Several inns along the trails are operated by the nonprofit Bethel Inland Woods and Trails organization. The Carter’s XC Ski Center has beautiful views of the Mahoosuc and Presidential mountain ranges. Alpine skiing, dogsledding trips, and snowmobile rentals are available nearby.
Many businesses in each of these New England ski towns organize special events on winter weekends and vacation weeks to encourage people to get out and enjoy the snow.
If you’re into XC skiing and keep a bucket list, Stowe and Woodstock, VT, the Mt. Washington Valley, and Bethel, Maine are classic New England destinations not to be missed.
https://seniorsskiing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Trapp-Family-Lodge-e1641075521811.png487728Roger Lohr/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seniors-Skiing-since2013-Logo@2x-300x68.pngRoger Lohr2022-01-06 18:30:232022-01-06 22:28:55Four Bucket List New England Cross Country Ski Towns
“I met a gent in the gondola at Loon Mt, NH with a TOHG flag attached to his pole. He told me about the 
“I’m the current president of the 55+ Ski Club,” said Dave Werner. “It was started at Roundtop Mountain Resort located in York County, Pennsylvania, in 1979. We used to gather in the bottom of the lodge at 9:00 on weekdays, but due to the current Covid restrictions limiting indoor access, we just meet up with each other on the slope. More information about the club can be found by checking out our website at 
The 70+ Ski Club typically offers week-long trips to different US ski resorts and international ski destinations. Travels include everything: hotels, tickets, transportation, and of course cocktail parties and dinners together. It includes boomers, singles, and couples who like to stay active and travel. Club members may enjoy free and discounted skiing and have developed lasting friendships. 
In the San Diego area, “The 
They were almost right. The correct brand name, submitted by Norm Morin of Winterport, Maine, was Ski Spree. The wax was made in the 1960s and 1970s by Ray Letarte in the kitchen of his Westbrook, Maine home. He poured the hot, melted, wax into muffin tins to cool, giving the wax its distinctive shape. It was sold primarily in New England with the slogan “Ski On Bronze”. Many readers remember it worked best on warm spring days with wet snow. Norm, who’s been on boards more than 60 years, mostly skis at Sugarloaf.
The 
Michael Bannon, Bartlett, NH, was the first reader to correctly identify the picture in the last Test Your Skiing Knowledge. It’s the upper chairlift at Thorn Mountain, Jackson, NH. Thorn Mountain opened in 1949 with two single chairlifts stacked one above the other to give a vertical rise of more than 1,000 vertical feet. Thorn closed about 1956. Michael has been a Level 3 PSIA instructor since 1966. He’s been a SeniorsSkiing.com subscriber for 5 years. Congratulations, Michael! You’ll soon be receiving a container of Slide On, the dry lubricant spray that helps your feet slip in and out of ski boots. One application lasts for a month of frequent boot use. One 2 oz. can is good for the entire season. The picture was submitted by The New England Ski Museum, located in Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire. Admission to the museum is always free.
