Tag Archive for: Seniors

mikemaginn

Mystery Glimpse: More Ski Jumping

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[Editor Note: As the new year begins, SeniorsSkiing.com is again 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.  This year, we have a mix of premiums for different level of donations, including stickers, sew-on patches, our new SeniorsSkiing.com ball cap. All donors will be entered into a drawing for a pair of bamboo Polar Poles to be drawn in late March.  You can donate by clicking here.]

While We’re On Ski Jumping…

Two jumpers? Looks like a long time ago.

Last week, a few readers who know their ski history, nailed the Mystery Glimpse Big Jump as the Big Nansen Jump in Berlin, NH (see below).  Let’s see if anyone can identify what is happening here and where. Hint: Not New Hampshire.

Last Week

The Big Jump is Big Nansen, the venerable jump in Berlin, NH. Some highly knowledgeable SeniorsSkiing.com commentators got the facts exactly right. Built circa late-1930s, Big Nansen dominated US ski jumping for many decades. Here is an excerpt about the jump published in the Journal of the New England Ski Museum (Winter, 2018):.

“Built on steep trusses and towering 171 feet high, the Nansen jump was at the time the largest ski jumping tower in the world. In 1938, the jump’s inaugural winter, the Nansen hosted the Olympic trials. Over the next several decades, it would be the site of the myriad jumping competitions, from Winter Carnival events to four U.S. Ski Jumping National Championships in 1940, 1957,1965, and 1972 before falling into relative obscurity.”

The last competition was held there in 1985. A severe accident to a college-age ski jumper in 1977 had brought a lawsuit to the US Ski Association, the Nansen Ski Club, and others that added to the jump’s decline. However, in recent years, the Friends of Nansen Ski Jump was formed to revive the jump and the sport in Berlin. Red Bull, the energy drink folks, happened to be working on a documentary about US Ski Team Jumper Sarah Hendrickson, and became interested in restoring the jump. In 2017, Hendrickson took off from Big Nansen, the first jump from the structure since 1985.  She went on to compete in the Pyeongchang Olympic games.

The Friends Of Nansen are planning to use the site as a training ground for young jumpers.

SeniorsSkiing.com highly recommends exploring The New England Ski Museum and its well-researched Journal. The Museum has two locations in New Hampshire, one at the base of Cannon Mountain’s gondola in Franconia  Notch, and a newly opened Eastern Slope Branch in North Conway. For more information, consider visiting online and in person. 

Sarah Hendrickson’s jump from a restored Big Nansen in 2017. Credit: Red Bull

Harriet Wallis

Ladies, Don’t Wear Black Underpants On Super Cold Days…

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…And Other (Unusual) Tips On How Everyone Can Stay Warm.

Yup, it’s cold outside. Credit: Harriet Wallis

We all have our tricks to stay warm when the temperature plunges. Here are a few you might not have thought of.

Cheapo Hand Warmers

Cheapos worn under your ski gloves might work.

I’ve used the shake-’em-up hand warmer packets and tried every kind of liner. Splurge $1 and buy the stretchy little gloves that you can find everywhere: grocery stores, drug stores, big box stores. The knit fabric is the best for keeping my hands warm. Most are black, but choose a colorful pair. You’ll have a better chance of seeing them should you drop them on the locker room floor.

Hot Buns

If you buy those little gloves, then you won’t need the hand warmer packets in your gloves. Instead, put them between your base layers, especially if your ski pants gap in the back. The packets stay in place between base layers and they keep your lower back warm.

Potato Ears

Before the days of microwave ovens, my mother stuck a nail into each potato before baking. The nail conducted heat into the potato, and it sped up cooking. The same concept applies to earrings on cold days. A post through your ear conducts the cold into your body. Skip the fashion statement. Stay warmer.

[Editor Note: Eyeglass frames can also be cold conductors. Try skiing with prescription goggles or contacts, or go native and take off your specs.]

Two (Or Three) Sock Day

Wear one pair to the mountain, then change your socks before you put on your boots. Feet exude moisture even if you swear your feet don’t sweat. If it’s a really bitter day, change your socks at lunchtime too. It makes a big difference. I dare you to try it.

Some Assembly Required

About that black underwear. On really cold days, it’s a project to get assembled: Tuck this in, pull this up, pull that down over.

My base layers are black, and so are some of my undies. More than once I’ve toddled out of the ladies room wondering why I’m hobbled. Duh. Too many black layers. My underpants are still way down there. Retreat and reassemble. Don’t wear black undies on cold days. Go for your brightly colored ones. They’re easy to see as you put yourself together.

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

mikemaginn

Mystery Glimpse: Who’s Flyin’?

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Airborne Family Members.

Who is airborne? Can you guess where?  Hint: We can’t tell you the name of the museum that contributed this picture. Know why?

Last Week

Only one reader got this one.  The enthusiastic boarder is Shannon Dunn-Downing, the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic snowboard medal with a halfpipe bronze in 1998.

Shannon was the first woman to land several difficult halfpipe tricks in competition, including a frontside 540 in 1991, backside 540 in 1994, Mctwist in 1994, frontside 720 in 1995, and frontside rodeo 720 in 2001. She is also noted for working behind the scenes on the development women’s products for companies such as Burton Snowboards and Velvet Goggles.

In the mid-2000s, Shannon retired from professional snowboarding to focus on raising her family. She lives in Southern California and tries to surf whenever she can.

In 2016, the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame and Museum produced a tribute video to Shannon, highlighting her early days and Olympic success.  Check it out below.

 

Pat McCloskey

Can You Ski Yourself Into Shape?

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There Are Other, Fun Ways To Get Ready Besides Hitting The Gym.

Sure, you can do the gym thing. It’s not too late to hit the trails, too.

One of the myths I hear from people at the beginning of the ski season is that they can “ski themselves into shape.”  They have not really done any preparation for the ski season and feel that they just have to start skiing, and their ski legs will eventually come back.  If I ever heard fake news, this is it.  Skiing is a dynamic sport and in order to effectively execute a turn, your legs need to be in good shape before the first turn of the season.  I can’t tell you how many times I have see folks whose “legs are killing them” after the first and second day of a ski trip.  They ski defensively, because they are not in good shape and all the money that they have spent on a ski trip is for naught. That’s because they failed to get in shape before they got on that airplane.  The same is true for local skiers who make their way to their local ski area and have the same experience.

So why not start thinking about this now if you have not done so?  There are a lot of articles popping up in the ski periodicals and web sites about exercises that you can do in the gym.  But how many of us really want to spend time in the gym day in and day out to prepare for ski season?  How many times can we pretend to sit in an invisible chair with our backs to the wall to strengthen our legs?  On the other hand, there are outdoor activities that can be engaged to get the legs in shape but are also fun and allow us to be in the outdoors which is where we all want to be in the first place.

With the flaming leaves coming in to view, the trails in our mountains and parks are available for mountain biking, hiking, and trail running.  Hiking and trail running uphill prepare the legs for sure as well as providing an excellent outdoor fresh air activity.  Mountain biking ramps that up a bit by strengthening the legs on climbs, as well as simulating skiing skills like looking ahead and picking a path through varied terrain.

Lots of folks mountain bike, hike, and run during the summer season when the weather is cooperative, but when the time change looms—Nov. 4 this year, by the way—and the days get shorter, the motivation for these activities starts to wane.  If you want to be prepared for ski season, I would strongly suggest that you continue these activities as long as you can during the fall and into the winter if conditions allow.

A good friend of mine says there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices. So why not buy a good Gore-Tex suit for running or hiking and also one to ride in the winter if you can do it.  Night riding is a favorite of mine, and there are a lot of options for rechargeable light and battery systems. I have used a lot of expensive lighting  options in the past but with the advance of lighting technology, you can now purchase systems for a fraction of the cost of the traditional main stream lighting systems.  Cree Mountain Bike Lights found on Amazon are an excellent choice for around $32.00 and provide three mode LED lighting with a rechargeable battery that can provide up to two hours of excellent light on high mode.  I use these lights on my handlebar with another one on my helmet.  I store the battery for the helmet light in my hydration pack and also the battery for the handlebar light can be attached to the top tube of the mountain bike.  I also purchase spare batteries and store them in my pack in the event that there are any issues with the primary battery.

It is not too late to get back on that bike, lace up the trail running shoes or hiking boots, and get moving.  Your legs will appreciate your diligence now in the early fall season, and you will enjoy your turns and ski outings much better if you take the time to be in shape when the first flakes start to fly in the mountains.

High tech bike lights allow you to ride into the evening hours when the clock changes back to Standard Time. Credit: MountainRides.com

 

seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Sep. 21)

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Snow Is Happening Now, Winter Weather Prediction, Portillo Report, XC Binding News.

So it begins.  There’s snow in British Columbia, some parts of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Check out the very recent snow map above from Snow-Forecast.com.  The green represents snow; it’s not very much accumulation, —though we did hear Banff got blasted just today—but it’s there. Someone please ring a bell or something.

Sundeck at The Remarkables, Queenstown, New Zealand’s famous resort. Big snow happening there this summer. Credit: Snowbrains.com

And, we have heard that four resorts in New Zealand’s South Island have been forced to close because of too much snow this week. That reminds us of the snow-heavy winter we had in 2015-16 when the California Sierras were inundated. Such is the nature of climate change.  Go to Snowbrains.com for the story on how epic snow closed the mountains in En-Zed. 

Free (or Almost Free) Skiing For Seniors Listing Almost Ready.

This week, we are getting back into full swing here at SeniorsSkiing.com. Our correspondents are sending in early season stories which you should be seeing in a week or two. We have completed our research on where seniors can ski for free (or almost free) at ski resorts in North America.  Yes, indeed, we are including Canadian resorts this year in our listing.  It’s amazing how many resorts there are that do offer a significant break for seniors. Those discounts are out there; you have to look.  We know our annual listing will certainly help.

We’re busy designing the Free Ski list and getting it ready for publication.  Stay tuned.  Until then, you can still access last year’s listing under Subscriber Only Content. 

This Week

The Woolly Bear knows what winter will bring. Credit: TheInfiniteSpide

We’ve been paying perhaps too much attention to the winter weather forecasts this time around. That ol’ El Nino seems to be hanging in there, and if it does, it will definitely play a role in what happens in snow country. So, just to corroborate what we’re been hearing from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, we branched off to collect some tradition folk nostrums of what winter will be.  Find out what the old-timers looked to around this time of year to predict how much snow was in store for winter.  We also checked the annual Farmers Almanac prediction.  Read all about it.

Chile-based correspondent Casey Earle continues his series on skiing in Chile. He wrote some great articles orienting folks to what to expect down there and a recap of some of the principal resorts. This time, he zones in on Portillo, the venerable Chilean resort every skier knows about. Check out his resort review here.

Filled with amenities Hotel Portillo is the only place to stay at the resort. Credit: ChileSki.com

Cross-country editor and XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr brings us some breaking news on the xc ski binding front. He describes the brand new Rottefella binding with a Move Switch that allows you to adjust the weight distribution on your skis. This could be an important break thru for senior xc skiers because it can actually enhance both glide and grip.  Certainly worth a look if you are thinking about new xc gear.

On a more serious note, we have a new article on Sarcopenia this week, a condition where muscles become less efficient in seniors. We found it remarkable that we never knew about this condition until we were introduced to it through a contributed article by one of our readers last year.  If we didn’t know, then probably a lot of our readers don’t either.  Study this one, dear readers.  The good news is that the weakening effects of sarcopenia can be mitigated through weight lift training.

If you have any story ideas, or want to submit an article, please let us know at info@seniorsskiing.com.  The season has started, and it is time to get ready.

Remember, readers, there are more of us every day and we aren’t going away.

 

 

 

mikemaginn

Mystery Glimpse: He Was The First

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This Well-Dressed Athlete Was The First Of Many.

Thanks to the Colorado Ski And Snowboard Museum for sending this picture along. We’re reaching deep here, dear readers, and if you can get this one, we will be really impressed.  Who is he and what did he do that gave him a place in ski history?

Last Week

This is a glimpse of the famous Winter Park ski train that has recently shut down after 69 years of service.  Ski trains were very popular with skiers from metropolitan areas on both coasts and the Rockies during the 30s and 40s.  But, with roads and interstates, the trains became unprofitable. According to the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum, the ski train that brought Denver citizens to the mountains was one of the few that survived.

You can only now imagine how convenient and almost luxurious it must have been to take a train to a station near a ski area and get picked up by a bus or horse-drawn sleigh to be taken to a mountain hotel or base lodge. Must have been some fun times on those trains going back and forth.

Anyone remember taking a ski train to and from the mountains?  What was it like?

To read more about the history of the Winter Park ski train, click here.

Visit A Ski Museum

SeniorsSkiing.com salutes the many ski museums who have contributed to the Mystery Glimpse series this season. Our readers should be aware that these often very small museum carry the stories and pictures of the past years of snow sports, going back to the early renderings of hunters and warriors on skis and ski-like gear. If you have a ski history museum near you, visit and support their efforts.

Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum

Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum

Ski Museum of Maine

New England Ski Museum

National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame

Alf Engen Ski Museum

Museum of Sierra Ski History

We very much appreciate the contributions these ski museums made to SeniorsSkiing.com’s Mystery Glimpse.  It was our way of keeping ski history and heroes alive and in front of an audience who appreciates the value of nostalgia. Next season, we hope to expand our list of contributors.

 

 

Kingdom-Trails-Fatbike
seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 23)

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60s Ski Songs Available Now, More Pass Wars Comments, Ski New Zealand Soon, Fat Bikes, And More.

Back in the early 60s, folk music was just beginning to become popular. Colleges, concert halls, and coffee houses were hosting a wide variety bands like The Kingston Trio and The Weavers with stringed instruments singing old time music as well as newly written tunes. One sub-genre soon emerged in parallel to the growth of the fast-growing sport of skiing. Oscar Brand, Bob Gibson, and a Navy vet named Ray Conrad created their own skiing songs which spread like an avalanche through the growing, ardent band of skiers.

Ray had a knack for composing clever, funny songs about the new world of the skier and skier wanna-bes. His tunes contain a full cast of caricatures like egotistical ski instructors, skiing cowboys, skiing Casanovas, skiing drinkers, you get the idea.  For years, these songs were out of print and only available to those who had saved their decades-old vinyl albums. Now, SeniorsSkiing.com has worked with Ray to make these songs available again.

You can download Ray’s 16-song album, The Cotton-Lickin’ Lift Tower and Other Songs, for $20 from CDBaby. This is a download only. You can listen to short clips on the CDBaby site. Seniorsskiing.com is sharing the proceeds with Ray, who, at 95 years old, is ecstatic people are still interested in his music.

For an earlier article on famous skiing songs of the 60s, click here.

More Season Pass War Puzzlements

Yes, the new editions of season passes and their features are confusing. We are hearing complaints from SeniorsSkiing.com readers about feeling left out by these passes. In this week’s edition, Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg opines on who wins and who loses in the season pass lottery.

And here’s a link to The Ski Diva, our friend and colleague, who writes a somewhat tongue-in-cheek advice column on how to choose between Mountain Collective, IKON, Epic and the rest.

Please let us know how you are navigating these choices.  Are you happy? Unhappy? If unhappy, have you complained to the pass vendors to let them know how you feel?  Remember, there are lots and lots of senior skiers affected by these pass changes. When we shout together, it’s pretty loud.

Think More Skiing In New Zealand

March has brought extraordinary, mind-bending, other-worldly snow conditions to the Sierras, the Northwest, parts of the northern Rockiers, and, thankfully, New England. Spring snow sports should be over the top. If, however, that isn’t enough for you, and you have the time and curiosity, you can always go to New Zealand, where the ski season will soon be “cooling up.”  Here’s a promo video from The Remarkables near the recreation city of Queenstown.  You should recognize The Remarkables from Lord of The Rings.

For another review of En Zed skiing, check out last September’s report from SeniorsSkiing.com advisory council member Bernie Weichsel here.

Ski The Remarkables, Queenstown, NZ

This Week

Check out our new Mystery Glimpse. It’s a dashing ski personality who left us too early.  Do you know who he is and what he was known for?

Correspondent Tamsin Venn reports on the first annual Ski Museum of Maine Senior Legends Race. This looks like a lot of fun, and congratulations to the competitors, most of whom were north of 70.

Correspondent Jonathan Wiesel has an interesting question: Better to cross-country ski on groomed trails or au naturel? Each has its unique qualities.  Your thoughts?

Fat biking is a new-to-us snow country activity although we hear its been around since 2007, starting in Alaska and working into the western US. XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr introduces us to fat biking on snow with a visit to Kingdom Trails in northern Vermont.  For course, people also fat bike on beaches and mountain trails in the summer, but snow country is an interesting idea.

Discounts For Seniors

Two interesting vendors on our Discounts For Seniors page for this week’s highlight:

FitterFirst, exercise equipment emphasizing balance and coordination, and Injinji, compression socks that also accommodate individual toes.

Please visit all our Discounts For Seniors vendors. There are some interesting deals in gear, clothing, and gifts you should check out.

Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com.  Tell your friends about us and remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.

seniorsskiing

60s Ski Songs Now AVAILABLE!

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You Can Now Download Ray Conrad’s Classic Collection Of Ski Songs.

After many delays, procrastinations, and technical ups and downs, SeniorsSkiing.com is happy to announce that Ray Conrad’s The Cotton-Pickin’ Lift Tower And Other Ski Songs, is now available for download from CDBaby. CLICK HERE.

Ray has kindly agreed to exclusively offer his songs recorded back in the 60s to readers of SeniorsSkiing.com. The music is download only and costs $20. SeniorsSkiing.com is sharing the proceeds with Ray who, at 95 years old, is ecstatic that people are still interested in his music.

In the early 60s, Ray Conrad wrote and performed skiing songs in a folk music style that was gaining popularity in cafes, clubs and college campuses. His songs are satirical, silly, clever, and funny, spoofing the people who ski or want to look like skiers. You can listen to clips of the songs on CDBaby.

Here are the songs from The Cotton-Pickin’ Lift Tower And Other Ski Songs:

  • The Cotton-Pickin’ Lift Tower
  • Snowdrift Saloon
  • The Flatlander
  • Three-Pin Bill
  • Two Cubes and a Slug of VO
  • Mogul Mouse
  • A Skier’s Daydream
  • The Big Downhill Skis
  • Marie
  • Number One Fun
  • The Ski Instructor
  • La La
  • Skier’s Bible School
  • Nastar
  • Round-Bottomed Bogners
  • An Ounce of Prevention

Remember, this is download-only from CDBaby. Once downloaded and on your hard drive, you can play these songs through your iTunes or  music player, transfer them to your Smartphone, listen at the gym or heading up to snow country in your car.

Let us know what you think about this little bit of ski history on SeniorsSkiing.com.

 

 

 

Jonathan Wiesel

Cross-Country: Tracks vs Touring

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Groomed XC Trails Are Becoming More Prevalent; Does That Ruin The Aesthetics Of The Sport?

The “natural” experience, just like it was meant to be…Or…

For the past 50 years or so, there’s been a generally amicable debate whether cross-country skiing on machine-groomed trails is preferable to making your own way over the fields and through the woods. The argument has a lot of angles, including “Free vs. Fee” and “Pristine, Silent, and Serene vs. Speedy, Social, Service-based, and Secure”.

…Groomed trails at Appleton Farms, Ipswich, MA, easier and less tiring.
Credit: NS Nordic Assn

Clearly, you don’t have to choose one over the other – they’re both delights (and the world’s best exercise), in somewhat different ways. The thing is, as my increasingly complaining bones and joints frequently announce, groomed trails for classic and skate techniques have more and more going for them.

One huge differentiator is that if you want to take up the sport, you’ll be smart to start with one or two lessons from a professional instructor at a cross-country ski area, learning and practicing efficient movement. Undesirable options are learning by yourself off-track (I know someone who tried to do that while consulting a printed manual – results weren’t pretty) or getting often-incoherent suggestions from a friend while floundering in unpacked snow (‘nuff said).

Whether you’re a long-time practitioner or a newcomer, groomed trails make things easier, faster. For classic style, you’re riding on a consistent, packed surface, with your skis guided forward in compressed tracks. (It takes some effort to get lost that way too; whereas I’ve been known to ski in circles in fresh snow, totally convinced I was moving in linear fashion.) Gotta love it, especially if you have balance or vision issues, as I do.

Almost as important, your pole tips are digging into packed snow and no further; while breaking your own trail, the entire basket may sink, throwing off your balance and helping you to get up close and personal to the snowpack. And as many of us have discovered, getting up in deep snow is challenging.

Skate skiers need a packed surface even more than diagonal striders. Two or three inches of fresh snow even on a groomed trail are enough to grab an edge. It’s nearly impossible to skate in ungroomed snow except for spring crust-cruising (not the same as skiing on ice – you can set your edges), which is a joy – crust lets you go almost anywhere, speedily zipping along. Euphoria!

One of the delights of cross-country is that you can evolve from a groomed trail skier to a tourer, if you wish. You’ve developed good classic technique in the tracks; you know how to make your legs do the work and your arms help out – now you can apply those skills in a quieter setting, with shorter strides but still good balance.

Cross-country areas have services – anything from plowed parking to lodges with food and drink, heated bathrooms (also heaven on a brisk day!), rental, retail, even overnight accommodations. Also, groomed trails may have signs, maps, possibly ski patrol, probably snowshoeing – and if you’re wild for something different, increasingly there’s fat biking available.

If you’re taken by the charms of overnight tours, there may be Forest Service cabins in your area (bring your own food, clothing, sleeping bag…). (Editor Note: See Steve Hines’ article on skiing to the AMC Little Lyford Pond Camp in Maine.) And finally, for true adventure, there’s snow camping (bring your own stove, too). Touring with a pack in fresh snow is truly character-building (been there, done that, I happily leave it to today’s kids).

 

seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Jan. 26)

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Off To The OR/SIA Show, Mystery Tennis Player, Questions To Find The Right Instructor, Pat’s Peak For Hobbits, A Very Successful Senior Ski Club.

SeniorsSkiing.com co-publishers are heading out from various starting points to the great, big Outdoor Retailer and Snow Show in Denver’s gigantic Colorado Convention Center. We will be there to look for stories, product ideas for our readers, and to meet and schmooze with some industry friends. Our objective is to embed the message that the senior snow sports demographic is an unpolished jewel and to promote our growing online magazine.

This trade show combines the OR Show with Ski Industries America (SIA), and it looks like a mammoth undertaking. The list of exhibitors goes from Adventure Travel to Yoga/Pilates with just about every other outdoor activity to can think of in between. This promises to be a learning experience for us with demos, educational seminars, fashion shows, and special exhibits all revolving around active life style products and services.  It’s a chance for vendors to show off their new products to buyers from retail organizations of all kinds and sizes.

We are extremely impressed with the level of planning and tools provided to exhibitors, buyers and media. There are tools to help filter exhibitors whose products/services you want to see, maps which plot those interest points, direct email channels to vendors and lots and lots of public relations communications from the thousands of vendors and show promoters.

The whole industry has come a long way from the crowded hotel corridors we remember from the venerable Doc Desroches SIA shows of yore. In fact, we remember meeting the great mountain climber Jim Whittaker, the first American to climb Mount Everest, at the SIA Show in Chicago in 1970. Yes, it was a narrow, crowded corridor, so narrow in fact that Jim decided to proceed down the passageway with his hands on one wall and his feet on the other. True story.  We also shook hands with a very sun tanned Stein Erickson at the Chicago show.  SIA was the ski industry trade show that rotated through New York, Chicago and LA shows for many years.

So, we are ready, we’ve planned who we want to see and what we’re looking for.  So wish us luck, and we’ll report on progress next week.

Ski The World: Audi Hires Candide Thovex To Ski On Anything

Here’s a commercial from Audi  Quattro that will get your attention.  The “Flying Frenchman” Candide Thovex, extreme athlete, stuntman, adventurer, completely rips it up on grass, sand, rock, you name it.  This is for those of you who are still awaiting a decent base out there. It’s worth the five minutes.

This Week

A new Mystery Glimpse appears with a challenging photo of a ski racing notable from yesteryear. Can you guess who she is? Thanks to the United States Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame for contributing this week’s picture.

Only a few readers rose to last week’s stuffed animal challenge. See what significant event the rabbit, bear, and coyote represented.

Marc Liebman continues his advice on taking a ski lesson.  This week, he gives us five questions to ask an instructor before you sign up.  You may not be surprised to learn there is no universal, system-wide, standardized PSIA curriculum for teaching seniors. We know there are people who are very much interested in creating and promoting this idea. Seems like a long time coming.  If there was a senior-focused curriculum, we bet there would be more lapsed senior skiers coming back to snowsports of all kinds, not just Alpine skiing.

Sk clubs are a mecca for senior skiers.  In fact, you can find a ski club to join just by clicking through to the National Ski Council Federation.  Just click Find Ski Buddies Near You on the top menu box.  Correspondent John Farley brings us a report of a mountain-based ski club that sounds like it has a hardy mix of skiing and socializing.  They call themselves the Gray Wolves Ski Club, and they are based at Wolf Creek Ski Area in Colorado.  If you are looking for a model ski club to emulate, there are some ideas here for you.

Finally, correspondent Tamsin Venn shows us a really fine family-oriented ski area in New Hampshire that is the archetype senior-friendly area. Moderate-sized and modest facilities, Pat’s Peak has been a landmark since the early 60s.  And check out the retro-style base lodge.  What more do you really need, anyway?

That’s it.  We’re off to Denver. In fact, we’ll be there when you read this!  Thank you for reading SeniorsSkiing.com, and you know there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.

 

 

Jon Weisberg

The Best 2018 Skis For Senior Skiers

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One Might Say You Can Never Have Enough Skis.

My wife disagrees. She skis on a relatively old pair that she loves. They’re relatively soft in shovel and heel. For her, one pair is enough.

Mine is a completely different story; too long to get into at the moment.

Jackson Hogen, publisher of the ski review site realskiers.com, has been testing skis for decades. He works with testers from around the country, gathering their observations and consolidating them into pre-season evaluations of the upcoming season’s crop.

The complete list of the recommended 2018 skis for senior skiers is available free to SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers. Click on COMMUNITY (home page menu bar), then click on SUBSCRIBERS ONLY CONTENT in the drop down box.

(Free short reviews can be found at realskiers.com. The more complete evaluations require a subscription. Details on how SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers can subscribe to realskiers.com for 50% of the normal rate are at the end of this article.)

Recognizing that certain ski characteristics are more suitable for older skiers than others, last year, realskiers.com identified the best ones for older skiers. These skis generally have a soft flex, which allows the sidecut to engage with minimal exertion. When they’re used, the skier doesn’t work as hard. They’re easier to turn. They’re forgiving. You don’t have to be in peak shape to ski better or longer. The entire experience is more enjoyable.

Recommended skis are grouped into six categories, each based on skiing preference, location, and snow conditions. They follow:

Frontside (aka “Carving” skis)

  • These skis encompass the broadest range of skier abilities from entry-level to experienced and are for general use on groomed terrain. Wider models are usable off-trail.

All-Mountain East

  • Skis that are extremely versatile and for general use on groomed terrain. They also work off-trail.
  • This category is suitable for those who have not skied in a few years. 

All-Mountain West

  • These are good for use in the West by high performance skiers and are good both for groomed trails and for powder. 

Big Mountain

  • Skis for use on big mountains with selections for strong and for less strong skiers.

Powder

  • Specialty skis for use in deep powder.

Technical

  • These have high performance race ski characteristics and are suitable for carving turns on hard-snow.

While many consider skis to be unisex, some women prefer skis with weight and flex more suitable to their size and physique. The list also identifies preferred women’s skis.

Jackson advises approaching your next ski purchase by taking these three important steps:

  1. Identify the most suitable category.
  2. Work with a quality ski shop.
  3. If possible, demo selections to compare before purchasing.

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