Tag Archive for: resort review

Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Sundance

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If your Western ski vacation takes to Salt Lake City, save a day for Robert Redford’s Sundance.

SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent soaks up the beneficial rays of the sun on the Bearclaw sun deck at Sundance. Credit: Harriet Wallis

It’s about an hour from the airport, but it’s off the beaten track, and it’s laid back. It’s the only resort where you can ski—and then create jewelry, make wheel-thrown pottery, or do printmaking all in the same day.

While Robert Redford was still a young actor, he was drawn to the wilderness. He bought two acres in secluded North Fork Canyon and built a small home, doing much of the work himself.

Ski the shoulder of towering Mt. Timpanogos. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Then in 1969, he bought the entire pristine canyon to protect it from developers who might dice it into small lots, sell it off for homes, and destroy it. He saw the perpetual tug-of-war between developers and environmentalists.  Redford lives his beliefs, saying don’t squander the wilderness for short term gains.

Ski the wide open spaces. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Sundance is a 5,000 acre environmental preserve on the shoulder of towering 11,700 foot Mount Timpanogos. It  encompasses the 450 acre ski area with four chairs, 44 trails, two terrain parks and a 2,150 foot elevation drop.

The window ticket price for those 65 and over is $30.

And it’s a resort with a twist.

Creativity is good for the soul

The famous Sundance Film Festival was born here, and it celebrates the creativity of independent film makers. Redford believes that creativity and new ideas are good for the soul. Everyone’s soul.

So you can ski in the morning, create silver jewelry in the afternoon, and then wear it home. In just two hours in an Art Studio workshop you can create your own memory of Sundance even if you think you don’t have a creative bone in your body.

Workshops are especially appealing to those who want to enjoy the intimate resort but not ski all day.

Here’s where you can make your unique creation at the art studio workshop. Credit: Harriet Wallis

There are workshops in jewelry, soap making, journal binding, drawing, painting, wheel-thrown pottery, and print making. Classes are very small or it’s likely the session will be one-on-one with your instructor.

Relax and unwind

“We don’t try to compete with other resorts,” said Sundance Director of Skiing Jerry Warren. “You’re here for a different reason. There’s a greater sense of peace here.”

“Take a person from a busy city. They race to catch a plane, they fly, they land, they jump back into the fast lane. We’re going to slow them down a little bit and let them savor the mountains and the experience,” he said.

Sundance’s active senior group —it’s called the Senior Ski Group—meets and skis together weekly accompanied by a ski school instructor who skis along and gives tips.

There’s also snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and night skiing.

From brownies to relaxed dining

The Bearclaw cabin on the summit offers 360 degree views.  It serves soups and sandwiches and brownies that are to die for. On warm days, skiers lie back in deck chairs and soak up the high mountain sunshine.

Plank floor, roaring fire, and lunch at the Foundry Grill. Credit: Harriet Wallis

In the base area, there’s Creekside for a quick bite. The  Foundry Grill has an earlier times atmosphere with farm implement decor, rough hewn wood floors and a roaring fireplace. The Tree Room is built around the live native pine tree and has a romantic atmosphere. And there’s a country store with more of those brownies.

Low key is special

But what really distinguishes Sundance is its low key ambiance and relaxed atmosphere that have disappeared from many mega resorts.

Sundance is located 56 miles south of the Salt Lake International Airport. The trip takes a little over an hour. You can reserve a luxurious, secluded Sundance cabin, or there’s ample lodging in Provo about 13 miles away.

For Sundance webcam, click here.

For Sundance trail map, click here.

Base area buildings are tucked into the trees, and…”a river runs through it.” Credit: Harriet Wallis

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

Here’s a typical morning in the base lift area. Credit: Harriet Wallis
Bob Nesoff

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Belleayre, A World Away…

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…But Close Enough To Enjoy The Day.


The new Belleayre Gondola whisks skiers to the summit in comfort. This is part of the continuing upgrading of facilities at the mountain. Credit: Belleayre Mtn.

Folks living in and around major urban centers, with the exception of places such as Denver and Salt Lake City, often find it difficult to plan a ski day within an easy drive. And while the population is graying, more seniors are skiing that ever before. So the hunt for ski areas within easy driving distance becomes a chore.

Belleayre Mountain in Highmount, NY, off New York Throughway Exit 19 and about 40 minutes west of Kingston on a straight run along Rt. 28, neatly fills that bill. About an hour from Albany and two hours more or less from the New York City/North Jersey Metro area, the resort makes a day trip a reality for urbanites.

While there’s no danger of Belleayre ever becoming an Olympic ski venue, its trails offer enough of a challenge for expert and novice skiers alike.

The Catskills resort is owned by New York State’s Olympic Regional Development Authority, a public benefit corporation originally formed to manage the facilities at the 1980 Lake Placid games. Not too long ago in a move to cut expenses, New York dispensed with the Belleayre Gold Lifetime card that granted seniors over 70 the opportunity to ski for free. There was also a Silver Sliders Card for those with little color but silver in their hair, that also offered older skiers courtesies. But according to mountain spokesmen that program was discontinued because of a lack of participation.

Holders of the Gold Card often arrived at Belleayre on midweek days and more often than not were practically the only ones on the slope. Looking at the Gold and Silver cards, it’s difficult to understand why they would have been discontinued for lack of participation. The cost to the state of granting such privilege was microcosmic. 

In view of the fact that they did not detract from the mountain’s bottom line, they could have carried on infinitum. But powers beyond the mountain—read that to say “Albany”—decided that those over 70 years of age should pay to ski. The savings hardly filled the budget gap for Gov. Cuomo.

Onondaga trail looks ready for action. Nice blue! Credit: Belleayre Mtn.

There are discounted program that are currently offered. A septuagenarian will pay only $20 for a daily lift ticket. That’s not bad. If you fall into the 65 to 69 age category, your ski tab is $52 mid week and $60 weekend at the ticket window. If you buy online, that mid week price drops to $32. Belleayre also offers a variety of differently priced passes. A Season Ski3 combo pass good for Belleayre, Gore and Whiteface now costs $999 for those from 65 to 69. A Belleayre only pass was listed as $459 for 70 plus. Season passes would have been way cheaper if purchased in August.

All of that being said, Belleayre is one of the more attractive ski destinations in the Lower Northeast. It’s easy to get to and drive time is more than reasonable. The runs offer enough excitement for expert skiers with a variety of Black Diamonds running from the summit to the lodge. 

The blues are a terrific variety that give skiers an opportunity to condition their legs and move on to a more challenging blue before hitting the steep moguls and runs on the black diamond trails. Green trails are often used to loosen up before hitting  blues or blacks and are both easy enough for true novices and interesting enough for older skiers who simply want to put on skis and enjoy a day on the slopes.

Even on holidays and weekends when the caravans of buses head to the mountain from New York City, North Jersey, Albany and every school district in-between, the lift lines move along at a rapid pace giving you the opportunity to spend more time on the mountain and less time getting there.

The mix of skiers and snowboarders, young and not so young gives Belleayre a great panache. Respect for each other is paramount and it’s not uncommon to see a senior skier stopping to help or offer advice and suggestions to a younger skier who seems to be struggling down hill.

The mountain’s ski/snowboard school offers instructors capable of working with any age group to truly imparting the love of skiing.

For a trail map, click here.

For web cam, click here.

Two hours from New York/New Jersey is Belleayre. That’s doable for a mid-week run where you will find lots of room on the slopes. Credit: Belleayre Mtn.
Val E

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Taos—High, Dry, And Full Of Culture

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Some People Say The Best Four Letter Word About Skiing Is “Taos.”

Big, high, dry, up in the sky: That’s Taos. Credit: Val E.

When I looked up at the main slope, I was speechless, then the words came—steep, moguls, trees. Wow. At 12,000 ft, Taos’ Mt. Kachina is close to the top of the World.

The resort is located in northern New Mexico, which one seasoned skier described as “a mix of a desert and mountains, unusual and beautiful.” The Blake family discovered, founded, developed, and an Taos Ski Resort since the mid fifties.

In 2013, new management built new lifts, hotels, and other facilities. The result is a cute, small, Euro-style village with an obvious French-Swiss touch and a huge mountain with well groomed slopes, moguls, cornices, glades, and trees almost up to the very top. Snow is quite dry there because of the altitude. Taos is a breathtaking resort in more ways than one; the town is the highest municipality in the US.

Secret Knowledge

Note single chair on left. Credit: Val E.

Kachina Peak is the highest peak reachable by a triple chair in the North American Continent.

Resort lodging options include hotels, condominiums, and bed and breakfasts. The new jewel of Taos is the luxury Hotel Blake, named for the resort founders. The interior is elegant, the restaurant is high-end, and the rental area looks like a high tech lab.

The Ernie Blake Snowsports School is one of the highest rated ski schools in North America. Ski instructing services for groups, especially for ski clubs, were quite reasonably priced.

One of the best parts, besides the slopes and snow, is super friendly employees. Ski lift operators and ski patrol people were waving and smiling like old friends. One ski resort host kindly ride with me just to introduce to the mountain.

Community

During my week stay at the resort, I talked to a few local skiers, some of them were from the 50+ category.

Here is what an expert skier, originally from Hollywood, said: “I moved to Taos after 16 years in Los Angeles in the film business. Taos is a ski town which has world class skiing and an ancient cultural heritage—one of the oldest in the US. It’s also an artist’s town and has dozens of galleries. Taos gives you access to a wider choice of restaurants and apres ski activities. It is great for couples where one doesn’t ski or who like cultural activities.”

A very confident female skier shared: “We came to live in Taos from NYC after years of skiing here. My husband doesn’t ski anymore. He wanted to retire in a friendly community with a synagogue. Now I ski Kachina peak almost every day.”

Another young looking retiree told me: “I am from St. Louis, flat country. I ski in winter and hike in summer. People come to Taos because you can be whoever you want to be, and nobody is asking questions here.”

Taos Ski Valley is a rugged mountain, pioneered by people who put skiing first and all else second. If Virginia is for lovers, then Taos is for skiers!

Taos By The Numbers

2.5 hours by car/bus from Albuquerque International airport

4 espresso bars, including one ski in, ski out

15 lifts

25 miles to Colorado

$105—one day adult ski ticket (18-64); $85—one day senior ski ticket (65-79); 80+ year old – ski free

$408 ski pass for 6 days (65-79); shorter day pass combinations are available

110 trails 55 for beginner/intermediate and 55 for advanced/expert skiers.

305 in—average annual snowfall

7,000 ft—Taos city altitude

9,207 ft—Taos Ski Resort

12,481 ft—Kachina Peak

Click here for Trail Map

Click here for Taos Ski Resort Website

Trees up to the top are a trademark of Taos. Credit: Val E.

 

Tamsin Venn

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Rocking And Rolling For Seniors At Park City

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The Largest Ski Area In The US Has Something For Everyone.

Park City Mountain Resort connects to The Canyons, making the largest ski area in US.
Credit: Park City Mountain Resort

The choice of skiing at Park City, UT, just got more mind boggling. Last year, Vail Ski Resorts linked Park City and The Canyons via the Quicksilver gondola on Pine Cone Ridge. Voila: a ski area of 7,300 acres with 41 lifts, and 324 runs, currently the largest ski area in the U.S.—six miles across as the raven flies. That means a lot of choice for us seniors on the endless white folds of the Wasatch Range.

Plus, at only 7,000 feet at the base, the altitude is easier to adjust to than some higher Western ski resorts.

Park City is lower in altitude than other Wasatch resorts, making it easier to adapt for low-landers.
Credit: Park City Mountain Resort

Park City trends toward broad slopes while The Canyons to narrower tree-lined trails. Many trails present drops off into tree skiing at various pitches. Big bowls with double black diamond labels offer fabulous powder skiing. Gulches and gulleys lead to further adventure. Currently Park City is having the snowiest January in about nine years, eight feet and counting.

The new eight-passenger Quicksilver Gondola has changed the game here. Adventurers can start at the Orange Bubble Express at The Canyons, say, ride the Red Pine Gondola to Timberline to Iron Mountain Express to Quicksilver Gondola. By the time they’ve skied over to Park City, they may want to take the free bus back.

By contrast, Park City skiers take the Crescent Express to reach The Canyons, and so have access via one lift to entertaining steep pitches they once had to hike to.

In 2015, Vail Resorts invested $50 million in upgrades at Park City. It transformed the sluggish Motherlode Express (good on a powder day) to a high-speed quad. It turned King Con, popular for rip groomers, into a six-pack. It also created two new trails at the Quicksilver Gondola mid-station, built Miner’s Camp Restaurant there, added seating to on-mountain restaurants, and invested in snowmaking.

In Park City, the sports vibe is strong. Park City and Deer Valley hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and the resorts have been drawing the youthful and ambitious ever since. Visit Utah Olympic Park to catch more Olympic fever, and visit the Alf Engen Ski History Museum. Admission is free.

Skiing does get crowded, and some say the best time to ski is during the Sundance Film Festival in January when everyone is indoors watching movies or on Sundays when many are in church. A new app, EpicMix Time, lets you track lift line wait times.  At key lift junctures, an LED board gives you that same traffic information.

The best way to ski Park City is to buy the Epic Pass, which lets you ski all Vail resorts. But the early season savings end in the fall. The best bet is to buy senior (65-plus) tickets online seven days in advance.

The White Pine Touring Nordic Center with 20 km of groomed XC track at the Pro Shop in the Hotel Park City is well worth the visit to stretch your limbs. On community appreciation day, many older fit speed demons constantly lapped us on skate skis. This center truly appreciates their seniors and offers free passes for those 65 and older.

The Facts

7, 300 acres

Base elevation 6,800 feet; summit 10,026 feet

330 trails, 41 lifts

Average annual snowfall: 355 inches

8 percent beginner, 48 percent intermediate, 44 percent expert

Web Cam Click Here

Trail Map Click Here

Night time is for dining, shopping, visiting and relaxing.
Credit: Park City Mountain Resort

 

 

John Nelson

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Mt. Bachelor, OR

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New Lift Opening On Dec 16 Makes Mt. Bachelor Sixth Largest In US.

The powdery slopes of Mt. Bachelor await skiers at the top of the new Cloudchaser Express lift. Credit: Jon Tapper

The season seems to go on forever at Central Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor, where Pacific storms dump huge annual totals, and the upper-elevation slopes hold onto the snow.

From November to late May, Mt. Bachelor keeps the lifts spinning for an ardent group of skiing faithful.

Among them are some dedicated seniors.

John Flynn, 66, of Sunriver, Ore., logged 190 ski days last season, and he’s busy skiing nearly every day this year.

“I just love it there,” says Flynn. “You pull into the parking lot, andyou’re in paradise.”

A view of Mt. Bachelor from the West Village parking lot.
Credit: John Nelson

Art Vinall, a Bend artist, is another senior keeping his slope dreams alive. At age 98, he’s still shredding at Mt. Bachelor.

“It’s a darn good mountain, and they usually have great snow. I learned to ski in the East, where it’s always so icy. This is so much better,” he says.

Mt. Bachelor is growing larger this year with the opening in mid-December of the new Cloudchaser Express lift on the mountain’s southeast side. The resort now has more than 4,300 acres of lift-served terrain, making it the sixth largest ski area in the U.S.

Snow, terrain and more

  • Location: Bachelor is about 22 miles from booming mountain town of Bend, Ore., on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway.
  • Snowfall: The volcanic slopes of Mt. Bachelor receive 460 inches a year, and with a base area elevation of 6,350 feet, the snow hangs around well into spring.
  • Terrain, lifts: About 50 percent of the mountain is rated intermediate or easy; 50 percent is rated most difficult or extreme. Most of Bachelor’s lower slopes are rated intermediate, making it “a great family resort,” says Stirling Cobb, marketing and communications manager. Seven of the resort’s 11 chairlifts are high-speed quads, handling large crowds easily on big days.
  • Vertical: 3,365 feet from Mt. Bachelor summit (9,065 feet) to the base of the Northwest Express lift (5,700 feet).
  • Nordic: Bachelor offers 56 kilometers of trails, with high-quality upper-elevation snow in a wilderness setting.

Lot to lift access

  • Parking: Three sprawling parking lots serve the Mt. Bachelor complex. The main lot is at the West Village and offers a gear drop-off zone. Close-up, permit parking costs $20 per day.
  • Public transportation: Bachelor Shuttle operates regular bus service between Bend and the resort.
  • Accommodations: No accommodations at the base; stay in the happening town of Bend, with an amazing selection of lodging, dining and shopping.

Culture

  • The vibe: Outdoorsy Oregon meets upscale resort. Nearby Bend is a popular tourist destination and is known as “Beer City, USA” for its love of craft brews.
  • Dining: Beyond the base day lodges, consider eating at the mid-mountain Pine Marten Lodge. It’s in a beautiful location just above treeline and houses a sit-down cafe, Scapolo’s (Italian for “Bachelor”).

Bottom line

  • You’ll pay for all that lift-capacity and vertical: Adult passes are $92. Seniors (65-69) are $76, and Senior Plus (those 70 and older) are $52.
  • Bachelor has it covered from every angle. It’s a high-end resort with lots of well-groomed, family-friendly runs, but also offers challenging steeps on the upper mountain.
  • This may be the best resort anywhere for spring skiing, where you can grab some turns in the morning and choose another activity (name it: mountain biking, kayaking, golfing, fly-fishing, beer-drinking) in the afternoon.

Trail Map Click Here

Webcam Click Here

A skate-skier glides on the trails at Dutchman Flat near Mt. Bachelor.
Credit: John Nelson

Jon Weisberg

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Brighton Resort

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This Is The Utah Bucket List Resort Few Visiting Skiers Ever See.

Brighton is a held in high regard by senior skiers for its friendliness and its powder. Credit: Brighton

Brighton is a held in high regard by senior skiers for its friendliness and its powder.
Credit: Brighton

I kept hearing three sounds at Brighton on December 22, the first day of Winter, 2015. Early morning trail runs were knee deep. As more people arrived, I entered the forest. There were places where depths reached my thighs.

Sound One: Teen-fueled screech of Yippee! HooHaw! YowWee!

Sound Two: Less frequent and muffled thunder of avalanche bombs.

Sound Three: My quiet laughter in moments of pure joy.

Jon's tracks through the trees on his early morning run at Brighton. Credit: Jon Weisberg

Jon’s tracks through the trees on his early morning run at Brighton.
Credit: Jon Weisberg

Brighton is Utah’s oldest resort. It was started in 1936 and is at the end of gorgeous Big Cottonwood Canyon road, 14 serpentine miles, including two linked hairpin turns. It’s next to Solitude, and both can be skied for a slight ticket premium.

Brighton is a local’s favorite and known for its boarders. But it has a longstanding following of older skiers and should be on our collective bucket list.

Snow and Terrain

  • Big Cottonwood Canyon is a natural snow machine, funneled toward Brighton. It reliably receives 500″ most seasons; trading position for deepest dumps with neighboring Solitude, Alta, and Snowbird; often drawing the envy of Deer Valley and Park City. By road Park City and Little Cottonwood areas are a distance; by crow, they’re wing beats away.
  • The area has 1,745′ of vertical, rising from 8755′ to 10,500′. Advice to older skiers not accustomed to higher elevations: take it easy and stay hydrated.
  • Brighton offers the full suite of green, blue, and black terrain spread over 1000+ acres, all reachable by high-speed chair. There are 66 runs and an endless selection of glades. Parts of Millicent Bowl are steep, open, and wide.
  • The Sol-Bright trail connects Brighton and Solitude for those who want to ski both resorts. This requires purchase of the premium Sol-Bright lift pass.

Lot to Lift Access

  • The area is shaped like an amphitheater, with parking lot positioned as stage. Wherever you park, you’re not far from lodge or uphill conveyance; no tiring hikes from car to lift. A very nice arrangement.
  • Like many Utah resorts, Brighton is not far from the airport, making a good same day option for those arriving early. Brighton also offers reasonably priced morning- and afternoon-only tickets.
  • If you’re not staying at the mountain — there are only a few options — there are many places in the Salt Lake Valley, some as close as 20 minutes. Next door, Solitude has lodges and condos.

Culture

  • Two words: FRIENDLY and HELPFUL. People go out of their way to make you feel welcome. It’s real.
  • Brighton is old-in a good way. Lifts are modern, ski shop and rental shops, respectable. Other than coffee and roll in Brighton Lodge, I was unable to sample its fare. I’ll do that on another visit and update this report accordingly.

Bottom Line

  • Day pass (for 70+): $50; season pass, $525.
  • Excellent and easily accessed terrain.
  • Watch for boarders.

Trail Map

http://www.brightonresort.com/mountain/trail-map/

Brighton is at the end of Big Cottonwood Canyon, a natural snow machine. Credit: Brighton

Brighton is at the end of Big Cottonwood Canyon, a natural snow machine.
Credit: Brighton