Tag Archive for: 50+ seniorsskiing.com

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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I don’t know how it happened, but between last season and this one I lost my custom foot beds. They were made about 15 years ago when I purchased my first Surefoot customized boots and, like the boots, they were pricey. Those beds stayed with me over the course of three or four subsequent boots. Then they were gone.   

Foot beds can improve ski performance by stabilizing the feet in a way that helps maximize the ski boot’s primary role: transferring energy from body to skis. That, admittedly, is a gross oversimplification. There are master boot fitters with medical-grade knowledge of foot anatomy, especially as it relates to skiing. I plan to solicit an article or two from one of these experts about the intricacies of creating an effective foot bed.

Brannock Device

But this week I needed new foot beds and visited the Dale Boot store in Salt Lake City to have them made. The whole process took about 20 minutes. The fitter started by measuring my feet with an old-fashioned Brannock, the same device that fascinated me as a kid in my grandfather’s shoe store in Schenectady, NY.  Next, I placed my feet in a Masterfit machine that took an impression of the contours of my foot soles. He then placed Masterfit foot beds in the machine where they took on the shape of the bottoms of my feet. That was followed by cooling the beds with cold packs and trimming some excess material before placing them in the boots. 

Patrick, the boot fitter, clearly knows his stuff and approaches his job with the same quiet pride I’ve noticed among other boot fitters. Boot fitting is a craft in which many of its practitioners appropriately treat it as a profession. He attends educational workshops including Masterfit University and related courses. He mentioned the pleasure he gets sharing war stories about helping all kinds of people with and without foot problems to get the most out of their boots.

Quality ski and boot shops provide boot fitting as a service built into the boot’s cost.  Getting foot beds customized (typically a $100 – $200 add-on) or purchasing boots with the help of a professional boot fitter is clearly a smart step to greater comfort and performance. A resource for well-trained boot fitters is America’s Best Bootfitters.com.

A few months ago, Jackson Hogen of RealSkiers.com, suggested rewarding the work of these pros with a gratuity. Given the critical service provided by fitters like Patrick, I could not agree more. 

Fire Claims Aussie Ski Resort; Others Threatened

Australia’s devastating fires destroyed Selwyn Snow Resort, the country’s most northerly ski area. The New South Wales resort employed 60 during the season.  Falls Creek and Mt. Hotham  in Victoria are being evacuated. 

Bait and Switch at Northstar?

Two older skiers are suing Vail Resorts for breach of contract and fraud. The essence of their complaint is that Vail, which owns, Northstar Resort (CA), sold non-refundable season passes before announcing a parking fee. According to the claimants, the cost of parking will add thousands of dollars to their cost of skiing at Northstar. Each is seeking free parking and $200,000+ in damages.

Good News For Taos Skiers

Taos Air is now servicing the Carlsbad-San Diego and Hawthorne-Los Angeles airports, starting at $125, one way. The service is available Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday Mondays through March 29. The airline started last season with daily direct flights to Taos from Dallas Love Field and Austin-Bergstrom International. The airstrip is 30 minutes from Taos Ski Valley.

Tree Well Safety

Courtesy Ski California

Suffocating in deep snow is a concern for many Western skiers. Evergreen branches capture snow, cusing deep pits to form around the tree’s base. Skiers falling into these “tree wells” are subject to breathing in powder snow. The problem is exacerbated by landing head-down or injury. It’s extremely difficult to get out, even with help from others. I had the experience years ago catskiing in the Canadian Selkirks. Fortunately, the well wasn’t too deep and the person I was with got me out quickly. Fifteen tree well deaths have occurred in California since 2001, the most in the nation. Tree well safety advice is available from Ski California, the state’s ski area trade group. Click here for more.

Winter PrideFest Jan 30 – Feb 2

Winter PrideFest, the multi-event weekend celebrating diversity and inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, will hold its third annual gathering January 30 – February 2 in Bend, OR and Mt. Bachelor. Activities include  skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating, panel discussions, and evening social functions. For information or to register, click here.

Senior Deals at Belleayre

Belleayre, the venerable Catskills ski area north of New York City has great deals for senior skiers during the second week of January, February and March. Skiers and boarders who are 65 or older get a lift ticket for $10, when they go with anyone with a paid lift ticket, and they can purchase coffee for $1 and breakfast sandwiches for $2.

Happy 80th Harriet!

Harriet Wallis, a prolific contributor to this publication, celebrated her 80th birthday at Alta earlier this week. What a silly helmet cover!!!

Alta Old Timer Celebrated in New Video

Lloyd Johnson moved to Utah for work in 1973, having never skied before. One Sunday, after an Alta church service, a friend convinced him to give skiing a shot. Now, at age 87 and almost five decades later, Lloyd is still making beautiful tele-turns at Alta,  His kids and grandkids follow his tracks. This short video tells his story, one that reflects the lives and loves of many dedicated skiers.

 

Harriet Wallis

Ski Champion Jim Gaddis: When Life Got Tough, He Surged Ahead

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Advice Jim Followed: When You Come To A Fork In The Road, Take It.

Ski buddies Alan Engen (l) and Jim Gaddis at Alta c. 2001. Credit: Alan Engen Collection

From the time Jim was a youngster, his single goal was to be an Olympic ski racer. He lived for that. He trained for that. But when he was shut out of the Olympics, it didn’t stop him. He generated ways to help others in the sport he loves.

His accomplishments include being an elite Intermountain ski racer, an inspiring coach, a great salesman, an imaginative program starter, a premier fundraiser — and he’s still moving on. Just try to keep up with him.

Yankee baseball legend Yogi Berra had a saying for it: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Every time Jim came to a fork, he took action, reinvented himself, and moved forward. It’s a lesson we all can learn.

From Sears Skis To Winning National Racer

As a youngster Jim sledded on a golf course and saw someone using strange equipment: skis. He asked for skis for Christmas, and his parents bought him a complete set: skis, strap bindings and boots from the Sears catalog for $5.

He practiced at Alta and Brighton when his older brothers could give him a ride there. And he strived to ski like his good friend and acclaimed ski champion Alan Engen, son of famed Alf Engen.

Alan Engen (l) and Jim Gaddis hold the Intermountain Ski Association Alpine Combined trophy. Each won the championship 3 times. c. 1959. Credit: Alan Engen Collection

Early on, he entered his first race on his $5 skis. It was a slalom-type course on the steep face of Collins at Alta. “I don’t know how many times I fell, but I made it down in about 4 minutes,” he said. The winning time was 40 seconds! Defeat spurred him on.

His skills and determination grew, and he entered — and won — national races. He won the National Giant Slalom Championship. And three times he won the NCAA Alpine Championship and three times the famed Snow Cup. But three was not his lucky number. His dreams were derailed when he broke his legs not once, but three times in race accidents, Still nothing stopped him.

Finally he was on target for the 1964 Olympics, and he qualified for it. But his dream was crushed. He was shut out of the elite team that included Jimmie Heuga, Buddy Warner, Billy Marolt and Billy Kidd, with Bob Beattie as the coach.

“It was very hard to deal with,” he said. “It was my whole life’s ambition to be an Olympic racer — and maybe win.” At that point, he didn’t even have a job because he was totally focused on being an Olympic racer.

It was a fork in the road. He took action, reinvented himself and surged ahead.

Metamorphosis

Using his degree in banking and finance, he became a stock broker. But his passion was skiing, so he created the Gaddis Training Organization to coach elite and youth racers. The program grew to 110 racers with seven coaches, and he ran it for 12 years. It became Park City Mountain Resort’s ski team.

His Olympic dream had a legacy. But he didn’t stop there.

Another fork

Jim discovered he had a natural ability to promote and sell. When the University of Utah had trouble raising funds to expand its stadium, Jim took the challenge and quickly sold 40 seats.

From that beginning, his fund raising expertise expanded. His accomplishments read like a Who’s Who of skiing.

Energetic and active Jim Gaddis today. Credit: Harriet Wallis

He spearheaded fundraising for many ski organizations, and founded and chaired others including: the Youth Winter Sports Alliance which gets kids involved in winter sports; the National Ability Center, teaching skiing to handicapped; the Stein Eriksen Opportunity Endowment, which raised $2 million in two years to help local athletes with equipment and travel expenses; and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Foundation Ski Ball, raising funds for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams.

He also chaired the Jimmie Huega Express, which raised $1 million annually for the Huega Multiple Sclerosis center; was instrumental in fund raising for construction of the Alf Engen Ski Museum, which preserves the Intermountain history of skiing; and helped found and raise funds for the Utah Ski Archives, the country’s largest ski research repository of historic material. The Archives collection currently contains 500,000 images, 250 manuscripts and 6,000 audio,video and films, and it’s open to the public.

Just recently, Jim once again raised funds for his Alma Mater. He chaired the University of Utah’s campaign that raised $2.5 million and built a dedicated training facility for the University’s winning ski team.

His Olympic dream lives on in unique ways. He really is a gold medal champion.

Jim’s life demonstrates his philosophy: “Always do a good job. Do it right, and do it honestly. Don’t let anything stop you.”

Today, energetic and active, he takes time from initiating programs and raising funds to ski with a group of friends at Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort.

To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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A friend recently commented that a key to greater happiness is to lower our expectations. It took a few days before I understood what he was saying. In some cultures, unhappiness can be traced to the variance between what we have learned to expect and what we have come to experience. Lowering expectations can change that, without lowering our standards.

My wife and I are still in the process of setting up a new home. It’s a different experience from the last time we did it. Online purchases aren’t always what we thought we were buying, and, for some merchants, making a return can be frustrating. With a few exceptions, in-store shopping has been weird. Salespeople – if you can find them – seem to know very little. Sometimes they say they’ll look for something and never return. I expect that in some ways, my disappointments are related to my expectations. In light of my friend’s revelation, when the salesperson doesn’t return or the person behind the counter is deliberately unhelpful, I reduce my expectation and the anger, the frustration, the aggravation slip away. And, when things turn out the way I think they should, I’m generous both with appreciation and thanks.

Join Us the Week of March 10 in the Alps

My wife and I will be skiing the Alps during March. We’re inviting readers to join  us the week of March 10 when we’re booked with Alpskitour, based in Saint Vincent in the Aosta Valley. Each day, a guide will take us to different resorts in Italy, Switzerland and France. The price — $4500 to $5500 per person– depends on where you fly to and whether you stay in a 3 or 5 star hotel. It includes everything for the 5 day/6 night experience: hotel, guide, meals, lifts, ski rentals, airport transfers, daily shuttles, etc. Each group is limited to six intermediate and higher skiers/boarders. Orsden is a sponsor and giving a terrific parka to each participant. More info about the trip appeared in last week’s Short Swings! column. If interested, email me: jon@seniorsskiing.com.

Richard Pazara’s Ski Streak

Reader Richard Pazara has skied almost everywhere on the globe and he’s still going.
Credit: Richard Pazara

In 2017 we published an article Richard Pazara wrote about his never-ending quest to ski where he hadn’t skied before. At that time he had been to 1,241 ski areas. In response to the recent Short Swings! column about the number of areas around the world (and my confession to having skied only 85), Richard emailed an update in the form of a spreadsheet documenting vertical feet skied, starting with 1994-95, when he began tracking vert with a ski watch. He’s clocked more than 1 million vertical in each of 16 of the ensuing 24 seasons. In 2007-08 he skied 1,667,940 vertical feet! In case you’re curious, Richard was born in 1946. Congratulations Richard! You are an inspiration.

Skiing in Georgia?

The New York Times: Ola Lewitschnik

The country’s Caucusus Mountains have four resorts, with Gaudauri being the most developed. It’s about a 90 minute drive from Tiblisi, Georgia’s capitol. According to the article appearing in the The New York Times’ annual Ski Issue. The country has good terrain, good food, and very reasonable prices. Additional reading made it clear that elsewhere in the country, with the help of cats and copters, it’s possible to access excellent backcountry powder. Can’t report on the quality of guides or safety protocols, but if you’re looking for something different, this might be a way to go.

Mt Bachelor Celebrates 60th

When it opened in 1958, the Bend, OR area had one 3,900’ Poma, two rope tows, and a 1,500-square-foot day lodge. Today, it is the country’s sixth largest area, with 4,318 acres covering an entire dormant volcano.

Great Holiday Gifts for Older Skiers

The Buffalo Wool Company is a small Texas outfit making exceptional woven things to keep your feet, hands and head comfy when out in the elements. Their socks, gloves, and hats are made from bison down, the fluff on the undersides of the 2000 lb animals. The company purchases 75% of the available supply, mixes it with silk, wool, yak, and cashmere and produces unique products that last long and make a good impression when given to the ones you love. In explaining it’s premium pricing, the company’s website states, “Nothing is more expensive than gear that doesn’t work.” SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers get a 10% break by entering “SeniorsSkiing” in the discount code window during the check-out process. I wore Buffalo Wool Company socks last winter when resting between ski trips at our place in the high desert near Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. What a luxury! The company has a “no questions asked” return policy in the unlikely event you or the person receiving the gift chooses to send it back. The American Field Bison Boot Sock ($54.00 less 10%) and the Pro-Gear Technical Boot Bison/Silk Sock ($45.00, less 10%) are particularly good options.

Wild West Jerky is another small company that makes the best jerky I’ve ever tasted. It’s based in the tiny town of Levan, Utah. The products – beef, buffalo, elk, venison, turkey, pork, salmon – are available in multiple flavors, sizes, combinations, etc. All ingredients and processing are entirely natural – unlike the commercial jerky products; even the high-end ones. SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers receive a 20% discount off full retail online purchases when they enter “seniorsskiing” in the promo code window at checkout. Leave the fruitcake and Christmas cookies to others. Send or show up with a truly delicious and unusual gift.

Something New: Rental Ski Clothing

Slope Threads is a new Colorado-based company that rents a package of parka, pants, gloves, and goggles for $35 a day. Customers make their selections online. Soft goods are from Obermeyer; goggles from Smith. The clothing is delivered to their destinations. When done, it’s returned via mail. All shipping costs are included. The site has nice-looking stuff for the entire family. I’d be interested in reports from any readers who use the service.

January 4-6 Trip to Stowe

Mogul Meister Ski Club has a few open spots for a weekend trip to Stowe. It includes private bus from Scarsdale, NY, 2 nights lodging, breakfasts, dinner, lift tickets, etc. Cost: $438 pp/double occupancy. Details: email trip leader, Harold Pressberg: hmp696@optonline.net

Yvette Cardozo

Ice Fishing Time Coming Up

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Other Things To Do In Winter For Seniors.

Ice fishing on Heffley Lake near Sun Peaks Resort with Elevated Fishing Adventures. Here, the guide and guest try their hand at outdoors holes. Credit: Yvette Cardozo

Some folks fish for sport. Some for relaxation. Some to “just get away.”

I fish to eat. If I can’t eventually put it in a fry pan, I’m not really interested.

So enter Elevated Fishing Adventures, near Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, Canada, where you get all three. Especially the eating part.

“Probably half the people who come out with us cook their fish that night,” said owner/guide Campbell Bryk.

Owner/guide Campbell Bryk picked my friend, Nancy Slye, and me up at 7 am and we drove out to nearby Heffley Lake, which at this point in the year, was covered with 20 inches of ice.

The lake is stocked with rainbow trout, a mild fish that makes great eating. The red glow is sunlight coming through the red canvas tent. Credit: Yvette Cardozo

A few hundred yards out, Campbell set up his fishing tent, got a portable heater going and re-drilled three of his fishing holes. Then he baited our hooks with natural looking lures that not only wriggle, they glow in the dark water below the ice.

This is really popular with families that have kids. “As soon as  you see fish down there, you can get kids to sit for hours,” Campbell said.

And anybody …really ANYbody…can catch a fish, he insisted, describing one morning where a mom was breast feeding her infant with one hand and hooking fish with the other.

“Her three-year-old caught a 24-inch fish,” he added.

The BC government each year stocks Heffley with 5,000 rainbow trout, a fish that Campbell claims, “Anybody can cook and virtually everybody likes because it’s so mild tasting.”

The best fishing, he explained, is just before Christmas. The most any group has caught in a day is 36, though folks are limited to keeping only five per person. And the largest fish anyone’s ever caught was 30 inches, big enough to feed six people.

The lake has both wild and stocked fish. The wild ones are dark red and green, the stocked ones are shiny but they both taste the same, so we were told

As for us, we were pushing the end of the season. And the fish were nowhere to be found. Have any groups ever come up completely dry?

Only two out of 50 trips. Campbell invited them to come back the next day, free of charge.

Okay, we were running out of time.

And then, with maybe 15 minutes before we had to pack up, something nibbled Nancy’s line. She set the hook and reeled it in. It was cute. It was tiny. It was too small to keep.

So we went back to fishing and now, with merely five minutes to go, Nancy got another one (I was busy taking pictures). Again she hooked it. Again she reeled. Again it came up.

And this time it was over a foot long, one of the stocked fish, holding a good pound of edible meat. A keeper. Campbell filleted the fish and delivered it to us later that day.

As for the cooking part, we removed what tiny bones remained, cut the fish so it lay flat, tossed it into a frying pan with lots of butter, garlic, a bit of salt and a splash of lime juice.

Even I, someone who joyfully eats but doesn’t necessarily cook fish, did a yummy job.

Next year, Campbell said, he will have a permit to fish on Paul Lake, which is stocked with landlocked sockeye salmon, called Kokanee in these parts. He’ll be making salmon sashimi for those who want it and cooking lunch.

Nancy and I WILL be back.

Click for more about Elevated Ice Fishing at Sun Peaks Resort.

After cleaning, there is about a pound of rainbow trout, perfect for two for dinner. Credit: Yvette Cardozo