Tag Archive for: Powder Mountain

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

/15 Comments/in , , , /by

I don’t mean to be a bummer, but I really need to get this off my chest. Does anyone else out there get the feeling that things, in general, are falling apart?

You call a company “help” line and wait for 15-20-30 minutes to speak with someone…that is, if you’re not disconnected. All that while being told “your call is important to us.”

Yes, it’s hard to find and hire people. But does that justify the Target cashier rudely refusing to verify the price of an item when politely asked?

What about reserving and purchasing a Powder Mountain lift ticket online? Several of the resort’s owners are from tech. Wouldn’t you think the online process they set up would work? It didn’t for me, and based on comments from people who work there, it doesn’t work for others. Fortunately, real people answer the phone and are helpful.

The other day, at Park City Mountain Resort, I tried downloading a free App to request a ride from the shuttle service. Completing the process required clicking twice on the button on the right side of my phone; the same process that shuts the phone down.

Compared to what’s going on the world, these are minor irritants; incremental reminders that things are not as promised; that, perhaps, the sky is falling, but not right away.

If you haven’t seen “Don’t Look Up,” Netflix’ star-studded comedy about the end of the world, you may want to. I fall in the camp of those who enjoyed it. Others find it more irritating than entertaining. At first glance, it’s about a large comet on a direct collision course with Earth. Metaphorically, it’s about the long-term perils of climate change or, more immediately, the effects of Covid.

I know from past comments that some of you prefer not to pay too much attention to the pandemic. From a skier’s perspective, ski areas, from Sun Valley to Ischgl have served as super-spreaders: places where people from afar have transported the virus, infecting others who carried it back to their home communities. By now that’s old news. But the ongoing resistance to wearing masks and/or getting vaccinated – also old news – is giving the virus more opportunity to keep spreading, killing, and interrupting our lives.

What’s the point of this venting? I’m reaching a point that, knowing I have just so many years ahead of me, I’m reducing exposure to the aggravatingly repetitive drumbeat of news, pundits, etc.

Maybe it’s time to reduce the volume and focus more on things that bring me happiness and joy. It will be a narrower vision but, possibly, a happier one.

Stevens Pass Petition Update

As previously reported, about 20,000 Epic Pass holders at Washington’s Steven’s Pass petitioned Vail Resorts (VR) to refund 60% of the cost of their passes. That, because VR sold passes, knowing that only 60% of terrain and lifts would be open this season. Now, the signatories are being urged to email VR cancelling the “auto renew” feature for their 2022-23 season passes.

Park City Patrol Averts Strike With New Contract

Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association voted to approve a new contract with Vail Resorts. The agreement gives the ski patrollers a $19/hr average wage and tenure recognition. It also provides wage parity with Colorado residents, meaning that a rise in Colorado’s minimum wage will be matched for patrollers at Park City.

Duck, Duck, Moose

Two moose crossed a heavily used trail at Steamboat recently. A skier captured the scene. A few weeks ago, on The Canyons side of Park City Mountain Resort, moose (without skis) on two trails, prompted those trails to be closed. Moose-sightings at The Canyons is not unusual.

Be Happy You Weren’t on THAT Chair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKyk1iWrX6I

Skiers on a chair at Beech Mountain (NC) had the unpleasant experience of riding through a cold geyser resulting from a ruptured water line. A few unfortunate souls were stuck in the powerful spray for extended periods when the lift stopped. Why management did not stop the lift to prevent people from being sprayed is a question that may be asked by their attorneys. Yet another example of things, in general, breaking down.

IDAHO DOG SLED RACES

Photo by Melissa Shelby

If you’re in or around Cascade, Idaho Jan 30 – Feb 3, try to take in the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge. World-class mushers will compete on the 300-mile qualifier for Alaska’s Iditarod. The Idaho event is considered one of the world’s toughest. For more details visit idahosleddogchallenge.com.

Getting Back to Basics

The winter sports market in China is touted to be more than $126 billion, growing to $160 billion by 2025. Among the drivers, hundreds of new ski areas and the Beijing Winter Olympics. Tmall Winter Festival is the country’s major annual Winter shopping event. Click on the image (above) to screen the curious video promoting snow sports. At least, that’s my interpretation of the piece.

Children of Patrol

This video is much easier to understand. It’s about the children of members of the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol. Several of the kids have become patrollers. It is six-minutes, family-oriented, and  delightful!!

Calgary’s Ghost Area

Fortress Mountain reached its peak sometime in the 1980s. This 10-minute video sponsored by Black Crows Skis tells the area’s story and that of the crew determined to bring it back to life.

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

/0 Comments/in , /by

This week I participated in a media briefing about the coming season. It was organized by Ski Utah and featured presenters from most of the state’s areas.

They confirmed what most of us already know. This will not be a normal season. Resort skiing will require more advance planning than we’re used to. Some of the details, as presented in the aforementioned media briefing, are outlined a few paragraphs down.

Those of you who live close to where you ski won’t feel the pain. Not so for those of us who must travel.

That’s one of the reasons I plan to try cross country this season. I won’t be alone.  

Cross country skiing is about to boom. Since its impact was first felt, Covid has prompted many more people to pursue solo outdoor sports. 

According to Reese Brown, executive director of the non-profit Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA), early sales of entry-level gear packages were up over 200% in August and September. This bodes well for that branch of the sport.

This issue of SeniorsSkiing.com is dedicated to cross country and other Nordic activities. When Covid entered the scene, we anticipated that many of you, turned off by new obstacles, might look to Nordic activities as an alternative. That’s why we introduced the Make More Tracks: Nordic Resource Guide and are featuring a Nordic article in each issue. You’ll note that Alpina, which makes top-of-the-line Nordic ski boots and other gear is supporting the initiative.

Cross country, skate skiing, snowshoeing, and snow biking don’t always require traveling great distances to enjoy. If you live where there’s snow, many parks and local golf courses have groomed trails. If you’re fortunate enough to be near a cross country resort, you can enjoy extensive trail networks with many amenities. 

Clearly, Covid has turned skiing on its head.

What did I learn in that media briefing mentioned earlier? Among other things, advance ticket reservations will be required. It’s one of several ways areas will limit access. 

Places like Snowbird will regulate the number of skiers by requiring parking reservations. And at least for the first part of the season, parking spots will be for morning arrivals only.

For several seasons, Utah has encouraged people skiing the Cottonwood Canyons (Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude) to take public transportation. Depending on time of day or day of week, ski buses were at their 60 passenger capacity. This season, each bus will be limited to 20.

Many senior skiers enjoy the amenities of a locker room. Now, in an effort to improve social distancing, Deer Valley will limit access locker room access. The resort already has removed all seating. 

Snowbasin is introducing portable “executive” restrooms.

Restaurants will require reservations or ordering by app. Powder Mountain will do both as well as increase take-out locations around the resort.

These changes are representative of what to expect at resorts throughout the U.S. 

In closing the media briefing, Nathan Rafferty, who heads Ski Utah, shared his metric for success for the coming season. As I recall, in the past it has been increasing the number of skiers and the number of skier days. This year, it’s simply “Get open and stay open.”

Vail, Killington, Park City Mountain Resort, Alta Opening 

source: Alta

Vail, Park City Mountain Resort and Killington each announced season openings on Friday, November 20. Alta will open Monday, November 23. Check your email and favorite mountain website for more opening dates.

The Nordic Approach

That’s the name of the new online magazine for cross country skiers. Click here to visit the free site and find resorts, retailers, lots of good articles and tips for everyone interested in or already enjoying the cross country skiing lifestyle.

Parlor Skis Backcountry Emails

Parlor Skis is the Boston-based custom ski manufacturer known for high quality skis designed for the purchaser’s individual skiing style and needs. I know several skiers who’ve invested in Parlor skis, and they absolutely love them! The company takes an intelligent and analytical approach to the customization process. Its New England heritage is reflected in a new email series exploring back country skiing in the Northeast. If you’d like to receive Parlor’s emails, send your request to mark@parlorskis.com.

ISHA Needs Your Support

International Ski History Association

ISHA (International Skiing History Association) is the non-profit that, among other things, publishes Skiing History magazine. If you’re not already a member, I urge you to join. You’ll receive Skiing History every other month. Click on ISHA’s ad at the bottom of the stack of ads on the right and you’ll receive the free digital version. But at this time, it’s important to send ISHA money. Like so many other non-profits, the group is feeling the effects of Covid, especially from corporate sponsors cutting back because of reduced revenues. Please help ISHA weather this particularly tough storm. A one-year membership is only $49.

U.S. Ski-Snowboard Hall of Fame, Too

This is another worthy non-profit whose revenues this year were interrupted by Covid. The Hall of Fame‘s mission is to honor and celebrate the athletes, pioneers and visionaries of the United States who have significantly enriched the global sports of skiing and snowboarding and to showcase their stories and historic memorabilia…” To learn more and/or make a donations, click here.

A Skier’s Thanks

Next Thursday the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving, a time when we give thanks for our good fortune by stuffing our faces and tolerating people we’re obligated to have at our tables. I apologize for the cynicism. This year will be different. Like others we know, Pam and I will be alone for our traditional feast. We’ll eat well, knowing that many will not and that many will be alone. As we do on every Thanksgiving and throughout the year, we’ll remember those no longer with us and those less fortunate. As skiers, we should be expressing thanks to the people who work hard so we can enjoy our good times on the hill. There are the groomers who work throughout the night, often in dangerous conditions, to prepare slopes and trals for our enjoyment. There are the lifties, standing in bitter cold to assist us onto the chair. And patrol, up early to control avalanches and working throughout the day to make trails safer. The people preparing and serving food. Those clearing the lots. There are many we never see and whom we never have the opportunity to thank. Maybe it’s not the purpose of Thanksgiving to thank them, but this year, let’s do it anyway. And while we’re at it, let’s thank the medical researchers, especially those at Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. It sounds like their commitment to developing Covid vaccines will soon get us back to some form of normal, including a more normal ski season. Thank you! 

Frustration #1. Frustration #2.

Frustration #1: Readers are reporting that SeniorsSkiing.com requires re-entering name and email address each time you try to open the site. We believe the issue may be the need to enable cookies on each device used to access SeniorsSkiing.com. If you’ve done that on your laptop and want to open the site on your phone, you must enable cookies on each device. On my iPhone, I went to Settings, scrolled to Safari, turned off  (grey bubble) “Block All Cookies”  and turned on (green bubble) “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking.” Other phones may require other steps. 

Frustration #2: We’d like more classified advertisers. It’s a great deal. Advertise for four weeks for $1. Once the classified section takes hold, we plan to increase the cost of advertising. For the immediate future, however, you can advertise something for sale, something for rent, a club trip, look for someone to ski with, etc. for a buck. 

Back December 4

SeniorsSkiing.com is taking next week off. See you December 4!

 

Harriet Wallis

Senior Small Group Ski Week With Lodging Right On Uncrowded Powder Mountain

/7 Comments/in /by

Plan Now For Next Winter

Seniors participating in Life Elevated Utah having fun and acting silly for the camera. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Gary and Sandy Nielsen have run Road Scholar programs in Utah for about 20 years. They’re experts at planning and organizing week-long programs including Hopi pottery, dinosaurs and rock hounding in summer—and the very popular senior ski program in winter.

But several years ago as the demand for more senior ski weeks kept growing, Gary and Sandy responded with an idea of their own. They created new, small group ski weeks especially for seniors, and they base the programs at Powder Mountain. It’s ski weeks with all the trimmings.

Gary and Sandy cookin’ up Eggs Benedict for breakfast. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Gary invited me to experience the program. As I entered the little lodge’s great room, the first thing I saw was an inviting table with every beverage a tired skier could want: refreshing lemon water, coffee, tea, cocoa, a selection of wine with nice glasses, and plenty of cold beer in the fridge. Such enormous hospitality! As the skiers came in, they chose a beverage and settled into the sofas to retell the day’s adventures. And that was just the beginning.

When it came time for dinner, we gathered around a beautifully set table and enjoyed huge portions of roast salmon, fresh asparagus, baked potatoes, and a crisp tossed salad. There are seconds! Then came dessert: steaming homemade peach cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. Gary and Sandy love to cook. Every meal was just as spectacular.

“When Gary and Sandy run a program, I know it’s going to be good,” said Henry, a repeat skier.

About The Programs

Gary explained how the ski weeks work. “Powder Mountain is known as ‘Utah’s Best Kept Secret’ and through our nonprofit organization called Life Elevated Utah,” we have been running week-long ski programs for older skiers between the ages of 60-90+ for the past few years.

“We stay right at the base of the mountain in a comfortable 1980s style lodge. This is a true ski-in, a ski-out experience in which our older skiers simply love. We only have five hotel rooms, each with a private bathroom. The rooms have great views of the slopes looking out from each room’s patio doors.

“Our programs are six days of skiing Monday-Saturday with programs beginning and ending each Sunday. We provide transportation to/from SLC Airport, cover seven nights lodging, prepare three delicious meals a day for our small ski groups in our kitchen in the lodge. We help set up ski lessons, mountain tours, and many other ski amenities,” he said.

“I know they really care about me,” said Kathy, a repeat skier. They make sure every detail is just right. This program has just the right number of people, but not too many. I used to do all the ski trip planning when my family was young, but this is so much better. They take care of everything.”

Life’s Lessons Achieved

Gary was one of five children, and it was a family rule that when you turned eight years old you learned how to cook dinners for the family. The cooking lessons stuck, and along the way he developed a specialty catering business. “Chef” is in his soul.

Travel planning has also been in his soul since he was young, and he’s skilled at it. He has degrees in Recreation Management, specializing in travel and tours, and a degree in Business Management. It all fits together.

Looking To Next Season

This really is a best kept secret. Gary and Sandy don’t have a website. So,  to get information for next year’s Powder Mountain senior ski weeks, email gary@lifeelevatedutah.org

Seniors like to ski with seniors, but finding a program is as difficult as looking for a Yeti. Interestingly, Road Scholar has eliminated all western downhill ski programs for 2021. Just one ski eastern Road Scholar program continues.

Small group of seniors on big Powder Mountain: 8,400 acres with 154 trails. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Powder Mountain
Harriet Wallis

Uncrowded Powder Mountain

/9 Comments/in /by

[Editor Note: SeniorsSkiing.com is asking our readers to contribute to support our online magazine. Yes, we have grown in the number of subscribers and advertisers. But our expenses have also grown. You can help us defray some of these expenses by helping us out with a donation.]

Support SeniorsSkiing.com by clicking here.

______________________________________________________

500 Inches Of Snow, 8,000+ Acres, And No Crowds.

Uncrowded on a holiday weekend. Powder has plenty of room. Credit: Harriet Wallis

A Mountain Host greeted us with memorable words. “The snow here is all natural. Mother Nature makes all of it,” she said. “And it’s GMO-free,” she quipped.

We skied Powder Mountain during a recent holiday weekend when other resorts near Salt Lake City were packed to the gills, “PowMow’s” trails were not only uncrowded, they were sometimes absolutely empty. It was wonderfully relaxing. I didn’t need eyes in the back of my head. Nobody was going to run over me. And there was still patches of untracked snow from a storm nearly a week earlier.

To ensure a good experience, the mountain caps adult season passes at 3,000 and daily lift tickets to 1,500. It doesn’t accept the Ikon or other multi-resort passes. Do the math. At max capacity, every skier gets about 2 acres.

Seniors 75 and older get a free lift ticket or a season pass for $20. 

Good snow, uncrowded slopes and affordable senior prices  are just part of the equation. Powder Mountain is old school. It doesn’t do glitz. That’s it’s charm. There’s even an old fashioned blackboard where the list of upcoming bands to play in the Powder Keg bar are written in colored chalk.

Powder base lodge is unpretentious. Credit: Harriet Wallis

The day lodge is modest, the bathrooms are adequate, the cafeteria tables are set in long rows so everyone eats family style and gets acquainted with whoever sits down next to them. The lodge on the summit is similar, just smaller.

Six chairlifts serve 8,464 acres that include white knuckle slopes, aspen forests, and treeless snowfields. And in old school style, there’s a Poma. It hauls skiers up a short pitch that’s a gateway to vast terrain. Riding a Poma is a skill that older skiers remember well but younger skiers struggle to learn. After a few they get to experience what the good old days of skiing were like.

We chanced to meet Bob Leaverton, a veteran ski patroller, who has skied Powder Mountain for 35+ years. His three favorite things are: “the road, the people, and the snow.”

The last several miles up to the resort are steep, and that climb often deters visitors, he said. The people are friendly, and the snow is wonderful. Take it from a local.

For adrenaline junkies, Powder Mountain offers specialty adventures: in- and out-of bounds backcountry skiing, skin & ski, snowcat, and heli-skiing.

Historically, Frederick Cobabe accumulated the vast acreage as range for his herd of sheep. His son eventually purchased the livestock company and the land and turned it into a ski resort in 1972.

It’s currently owned by private investors who are developing an upscale community of Bauhaus-style homes set in the far reaches of the resort and linked by a network of trails and lifts that sprawl across that rolling, not steep, terrain. It can take most of the day to ski a circuit all around the resort.

But if its a powder day, do what the mountain resort is named for: Ski the powder.

Yes, that’s the lift line. Where is everyone? Credit: Harriet Wallis

Two Skiers
seniorsskiing

Ask an Expert: Lodging at Powder Mountain, Utah

/5 Comments/in /by

Advice From The Marketing Head of Powder Mountain.

Reader Ellin Jaffe  asks:

I’m curious about Powder Mountain near Eden, Utah, and wonder if there are any ski-in ski-out condos there?

Here’s the reply from J. P. Goulet, Director of Marketing, Powder Mountain:

Powder Mountain has ski-in ski-out luxury homes for rent. There also are many condos available in Eden only four miles from the resort and on the public transportation route. All info can be found at www.powdermountaingetaways.com. 

Powder Ridge Condos and Columbine Inn are other lodging options on mountain. 

Have a question about technique, gear, destinations, travel, or any other aspect of winter sports? Send it to mike@seniorsskiing.com, and we’ll do our best to find an expert to respond.

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

/4 Comments/in /by

I rode a chair last season with a couple who got upset when they saw a dead porcupine on the trail below. They “knew” the animal from skiing there for several months. It looked like it had been attacked.

I’ve seen a lot of animals while skiing over the years. Nothing larger than the moose who frequented part of The Canyons. I’m confident that even with Vail’s acquisition of that wonderful area (now part of Park City), the herd still hangs there, occasionally moseying out on a trail .

Deer Valley had many weasels and, if I have it right, ermine. The critters are long hot dogs making a slinky wave as they run across trails. I had to swerve more than once to avoid trail-kill.

The Catskill and Adirondack areas had occasional deer and lots of porcupines. I remember one tree where the chair passed a porky perched there most of the season.

Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, birds of all persuasions, an occasional raccoon. They appear on slope and trail. More often it’s their tracks, but look, and you’ll see them.

And dogs, especially those trained for avalanche rescues. Bless them for their excellent skills and stellar service.

Among the most curious creatures encountered to date are Snowbird‘s and Alta‘s leopard and zebra. They’re a couple who frequent the place and everything they wear — cape to boot — is themed accordingly. He’s the leopard. I’ve bumped into him, solo, a few times on the tram or in the lot and told him how much I enjoy his outfit. His response is always the same: “You ought to see my wife. She’s a zebra. I’m always chasing her down.”

SeniorsSkiing Fifth Anniversary Party!!

5:00 – 8:00PM, Wednesday, November 14, Manhattan.

We’d love you to be there, meet other senior skiers, win cool raffle prizes and help us celebrate our fifth. Prizes and SWAG from Apex Boots, 70+ Ski Club, Masterfit, Orsden Parkas, Buffalo Wool Company, Solitude, Powder Mountain, DeBooter, Bootster, GearBeast (the perfect skier’s cellphone carrier), International Skiing History Association, and others. We’ll provide the nibbles. Open bar. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to jon@seniorsskiing.com. Location: E’s Bar (Rumpus Room), 511 Amsterdam Ave. (bet 84th and 85th Streets), Manhattan.

Snowing Across the West!!!!

The resorts and state ski associations are reporting snowfall, snowmaking, and opening dates. A few examples: Wolf Creek in southwest Colorado got 20″ and will have limited skiing this weekend. The Utah resorts received more than a foot of snow. One of them, Snowbasin, got its first big dump in September! Opening days at the Utah areas range from November 21 to December 21.

Warren Miller, Posthumously

Face of Winter is this season’s Warren Miller film, the first since his passing earlier this year. Click here to find when it will be playing near you and to purchase tickets.

Squaw Valley Extremes

For six minutes of pure skiing fun, watch Drop Everything, a video of the recent history of extreme skiing in Squaw Valley. Click on the name to get you there.

New Ski Utah Magazine

Ski Utah outdid itself with this new, free annual magazine. There 100+ pages. Available in print and digital editions. Not your typical ski industry promotional fare. There’s a page dedicated to the wisdom of George Jedenoff, who celebrated his 100th birthday last July with several runs at Snowbird. Ski Utah is essential reading for everyone from regulars to those planning their first visit. To order a copy or send one to a friend click here.

Skiing History Night

If you’re in the New York area, International Skiing History Association is hosting a free pizza/wine/beer Skiing History Night at Hickory & Tweed (410 Main Street, Armonk). 6:30-9:00 PM, Monday, October 15. Highlight of the evening: ISHA’s Jeff Blumenfeld will present how skiing has been portrayed on TV over the decades. RSVP requested: kathleen@skiinghistory.org.

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

/5 Comments/in , /by

For me, this has always been a melancholy time of year.

Most North American lifts stop running, and the joy of winter shifts to summer diversions. Some people use the time to push their limits. Years ago, I’d drive to New Hampshire to ski Tuckerman’s Ravine on Memorial Day. It was an Eastern skier’s rite of passage. When older and commuting into Manhattan, I bumped into a neighbor also waiting for the train. It was a dreary day, but his face was glowing fresh with sun. He had returned the night before from skiing Tuckerman’s. It was at least 8-hours each way. He had driven up Friday night where he stayed in a lodge in Pinkham Notch. Saturday morning he hiked the 2.4 miles to the base of Tuckerman’s then skied all day. No lifts; just climb and ski. At the end of the day he hid his equipment and returned to his lodge. Sunday morning, he awakened to rain, had breakfast, and hiked up to get his gear. Once there he looked around and determined that it wasn’t raining hard enough to keep him from taking a few more runs. Telling the story, he said, “Jon, I figured, what the hell, I might as well enjoy it while I’m here.” George Herzog was 76 when that happened. It was at least 30 years ago.

CALIFORNIA

National Geographic Bowl is adjacent to Squaw Valley, a few feet out-of-bounds from the top of Granite Chief Peak. It now will be accessible by lift and with guides from Alpenglow Expeditions.

COLORADO

Power Pass, on sale now through Apr. 28, provides unlimited skiing plus a host of other benefits (e.g. 12 buddy passes) at five Southwest areas: Purgatory Resort, Arizona Snowbowl, Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort, Pajarito Mountain, and Hesperus Ski Area. Purchasers also ski free or with discount at Copper Mountain (CO), Loveland Ski Area (CO), Monarch Mountain (CO), Crested Butte (CO), Grand Targhee (WY), Eldora Mountain Resort (CO), Diamond Peak (NV), Mount Bohemia (MI), Ski Cooper (CO), Kiroro (Japan), Panorama Mountain Resort (Canada).

MONTANA

Now that winter is winding down, the Montana Office of Tourism is promoting it’s craft beer producers. If visiting the state this summer, there’s no shortage of finding a locally-produced brewSKI. For example: check this short video.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

An avalanche earlier this week in Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt. Washington was caught on this short but dramatic video.

UTAH

Powder Mountain announced that its day ticket limit is being reduced from 2,000 to 1,500. Powder Mountain is the largest skiable resort in North America. Lift accessible terrain is close to 8,000 acres! With fewer tickets available, there will be more untracked pow available to visiting skiers. The resort had 500″ of snow this season.

WYOMING

A split board is a snowboard that separates for climbing and can be reattached for descents. They’re popular for backcountry adventures. Jones, a leading split board manufacturer, issued a terrific photo and video account of their use in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. The scenery and boarding are fantastic.

OTHER

Rice University bioengineering students are building a device to help people with impaired sensation in their feet stay upright and avoid falls. A brief video explains what these innovative youngsters are up to.

 

 

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

/0 Comments/in /by

Deep Powder Cat Skiing: $25 Per Run

We’ve carried several articles about Powder Mountain, the enormous, old-fashioned resort about an hour northeast of Salt Lake International Airport. It was purchased a few years ago by a group of investors, and improvements are underway. It’s the go-to place for untracked powder long after the other resorts have been skied out. The place has so much acreage and so few skiers that untracked runs are available all day long and for days following the last big snowfall. It also offers a variety of snowcat skiing experiences, with single rides as low as $25.
Guided half and full day adventures are higher, but still quite reasonable. For newcomers to powder skiing, its acres of broad, gentle terrain make it a great place to learn. For the more experienced, there are long pitches to satisfy most appetites. Whether you live here or plan to visit, Powder Mountain is an adventure worth experiencing.

MASSACHUSETTS

Jiminy Peak‘s 2017/18 Zephyr season pass (six non-holiday days per week, Sunday to Friday) on sale for $349. Purchase now and get same perks for rest of current season.

PENNSYLVANIA

Several Pennsylvania resorts also have season pass deals that, if purchased now, let you ski free the rest of the season. Among them: Blue Mountain Resort, Camelback Mountain Resort and Roundtop Mountain Resort. 

VERMONT

Okemo‘s Spring Skiesta Card offers unrestricted skiing/riding from March 17 through end of season. Price ($139-$159) based on when purchased. Some purchasers will be entitled to $99 off ’17/’18 season pass.

JacksonXCcoveredbridge
seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 3)

/0 Comments/in /by

March!!!!! Can you believe it’s here already? Warm temps are blanketing much of the East. In D.C. cherry blossoms are predicted to  appear a month early. I’m writing from the West, where snow is plentiful.

Subscribers recently received a brief notice that the mid-Winter reader survey will be emailed in the next two weeks. Your responses will help us continue to deliver the type of content you want. It also may help us attract additional advertisers. We rely on them to defray the cost of publishing SeniorsSkiing.com.

If you know an older someone thinking either about skiing for the first time or possibly spending less time on the mountain, read Rose Marie Cleese’s article, “How Old is Too Old…?

In Short Swings! you’ll learn about discounts for early purchase of next season passes. There’s also an item on $25 snow cat skiing at Utah’s enormous and underskied Powder Mountain.

Credit: Jackson Ski Touring Foundation.

There’s a report on X-C at Jackson Ski Touring in New Hampshire. Roger Lohr’s description makes me want to book a flight up to New England.

Credit: Yvette Cardozo

Finally, Yvette Cardoso describes a horse-drawn elk feed trip near McCall, Idaho. It’s a great outing with grandkids; one that can produce a lifetime memory.

Thanks so much for subscribing to SeniorsSkiing.com.  Tell your friends!  And remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.

seniorsskiing

This Week in SeniorsSkiing.com (12/23)

/2 Comments/in /by

And To All, A Good Night.

This week, as we celebrate our respective holidays and share in our love of Winter, we bring you a short and beautiful video that gives new meaning to the idea of night skiing. There’s a piece on Utah’s Powder Mountain. And Short Swings! is loaded with interesting developments and product information.

In case you missed it, we’re resending our animated greeting.

 

 

Jon Weisberg

Powder Mountain: The Cuba of Utah Ski Areas

/7 Comments/in , , /by

Visit Soon, It’s About to Change.

Before the end of this season, Powder Mountain, Utah’s slightly out of the way ski area will become the largest in all of North America with 8464 acres, surpassing in size Park City (7300 acres), Whistler Blackcomb (8171 acres) and Big Sky (8000 acres).

School bus picks up on road on right.

Even without the 1000 new acres that will be available with the completion of two new chairs, the place is vast and under skied. One reason is limited day and season pass sales; another is because of its distance. It takes a little over an hour to get there from Salt Lake City, much less if you’re travelling from Ogden, about 30 miles north of SLC.

Powder Mountain is one of the places I head for after a classic Utah deep powder dump. Even days after a dump, fresh, untracked areas are waiting to be explored.

The new owners are planning a new village that will give the place more of a resort feel. Currently condos are available on the mountain. Other lodging and restaurant options require a short drive.

Much of Powder Mountain’s acreage is gentle, but know where to look, and you’ll find ample steeps to keep you well entertained. The area also offers a variety of guided and unguided cat and heli experiences.

Skiing trees at Utah’s Powder Mountain

 

I’m not sure how the new village and lifts will change the feel of the place. In many ways the current Powder Mountain reminds me of skiing as a kid in Vermont. The lodges aren’t fancy, but they serve up tasty and reasonably priced food. There’s a genuinely friendly and helpful vibe. I don’t know if its unique to Powder Mountain, but old-fashioned school busses help convey skiers from one part of the area up a canyon and back to the lifts.

Seniors (65-74) pay $60 for a day pass. Free skiing if you’re 75 or older!!!!

Powder Mountain might be like Cuba. It’s old fashioned in a highly appealing way. There’s a tremendous amount to enjoy. I recommend visiting before too much changes. It will change for the better, but for now, Powder Mountain should be high on every skier’s Utah list.

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

/0 Comments/in , /by

historic7_

CALIFORNIA

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows made a $150,000 donation to the High Fives Foundation as part of its Military to the Mountains program, which hosts and trains injured US Armed Forces vets on its slopes. The resort offers active duty US military personnel a Silver Tahoe Super Pass for a $25 donation. Last season, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows provided 13,800 complimentary lift tickets to active duty military.

CANADA

Western Canada has the biggest accumulations of early snow. Snowpack at Whistler is 252% of average for early November and Lake Louise is 169% of average.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Jackson Ski Touring Center in Jackson, N.H., has added four new trails totaling six km (3.75 miles); and eight new trail bridges. It is the largest x-country ski center in the Northeast.

PENNSYLVANIA

Bear Creek Mountain is offering mid-week (Tue/Wed/Thurs) passes for $22 with a Loyal Ski Club membership. Holiday blackouts apply.

Shawnee Mountain is stocking a large inventory of top-notch rental equipment, making it easy to arrive at the mountain unburdened by outdated gear.

JACK FROST and BIG BOULDER season pass holders can add Hunter Mountain to their skiing options. Pass holder also have skiing privileges at Mount Snow, Attitash, Crotched Mountain and Wildcat.

UTAH

Powder Mountain day passes for 75+ are free. For 75+ not wanting to go to the ticket window, a season pass is $20!

Sundance Resort day passes are $30 for 65 and older; season pass (available anytime throughout the season) is $150. Thank you, Robert Redford, for great prices on a terrific mountain!

OTHER

Best deals on Vail Resorts’ Epic Season Passes (including Whistler/Blackcomb) end November 19.

Clean Trails is the non-profit committed to keeping wild places and the trails that access them free of litter. Studies show the highest indicator that someone will pick up litter is if they Sugarloaf Mountain witness someone else picking up litter.

CNL Lifestyle Properties, a real estate investment trust (REIT), sold 15 ski North American ski resorts, including Brighton (UT), Crested Butte (CO), Jiminy Peak (MA), Loon and Mount Sunapee NH), Okemo (VT), Sierra-at-Tahoe (CA), Stevens Pass and Summit-at-Snoqualmie (WA), Northstar-at-Tahoe (CA), and Sunday River (ME). Operations of each resort are expected to be unaffected by the sale.

Patagonia gave all of its employees Election Day off , and encouraged them to vote.

 

seniorsskiing

Confessions Of A Senior Snowboarder

/3 Comments/in /by

He Went To From Skier To Boarder. Here’s How And What Happened.

Heading down to Powder Mountain lodge, Dave Hayes took a couple of years to make the transition from skier to board.

Heading down to Powder Mountain lodge, Dave Hayes took a couple of years to make the transition from skier to board.

I have to confess, I was once one of you before I moved to the Dark Side. Yes, I skied in the East Coast and the West Coast, in the Rockies and also in Austria, enjoying the feeling and stability of two boards under my feet and with poles to move me along when needed.

Former skier, now boarder, Dave Hayes with son learning how-to. Credit: Dave Hayes

Former skier, now boarder, Dave Hayes with son learning how-to.
Credit: Dave Hayes

However, with two young sons and the misguided idea that I could spend more time with them if I took up snowboarding, I dropped the two for one and took up Boarding. As an older adult I joined the Dark Side where most of the much younger participants seem to be oblivious to common sense or at least common manners as they drop down to sit in front of you blocking your path. As skiers we all enjoy being edged off the trail as the boarders race by often jumping on nonexistent drifts and seem to purposely nudge you out of their way.

I was once like you but now, I am committed and far happier as a Boarder. I truly enjoy the sensations of a snowboard on powder with the glide and edging making the effortless turns that seem to be only available on a Board.

OK, you skiers need to know that there are two forms of falling while learning to Board, front — which means your hands and wrists are at risk, or, like me, backward fallers —where you learn the meaning of word coccyx, which means tail bone. I hurt my tailbone so badly in my attempt to learn boarding that after my return home I decided to go to the Doctor convinced that something had broken. I learned that severe bruises also hurt like hell and that even a Doctor can laugh at his long time patient who seemingly is not acting his age.

The learning curve was, well, both long and painful. I remember during my private lessons (pride would not allow me to take group lessons) spending a lot of time on my rear to the point that after the end of the day of lessons (ok, mostly falling) I had a real challenge sitting down. After the first week and a very sore backside I spent most of the time standing on the 4.5 hour flight home. Which, you might understand in a post 9/11 world, makes you the object of a lot of suspicious glances until you explain that your tail hurts from learning to snowboard. I believe I noted a few snickers from the cabin crew.

The next vacation on the snow and after more lessons, a very patient instructor told me of the padded appliance appropriately named Azz Pad that snow park participant’s sometime use during training. Quickly getting on the internet and with the gift of overnight delivery I was quickly proud owner of the aforementioned Azz Pad and I have never looked back. My wife shook her head at my new found rear end protection and my two sons derided my apparel but I found comfort in the added padding and when combined with a highly recommended beginner’s board I developed courage, stability and the dissipation of fear (or at least in regard to my tailbone bruises).

Moving ahead a few years and with more than just a few snow days behind me, I am no longer wearing the Azz Pad, I have now five snowboards for differing conditions and also, well, just because I can! I regularly board black runs and often do the snowcat program at my favorite ski (I mean snowboarding) resort.

One son is now a certified snowboard instructor and the other is seemingly an Olympic class snowboarder (at least in my eyes). So, I looked forward to boarding with my sons; at leasst, that was the plan. Guess what, not a chance, they prefer hitting the slopes without old Dad holding them back.

However, I am grateful that my boys were the catalyst for me learning the sport that I now love. I still enjoy the feeling of one board in powder and the sense of victory that comes with learning a difficult (at my age) skill, and with no small measure of pride, learn it well.

Look around you, boarders of all ages are now on the slopes and if you see a gray haired nattily attired boarder with a smile on his face and a groove in his glide from the tunes in his helmet music system, ask him if he is named David.

Editor Note: If you’re interested in snowboarding as a senior, check out GraysOnTrays for the adult snowboarder.

About The Author:

David Hayes is an engineer turned contractor living in central Florida but in his mind is in Ogden Valley’s SnowBasin and Powder Mountain, UT. Click below for a short video from the world of the boarder.

seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (January 8)

/0 Comments/in /by

An elegant skier, Stein Eriksen was an Olympian, instructor, skiing ambassador and charming personality. Credit: Deer Valley

An elegant skier, Stein Eriksen was an Olympian, instructor, skiing ambassador and charming personality.
Credit: Deer Valley

Resort Reviews, Remembering Stein.

As part of our new SeniorsSkiing Guides, we have two new resort reviews to check out. These reviews are designed to focus on aspects of different ski areas—Alpine and Nordic—that are “senior-friendly.” New contributor Jan Brunvand tells us about Powder Mountain, north of Salt Lake City, the second largest ski area in North America. (Bet you didn’t know that.) He shares the incredible bargain “PowMow” has for certain seniors.

XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr offers his advice to seniors on Alpine and Nordic skiing Bretton Woods in the shadow of Mount Washington, NH. He even gives you some starter-kit routes to follow, a helpful guide for newbie visitors.

Finally, Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg remembers his personal encounters with Stein Eriksen, the ski legend who passed away this week.

Previewing Next Week’s Issue

Coming up next week expect to see our Sierra Roundup about what’s happening in the snow-laden West, thoughts about ski instruction for seniors and more product reviews.  We’ll post our highly interesting poll results about Ski Patrollers lifting lift tickets. Have you participated in our poll yet?

We welcome your article ideas and comments; let’s hear from you!

Also, we are launching our Second Subscriber Survey soon. Look for it in your email and please help us by responding.

Tell Your Friends

Finally, tell your friends about SeniorsSkiing.com; send them a link and let them see for themselves what we trying to do. We are a grass-roots effort, a group of snow sport enthusiasts with an awesome team of correspondents and contributors who see a need to give seniors a voice in a youth-focused industry.  Our mission is to raise the profile of seniors who love snow sports, sharing news and ideas for “senior-friendliness” to all.  As one of the members of our Advisory Board said, “There are more of us every day, and we are not going away.”

Jan Brunvand

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Powder Mountain—Second Biggest Resort

/4 Comments/in /by

Mega But Low Key Resort Close To Salt Lake City Has True Bargains For Seniors.

SeniorsSkiing.com Resort Reviewer Jan Brunvand has found lots of value at Powder Mountain. Credit: Jan Brunvard

SeniorsSkiing.com Resort Reviewer Jan Brunvand has found lots of value at Powder Mountain.
Credit: Jan Brunvard

Until this season Powder Mountain ski resort advertised, “More than 7,000 acres. The largest resort in the United States. A hidden gem.” Now that Vail Corp. combined Canyons and Park City Mountain Resort into 7,300 skiable acres, the claim of largest no longer stands. But Powder Mountain—PowMow to locals—is still the hidden gem of Utah’s fourteen ski resorts. For seniors, it’s a bargain. An adult day pass is $73, and a Senior pass (age 62-74) is $55. Seventy-five on up, everyone skis free. For the convenience of not going to the ticket window, a super senior season pass is available for $20.

Regardless of age and ticket price, PowMow offers 144 named runs, four chairlifts, two surface lifts, countless acres of back country powder, a “Mountain Adventures” program to access the powder, and three lodges that may charitably be described as “rustic.”

PowMow is 55 miles from the Salt Lake City Airport. The easy way to get there is to drive north on I-15, exit

Distance from parking lot to lodge: short and convenient. Credit: Jan Brunvand

Distance from parking lot to lodge: short and convenient.
Credit: Jan Brunvand

at Ogden’s 12th Street, and follow the signs up Ogden Canyon through the small town of Eden to the steep winding access road. A more scenic way follows I-84 East to the Huntsville/Mountain Green exit, then along Trapper’s Loop past Snowbasin ski resort, across the dam at Pineview Reservoir, on to Eden, etc. This route runs 61 miles from my driveway to the upper parking lot of PowMow. UTA bus service costs just $2.25 for seniors (exact change only), one way, and can be picked up at various places in Ogden or along the way. See the Powder Mountain website for schedules and details.

On the final Wednesday in 2015, I compiled my top four reasons for sometimes driving to PowMow rather than to Alta, the nearer senior skiing hotspot. (1. Extensive terrain, 2. Elegant lodges (just kidding), 3. Close up parking, 4. $20 pass for Super Seniors.) I stopped at four only because I was having too much fun skiing PowMow’s long, scenic, uncrowded runs.

Powder Mountain Trail Map

Reviewer Jan gleefully shows off his $20 season pass for 75+ skiers. Credit; Jan Brunvand

Reviewer Jan gleefully shows off his $20 season pass for 75+ skiers.
Credit; Jan Brunvand