Tag Archive for: NW Sales Connection

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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If you’re accustomed to US prices, Canada offers great skiing value. The current exchange rate guarantees it.

Skiing in Japan also is reasonable, but there’s the cost of getting there. Some clubs have reasonably priced all-inclusive packages. This one to Japan organized by the Baltimore Ski Club looks like it will be a lot of fun.

And skiing the Italian Alps is a great bargain. I just checked non-stops from NY and Boston for mid February. The prices are under $500. Chicago, Philadelphia and Salt Lake cost more, but they’re still reasonable.

When you book with Alpskitour, the rest of your trip – transfers, hotel, skiing, guides, some meals, equipment, lifts, transportation to different resorts – will be around $3500 per person. My wife and I went with them last season. It was one of the two best ski experiences we ever had. 

We stayed in a nice hotel in the center of Saint Vincent, a small, scenic city in the Aosta Valley. From there we took a scenic ride each day to different resorts in Italy, France, and Switzerland. 

Alpskitour puts together small groups of intermediate and advanced skiers and takes them for five days of skiing in the best resorts in the Aosta Valley. Mauro Cevolo and Andrea Jory, who run Alpskitour, guide you in Breuiel-Cervinia, Zermatt, Monterosa, and Courmayer, among others. 

They choose the best conditions and most empty slopes for each day.  If it’s foggy at one end of this spectacularly scenic valley, they’ll take you to a resort where it just snowed. Ditto if one is too crowded. There are so many areas to choose from that every day offers fantastic conditions.

And they know all the right places to stop for a snack or for lunch and all the right people to assure a warm welcome wherever you’re skiing.

The other best experience was a few hours east in the Dolomites. There, we joined an Inspired Italy Ski Safari. Inspired Italy is run by a small crew headed by Tim Hudson. He and his team are intimately familiar with Dolomiti SuperSki, the vast, interconnected ski circuit with hundreds of miles of runs, served by every conceivable uphill lift and dotted with restaurants and refugios, the small mountain hotels known for their cuisine and wine cellars. Inspired Italy also specializes in small groups. The cost of a seven day trip, not counting airport transfers and lunches, is about $2500. I just visited the Inspired Italy website to check availability. One slot is left for 2020. If you’re interested in this fantastic skiing experience, book soon for 2021.

Reasonably priced trips to Europe, Canada, US resorts and, next summer, New Zealand, are available through 70+ Ski Club. Groups tend to be larger — a great way to meet and ski with other older skiers. 70+ was started in the Seventies by Lloyd Lambert, the famed Northeast ski journalist. At one point, his son joined the operation. Now, Richard Lambert, Lloyd’s grandson heads 70+ Ski Club. There’s a modest membership fee, which provides access to many well-organized and equally well-priced trips throughout the season.

The 5 Habits of Smart (Adventure) Travelers

Global+Rescue, which provides medical evacuation insurance and other services, recently issued this guidance for “smart adventure travelers.” 1) Know Your Limits: This includes a link to the (humiliating for me) interactive Mont Blanc Guides Fitness Checker. 2) Willingness to Adjust plans, itineraries, etc. 3) Collecting Information from Multiple Sources (i.e. not relying on one expert’s advice). 4) Selecting Guides Carefully. (I’ve had good and pretty bad guide experiences). 5) Practicing Non-Stop Awareness. This applies wherever we roam. For the complete report, click here.

Highest Eastern Areas

I always assumed that the highest Eastern ski areas were in the Northeast. Of the ten highest areas on the East Coast, the top four are in North Carolina. They are Beech Mountain (5506’), Cataloochee(5400’), Wolf Ridge (4600’), and Sugar Mountain (4432’), The next highest area is Whiteface in Lake Placid, NY, topping out at 4396’.

NW Sales Connection

Unfortunately, we neglected to link the NW Sales Connection ad to its website. That’s now corrected. The company is a terrific resource for reasonably priced women’s skiwear from XS to 6X. The site also features men’s big and tall ski pants and parkas and many options for children’s skiwear. Click on the ad or here to visit the website.

 

Perfect Gift For Senior Skiers

As we approach the season, keep The Bootster in mind for yourself and older skiers on your gift list. It’s a $25 device that effortlessly helps foot enter ski boot. Nicely designed and handmade, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Haunted Ski Resorts

Charlie Leocha’s work was brought to my attention by Jocelyn Curtis of the Baltimore Ski Club. He spoke to the group about “haunted ski resorts.” Given that Halloween has just passed I’m sharing this article Charlie wrote some years back. It’s less about the areas themselves than the spirits occupying their lodges.

Silly Skiers Toy

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brunvand/videos/10221155652463660/

A few weeks ago after reading a piece here on the Silly Skiers toy from the Seventies, Jan Brunvand, retired University of Utah professor and frequent SeniorsSkiing.com contributor , found one in his basement. He fixed it up and sent this video. Note his SeniorsSkiing.com hat. Thanks, Jan!!!

Nice Video From Salomon

Almost everything Salomon does is done well. The company’s skis are generally terrific. It’s clothing is nicely styled and lasts forever. And its promotional videos are interesting. This one, featuring skier Cody Townsend, takes us to a mountain in the La Sal range east of Moab, Utah. He goes with a few Native Americans, who explain their intimate and ancestral relationship to the mountains. Watch here.

Dave Barry on Skiing

Humorist Dave Barry wrote about his first skiing experience in 2004.  An updated version was published by The Miami Herald in 2012. Like much of his material, it presents an amusing point of view. Click here.

 

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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What about that Big Dump last week in the West!!!!!!

If you’re like me — waiting for the first signs of Winter — the season is now on its way.

These areas plan to open in October:

  • Wolf Creek, CO – 13th October
  • Killington, VT – 19th October
  • Sunday River, ME – 19th October
  • Arapahoe Basin, CO – 20th October
  • Loveland, CO – 20th October
  • Wild Mountain Ski and Snowboard Area, MN – 20th October
  • Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, NV – 20th October
  • Mount Snow, VT – 20th October
  • Wildcat Mountain, NH – 27th October

SeniorsSkiing.com is now publishing every Friday.

Two big issues for senior skiers surfaced in recent reader surveys. 

  • One is your interest in finding contemporaries with whom you can ski. 

  • The other is being hit by reckless and out-of-control skiers and boarders.

To address finding skiing buddies, I’ve asked a digital-cartographer friend and avid skier to help us identify a meeting place that could apply to all ski areas. The idea is to set a time (e.g. 10AM) when members of the SeniorsSkiing.com community could show up at a specific location and, displaying a SeniorsSkiing.com sticker, meet other readers with whom to take some runs. 

Courtesy: University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library Ski Archive

What are the unresolved issues? 1) Identifying a location that would apply to all areas. If in the lodge, should it be a table closest to the end of the cafeteria line? Near the main entrance? Etc. If you have any ideas of how to do this – without involving area management – please send an email or post in Comments.  2) Supplying readers with the identifying SeniorsSkiing.com sticker. That’s the easy part: Email me your name and address, and we’ll send you a supply. My email address is jon@SeniorsSkiing.com.

As for the reckless/out-of-control skier problem, take a look at the reader comments in Mike’s This Week message. It’s not a trivial matter. Many readers report on slope hit-and-runs. Many more report near misses. Getting hit when you’re in your 60s, 70s, or 80s has more life-altering consequences than when you’re younger.

Something needs to be done. We’ve approached National Ski Patrol to inquire about their policies and to see if they would be open to exploring a collaborative effort to improve the situation. We’ll report what we learn. In the meanwhile, if you have suggestions to remedy this dangerous epidemic of unsafe skiing, please email them to the same address as above.

Finally, if you like SeniorsSkiing.com, please help spread the word by introducing your skiing friends to the site.  

Despite Serious Neurological Disorder, He Continues to Ski

Nick Manely in France

Nick Manely, a SeniorsSkiing.com reader and avid skier has been managing a Functional Neurological Disorder for several years. He’s based in Colorado where he coaches at Eldora Mountain and works at Larson’s Ski Shop in Denver. In September, Nick presented about his condition and skiing to a group if physicians and researchers at The International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in Nice, France.

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports Seeks Volunteer Instructors

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports is the state’s largest year-round disabled sports nonprofit. The group looking for energetic winter volunteer-instructors. Volunteers will be trained to help teach and lead the organization’s winter programs that include Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, indoor rock climbing, veterans retreats, and wellness programs. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, complete the application at www.vermontadaptive.org/get-involved.
 

Economical Resource for Small to Plus Size Parkas and Pants

Many Senior Skiers have difficulty finding properly fitting ski clothing. One old friend, quite petite, is always checking ski shops for good-looking things. Sometimes she has to settle for children’s items. Another friend is at the other end of the size spectrum. She, too, has difficulty finding quality skiwear in her size. I know they’re not alone. That’s why I’m delighted that NW Sales Connection has become a SeniorsSkiing.com advertiser. The company offers a wide range of skiwear in a wide range of sizes. Their initial ad focuses on women, but the site covers women, men, and children. The cost of ski clothing on the site tops out at $139.99, and everything is marked down. There is a 30-day return policy (longer over the Holidays). Please click on the NW Sales Connection ad and welcome this valuable resource to the SeniorsSkiing.com community. As an additional incentive to SeniorsSkiing.com readers, NW Sales Connection is giving a 10% discount for purchases made between now and October 15. Enter “welcome seniors” in the discount code box during check out.

The Easier Way To Get Your Boots On

This is the surefire solution to getting feet into boots, even when your boots are cold. It’s the compact, never-fail, Bootster, a clever little device utilizing a slippery material that helps feet slide effortlessly into ski boots. Several things make this a particularly nice product: Bootster reduces the effort of getting boots on. And, it fits into your parka pocket, so you can take it with you and use it to get your boots back on after lunch. At $25, it’s highly affordable and makes for a thoughtful gift for the older skiers on your list. To learn more click here or on the Bootster ad on the home page.

Solar Powered Task Light

We receive lots of offers to review products and to try things that companies would like brought to the attention of our readers. Most are irrelevant or unworthy. But this one got my attention. It’s a light weight utility light powered by choice of solar or by your computer’s USB port. The flexible, yellow silicone arm wraps around almost anything to position the light where you want it. It has four settings, three to adjust the light intensity and one to make it flash. I envision this as a nifty addition to camping gear or just to keep in the car or at home. Mpowerd, the company that makes this and other similar products, works with non-profits to send lights to people living without access to electricity. Luci®  Core, MSRP $14.95. Available from most outdoor retailers or directly from https://mpowerd.com

Remember Ski Ballet?

Skis of Glory is a brief video recapping that highly visual and entertaining era.