You’ve Think You’ve Been Around Snow Sports For A While? Okay, Test Your Knowledge. I know what you’re thinking; “Ultimate, I doubt it.” You’re a really good skier, you’ve been skiing for years and you’ve skied just about everywhere. “There’s no quiz about skiing that’s going to humble me.” Let’s see… As of the 2016-17 ski season, what state has[Read More…]
Unusual Snow Stat, Happy Holidays, Celebrating Retro Togs, 10 Reasons To Be A Senior Skier, Urban Wilderness. Here’s a strange stat from the National Weather Service: There has been snow cover in every state this fall, and we are days away from the start of winter. That includes Hawaii and Florida. Remember, the La Nina forecast for winter includes colder[Read More…]
I’ve always believed in working with a competent car mechanic. The same applies to a well-trained bootfitter. Many older skiers experience boot issues, and a good fitter can help overcome them. Masterfit is in the business of training people to fit ski boots. Their instructors include pedorthists, professionals with specialized training to modify footwear and employ supportive devices to address[Read More…]
Finding a comfortable and good-fitting ski boot is an elusive goal for many older skiers. Finding a comfortable and good-fitting ski boot is an elusive goal for many older skiers. According to responses to our reader surveys, 25% of you plan to purchase new boots in any given season. Reading the comments is revealing: “Want to find a painfree pair.”[Read More…]
If You’ve Been Into Snow Sports For A While, You’re Gonna Have Retro Clothes. Find Them, Take A Pic, And Send To Us. We have hats from the 60s, sweaters from the 70s, boots from the first time we went cross-country skiing, knickers, lots of old stuff we could never toss. Well, we’re having a bit of fun wearing them[Read More…]
#10. I have nothing to prove. I don’t need to ski bumps, steeps or crud. It’s challenging enough just skiing blues at age 84. #9. Skiing impresses my non-skiing peers. When folks ask “Are you still skiing,” they mean “still” as in “At your age?” not “still” as in “Is there still any snow up there?” I try to[Read More…]
Find Winter Activity Opportunities Close To Home. Let’s define what we mean by Urban Wilderness: Open space – wetland, meadow, and/or forested land. Owned by a public entity No parking or entrance fees No visual pollution Offers “peace and quiet” Accessible by either car or public transportation from the nearby urban center Offers a variety of activities (year-round) Urban Wildernesses[Read More…]
Free Magazine Subscriptions For Readers, Tale Of The Yellow Suit, Choosing A Condo Rental, More Gifts For Seniors, A Funny Remembered Incident. This week is a special time of the year for those of us who are Baby Boomers or, more likely, pre-Baby Boomers. When we were growing up, Pearl Harbor Day was more than a mention in the newspapers.[Read More…]
Many Readers Have Requested A Fabric Patch. It’s a good idea, and we’d like to make it available. The question is what to put on the patch. We’ve explored the vintage image of the skier that appears on the SeniorsSkiing.com sticker. Unfortunately, patch production technology makes him indecipherable. Whatever we do, we plan to include the SeniorsSkiing.com logo. You may[Read More…]
A Long Forgotten Incident Comes Rushing Back. In the late 70s, I was working at a ski resort and poor as could be. When the Head Maintenance Engineer asked around for someone to pick up a part for one of the chairlifts, I quickly volunteered. He probably figured I knew what I was volunteering for and wouldn’t have done so[Read More…]
When It Comes To Holiday Gifts, Sometimes Our Adult Children Don’t Have A Clue What We Would Like To Have. Here Are Some Hints To Pass Along. Or, Just Send A Link To This Story! Idea #1. A private lesson: A gift of confidence and fun. You know you’d love to have the undivided, one-on-one attention of a skilled instructor[Read More…]
We Took The Challenge And Wore Them For Five Days. Here’s What Happened. We love buffalo, the distinctly American creature who has been denizen of the Great Plains since pre-history, who was deified by native Americans, who has captured our imagination in countless legends, songs, stories, novels, and movies, who has shown up in hamburgers, (bison burgers) and who now[Read More…]
Other Than A Book, A Bottle, Or Some Meaningless Gewgaw, It’s Not Easy To Find A Reasonably Priced And Relevant Gift For The Older Skier. DeBooter solves that dilemma. It’s a clever ski boot jack that makes boot removal fast and easy. SeniorsSkiing.com readers can purchase DeBooter for less than $32, a 20% discount from the $39.95 retail. (Enter SeniorsSkiing[Read More…]
Consider A Second Career For Fun, Fitness, Fulfillment. Many SeniorsSkiing.com readers are seriously committed to skiing, and many have the experience, time and skills to actually teach skiing. Here are ten good reasons you should consider working as a ski instructor. Plenty of other advanced age ski instructors are doing the same thing. You are in good company. You are[Read More…]
Blind Skier Inspired All Who Knew Him. The first time I skied with Fred Siget was in Snowshoe, WV, with Larry Walsh of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. This was my maiden voyage guiding a visually impaired skier. I had Fred, the first blind skier in our area, in front of me. Right turn, left turn, right turn, stay, stay.[Read More…]
Why Wait When Wolves Want Wise Well-Wishers. Okay, in the picture, it looks like she’s being licked by a dog. But trust me, that’s NO dog. It’s a real grey wolf. In the woods. Walking with my friends and me. It was part of our morning at Northern Lights Wolf Centre just outside Golden, BC, Canada, where we learned about wolves[Read More…]
Happy Thanksgiving, La Nina Delivers, Reader Input Needed, Great Gift Idea, Funny Urban Legend, Lift Maintenance, Birthday For 98 Year Old Olympian, Experticity Reminder. Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers! We know you are happier than the poor turkey to the left. In many places, this weekend marks the official start of the snow sports season. In fact, Killington is[Read More…]
The Amazing Device We’ve All Been Waiting For. You’ve probably had this experience. You are rushing out the door, late for something or other, and you’ve grabbed everything except…wait a minute…”Where are my keys? (wallet, glasses, etc?)” And the frantic search begins, characterized by looking in several of the same places more than once (a sure sign of insanity) and[Read More…]
An Urban Legend From The World Of Skiing. Editor’s Note: Jan Harold Brunvand is a frequent contributor to SeniorsSkiing.com. An avid skier, he is a retired American folklorist, researcher, writer, public speaker, and professor emeritus of English at the University of Utah. Jan is best known for popularizing the concept of the urban legend, a form of modern folklore or story telling. Urban Legends[Read More…]
The Whole Summer Was Spent Getting Ready For Winter. It’s 80 degrees at Deer Valley. Mountain snow melted long ago. A summer breeze rustles leaves on the aspen trees and wafts through the open doors of the maintenance shop. The crew wears shorts and T-shirts. It’s mid-July. Gears and gizmos cover the work benches, and the crew is meticulously polishing,[Read More…]
From The Ski Museum Of Maine. Chummy Broomhall, two-time Olympic cross country skier and the oldest living member of the Chisholm Ski Club, will be celebrating his 98th birthday on December 3rd. Last year the Chisholm Ski Club sponsored a card campaign for Chummy’s birthday and he received almost 150 cards! Let’s blow that number out of the water this[Read More…]
New England Areas Opening, Updates In Free* Skiing For Seniors, X-C Correctly, And More. It’s happening. The Western ski resorts are getting snow, especially in the Pacific North West. New England areas are opening, too. Bretton Woods in New Hampshire’s White Mountains is spinning lifts, the first to open in the state. Other NH resorts are making snow, and for[Read More…]
Several years ago I did the unthinkable at Thanksgiving. I abandoned my wife and young daughters and went to Alta for a long weekend. I had my wife’s blessing, but she has a long memory, and I still get reminded of that mid-1980s lapse. But I also have sweet memories. It dumped 3′ and, except for the lack of a[Read More…]
Rossignol’s Top Executive And The University Of Utah Ski Team Earned Top Honors. The country’s largest ski history and research organization, Ski Archives, held its annual gala and fundraiser to help support its mission. In addition, the event honors individuals and organizations that set a high mark for their influence on the ski industry. This year, Ron Steele, philanthropist and[Read More…]
