Tag Archive for: ski clubs

shared-ownership ski house
Alice Winthrop

Sharing A Ski House: Seven Ways To Share Without Stress

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Setting Expectations And Providing Reminders Are Key For Sharing.

shared-ownership ski house

Keep relationships positive by clarifying processes, procedures, and rules up front.

When sharing a property with a club or friends and family, it’s important to establish a sustainable system for access, expenses, safety and maintenance.

Time and effort invested in setting expectations will pay off in the long run.

Here are seven ways to share without stress:

1. Commit to an arrangement (in writing).

This could be anything from an informal email to family members, or a letter attached to a rental agreement, to a lawyer-drafted LLC operating agreement. The point is to make sure that everyone is on the same page so that misunderstandings are avoided.

2. Include a plan for expenses.

Do people replace the supplies and help with maintenance work, or does your group divide expenses according to use or ownership percentage? Figure it out ahead of time so that there are no surprises.

3. Set expectations for using the property. 

Do you allocate use, reserve time slots, require permission or allow for first-come-first served? Are guests or pets allowed? Make sure that everyone knows the procedure. Depending on your situation it may be most convenient to call or email one person to request a stay, or you could use a shared online calendar.

4. Separate and simplify House Rules and make them easily accessible.

Few people will read a dense page of complex rules. It’s more effective to keep the house rules short and focused on safety, liability and other key issues.

5. Designate a place to store other information.

An on-site binder with appliance manuals and restaurant menus, local attractions, and directions to the nearest ER is helpful. Contact information for the preferred plumber, heating engineer, cleaner, and babysitters should be easy to find at the property. Make a version available online as well for easy access and updates.

6. Have a Departure Checklist

A list of tasks to check off before you leave can save the property and your peace of mind. Items might include turning down thermostats, making sure the oven is off, checking for laundry, emptying the trash. This is also a good place to make a note of any breakages or supplies that need replacing.

7. Be transparent and over-communicate if necessary.

Better to send an extra text or email than to make assumptions. Family and friend groups are vulnerable to relationship damage from seemingly small miscommunications (see Shakespeare for examples). Transparency builds trust.

What else? If you have suggestions on how to make things run smoothly, or what to avoid please let us know in the comments.

This article was written by the creator of Resercal, an app for shared property scheduling and management. Other options for scheduling and sharing information online include Google Suite (calendar, sheets & docs), or a custom website.

Harriet Wallis

Skiing Single: Five Best Words To Hear On The Slope

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Life Happens. We Get Older And Our Spouses Pass Away. That’s When We Ski Alone, Often Really Alone.

“Take some runs with us,” say Howard and Naimi. Credit: Harriet Wallis

This is a true story, and a sad story. It’s just one of many similar stories. It might sound like sour grapes, but the goal is to offer a perspective on what it’s like to ski as a widow. The story has a perfect ending because of five great words.

It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining. The road is clear and dry as I head up the canyon. The radio keeps me company until the signal fades into hissing static. I shut it off and drive the rest of the way in silence.

Whether you’re widowed or single by choice, there’s often a lot of silence. Skiing can offer camaraderie.

The mountain comes into view. It sparkles with fresh snow. What a great day to be alive and to ski.

The lodge is filling up with skiers. Sue and John tap me on my shoulder from behind, and we greet each other with hugs. As we gear up and stuff our feet into ski boots, I hear about their summer, their travels, and their projects. They’re having a great time.

But as we finish gearing up, Sue looks across the lodge and abruptly says: “Our friends are here. Bye!”

Those are not the best five words to hear.

Widows and singles are often cast off because we’re not a couple. We’re misfits. But we shouldn’t have to go two-by-two to qualify. It’s not Noah’s Ark. It’s the ski slopes!

I ski alone.

But then the day takes a turn.

It’s bitter cold on the mountain. Skiers pour into the mid-mountain lodge to thaw out. On the way to get a hot chocolate, I encounter Naomi and Howard. They’re hard core skiers with lots of enthusiasm.

Howard sees there’s no one with me and says: “Are you skiing by yourself? Take some runs with us.”

“Take some runs with us” are the five best words to hear when you’re skiing alone. They’re magic words. They reach out with camaraderie and kindness. “Take some runs with us” are five words that anyone can say to make someone’s day brighter.

Many ski areas have senior groups that ski together. But you don’t have to be part of any group to say: “Take some runs with us.” Seniors who are skiing alone will appreciate your kindness.

Camaraderie is the key. At Alta, the senior group is the Wild Old Bunch, and they can be identified by the large smiley-face patch on their jackets.

The 70+ Ski Club is a nationwide ski club that offers a variety of week long ski trips. Upcoming trips include skiing in the U.S., Canada and France. And the club is an advertiser in SeniorsSkiing.com.

[Editor Note: Some resorts sponsor and/or support senior clubs. Waterville Valley has its Silver Streaks, for example.  Other resorts, like Dodge Ridge, offer senior week specials including lessons, races, and gatherings.  Ski clubs are a sure place to ski with other seniors. These communities offer a chance to meet new friends and share the experience of snow sports.]

Jon Weisberg

This Is What You Told Us You Want

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A few months ago, we reported on the key finding from our Spring reader survey:

 

  • Grandparents are a significant influence getting grandkids into the sport. Once the kids have been introduced, almost 95% stay with it.

Another significant finding is that 56% of respondents reported they spent between $1000 and $5000 per person last season on skiing, boarding, and related activities. More than 10% spent $5000 or more, per person.

The survey also produced robust responses to the open-ended question about how we’re doing and how we could improve. The congratulatory messages gave us a nice feeling. The critical ones focused primarily on technical issues. The majority expressed what you, our readers, want to see covered in SeniorsSkiing.com. Those suggestions fall into six categories, which, when you think about it, reflect the general interests of older snow sports enthusiasts.

Here they are:

Travel/Resort Reviews/Ski Clubs

Readers want to know more about ski resorts outside of where they live, as well as in Canada and Europe. Many of you inquired about organized ski trips. In response, we’ll be increasing our coverage of ski clubs, and I’ll report on a variety of unusual ski programs from the Italian Alps.

Discounts and Free Skiing

These are important reader interests. This season, we’re expanding our list of resorts where seniors ski free (or virtually free) to include Canada.

Finding Other Older Skiers

So many of you want to meet up with your skiing contemporaries. The ski club system is a great way to accomplish that. Many clubs don’t require local membership to participate in their trips. For more information on ski clubs: http://skifederation.org. And the 70+ Ski Club has many regional and international offerings. When traveling in the US, look for a local chapter of the Over-The-Hill-Gang. They give free mountain tours for older skiers.

Health/Conditioning/Recovery

Readers facing joint replacement or recovering from other health issues want more guidance from those who already have been through the experience. How to prepare, how to recover, how to stay fit for the coming season. We have a good selection of those articles and welcome more. If interested, click “HEALTH” on the home page menu bar and start exploring.

Equipment and Technique

Readers want information about ski school programs with special senior offerings. We’ll report on them as we learn about them. Please let us know of your favorites. In terms of equipment, we work closely with realskiers.com to present the best ski selections for seniors and with America’s Best Bootfitters for the best boot choices.

General Editorial

Your suggestions include more articles profiling interesting older skiers. More on snow predictions and snow science. More on X-C (cross-country veteran, Roger Lohr, was recently named X-C and Snowshoe Editor). More on backcountry, snow biking, and Ebikes. Adapting to our age. Identifying good retirement places for older skiers.

Your input gives us direction and lifts us in moments of doubt. We’ll continue to do our best to inform you, to create a community of older skiers/boarders, and to heighten awareness of the importance of the older population to the sport.

 

 

mikemaginn

Find Ski Buddies Near You Through NSCF

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Now Our Readers Can Pinpoint Local Ski Clubs. Check Out Their Events And Activities.

Clubs rule. Ski with friends and the fun begins. Austria circa 1920s.

In Flying Solo, a recent article by XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr, the joys of solitary skiing, nordic or alpine, are highlighted.  From the comments, many readers agree.  There are definitely benefits to going at your own speed, especially when you ski with people whose skills are at different levels.

On the other hand, wouldn’t it be great if you could find like-level companions to ski trip with? Share costs, enjoy group discounts, even socialize and form friendships with? Well, in last spring’s Subscriber Survey, we found that 49.33% of respondents wanted to find other skiers in their region to ski with.  That’s a huge need we identified in the senior sport sport enthusiast population.

With those needs in mind, we approached the National Ski Council Federation to see if we could work together to bring its resources together with our subscribers search for ski pals.

The National Ski Council Federation is an umbrella organization that serves 29 ski council across the US, providing communications, education and benefits to member councils.  Those councils are comprised of many ski clubs with a total membership of about 300,000 folks.  These ski clubs plan trips, both locally and to distant resorts, providing serious discounts on lift tickets, instruction and other expenses. You can decide to join a club or join a club’s trips to see if membership might be for you.

If you want to check out ski club activities near you, just go to SeniorsSkiing.com’s top Navigation Menu bar, click on COMMUNITY, then pick FIND SKI BUDDIES WITH NSCF.  There you will find a map you can click on that will take you to the NSCF site where you can drill down to discover ski clubs in your region, state, and city. From there, you can identify a club officer’s email.  Connection made.

Now don’t be shy.  Ask a friend to join you.  This might open up a whole new and improved snow sport experience.

All of this is offered to SeniorsSkiing.com readers, including non-subscribers, at no cost.

Special thanks to the National Ski Council Federation executives who worked with us to create this link.

The National Ski Council Federation can connect you to a local ski club.

 

mikemaginn

Five Ideas For Finding Ski Buddies

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Here Are Five Starter Ideas.  Do You Have Any More?

trailmasterimage_SeniorsSkiing.com’s Spring 2016 Survey revealed a pretty interesting statistic. Half our respondents—49.33% to be precise—were interested in meeting other seniors to ski with.  We know that many people drop out of snow sports because their spouse either isn’t able or isn’t interested in winter sports.  An alternative to quitting is to find kindred spirits.  Here’s an attempt to get some ideas flowing.  If you have any other ideas or are a member of a ski club or group looking for members, please go to SeniorsSkiing.com’s Forum and post a comment in the Meet Up/Get Together category.

1) Check the 70+ Ski Club.  They specialize in trips but may have knowledge of standing clubs also, based on their experience with their clients. They are a SeniorsSkiing.com advertiser so just click on one of their ads on this page.

2) Next, try the National Ski Council Federation, an association of ski clubs. Look up your state and find clubs in your area. You will get the names of the clubs and the email address of the regional council president who can give you a steer. The Ski Council also offers discounts and other benefits for joining.

3) SeniorsSkiing.com has a Forum for people who want to meet up and get together. Just click on Forum in the upper right in the blue menu bar or click here. You’ll be asked to register. Please give this a try.

4) Get in touch with some of the resorts in the area you want to ski.  Chances are, the General Manager or Marketing Director might know of formal or informal groups that get together mid-week. In fact, the resort might sponsor a club of its own like Waterville Valley’s Silver Streaks.

5). Click on over to MeetUp.com, a site that is specifically designed to get people with mutual interests together. You can zone in on your local area or expand outwards, depending on your interests. When we checked, there are lots of opportunities for people to get together for skiing and snow sport activities.

Of course, another option is to show up mid-week at your favorite resorts and look for the guy or gal eating lunch alone. One of the reasons we started SeniorsSkiing.com is because we saw lots of folks having lunch alone in ski lodges on a mid-week afternoon. Say hello, who knows, you might make a friend.

You are certainly not alone in looking for ski buddies. Please let us know what else can work out there.