Tag Archive for: Harriet Wallis

Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Alta, Skiers’ Paradise

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Alta is all about open slopes and big vistas. Here is Big Dipper, a beautiful "blue" level run. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Alta is all about open slopes and big vistas. Here is Big Dipper, a beautiful “blue” level run.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

It’s Vast Open Space And Powder.

Alta is the granddaddy of powder skiing. It averages 500 inches of snow a year which earns it the nickname: Skiers’ Paradise. It has wide, wide open bowls with groomed trails, but everywhere you look slopes are left au natural and full of powder. That’s ample for most senior skiers. But it also has tough, gnarly in-bounds chutes and cols that can only be reached by serious hikes.

As the day begins. Come early and park at the Albion Grill day lodge that’s just steps from your car. The sun pours in making it a cheery gathering place, and it’s the first place where seniors meet. They enjoy conversation as they boot up and fuel up with a hearty breakfast. Introduce yourself, and you’ll have instant ski friends.

Why does Alta have such wide open skiing? Ancient glaciers carved Alta. Fast forward to the days of pioneers and silver miners. They cut down the trees and hauled off the timber to shore up the mines and to build early Salt Lake City. The only thing left was stubble, and hungry sheep overgrazed it right down to the ground. Alta was a wasteland.

The U.S. Forest Service had domain over the vast area but had no clue what to do with it. That’s when it hired iconic ski jumper and legendary ski pioneer Alf Engen to check it out and see if the area had any value. Engen envisioned it as perfect for skiing – and Alta was born

Alta skiers, and especially senior skiers, are avid about the uniquely vast terrain with its wide open slopes. Watch this 95 year old senior ski Alta.

Lunch time. After a few laps on Supreme and Sugarloaf lifts, drop into Alf’s mid-mountain restaurant about 11 a.m. That’s when members of Alta’s Wild Old Bunch gather at the restaurant’s only round table. They’ll be having coffee or lunch and exchanging notes on their morning of skiing. It’s the second place where you can make more senior friends.

Buy a hot beverage at Alf’s and enjoy a free refill. My personal favorite is hot chocolate topped with a mound of whipped cream.

While at Alf’s, go to the farthest corner,  and you’ll find fascinating photos of Alta’s past.

What else can I do?  Alta has extensive rentals and demos, so check out some of the latest gear, especially if it’s a powder day.

On weekends and holidays meet trained naturalists at 1:30 p.m. at the top of the Sunnyside lift and take a tour to learn about the area’s environment, animals, and history. A Tour With a Ranger will not disappoint.

SeniorsSkiing.com's correspondent Harriet Wallis and friend have a cuppa java at the end of the day. Credit: Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing.com’s correspondent Harriet Wallis and friend have a cuppa java at the end of the day.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Wrap up the day with a specialty brew at Alta Java, an outdoor coffee bar at snow level just beneath the Albion Grill where you started.

I want to stay. Alta is within a national forest, so there are no shopping centers or high rise hotels. There are several lovely slopeside hotels that blend into the landscape and are scarcely noticeable. But book early if you want to stay there because they’re very popular.

Evening activities include fireside history talks and other local events. Alta is eat, sleep, ski. Repeat.

Bare bones facts.

1) Skiers only. Alta does not allow snowboards. 

2) Convenient. Alta is just 45 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport. If you stay in the city you can take a frequent UTA ski bus to the mountain.

3) Stats. 2,200 acres, 116 named runs, 7 chair lifts, and a surface rope tow that’s a hoot. You can ride both directions across the flat base area. Of course you don’t need to use it because you can ski all around the mountain. But it’s a novelty that you’ll find only at Alta.

4) Eat. Mid-mountain and base area restaurants.

5) Orion and the dippers. Enjoy the stars in the night sky because there are no interfering lights.

6) The Wild Old Bunch. If you missed Alta’s senior skiers at lunch, join them at Sweet Tomatoes, a soup and salad buffet restaurant on Union Park Avenue in Midvale. They gather every Wednesday night year round for dinner and conversation.

Bottom Line:

Alta has a $699 season pass for 65 to 79.  It’s $50 for 80 plus.  During the season, there are no senior discounts, but you can get reduced prices online, especially if you buy four days ahead of your visit.  Weekdays passes can be bought for about $73 online if you plan ahead, otherwise it’s about $89.  Multi-day discounts are also offered, the more days you buy, the lower the per day rate.  See the Alta website for details.

Alta Trail Map

Another view of Big Dipper. Alta is known as "Skier's Paradise". Credit: Harriet Wallis

Another view of Big Dipper. Alta is known as “Skiers’ Paradise”.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Harriet Wallis

Dine On A Local Cow—Or Lamb—Or Carrot

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Locally Sourced Foods Are Catching On.

Snowbasin Executive Chef Scott Sniggs (l) with Executive Sous Chef Aric Glanville. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Snowbasin Executive Chef Scott Sniggs (l) with Executive Sous Chef Aric Glanville.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

At Snowbasin, Utah, chefs have embraced locally sourced meats including beef, lamb and elk, vegetables, cheeses and honey. Their dinner creations get rave reviews. Every bite comes from less than 50 miles away.

Other resorts also find that local fare makes sense. Ask around in your area to learn which resort restaurants are going local. It’s a win-win for all: the farmer, rancher, restaurant, and you ,the diner.

For Snowbasin, it’s an environmental decision. The resort concentrates on working hand in hand with local suppliers throughout the year. “If I can find it locally, I source it there,” said Executive Chef Scott Sniggs.  ” I want to support and showcase what’s around us.”

Local resident John Borski is a Julliard-trained ballet dancer turned organic farmer who supplies the resort with garden fresh vegetables.

“When I lived in New York City, I paid a fortune for fresh produce. But apples fell off my grandmother’s tree here in Utah, and she threw them away,” he said. “I was looking for something that wouldn’t require an entire ballet company!” He’s passionate about working his four-acre organic farm. “I’m out before daylight digging up potatoes by flashlight to deliver them fresh,”  he said.

Dinner with a view at Snowbasin's mid-mountain restaurant. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Dinner with a view at Snowbasin’s mid-mountain restaurant.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Likewise, Wes Crandall, a young rancher in a plaid shirt and cowboy hat, raises the locally famous Morgan Valley lambs. They’re also organic—open range, grass fed with no steroids, no hormones, and no antibiotics.

Restaurants that use locally sourced foods might offer you a new experience for your dining pleasure. Bon appetite.

Snowbasin, located near Ogden, was the 2002 Winter Olympics venue for the men’s and women’s downhill, super G and combined ski races. It offers specialty dining events throughout the year.

 

Organic spinach, carrots and lamb topped with a wildflower. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Organic spinach, carrots and lamb topped with a wildflower.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Harriet Wallis

Stocking Stuffer: Low Temperature Windshield Washer Fluid

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Okay. It’s too big for a stocking, but it doesn’t need wrapped.

Practical and inexpensive, this De-Icer Windshield Washer can save your day. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Practical and inexpensive, this De-Icer Windshield Washer can save your day.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

A cheap but practical gift is a jug of low temperature windshield washer fluid with de-icer. Look on the label for a temperature rating that is -25 or -30 or lower. A gallon jug costs less than $5.

There are some days when a certain mix of temperature and humidity can cause windshields to glaze over as you climb in elevation or go over a pass. The “blue stuff” that’s usually in the your car reservoir will not defrost the windshield. Using low temperature windshield fluid will likely save your ski day.

There are several brands of low temperature windshield fluid. Different brands are different colors – orange, purple or pink. But none are blue. Stick a bow on the jug, and it’s wrapped!

You might want to buy a turkey baster too. Use it to suck the blue stuff out of the car’s reservoir and then replace it with the low temperature washer fluid.

It’s the little things that make a difference.

Harriet Wallis

Stocking Stuffer: Field Trip Jerky

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A Healthy Chew For The Holidays.

alg jerky

It’s not your favorite trucker treat of yore. This “new” jerky is natural, gluten-free and tasty. Credit: Harriet Wallis

I love jerky, but most of it tastes like over-seasoned cardboard.  On the other hand, Field Trip Jerky is yummy, and it’s different—lightly seasoned and just the right “chew.”

It’s all-natural, gluten-free, MSG and nitrate-free, and it’s packed with protein. Refuel while out on the trail, on your bike or out for a ski tour.

Where can I get it? Field Trip Jerky has partnerships with Starbucks, Stop & Shop, Sprouts and more. Check the website for a dealer near you. About $6.50 to $8 a pouch.

Gluten-free? I questioned how jerky (a meat) can be gluten-free (which comes from plants). The answer I got is this: “Field Trip Jerky uses gluten-free low sodium soy sauce. All products have been tested and contain less than 5 ppm of wheat.”

In additiion, the “majority of experts report that grain-fed beef is fine to eat. Before protein is absorbed by the body, it’s broken down into single amino acids or very short peptide fragments and no longer contain gluten. Second hand transmission of gluten does not occur between animals and human consumption.”

The back story. Field Trip was started a few years ago by three friends looking to make jerky that wasn’t junk. Breaking away from the corporate mold (the three previously worked in law, finance and the auto industry) Tom, Scott and Matt started with a lot of hustle and $12,000 in seed money scrapped up from friends, family and savings and launched a homemade jerky business from their kitchen.

Worth a try and makes a great stocking stuffer.

[Editor Note: This is not a sponsored article.  Harriet is reporting on products she finds genuinely interesting and useful for our readers.]

 

Harriet Wallis

Are Heated Gloves Worth It?

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Some Things To Consider Before You Buy.

Luke Larsen, owner of the Lift House in Salt Lake City, demonstrates the Hestra brand of heated mittens. Hestra also makes heated gloves. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Luke Larsen, owner of the Lift House in Salt Lake City, demonstrates the Hestra brand of heated mittens. Hestra also makes heated gloves.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

If you google “heated gloves”, you’ll find two dozen brands in all price ranges. And more brands are advertised in ski magazines. It seems that many companies have jumped into the heated glove market. To make matters confusing, the descriptions all sound alike.

“Heated gloves that work well cost about $300 – $400” said Luke Larsen, owner of the Lift House, a premier Salt Lake City ski shop. “It’s the same technology as heated ski boots.”

Consider these tips before you invest in heated gloves.

  • What about batteries? The battery should be located on top of the palm/wrist area and well covered by the glove’s insulation. Why? Batteries are heavy so it’s the best place to put them. And it’s also a good place for you to see the heat setting light. Be sure the battery in the brand you consider is well protected by glove material and not close to the surface. Batteries and wires must stay warm to work well. And check how long the battery should run between charges.
  • How’s the plug? The battery recharger plug should be stout and easy to grasp. Plugs that you have to wiggle with can break with wear.
  • Do these gloves make my hands look fat? Many women’s gloves boast a slim profile. That means less insulation. The battery and the wires must be kept warm to keep you warm.
  • Try them on. Check how the gloves work with your jacket sleeve. Some gloves are slightly curved to make grasping a ski pole easier. Check your grasp. Heated mittens are warmer than heated gloves.
  • Talk to other skiers. Look for skiers with a light on their gloves. It’s the give-away that they’re wearing heated gloves. Pick their brains.
  • Buy from a ski shop with great service. A quality ski shop will go to bat for you if you have any problems.
  • Follow the directions precisely. If you want the gloves to last, do exactly what the directions tell you about recharging, transporting and storing them off season. If they come with a case, use it. Heated gloves aren’t fragile, but they don’t deserve having a ski boot dropped onto the wires.

Here’s what skiers are saying about their heated gloves:

“Last year was the first year I used battery powered gloves for skiing, and they are the best. If my hands are warm, I am warm all over,” says Arlene Maginn of Hamilton, MA. “On medium setting, they last all day! They are Core Heat Snow Gloves, and I recommend them for all kinds of winter activities.”

Salt Lake City skier Laurie O’Connor agrees. She can stay toasty all day. However, instead of heated gloves, she opted for heated Thermo Gloves liners. That way she can wear different outer gloves.

Todd Reynolds, a commercial fisherman from sunny Florida, has heated Hestra gloves. “I love them” he said. “I’d freeze without them.”

Lunge Toward Ski Season: Start Now

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You don’t need a gym. You can lunge around the neighborhood.

Nick and Carol Bowling are enthusiastic senior-age Alta skiers who enjoy staying fit year round. They just added lunges to their pre-season fitness routine, and they’ve become lunge junkies. But there’s a learning curve to doing lunges correctly, and they’re still working on it.

Carol and Nick Bowling of Washougal, Washington, tune up now for ski season. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Carol and Nick Bowling of Washougal, Washington, tune up now for ski season.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

“Lunges use your own body weight to strengthen your lower body. They’re excellent for your quads and hamstrings – for the big muscles,” says Jo Garuccio, Professional Ski Instructors of America Trainer and Examiner who also teaches at Snowbird. “But be sure your knee is over your shoestrings – not further forward.”

Equipment needed: Your body and a large mirror. Watch yourself. Critique yourself.

Position: Back erect, thigh parallel to the ground, knee over shoestrings.

Incentive: See how many you can do each day while keeping good form. When you’re good at the basic lunge, move on to one of the many variations.

What a lunge should look like:

So here’s a challenge for you. Watch the video, then study Carol and Nick’s position. Pretend you’re a coach. Is there something you’d tell them to improve as they lunge toward ski season?

When will you start to lunge?

Harriet Wallis

Outdoor Retailers Show: Harriet’s Three Hot Product Picks

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It’s Like Christmas In August.

Outdoor Retailers Show in Salt Lake is the largest outdoor sports show of its kind. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Outdoor Retailers Show in Salt Lake is the largest outdoor sports show of its kind.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The annual Outdoor Retailers Show is going on in Salt Lake City right now (August 5-8), and it showcases gear for all outdoor enthusiasts. It’s a sneak peek at brand new innovative products as well a upgrades in existing products.

The massive trade show has more than 1,500 exhibitors from around the world. Some exhibitors are well known outdoor recreation companies while others are little companies that strut a single creative product. The show brings buyers together with the sellers and it sets the stage for what you’ll soon see in your favorite recreation store.

I attended the show for SeniorsSkiing.com to search for products that would appeal to our readers. I walked miles to see the show takes up every square inch of the Salt Palace, the city’s convention center, and then it spills outside into three, block-long tents.

Here are my top picks:

Harriet's Pick #1: Addaday Rollers. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Harriet’s Pick #1: Addaday Rollers.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Addaday rollers for soothing sore muscles. Apply a lot or a little pressure on what hurts. It’s less bulky than traditional foam rollers so you can pack it in your suitcase and take it with you on vacation. www.addaday.com

Harriet's Pick #2: Spriggs Wrist Wallet Credit: Harriet Wallis

Harriet’s Pick #2: Sprigs Wrist Wallet
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Sprigs wrist wallet is a comfy cuff that’s safer than your coat pocket. Each wrist wallet has a hidden pocket, a zipper pocket and room for your cell phone too. Stash all your important items — credit card, money, room key and phone – and you’ll always have them with you. Lightweight and lots of patterns. “I invented it in 2004 after my sister came back from a trip to Morocco and said there were lots of thieves,” said Sprigs owner Valerie Ciptak Vierra. www.sprigs.com  

Harriet's Pick #3: ExOfficio undwear Credit: Harriet Wallis

Harriet’s Pick #3: ExOfficio sports underwear
Credit: Harriet Wallis

ExOfficio Give-N-Go Sports Mesh underwear. ExOfficio is already known for it’s lightweight, breathable, quick wicking and quick drying fabrics that are perfect for travel. It’s women’s underwear line now includes the extra-breathable diamond weave sports mesh fabric that will breathe beneath your base layer. Next year, look for the boy shorts style and the fancier lace collection. There are new styles for men too. www.exofficio.com.

 

Harriet Wallis

Harriet Wallis’ Great Idea: Perhaps You Need A “Pail List”

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SeniorsSkiing.com Correspondent Harriet Wallis Has A New “Pail List”

Harriet Wallis conquers the trail to the top of Emigration Canyon. Check. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Harriet Wallis conquers the trail to the top of Emigration Canyon. Check.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

It’s summer and half my friends are traveling the planet. They’re checking off places on their bucket list. I get emails from exotic locations. They send photos of elephants and penguins, mountain peaks and crystal clear lakes.

So I ask: “What’s wrong with me? Why don’t I have a big bucket list? Is it okay to have a pail list instead?” Have those questions ever occurred to you?

I’m lucky. Throughout my life I’ve been able to see penguins, hike mountain peaks and paddle clear lakes. My bucket is pretty full. Now I’m working with a pail instead. Maybe a pail is right for you too.

For me, the things I want to accomplish — to fill my pail — are mostly close to home and are personal challenges. This summer, my pail list includes bicycling as many days as I skied during the winter (80 days), to swim three miles a week, and to tie a fly that’s so good the fish will fight over it. So far my pail is filling up. But I’m still struggling with the fish-thing.

Bucket lists are very trendy. But not everyone has the time, finances or inclination to travel to far away places. Consider a pail list instead. Consider setting challenges for yourself close to home. I’d love to hear what’s on your pail list and how you’re doing with filling it up.

 

Harriet Wallis

Breaking News: Boyne, Intrawest, Powdr Launch M.A.X. Pass

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MAXSki & ride 22 resorts five times each for total of 110 days.

The Multi Alpine Experience (M.A.X.) Pass is a brand new, groundbreaking ski pass giving access to 22 mountains all over North America. M.A.X. passholders will get five days of skiing or riding at each of the 22 participating resorts for the 2015/2016 ski season. Resorts include:

  • Blue Mountain, Ontario
  • Mont Tremblant, Quebec
  • Stratton, VT
  • Steamboat, CO
  • Snowshoe, WV
  • Winter Park, CO
  • Loon Mountain, NH
  • Sugarloaf, ME
  • Sunday River, ME
  • Boyne Highland, MI
  • Boyne Mountain, MI
  • Big Sky, MT
  • Brighton, UT
  • Crystal Mountain, WA
  • Cypress Mountain, B.C.
  • Summit at Snoqualmie, WA
  • Killington, VT
  • Pico Mountain, VT
  • Copper Mountain, CO
  • Mt. Bachelor, OR
  • Boreal Mountain, CA
  • Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard, NV

Boyne, Intrawest and Powdr combined to form a fourth company, PassCO, LLC, that will handle online sales of M.A.X. passes.

The M.A.X. pass was launched a few days ago. It offers skiing and riding at 22 U.S. resorts and it goes head to head with Vail’s Epic Pass with 81 U.S. and international resorts – and Mountain Collective with 14 U.S. and Canadian resorts.

Editor’s Note: We applaud the creativity the M.A.X. pass has shown in providing multi-resort ski discounts, but we are disappointed to see there aren’t any discounted rates for Senior Skiers. Hopefully, we will see an updated price list that acknowledges seniors, the growth segment of the ski industry. Readers: How say you?

Harriet Wallis

St. Patrick’s Day Snow Art At Brighton, Utah

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Everyone enjoys trailside sculptures in annual tradition.

Lift Mechanic Jamill Sami puts finishing touches on his department's gigantic ninja turtle. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Lift Mechanic Jamill Sami puts finishing touches on his department’s gigantic ninja turtle.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The snow sculpture competition is an annual St. Patrick’s Day event at Brighton Resort, Utah. The competition pits departments against each other in a good natured contest.

During the night as grooming equipment manicures the slopes for the next day, they scoop up a pile of snow for each department.
Lifties who run the beginner lift created an enormous Snoopy lying on top of his dog house. Adults and kids who are learning get to ski and ride around the delightful sculpture.

There are nearly a dozen sculptures located around the base of the resort. Even non-skiers can walk around the base area and enjoy them. They’ll remain on view for a few days and then be groomed back into the slope.

Correspondent Harriet Wallis remembers the outstanding St. Patrick Days at Brodie Mountain, MA. Credit: NewEnglandSkiHistory.com

Correspondent Harriet Wallis remembers the outstanding St. Patrick Days at now closed Brodie Mountain, MA.
Credit: NewEnglandSkiHistory.com

St. Patrick’s Day is for reminiscing. I used to live in the East, and I skied Brodie Mountain, Massachusetts on St. Patrick’s Day. The once thriving ski area went all out to celebrate the Irish holiday. There was green snow,  green beer, green outfits, green face painting and lots of merriment off the snow and on it. Along with 20 others, I sledded down a slope on a cafeteria tray and crossed the finish line first. For that I earned a Brodie Mountain T-shirt. I still have it.

Does your ski area celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in an unusual way?

Harriet Wallis

Product Update: ThinOptics Now has Bold Colors, New Magnification

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You’ll Always Have These Readers With You.

Finally, you can read your cell phone, trail maps and restaurant menus with ease because you can always have these very cool reading glasses with you. And the case snaps onto your Smartphone for ready access. Now isn’t that novel!

Brighton Resort ski instructors Lenny Bernstein and Amanda Cimini check the phone. Lenny is wearing ThinOptics. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Brighton Resort ski instructors Lenny Bernstein and Amanda Cimini check the phone. Lenny is wearing ThinOptics.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

ThinOptics readers solve the problem that has plagued seniors since Smartphones were invented. The phones are smart, but the info is too small to read. ThinOptics to the rescue. These tiny glasses perch comfortably on your nose then store away on your cell phone. No more fumbling for bulky reading glasses or passing glasses around.

After millions of dollars of research, these virtually indestructible readers were introduced last year, and they rocketed to popularity with seniors. Now they come in vivid frame colors as well as traditional black and clear. In addition. a new magnification level has been added.

Check our original review from October, 2014 here.

Harriet Wallis

Serious Stuff: There Is No Such Thing As “Side Country”

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And There Is No Such Thing As Being A Little Bit Dead.

Back country warnings are there for a reason. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Back country warnings are there for a reason.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Yesterday we rode the chairlift with a bozo. Okay. Maybe he wasn’t a bozo. Maybe he was just clueless. All the way up he yapped about his skiing prowess. And near the top he phoned home to give his wife his location. “She worries about me,” he said.

She should worry. He planned to duck under the boundary rope and make some turns in the deep, unspoiled powder beyond.

“Take your avy gear,” we said.

“Don’t need it. It’s in the car. I’m just doing side country,” he said.

Somehow he missed hearing that there is no such thing as side country.

The term “side country” hit the scene a few years ago, and it was quickly squelched by the ski industry’s leading avalanche experts, snow science experts, the U.S. Forest Service, ski area risk managers, mountain patrollers and others. It was likely a marketing brainchild used to promote the newest boots and powder-specific skis and boards.

The term had obvious appeal to intermediate and advanced skiers and riders. They could buy the latest gear and try their skills beyond the rope line thinking it would be okay. They could be a little bit naughty.

But the ski industry took a stance saying you’re either within a resort or else you’re in the unmonitored, ruthless back country. You’re either in bounds or you’re out of bounds. There’s nothing in between. There is no such thing as side country. There is no such thing as “kinda” out of bounds.

“We all must focus on educating skiers and snowboarders that backcountry terrain accessed from a ski lift has the same risks as any other back country or out-of-bounds area,” says the National Ski Area Association.

Later in the day I caught the TV news. A skier died after being caught in an avalanche. The avalanche occurred in the very out of bounds area where a guy— with too much macho and too little knowledge—went to ski. There’s no such thing as side country.

There’s no such thing as being a little bit dead.

 

 

Harriet Wallis

Adult Stem Cell Therapy For Skiers

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Is This Trendy Therapy Right For What Hurts?

Just a week ago, a skier friend underwent stem cell therapy for his painful knee. Ever since, he’s been sending me emails extolling the wonders of this cutting edge technology. We’re all skiers and our knees take a beating over time, so when he began singing praises about adult stem cell therapy, I took notice and became curious. Then I did some superficial homework on adult stem cell therapy. There’s good news and bad news.

Not exotic fruit, fellas. It's a blossoming stem cell that can be used in healing senior skier joint ailments.;

Not exotic fruit, fellas. It’s a blossoming stem cell that can be used in healing senior skier joint ailments.

The good news is that adult stem cell therapy has been going on for a long time with great success for many health conditions.

However, at this time it can’t cure everything, and I learned that some conditions can be aggravated by it. Patients must pay for the procedures out of their own pockets as insurance does not seem to cover it. And sometimes it takes more than one procedure to solve or make a dent in the health problem.

Stem cell therapy is trendy and clinics are apparently springing up like mushrooms after a rainstorm. The sites I checked have flashy websites with lots of glowing testimonials. But before you jump on the bandwagon of hope, find out if the bandwagon is going where you want to go or whether it might be a pricey ride to nowhere.

So here’s the bottom line: Is adult stem cell therapy the alternative, cutting edge miracle cure for what hurts — or might it be one size fits all hype? Look before you leap. Then decide.

If you’re interested in adult stem cell therapy, the International Society for Stem Cell Research website is a place to start.

Editor’s Note: SeniorsSkiing.com Correspondent Harriet Wallis has two artificial knees, loves life and skis four days a week. She wrote the 5-part series on knee replacement for SeniorsSkiing.

seniorsskiing

Managing Fear, Building Confidence

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Ski Instructor: “Encouragement Is The First Lesson For Returning Skiers”

It makes no difference whether a skier has just recovered from joint replacement, traumatic accident, ski injury or is returning to skiing from a long hiatus. There is going to be some level of anxiety.

Walt Lattrell, ski instructor at Smugglers Notch (VT), teaches a clinic on managing fear for other instructors. “We see people coming back to skiing who are harboring apprehension, negative thoughts and low expectations for performance. The good news is that they take a class from a professional instructor. That’s an indicator they want and need help.”

Thinkin' about it. Revelstoke, BC, cornice has some folks wondering. Credit: Walter Latterell

Thinkin’ about it. Revelstoke, BC, cornice has some folks wondering.
Credit: Walter Latterell

The goal of ski instructors is to help their students to acknowledge their fears. “Our first challenge is to help returning students believe they are capable of higher performance. Self-limiting beliefs lead to self-defeating behavior. The instructor has to inspire their students, provide a vision of success and lots and lots of positive reinforcement,” says Lattrell.

Lattrell tells students not to expect perfection, to pay attention to their thoughts, and to visualize success. He provides clear goals for each lesson, and explains how the student is going to get there through a series of small steps.

There are some stages that Mermer Blakeslee, in her book ,“In The Yike! Zone” sees some students going through as they gain confidence. It seems it is key for the instructor to positively reinforce the student at each step:

  • At first, the student doesn’t want to try. Small attempts are guided and reinforced by the instructor.
  • Then, the student will try a skill, but only on “safe” terrain. Success will bring the student confidence to try again at a higher level.
  • Next, the student will try a more ambitious skill, but bails out. Now, the instructor demonstrates, guides, and encourages again.
  • Finally the student tries again and follows through with sense of relief, joy and accomplishment. The instructor points out what the student did right and acknowledges the progress.

“The goal of any lesson needs to be a progression from simple skills to more challenging ones. Each step is built upon with growing confidence,” says Lattrell, a PSIA Level 2 instructor.

As we have learned from Harriet Wallis’ series on Knee Rehabilitation, some returning skiers need a run or two by themselves to adjust to the slopes after illness, injury or rehab. Others could benefit from a supportive lesson or two. Lattrell, himself, had bilateral knee replacements.

To paraphrase the great Yankee Hall of Famer Yogi Berra: “Half this game is 90 percent mental.”

 

mikemaginn

A Gaggle of Santas: Merry Christmas From SeniorsSkiing.com

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A bevy of Santas collaborate at Brighton Ski Resort, UT. Credit: Harriet Wallis

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