Tag Archive for: SeniorsSkiing.com

Michigan Skiing
Don Burch

Trail Name Series: Michigan

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Idiot’s Delight, Fun Bubble and Crisis.

[Editor Note: Last week, we launched Don Burch’s Trail Name series with a round-up of trail names from resorts in California.  This week, we move to Michigan. If you have some trail names that stick in your memory, please let us know in the comments section below.]

Look at some resort maps and you’ll find some very creative trail names. Among resorts in Michigan, I found some gems. Making the top ten are Idiot’s Delight at Boyne Mountain, Fun Bubble at Marquette Mountain and Crisis at Pine Knob.

Marquette Mountain has another trail in the top ten, Oh, Zone. Nub’s Knob also has two in the top ten; Hot Flash and Bark Eater (there is also a Bark Eater at New York’s Titus Mountain). Rounding out the list are Don’t Chute at Big Powderhorn, Coffin Canyon at Mt. Holly, Elf Buster at Schuss Mountain and Old Face Full at Treetops.

Michigan has a slew of great trail names making the Honorable Mentions list: At Alpine Valley there are Mineshaft and Hidden Splendor. At Big Powderhorn Crazy Trail and Vertical Drop make the list as do Lois Lane and Joust at Boyne Highlands. Big Snow has No Name Trail making the list which is also the name of a trail at California’s Mt. Waterman and New York’s Labrador Mountain.

Crystal Mountain has three trails on the Honorable Mentions list: Abbey Road, Penny Lane and Giggles. Mountain Slayer Chute at Caberfae and both Old School and Bear Trap at Cannonsburg are also noteworthy (there is also a Bear Trap at Vermont’s Mount Snow).

Bonsai and The Sweet Spot at Mount Ripley, Mogul Mania at Mt. Holly, Chicken Chute at Brighton, Kingdom Come at Schuss Mountain, Whitewater at Ski Brule and Boneyard at Marquette Mountain round out the list ( there is also a Boneyard at Dodge Ridge in California).

Mount Bohemia deserves its own paragraph for the number of creative trail names at the resort. These include Cursing Werewolf, Thirsty Vampire, Hungry Vulture and Wacky Jackrabbit. Not to be overlooked are Dynamite Blast, Forbidden Cliffs and Ghost Trail.

A final note about the popularity of skiing in Michigan: Michigan ranks number two as the state with the most ski resorts (42). It is only surpassed by New York with 48. Tied for third are Colorado and Wisconsin each with 30 (based on 2015-16 data from SnowBrains.com).

Do you have a favorite trail name that’s been overlooked? Please let us know in the comments section.

Mount Bohemia. Credit: Ramada Hancock

 

Harriet Wallis

Olympic Visionary And Snow Safety Team Earn Honors At Ski History Gala  

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Their Behind-The-Scenes Work Makes The Winter Sports We Love Even Better.

Honoree Howard Peterson (r) is warmly congratulated by Ski Archives Advisory Board members Tom Nielson (l) and Richard Hughes. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Soft-spoken Howard Peterson grew up in a skiing family in Maine, became the ski director at New Hampshire’s Bretton Woods, and then moved west where he became the executive director of the U.S. Ski Team. He was already making an imprint on the ski industry.

Then, while the 2002 Winter Olympics plans were on the drawing board, Peterson rallied officials to build venues that would endure as training sites long after the Games were over.

Soldier Hollow, a venue of rolling hills and vast open space near Salt Lake City, became the 2002 Olympic Games venue for cross-country, biathlon, and Nordic combined. But it didn’t stop there.

Since the Games, thousands of children have been introduced to the sports there, and it’s a renowned training site for elite international athletes.

Mission accomplished!

Peterson earned the Joseph Quinney Award at the recent Ski Archives gala in Salt Lake City. The award is named for the late ski visionary and founder of Alta.

The other top award, the J. Willard Marriott Library History-Maker Award, went to the Utah Avalanche Center and U.S. Forest Service.

Part of the US Forest Service and Utah Avalanche Center team. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Here in Utah where the snow is legendary, the Utah Avalanche Center and the U.S. Forest Service work hand-in-hand to educate snow-lovers so they can “stay on top of the snow and not be buried underneath it.”

Predicting avalanche potential combines science, experience, and total dedication to help keep snow-users safe. Educating the public is crucial. Avalanches play no favorites.

In 2003 on the day after Christmas, three young snowboarders hiked into the back country to try their new gear. An avalanche swept them to their deaths.

The other part of the US Forest Service, Utah Avalanche Center team. Credit: Harriet Wallis

As a result, and with the support of the snow safety team, forecaster Craig Gordon spearheaded the “Know Before You Go” program—basic avalanche savvy 101. The program was presented to every outdoor group possible: snowmobilers, Boy Scouts. high schools. And then the program went worldwide.

What is Ski Archives?

The Utah Ski Archives is the country’s largest ski history research organization and repository of historic material. The Archives collection currently contains 500,000 images, 250 manuscripts and 6,000 audio,video and films.

Every year, it holds a gala fundraiser to help support its mission. And the gala honors individuals and organizations that set a high mark for their influence on the ski industry.

The Ski Archives collection is open to the public and is located in the University of Utah campus library in Salt Lake City.

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

 

seniorsskiing

Mystery Glimpse: Who’s Skiing In Skirts?

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It Looks Royally Uncomfortable.

Here’s a picture from long ago. The woman on the right is the mystery lady. Who is she? You can probably guess the era from the skiing “costumes”. Probably foreign. Last hint: Think Scandinavia.

This week’s picture was contributed by Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum & Heritage Center, in Decorah, IA.  The center has over 33,000 artifacts, 12 historic buildings, a Folk Art School, and a library and archives. This treasure showcases the most extensive collection of Norwegian-American artifacts in the world.

Vesterheim’s exhibitions explore the diversity of American immigration through the lens of the Norwegian-American experience and highlight the best in historic and contemporary Norwegian folk and fine arts. USA Today named Vesterheim one of “ten great places in the nation to admire American folk art.”

Last Week

This is the famous Engen Bell, a fixture in Utah ski history and an official “treasure” of the state.

The bell was used for many years on an old locomotive from the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. It is estimated the bell was made in the mid-1800s, but no official records are available to verify its exact age. Rio Grande Railroad officials stated that the bell made hundreds of trips through Utah in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

In 1955 the bell was acquired by Martha M. Engen as a gift from the railroad. She gave it her son Alf for use at his Alf Engen Ski School at Alta, Utah. For 24 years, the bell was used every day to toll the start of the morning and afternoon ski school sessions. It became a landmark at Alta; everyone listened for the bell to sound. When Alf Engen retired as the ski school director, it was deemed appropriate to also retire the bell in his honor. The bell rang for the last time in 1989, when Alta celebrated its 50th anniversary as a ski area. Alf gave the bell to his son, Alan, who commissioned a solid oak stand and brass plates identifying it as “The Engen Bell,” in honor of his dad and his grandmother, Martha.

Look closely. There’s the bell on the old steam engine.

In 1995, the old bell was selected as one of the “100 Treasures of Utah” and was put on display at the Utah Winter Sports Park as a featured attraction of the 1996 Utah Centennial celebration. The reasons for being named a Utah treasure are twofold: First, the bell holds historical value due to the time period in which it was used by the Rio Grande Railroad. Secondly, it is the only ski school bell ever used at Alta, and as far as can be determined, is the only bell used by any ski school in Utah’s history. The only other Intermountain Region ski school to use a bell for announcing the start of classes was at Sun Valley, in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

The bell is on display at the Alf Engen Ski Museum located in Park City, Utah.

seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Nov. 16)

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Fifth Anniversary Party Bash Report, Revised Free Ski List, New Trail Name Series, Big Bell Mystery, November Poetry From Robert Frost.

The Upper West side of Manhattan reverberated with the laughs and chatter of the SeniorsSkiing.com’s Fifth Anniversary Bash at E’s Bar and Grill last Wednesday.

 

Mke Maginn (l) and Jon Weisberg, co-publshers

 

 

 

Several ski journalists attended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Week

We have an important article from The Ski Diva, our friend and colleague Wendy Clinch, who advises us how to regain and maintain confidence. It’s a topic that we know many seniors struggle with as we change our style to accommodate our changing capabilities.

This week’s Mystery Glimpse has an excellent puzzlin’ pic from the Alf Engen Museum, Park City. It’s an artifact that folks who’ve been around the Intermountain area may know. And see who those two stars from last week were.  Okay, one was Judy Garland as a young skier.

Correspondent Don Burch had a great idea.  While waiting for the snow to fly, let’s do series on unusual and memorable trail names.  His analytic inclinations had him researching trail maps and making sense or at least some observations about what was common, different, thematic, etc., at a group of ski resorts. So, this week, we present his thoughts about trail names at resorts in California.  More next week.

Finally, we have a November poem by Robert Frost. November is a special month as it can be viewed as the swing time between brightness and light and doom and gloom. Here’s an homage to “bare November days.”

Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS.  Remember, dear readers, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.

 

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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Last evening we celebrated our fifth year of publishing with a party in New York City. The crowd that showed up had a good time. Many walked away with raffle prizes.

 

 

 

The idea for a magazine dedicated to older skiers, boarders, and snowshoers developed over several years. Living in Park City, I saw that, midweek, almost everyone on the lift was my age or older. Ski magazines, by contrast, were publishing things mostly for and about younger people.

As the concept formed, I used the lift to bounce ideas. For those of you familiar with market research, the chair ride became a series of 8-10 minute focus groups.

 

 

MikJone Maginn and I are friends from college. We both graduated when giant green animals with pea-sized brans were feeding from tree tops. Following graduation, he spent time on the editorial staff of Skiing Magazine. We stayed in touch over the years, and I suspected that despite a busy consulting practice, he might have some time. He understood the concept immediately – a growing cohort of older skiers without a core. Would he be interested in partnering? The next day he agreed, and we immediately started to plan.

SeniorsSkiing.com launched less than a year later with zero subscribers. As we enter our fifth year of publication, we have subscribers, worldwide, who, last season, generated up to 50,000 monthly page views. The numbers keep growing.

The earliest advertisers – Masterfit, DeBooter, and 70+ Ski Club – have been joined by others wanting to reach active, outdoor-oriented seniors.

SeniorsSkiing.com is a true labor of love. Contributors aren’t paid, but they like to share their experiences and stories with an ever-growing audience. We go through considerable effort to publish annual lists of areas where seniors can ski free, the best skis for seniors, and the best boots for seniors. Realskiers.com and Masterfit provide the data for the ski and boot lists.

The party last evening was terrific. Numerous attendees told us they made plans to ski with new friends they met there. Several walked away with excellent raffle prizes, including a four-day trip to Okemo Mountain in Vermont (courtesy, 70+ Ski Club), a pair of Apex ski boots, and two Orsden parkas. Others won DeBooters; Bootsters; GearBeast cell phone holders; Buffalo Wool Company bison wool socks; Safe Descents, ski and snowboard insurance, and lift tickets to Powder Mountain in Utah. The SWAG tables were heavy with materials from Skiing History Magazine, Powder Mountain, Solitude, Ski Pennsylvania, Mont Saint Anne, and Sunday River.

The person travelling the longest distance to get there was Mauro Cevolo of Alpskitour. He came from the Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, where his company conducts weeklong guided skiing to Courmayeur, Mont Blanc, Zermatt, and other snow-covered marvels, returning each night to a classic hotel in the scenic town of Saint Vincent.

You’ve helped us get to five years. Please tell your older skiing friends about SeniorsSkiing.com. As for our part, we plan to keep you informed with relevant and timely information of interest to the older snowsports enthusiast.

News of resort openings from the mountains.

Here are a few from this week’s email:

Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows (CA) Nov. 16

Brighton (UT) Nov 15

Brianhead (UT) Nov 16

Copper Mountain (CO) Nov 16

Grand Targhee (WY) Nov 16

Okemo Mountain (VT) Nov 16

Stowe (VT) Nov 16

Sugarbush (VT) Nov 17

Crystal Mountain (MI) Nov 22

Skier vs. Drone

Salomon released this clever video of French racer, Victor Muffat-Jeandet competing on a GS course against champion drone racer, Jordan Temkin. Most resorts have no-drone policies, but Snowbird, where this was taped, must have given special permission. Short and amusing, with a surprise end: click here.

Great Holiday Gifts for Older Skiers

Over the next month, I’ll highlight unique and useful gift ideas for older skiers.. The following, which I’ve mentioned before, advertise on SeniorsSkiing.com. Simply click on the ads to reach the sites.

  • GearBeast is a $9.95 rubberized cellphone carrier, worn around the neck and with a small pocket to hold ID, a credit card and some cash.I’ve been using it for several months and consider it essential. I no longer misplace the phone. Equally important for skiers is that there’s no way you’ll drop the phone on the lift. Because it’s around the neck and under the parka, the battery doesn’t drain lie it does in a parka pocket. Mine is black, but GearBeast comes in a variety of colors. A very good item.
  • Bootster is a compact device that serves as a ski boot horn. It rolls up and fits in your pocket. Some of you have written in about DIY devices for getting boots on. One of the beauties of Bootster is that it goes where you go, making it ideal to get boots back on after lunch on the hill. $25.00
  • DeBooter is a skiboot jack.I keep mine in the car and loan to others in the lot. It works extremely well, even with stiff, cold boots. Your foot comes right out without difficulty or pain. One of my friends reports that his grandkids love his DeBooter. $39.95, less 20% SeniorsSkiing.com discount.
  • Safe Descents is emergency ski and snowboard evacuation insurance.It covers ambulance or air evacuation services if injured in-bounds at any ski resort in the United States. That’s in addition to other coverage like sending a loved one to the hospital and/or getting back home following a hospital stay. These and other benefits have a maximum of $25,000. A thoughtful gift to drop into any stocking. $56.99 for the season.
Jon Weisberg

Now Available: List of Best 2019 Skis For Seniors

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We just published the list of 2019 skis identified as the best for older skiers.

The 61 selected skis generally have a softer flex, which helps them engage snow with minimal exertion, allowing older skiers to turn more easily and to ski longer without tiring. Twenty-one women’s models are included.

The skis were selected during the annual national ski evaluation process organized by the renowned ski review site, Realskiers.com.

The recommended skis are grouped into six categories, each based on the ski’s width, which helps determine the terrain where its performance is optimized.

If you’re considering a purchase, we recommend first identifying the most suitable category, then skiing the selections using a demo program. This may be accomplished by working with a quality ski shop.

The categories and their characteristics follow:

  • Frontside (aka “Carving” skis)encompass the broadest range of skier abilities from entry-level to experienced. They are for use on groomed terrain. Wider models are usable off-trail.
  • All-Mountain East are versatile skis that work equally well in on-trail and off-trail conditions. This category is suitable for those who have not skied in a few years.
  • All-Mountain West are good for use in the West by high performance skiers. They are adapted for off-trail use but can be skied on-trail by skilled skiers.
  • Big Mountainare essentially more maneuverable powder skis. They are inadvisable for regular on-trail use.
  • Powder are specialty skis for use in deep powder only.
  • Technical skishave high performance race ski characteristics and are suitable for caving turns on hard-snow.

To access the list click here.

Realskiers.com is a first rate site for any skier interested in learning about equipment and being exposed to the expert perspectives of it’s publisher, Jackson Hogen. SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers can subscribe to Realskiers.com for $9.95, half of it’s normal rate. As a subscriber, you also have direct access to Jackson and his points of view about what equipment might be best for your needs. It’s a fantastic deal. To sign up, visit Realskiers.com. Scroll down to/click on “Subscribe Today!” Then click “Sign Up” in the “Annual Membership” box. Complete the form and enter SS18 in the field under “Coupon Code.”

Wendy Clinch

Skiing With Confidence: Advice From The Ski Diva

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Practical Advice On How To Regain And  Maintain Your Confidence On Snow.

[Editor Note: The Ski Diva (Wendy Clinch, our friend and colleague) has given us permission to re-print a transcript of advice on confidence in skiing. The Ski Diva site is a community of women who love winter sports and the outdoors. The site has been honored by the North American Snowsports Journalist Association for excellence. We think this is an important article and are happy to present it here in edited form for our readers.  To read her expanded article, click here.  Many of the references to women characteristics and tendencies can be applied to older skiers, too.]  

In skiing, lack of confidence can be a real game changer. It can hold us back and make it difficult for us to tackle harder terrain or even keep up with our family and friends. And when we don’t feel like we’re good enough, we let that take over. We have negative thoughts, which leads to poor skiing, which leads to more negative thoughts, which leads to more negative thoughts, which leads to more poor skiing, until your confidence is so shot you may not even want to ski anymore. 

What we want is to develop a deep, lasting, and resilient belief in our abilities as skiers. We want to stay positive, motivated, and emotionally in control when we need to be. We don’t want to let lack of confidence or fear take over and drag us down.

There are a number of things we can do to help if we don’t have the inborn confidence we need.

First, confidence is something that has to start way before we get to the hill. And you can’t overlook the effect of how you feel, physically, in all this. Because if we’re not physically fit, if we don’t feel like we’re in good shape, we’re going to have a rougher time when we get out there, and that’s going to affect our confidence when we ski.

Second, you have to pay attention to your equipment, because poorly functioning equipment can be real confidence shaker, too. Which means have your skis waxed and tuned and your binding checked. But your biggest priority has to be your boots. Too many of us don’t have boots that fit properly. Boots are the one piece of ski equipment that comes in close contact with your body. So you don’t want to feel your feet move or your heel lift up. If your feet are moving and your ski boots aren’t, your skis aren’t doing what you want them to do. You’ll ski less well, and definitely less confidently.

You know what’s a real confidence crusher? Peer pressure. When friends push you to do something you’re not ready for. Do yourself a favor and give it a pass. I know that skiing with people who are at a higher level can be frustrating and even embarrassing, but don’t let it get to you. Remember, skiing is supposed to be fun — not stressful. One solution is to look for easy runs that parallel steeper terrain. Ride the same lift as your friends, and then take a different way down.

Ski School, Austria, circa, 1930s.

Another alternative: Break away and take a lesson. Personally, I think lessons are the best way to build your confidence. Because it’s easy to lack confidence when you don’t have the skills.

Whatever you do, though, don’t take a lesson from a spouse or a significant other. There’s way too much emotional baggage tied up in that. You want an objective third party, and you want a professional ski instructor. 

So let’s talk about fear for a minute. Because what is fear, but a lack of confidence? And I think every skier has been afraid, at one point or another.

One of the best is to just breathe. When you’re nervous or scared, your body tends to tense up and your heart rate increases and you hold your breath. Deep breathing sends a signal to your brain that everything’s ok and you can relax.

Along these lines, I’ve found mindful meditation extremely helpful.  Mindfulness is simply being aware of the present and paying attention to our thoughts and feelings at any moment, without passing any judgement. It’s not about rehashing the past or worrying about the future or things you can’t control. Instead, you focus on what’s here and now: On the feel of snow beneath your feet. On the feeling of the cold air on your skin. And while you’re doing that, you breathe positive energy in, negative energy out.

So some other tips for building your confidence. Another good tool is positive self talk. Talk to yourself the way you’d like a good friend to talk to you. You want to focus on your strengths – we all have them — and instead of tearing yourself down, build yourself up. Studies show that maintaining a positive attitude can do wonders for your confidence. If you keep telling yourself you can do this, amazingly enough, you will. 

And there’s one more thing that I think really helps with confidence: a good support system, like TheSkiDiva.com. One of the things that make it such a great community is the way we work to build each other up. Let me give you an example: I was on a trip with TheSkiDivas where a number of us went down some pretty difficult terrain. The ones who went down first stopped at the bottom and waited for the others. And as each one came down, we all cheered. You can’t beat that.

 

seniorsskiing

Mystery Glimpse: Ding Dong Bell

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Yes, It’s A Big Bell.

 

What’s the significance of this old bell? Do you know where it came from? What it was used for? Who used it? Your guesses below most welcome.

This week’s Mystery Glimpse was contributed by the Alf Engen Ski Museum, Park City, UT.  The museum was established in 1989 with the mission to preserve the rich history of skiing in the Intermountain Region. Browse their online collection of photos and videos of legendary pioneers, champions and significant contributors to the sport of skiing in the Intermountain Region. This library includes numerous vintage photos and video clips.

Last Week’s Glimpse

Nope, not Gary Cooper. Yes, Judy Garland. This is Otto Schniebs, shown here with the young movie star, who settled in Waltham, MA,  after immigrating from Germany in the late 20s.  He set up one of the first ski schools in America there and was soon discovered by AMC members as a talented ski instructor who had vast ski teaching experience in his native country.

Before moving on to become a ski coach at Dartmouth, Otto Schniebs introduced formal ski instruction to the region. With John McGrillis, he wrote the first instructional book on skiing in 1931. He was the director of the first ski school for instructors organized by the US Eastern Amateur Ski Association.

“For the first time learning to ski became easy in this country,” noted AMC ski leader William Fowler.  Schniebs coined the well-known phrase, “Skiing is more than a sport; it’s a way of life.”

Otto Schniebs was inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 1967.

Everyone knows Judy Garland.

Many thanks to the New England Ski Museum for sending along this Mystery Glimpse picture.

 

 

Don Burch

Trail Name Series: California

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Consider The Name Of A Trail. You Will Often Find Uniqueness And Whimsy.

High Voltage, Squaw Valley. Credit: Patrick Saffarian

Peruse a few resort maps, and you’re sure to come upon some great trail names. Doing so with California resorts was no exception. Training Wheels at Mammoth is a wonderfully apropos name for a beginner trail. Amusement Park at Big Bear is fitting for a trail designed for park skiing and riding and Bone Yard at Dodge Ridge is a trail calling for respect.

Top honors also go to Secret Spot at Mammoth (there is also a trail named Secret Spot at Michigan’s Alpine Valley), Chute That Seldom Slides at Alpine Meadow, Lost in the Woods at Mammoth, Mambo Playground at June Mountain and Hogwild at Summit at Snoqualmie. Rounding out the top of the list are Ewe Turn and No Name Trail at Mt. Waterman (there is also a No Name Trail at Michigan’s Big Snow and New York’s Labrador Mountain), Ditch of Doom and Trench of Terror at Kirkwood and His and Yours at Boreal Mountain.

Honorable mentions go to:

High Voltage                        Squaw Valley

Elevator Shaft                      Kirkwood

Snowsnake Gully                 Kirkwood

Hornets’ Nest                        Northstar

Cop out                                   China Peak

While viewing trail names at California resorts a few unexpected patterns emerged. First, several had the word stump in them. There is a Stump Alley at both Mammoth and Northstar, Stump Farm at Crystal Mountain and Stump Run at Kirkwood.

Two resorts have named trails after a traditional samurai practice. These are Hari-Kari Gully at Sugarbowl and Hari Kari Gate at Bear Valley.

Several trails are named after animal anatomy. At Squaw Valley there are Mule’s Ear and Red Dog Face.  At Northstar.  there’s Cat’s Face. At Sugarbowl, you will find Crow’s Face, and at Sierra-at-Tahoe there is Horsetail.

Do you have a favorite trail name that’s been overlooked? Please let us know in the comments section below.

mikemaginn

Snow In Literature: My November Guest

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November Is A Forerunner.

November Road, Credit: M.Maginn

My November Guest

By Robert Frost (1913)

My sorrow, when she’s here with me,
Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.
She talks and I am fain to list:
She’s glad the birds are gone away,
She’s glad her simple worsted grey
Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,
The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know
The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
And they are better for her praise.

seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Nov. 9)

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Off To The Ski Show! New Mystery Glimpse, Updated Free Ski List,  Snowshoeing With Grandkids, Another Non-Skiing Snow Activity.

The annual go-to-the-ski-show ritual is about to take place. We’re headed down to Boston to see what new and different this year and to connect with some friends and fellow ski journalists.  We know this is a great annual family/friend outing for lots of folks, and it’s a lot of fun.  Anticipation builds, and from what we’ve heard, there will be snow this weekend at higher altitudes in New England. Go to the show and get the fever.

The Boston Ski & Snowboard Expo runs from Nov. 8-11, and the Denver show from Nov. 16-18. If you click on the ad at the top right of the page, you can get a SeniorsSkiing.com discount.

Here’s a video from last year’s Ski & Snowboard Expo in Boston.  Come on down!

https://youtu.be/lP9wRhhmVwk

Free Ski (Or Almost Free) For Seniors Resort List Updated

Last week, we published our list of 134 ski resorts in the US and Canada that offered free (or almost free) skiing for seniors, and our readers immediately sent in additions and corrections. So, you will find an update to our listing by clicking here. You may have to re-enter your name and email address to download. There are now 144 ski resorts that are being nice to seniors.

We welcome additional corrections and updates.  Also, one reader made a point of asking us to tell you to check each resort’s special terms and conditions that may apply before you head up and ask for a free ticket. There can be changes and different requirements, like proof of age or cut-off dates. Wise advice, especially for venues that are new to you.

This Week

A little planning goes a long way when snowshoeing with kids. Credit: Crystal Mountain

We have a new Mystery Glimpse for your guessing pleasure as well as the correct answer to last week’s mystery. The story behind last week’s picture is pretty interesting, and although the event depicted took place in 1964, the “Lost Boy” trail remains a landmark at Vail. Find out what happened.

We also have some great advice from SeniorsSkiing.com x-c ski editor Roger Lohr on taking your grandkids snowshoeing. Snowshoeing can be a great way to introduce young children to the winter outdoors with the caveat that you do it right. That means thinking twice about equipment, clothing, provisions, and planned activities out in the woods.

Finally, correspondent Yvette Cardozo gives us the third part of her series on other things you can do at a ski resort besides ski. This week, she tells the story of her adventure on a Snow Limo at Sun Peaks Resort in BC. Now this is an interesting device, kind of like a dog sled without the dogs and run by gravity, steered by a guide hanging on the rear. So, we guess you get the thrill of skiing without having to strap on skis and squeeze into boots.  Fun stuff.

Please remember to tell your friends about SeniorsSkiing.com, the only online magazine for the senior skier. There really are more of us every day, we aren’t going away.

Snow Limo takes a non-skier not only up the mountain but also down a ski trail. Credit: Sun Peaks Snow Limo Tours.

 

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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I keep a list of the places I’ve skied since I was 10. In a few weeks, I’ll be 75. The list totals 85 areas, mostly the US and Canada. The others are in the French and Swiss Alps. One, an indoor area that no longer exists, was in Japan.

Photo: Rylo

That, and the recent addition of Canada to our annual list of paces where seniors can ski free, got me thinking about just how many areas there are. Note that I used the term “areas,” not “resorts.” Some of the places I found are indoor ski centers. Others are quite small and have few amenities. I don’t want to give the term, “resort” a bad name.

According to one Google reference, as of last season, Europe had 3,478 ski areas. That’s a lot more than the 472 in the US. When you add Canada’s 219 areas, and Mexico’s one little ski resort, North America totals 692.

By comparison, Australia and New Zealand, combined, have 62. And all of South America has 30.

Africa has seven areas: two in Algeria, one in Lesotho (I once travelled there on non-ski-related business and met the king), three in Morocco, and one in South Africa.

I counted a total of 728 areas across Asia; most of them in Japan. The list of Japanese areas I used was a bit confusing, so my count may be off. There certainly are more than 500 Japanese areas. Currently China has 7 areas, but as reported here last year, there are plans to build 500 more by 2022, when China hosts the Winter Olympics.

India has 11 areas; Pakistan 9. A few years ago, I wrote a piece about North Korea’s newest resort. The country has two. South Korea has 20. And, in case you didn’t already know this, there are areas in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Even Mongolia has a ski area. And in the Middle East, there’s skiing in Lebanon, Iran, Israel, Syria, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates (indoor, of course).

Add them up and they total 4997 ski areas. I’ve only been to 85! If any of you have skied unusual or out of the way places, tell us about them in “Comments,” or drop me a line at jon@seniorsskiing.com.

Pass the Bucks

Last season Vail sold 750,000 Epic Pases. This season, Alterra expects it will sell 250,000 Ikon Passes in this, the first full season for the Ikon Pass. These passes come with a cost for senior skiers – the elimination of local area passes and the senior discounts they offered. While on the subject, Valle Nevado in Chile, just became part of the Ikon Pass.

LGBTQ Skiing

ELEVATION is a series of annual gay ski and snowboard weeks. It started 16 years ago at Mammoth and has been a presence in Park City for the past eight years. This season, the event will also be held at Mont Tremblant.

Colorado Has the Goods

Breckenridge and Keystone received 5’ since mid October. Both open this week.

Skiing With Grandkids

This article from the Ski Utah website gives practical advice for parents of young skiers. If you’re a grandparent, taking young ones out on the hill for the first time, it will helpful.

Maine Ski Hall of Fame Inducts Seven

The Maine Ski Hall of Fame recognizes Maine skiers who have brought distinction to Maine skiing or made significant contributions to the sport. This year’s inductees are US Freestyle Champions, Karen Colburn and Anne Dowling; Leon Akers, cross country coach and ski shop owner; David Stonebraker, prep school ski coach; Warren Cook, Sugarloaf ski executive; Kristina Sabasteanski, biathlete; and (posthumously) Norman Libby, Bridgton winter adventurer who was the first to ski Pleasant Mountain (Shawnee Peak) in the 1890’s.

The Hall of Fame is a program of Ski Museum of Maine.

SeniorsSkiing.com Readers Get Free Subscriptions to SKI Magazine and Skiing History Magazine

Go to the top of the page. Click “Community.” Scroll down to the two offers.

Jon Weisberg

Additions to List of US and Canadian Areas Where Seniors Ski Free

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Last week we published our annual list of resorts where seniors can ski free. For the first time, we added the results of our survey of all Canadian ski areas.

Several readers notified us of areas with free skiing privileges that we had overlooked. They include Arizona Snow Bowl (AZ), Boreal (CA), Loveland (CO), Bellayre (NY), and Cataloochee (NC). Catalooche requires you to be 65. The others, 70.

The list now totals 144 places in North America where seniors can ski free (or almost free). To find the list, click “Community,” then “Subscriber Only Content,” then “Free Skiing For Seniors.” Or take a shortcut by clicking here.

We encourage all readers to submit the names of other areas offering free skiing to seniors or the season passes for $125 or less or day tickets for $25 or less.

Many thanks to the readers who sent in updates.

 

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Mystery Glimpse: Two Stars On The Snow

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Who Are These Folks?

Hint: It’s New England. Another Hint: You’ve undoubtedly seen one of these folks in action.

This week’s Mystery Glimpse photo comes from the archives of the New England Ski Museum with headquarters in Franconia, NH, and a new branch location in North Conway, NH.

The New England Ski Museum collects, conserves, and exhibits elements of ski history for research, education and inspiration. They have have operated the Museum at Franconia Notch State Park since December, 1982, and welcome thousands of visitors each year. You can access detailed descriptions of the museum’s permanent and annual exhibits by clicking here.

Last Week’s Mystery Glimpse

Who, What, Where, When?

Only one guess on this one. That’s surprising because the story behind this picture is embedded in Vail lore.

On April 1, 1964, when Vail was still brand new, a 14-year-old boy named Marty Koether got lost on the slopes—and ended up becoming a permanent part of Vail history.

Koether, who accidentally skied into a yet-to-be developed Game Creek Bowl, spent a long, cold night in a tree well near the bottom of the present-day location of the Game Creek lift before climbing out the next morning and being discovered by ski patrol.

The incident was chronicled in Skiing Magazine and became part of the mountain’s folklore. The winding, green trail in Game Creek Bowl “Lost Boy” is named after Koether and his disappearance.

A salute to the  Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame.    A special thanks to museum curator Dana Mathias who provided this story.

Do you remember this incident?

Roger Lohr

Taking The Grandkids Snowshoeing

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Here’s How To Do It Right And Have A Fun, Memorable Experience.

A little planning goes a long way when snowshoeing with kids. Credit: Crystal Mountain

On a winter trail outing near my home, I ran into a neighbor and her grandchild on snowshoes—and it was not going well. The kid was uncomfortable and headed back home by herself. Grandma kept going, and since she is a neighbor, I went along with her for a while and chatted. It was clear she was not aware of how to help her granddaughter have a good time on a cold winter day on snowshoes. So, here’s a primer about snowshoeing with the grandkids.

Snowshoes

You can get children’s snowshoes that are used or new but it’s really important to get the right size. For the youngest kids—four-eight years old—get colorful snowshoes but ensure they are secure on the foot and easy to put on. Most snowshoe companies have a snowshoe for kids.

Clothing

Light layers of clothing are comfortable, and you can add or remove clothing as needed (i.e., if it gets too hot). A lightweight synthetic base layer of long underwear helps to keep your grandkid dry and transports perspiration away. A middle layer that provides insulation like a shirt or sweater with a jacket shell as outer layer works great. Don’t forget a headband or light hat and a pair of appropriate gloves. Alpine ski gloves will be too warm for snowshoeing unless it is very cold outside.

The goal is for the kids to recognize when it is too cold or too hot and to encourage them to adjust layers so they feel comfortable with the temperature. Wearing a backpack will allow kids to stash or pull out the extra clothes, and feel self sufficient.

Fun on Snowshoes

If you want it to be a good time for them (and you), you have to make the snowshoeing outing less “boring” and more exciting. Also, your first few outings should be short and easy so that the kids don’t feel that snowshoeing is “too much work.” Maybe they can take pictures with a camera or cell phone. Plan ahead and discuss what to look for—perhaps there are different kinds of scenic views, trees, animals, tracks, and silly poses that you can do. You can’t stop too many times to take photos. Pose for them, take selfies, get some photos of them without you, send them out on social media, etc. You’re making and saving memories!

Set up a scavenger hunt on the trail (hang or hide treats or something); the kids can look for and accumulate the hidden treasures.

Kids love candy and perhaps they’ll love to go snowshoeing to look for candy that is cached (hidden in specific locations in bags). Take them on a “Quest for the Candy” by following hints that you write in advance as a poetic treasure map to follow. This is a new type of orienteering for children.

Choose the Trail

Make sure to take the kids on interesting trails and accept that “interesting” for them may be very different than it is for you. Have a destination such as waterfalls or hilltop, or a site for wildlife spotting. Discuss this issue prior to planning the trek so you are aware of what they might enjoy. Be aware about whether the child is over his or her head—the trail may be too steep, too long, or you are not getting to the destination soon enough.

If you want to avoid all of this decision-making, go to a cross country ski area that can accommodate kids on snowshoes like Great Glen Outdoor Trails Center in Gorham, NH. They have a scavenger hunt called “Trail Tracker” which is a big hit for kids to track down cartoon animals out on the trails. When they find the animated creature signs, they stamp a card, and, upon return to the lodge, they get a treat.

Hydrate and Snacks

Plenty of snacks and drinks are a must. If you are going out more than a half hour pack enough water or drinks. The kids get thirsty fast, and they may like to play the “I’m thirsty” card when they want a break. Granola bars, sandwiches, energy drinks, fresh fruit, and crackers to provide ample energy boosts but also consider some snacks that you know they enjoy like chocolate or candy bars.

A Great Time with the Grandkids

Go for a snowshoe adventure rather than just a snowshoe hike. Take the opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature and exercise, while at the same time having bonding time with your family; you’ll be glad you did.

Yvette Cardozo

Something New: A Limo To The Snow

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Other Things To Do In Winter (Part 3): Ride The Snow In Style.

Snow Limo takes a non-skier not only up the mountain but also down a ski trail. Credit: Sun Peaks Snow Limo Tours.

There IS a way to experience skiing, even if you don’t ski. Or close to it, since you will be coming down an actual ski slope, keeping up with skiers.

Only thing is you will be sitting down.

The device that enables this experience is called a Snow Limo. It looks kind of like a dog sled basket, complete with guide behind. The guide, who is on skis, controls the sled’s speed and direction. You just sit there and enjoy the ride.

It’s really popular with parents (think non-skiing moms) who want to watch their kids actually ski, not just skid to a stop at the village.

Various folks have estimated that perhaps as many as 15 percent of ski resort visitors don’t ski. Perhaps they never learned, they think they’re now too old, or have injuries that have prevented them from getting on-slope.

Riding down the ski slopes of Sun Peaks Resort in a Snow Limo is especially popular with parents who want to see their kids skiing. Credit: Sun Peaks Resort

The original sled, then called “Sno-Limo,” was created more than a decade ago by Paul Auger, of Whistler, and his brother Guy. They wanted to get their 83-year-old mother onto the ski trails to see her grandkids ski. The two, with their father, Bill, designed basically a cross between a dog sled basket and an adaptive ski sled with a way to tether a skiing “chauffeur” behind to guide the sled.

It took them four years of tinkering, but they eventually designed something that is easy to steer, easy to stop and easy to load onto a chair lift. Not unlike a dog sled, there is an emergency brake and the guides each carry a cell phone for emergencies.

Thanks to a broken ankle, I wasn’t skiing this trip, so it seemed like the perfect time to try this out.

So, what is it like?

I climbed in and company owner Mike Pfeil guided me to the lift. As the chair came around, he lifted the back end of the sled, and we slid onto the chair. At the other end, we simply glided down the ramp.

And then we were off, wind in my face.

It was exciting as we leaned into curves and sped alongside the skiers. It seems even faster than you expect since you are so close to the ground. My biggest problem was trying not to lean into turns. You are supposed to let the guide do all the leaning and steering.

Mike has three flavors of ride: a gentle 30 minute ride down the green Five Mile run, more adventurous blue intermediate runs for an hour and a special two-hour package for the even more adventurous where the guide will take the passenger down more narrow runs. His guides don’t go on black expert runs, though.

The ride is also a good way for a non-skier to do the mid-week resort fondue dinner at the Sunburst Bar & Eatery. You take the chair lift up at twilight and enjoy a three course fondue meal, complete with Swiss music. Then you ride down in the snow limo, equipped with lights for night. And if the night is clear, you’ve got starlight to accompany you.

Just about any age can do this. Mike says the oldest person was a woman who was 97. The youngest he will take is five.

For more on Snow Limo At Sun Peaks Resort, click here. 

A guide controls the speed and direction and the sled loads onto the ski lift for the ride up. Credit: Sun Peaks Resort

BowlerSkier_489
seniorsskiing

This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Nov. 2)

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ReaderReport, Free Senior Ski Listing, Mystery Glimpse Returns, Sample Song From Ray Conrad, Fifth Anniversary Bash Coming Up.

Last week, we put out a call to our readers to submit stories, photos, and videos about their own snow sport experiences.  Memories, history, adventures, recommendations, you name it. In response, reader Alyce Perez sent in pictures of her skiing at Mt. Snow in October, the first time in her 41 years of skiing that she skied before Halloween.  Thanks, Alyce. Check out her smiling after a run here.

Now for the rest of you, let’s hear your tales. Just drop us a note or pictures to info@seniorsskiing.com, and we’ll follow up. Friends and family will be impressed.

Free Skiing For Seniors 2018-19

After weeks of checking and re-checking our listing of resorts where seniors can ski for free (or almost free) is ready for publication.  This year, we have identified 138 resorts in the US and Canada which offer free or very small fee tickets and passes to seniors.

We believe we are the only snow sports publication with this list which we have developed with the National Ski Areas Association and have been compiling for our readers for the past four years.

If you are a subscriber, you can access our 2018-19 list of where to ski for free (or almost free) by clicking the Subscriber-Only Content box in the menu bar or click on COMMUNITY in the blue menu and then clicking on Subscriber-Only Content.

Or by clicking here.  Note that you may be asked to re-enter your name and email address again to confirm your free subscription.

If you know of any resorts we left out or included in error, please let us know at info@seniorsskiing.com.

The Mystery Glimpse Feature Returns

A popular new feature, Mystery Glimpse presents a photo from skiing’s past and asks

readers to identify what, who, or where the picture was taken.

This week, our Mystery Glimpse is from the Colorado SnowSports Museum and Hall of Fame in Vail. Take a look and see if you can identify what is happening.

 

Ski Songs From The Sixties From Ray Conrad Available

Ski Songs From Ray Conrad.

Last year, we had some fun republishing Ray Conrad’s album, The Cotton-Pickin’ Lift Tower and Other Ski Songs, a collection of his classics from the golden age of folk music and singing skiers.

You can check out the album which is for sale on CDBaby and listen to some samples by clicking here. SeniorsSkiing.com splits the proceeds with 91 year old Ray who is thrilled that new people are listening to his funny and sometime sentimental music about the world of skiing.

Depending on the device you are using, you may be able to listen to “A Skier’s Daydream” from the album here. Click on the arrow and turn your sound up.

Party Time Approaches

We’re getting ready for our Fifth Anniversary Bash in NY coming up soon. Here are the details.

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

INVITE
Jon Weisberg

You’re Invited! SeniorsSkiing.com’s Fifth Anniversary Party

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Additional Raffle Prizes: Safe Descents ski and snowboard insurance.

available now
Jon Weisberg

AVAILABLE NOW! First-Ever List of 145 US/Canadian Resorts Where Seniors Ski Free

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Free skiing is available for older skiers at 145 resorts in 26 states and five Canadian provinces this season.

 

Each resort requires a specific age for free skiing. The youngest is 55; the oldest, 90. Those 70 years and older have a choice of 69 ski areas.

This is the first time Canadian resorts are included in the directory.

Some areas, like Telluride (CO; age 80), Whitefish (MT; age 70), Snowbasin Resort (UT; age 75), and Beech Mountain (NC; age 70) are well-known skier destinations. Many are served by large airports and near communities with many attractions.

Ski areas offering free skiing to seniors tend to be independently-owned. As many ski areas become holdings of large organizations, free or deeply discounted skiing is no longer being offered. Even with advance purchase and other ways to save, a day of skiing for seniors costs $151.00 at Vail; $106.00, at Aspen, and $117 at Whistler Blackcomb.

The new directory lists 103 US areas, compared to 112  last season. Forty-two Canadian resorts are included.

The directory includes areas where seniors are given extremely deep discounts for season passes and lift tickets. To qualify for this year’s list, their senior season passes had to cost no more than $125 and their day passes no more than $25.

The list is accessible by clicking Community on the top menu bar, then Subscriber Only Content or click here.

seniorsskiing

Mystery Glimpse Returns: What’s Happening?

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Guess What’s Going On, Submit Under Comments Below.

Our popular Mystery Glimpse feature is returning after a summer respite. The basic idea is that we publish a photo of a person, place, or thing, and you guess who, where, or what. Most of these photos have been submitted to SeniorsSkiing.com by some very excellent ski museums around the country. We will be highlighting each museum with the week’s new Mystery Glimpse. In the next edition, we’ll reveal the story behind the picture and present a new puzzle.

This week, we have a news photo from the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame located in Vail Village, CO.  Its collection of priceless artifacts tells the story of the birth, rise, and explosive growth of skiing in Colorado. Click here to support the museum’s mission.

What’s going on here?

If you think you know, submit your guess in comments below.

Who, What, Where, When?

You can access our archive of Mystery Glimpse articles by clicking here.

 

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ReaderReport: Mt. Snow Opens Before Halloween

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We Love Reader Submissions. Please Send Us Reports From Out There To Info@SeniorsSkiing.com.

From Reader Alyce Perez: In the 41 years that I have skied, it is the first time I have ever skied in October. Mount Snow’s earliest opening day in 64 years. Another first to add to my bucket list.

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This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Oct. 26)

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Halloween Skiing, Nor’Easter Brings New England Snow, Contribute To SeniorsSkiing.com, Stein’s Studebaker, Ultimate Ski Quiz.

Boo. Credit: SkiTheWorld.com

For the first time in a while, there will be skiing on Halloween. Resorts are opening in BC, Colorado, Vermont, Maine, and more snow is on the way this week in New England. Here’s the forecast for this Wednesday 10/25. Get your costume ready.

Credit: NECN

We would love to see your pictures from your Halloween Skiing Weekend if you are lucky enough to head out. Send your pictures to info@seniorsskiing.com with location, your name, and worthy details, and we’ll publish it next week.  Thanks!

We Also Want To Publish YOU In SeniorsSkiing.com

We want our readers to share with our readers.

After all, you’ve been around winter sports for a while.  You had funny, dramatic, poignant, scary, etc. experiences in snow country. You’ve run across characters straight out of central casting: living ski legends, local heroes, magnificent employees of resorts, entrepreneurs, long-time ski patrollers, and the like.  You also know what makes for a good product or piece of gear for seniors: items that are convenient, add to safety, and/or are cool. You know about places we all should know about. You’ve been reading books about snow sports and related topics. You know a restaurant that is special, an inn we would love, a ski shop that has gone ‘way beyond your expectations. You have a collection of pictures from the old days you’d love to share.  You have recovered from an injury using a conditioning routine that was effective. Tell us. Advise us. Inform us.

We’d love to hear more stories from our readers.

If you are interested in contributing, write to mike@seniorsskiing.com, and we’ll give you the specs. Look at our past stories in our many different categories and check out the style and length (500-600 words) of our typical articles. If you are a photographer, send your pictures and videos. We know there are many, many readers who have stories to tell.  So, tell us.

This Week

Correspondent Jan Brunvand reports on his search for Stein Eriksen’s Studebaker. Yes, you read that correctly. Find out where the path led him.

Also Don Burch as composed a tricky, funny quiz of ski terms that will give you a chuckle or two.  Perhaps a challenge. Just fun stuff.

Ski Shows

Time to get thinking about heading to the shows coming to Boston, Nov. 8-11, and Denver, Nov. 16-18.  If you click the Ski and Snowboard Show ad at the top of our page, you can get a discount from the admission. Just use the promo code: SENIOR. For many, collecting the brochures and swag from the many resorts and vendors at the shows really gets the mind ready for the season.

Listing Of Free Skiing Coming Very Soon

We have scrubbed and re-scrubbed our listing of where seniors can ski for free or almost free for both US and Canadian resorts. We are going through the final editing process and putting into shape for publishing. Stand by.

If we missed any resorts that offer free or almost free skiing to seniors, we hope you will let us know. This year, several new listings were referred by our readers.

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

If you’re in NYC, come to our fifth anniversary birthday bash in Manhattan.

 

 

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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World War II produced many heroes. One of Norway’s best known died earlier this week. Joachim Ronneberg led the ski-assisted raid that destroyed the facility where Nazis were producing “heavy water,” a component they would have used to produce an atomic bomb.

He was 23 when, according to his obituary in the The New York Times, he and eight other “…Norwegian saboteurs skied across the Telemark pine forest in winter whites, phantom apparitions gliding across moonlit snow. . They halted at a steep river gorge and gazed down at a humming hydroelectric power plant where Nazi scientists had developed a mysterious, top-secret project… Hours later, in one of the most celebrated commando raids of World War II, Lieutenant Ronneberg and his demolition team sneaked past guards and a barracks full of German troops, stole into the plant, set explosive charges and blew up Hitler’s hopes for a critical ingredient to create the first atomic bomb.” Ronneberg was 99. The complete Times obituary provides a brief history lesson on the epic event.

Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris starred in “The Heroes of Telemark,” a 1965 British film based on the raid. The most definitive book on the raid, “The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler’s Atomic Bomb” (2016) was written by Neal Bascomb. Click here for “X-C Skiing Saves the World,” SeniorsSkiing.com’s 2016 book review.

RSVP for SeniorsSkiing.com’s 5th Birthday Party!

Help celebrate our Fifth Anniversary, 5:30 – 8:00 PM, Wednesday, November 14, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Meet other metro area senior skiers. Win Apex Ski Boots, a trip to Okemo in Vermont, Orsden ski parkas, a season of ski insurance from Safe Descents, The Bootster device to help get boots on, the DeBooter device to get them off, discounts on Masterfit boot products, etc.  Lots of SWAG from areas all over the country. Meet a representative of Alpskitours based in Italy’s Aosta Valley. All free except for cash bar. RSVP, jon@seniorsskiing.com.

Buying Boots? Use a Professional Bootfitter.

If you’re considering buying boots, PLEASE, use a professional bootfitter. It is one way to assure the positive outcome of your purchase. We highly recommend using the services of bootfitters who have gone through training with Masterfit’s America’s Best Bootfitter (ABB) program. To find one near you visit: https://www.bootfitters.com/find-shop.

New England Areas Get a Head Start

Sunday River, Maine, opened last weekend. Mt Snow will open this weekend, the resort’s earliest opening in its 64- year history.

Mind-Boggling Ski Videos

These feats are not to practiced on your home hill.

Skiing East Face of Matterhorn: The six-minute video starts with the climb up Mt Cervin (aka Matterhorn). The skiers unrope themselves from bolts in a rock face and ski — ever so cautiously — a steep, rocky face, until they let loose on saner terrain.

Line of Winter: This three-minute selfie from GoPro shows Nicholas Falquet skiing what appear to be high elevation vertical walls covered in deep powder. Can’t tell if he has a cable attached to his back. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

 

Caught in a Crevasse: This one is 17 minutes and shows a skier falling into and being rescued from a deep crevasse. Lesson here is to avoid crevasses and if you’re in those conditions, to ski with others with rescue skills and equipment.

 

 

Park City’s BIG SHOT!

Sunrise Rotary Club in Park City (I was a member during my Park City years) set a world record on Saturday, October 13 with its 3rd annual Shot Ski Event. If you’re not familiar with shot skis, they’re skis affixed with shot glasses. For competitions — or just for fun — the glasses are filled with booze (in this case from Park City’s High West Distillery).  The entire ski is hoisted and the contents guzzled by the participants. To reclaim the record from Breckenridge, 1275 Parkites showed up to lift 508 skis (2570 feet long) off Main Street. Congratulations, Sunrise Rotary for raising almost $30,000 from the event!

Axe Throwing and New Pod Hotel at Whistler

Among other new developments at Whistler this year are the Pangea Pod Hotel and apres ski axe-throwing. Two more reasons to visit Whistler Blackcomb, one of North America’s largest and most fascinating resorts. It has an added benefit for seniors — its relatively low elevation (long vertical, nonetheless) makes it easier on the lungs.

Jon Weisberg

Peace of Mind: Simplified and Inexpensive Ski/Board Insurance

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Safe Descents provides ski and snowboard evacuation insurance in an uncomplicated manner and at very attractive prices. I just purchased coverage for the entire season for $56.99.

For that amount, Safe Descents covers any ambulance or air evacuation services if I’m injured in-bounds at any ski resort in the United States. That’s in addition to other coverage like sending a loved one to the hospital and/or getting me back home following my hospital stay. These and other benefits have a maximum of $25,000. The company’s policies are underwritten by the global Starr Indemnity and Liability Company. Safe Descents recently started to advertise with SeniorsSkiing.com.

Before making my purchase, I googled “snow skier’s insurance” and clicked on a few of the options that popped up. Without getting too far into the details, what I found was confusing, exclusionary, and expensive. The websites were complicated. In one case, after filling in all the details, the site informed me that it doesn’t insure people 70 and older. In another case, insurance for a one-week ski trip in the US was quoted at $319. Granted, these appear to be general travel insurance plans tweaked to include a skier’s emergency evacuation needs, but it still was pricey.

The Safe Descents coverage is strictly for ski and snowboard evacuation insurance. The company’s website is in plain language and easy to read. (Click on the adjacent Safe Descents ad to reach the website. It rotates with the Ski Mojo ad.) The online enrollment process is simple and to the point. At present, two products are offered: The one I purchased is for the entire season and costs $56.99. The other offering is for a day of skiing/boarding and costs $4.75.

Last year, at Copper Mountain, I sat in the base lodge, while members of the ski patrol, a fireman and a policeman tried to convince a man who had hurt himself to use the waiting ambulance to go to the hospital. He refused because his insurance would not cover the cost. He planned to wait to see if his injury got worse and if it did, drive there himself.

I know that some healthcare plans provide a portion or all of necessary ambulance and/or air evacuation services. But those services add-up quickly. The coverage offered by Safe Descents will cover the difference. A season’s coverage for $56.99 — at Vail or Aspen, the cost of a few burgers and beers — simply makes sense. It’s good value for peace-of-mind.

Jan Brunvand

My Search For Stein’s Studebaker

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Having A Studebaker In Common With A Legend Prompts A Sherlockian Pursuit.

The Kircher Studebaker dealership in Detroit in the early 1950s. The car on the left is clearly a ’50 or ’51 bullet nose model, even though only the back of the car shows here. Those are the only years this model was made.

Stein Eriksen bought a new Studebaker in April 1953. That much is certain. I’d like to know which model Stein bought, what happened to it, and if there is a photo of Stein with the car.

Why? Because my father-in-law bought a Studebaker that same spring, and my wife Judy and I have had it restored. Is it possible that we own a close match to Stein’s Studebaker?

Stein bought his in Detroit from the dealership owned by Everett Kircher, founder of Michigan’s Boyne Mountain ski resort. Judy’s dad bought his from a dealer in Benton Harbor on the other side of the state. Studebakers, seniors may recall, were manufactured in South Bend, Indiana. The company folded in 1966.

Car salesman Don Thomas, also a weekend ski patroller at Boyne, met Stein through mutual Norwegian friends when he attended the 1952 Oslo Winter Olympics. When Stein came through Detroit en route from Sun Valley where he had been training. Thomas invited him to dinner and introduced him to his boss.

Everett Kircher offered Stein a job at Boyne, but Stein wanted to compete in the 1954 FIS World Championships before turning pro. He took the job the next year and spent two seasons at Boyne before moving on, ending up at Deer Valley. But he did buy that Studebaker in 1953.

Various sources describe the car as a “sports car,” a “sports coupe“ and a “graceful 1953 Studebaker coupe.” These ’53’s were a sleek breakthrough concept by the Raymond Loewy design team at Studebaker, coming between the “bullet nose” models and the later Hawk series.

A 1953 model might be the hardtop “Starliner” version or the “Starlight” coupe (our car) which has a pillar supporting the roof. Either version came as either a 6-cylinder “Champion” or a V8 “Commander.”

In an interview, Don Thomas described the car as a “five-passenger coupe,” which could fit either model, although it seems likely a salesman would refer to a hardtop by its proper term.

Once at Deer Valley, I was able to ask Stein about his Studebaker. I was in the singles line at the Northside quad when Stein approached the lift with a couple of celebrity guests. He gestured for me to join them.

I had met Stein a couple of times before, so I used the typical Norwegian greeting for acquaintances, “Goddag, og takk for sist.” Then I asked him about his Studebaker. “Ja,” said Stein, “that was the one that looked like an Italian sports car. I took it with me to Oslo and sold it.”

That’s all I learned straight from the source. But Stein remarked as we got off the lift, “Brunvand, you should speak better Norwegian!”

Since then. I have queried Stein’s son Bjorn, Kircher’s daughter-in-law Molly Clark Kircher, and a Norwegian Studebaker club member, hoping to unearth more information.

The closest I’ve come is finding a 1950’s-era photo of Kircher Motors in the Boyne archive at the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor. Oh, how I wish someone had posed Stein there with his new car for another picture.

Likely Stein’s Studebaker was eventually junked, but it’s barely possible that someone somewhere has the car, perhaps unaware of its past connection with skiing royalty. I plan to keep on searching.

Correspondent Jan Brunvand with his 1953 Studebaker Starlight coupe. In the background, early snow on the Wasatch mountains. Credit: Jan Brunvand