“Skiing The East” features scenes from Stowe, Okemo, Otis Ridge, Sunday River, Killington, Sugarbush, Mount Snow, Stratton, Wildcat, Magic, Waterville Valley and Maple Valley (long closed). Enjoy this two-minute ride.
Digervarden ski (c. AD 750). Source: Secrets of the Ice
Click here to read a well-written account of what has been learned about these early skis.
What do you think future peoples exploring the mysteries of mountainous areas will think about trees covered with women’s underwear? Were they a weird form of public art created by even weirder humans recreating in the cold?
A few years ago (maybe he still offers the service) a guy at Alta hired himself out with a metal detector to find lost skis buried in deep powder. Those of us who’ve been through that experience, know its value. I always found my skis, but it can take time.
At one point, I hid coins in nature with the idea of finding them in the future. I remember one such hiding spot with my daughter on a rustic perch overlooking a glacial lake. It was over thirty years ago. It makes me want to go back as a family and find them.
Reconstruction: Alfons & Adrie Kennis © South Tyrol Museum Archaeology/Ochsenreiter
In the Spring, I wrote about visiting Oetzi the Iceman in the Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. He’s been dated to 3300BC. It’s a wonderful small museum, and several of you posted comments about your visits there.
A couple I know in Salt Lake City went off route on Everest several years ago and found a well-known American climber’s jacket and other of the missing climber’s artifacts. He disappeared in the 30s.
Many of us could have some interesting archaeological finds simply rummaging through the pockets of old ski clothing. When I was 12 an uncle gave me the anorak he used in the 20s or 30s. In a pocket was an ancient stick of Wrigley’s gum, complete with foil and paper wraps. I couldn’t resist the temptation. It was awful.
There are so many things waiting to be found. We constantly consume and dispose. Given our collective concerns about ski area safety, would it be a surprise if those future glacial archaeologists also found the scattered remains of older skiers?
Alterra Mountain Company has entered into an agreement to purchase Sugarbush in Vermont.
Most ski and ski area videos are male-oriented, if not male-dominated. Jackson Hole has a delightful 90-second video on the impact of women throughout its history, starting with the fact that in 1920, the town elected the first all female government. Click here.
Lifts are running across North America. Here’s a partial list of open areas and those that soon will be:
Killington VT) Open
Mount Snow (VT) Open
Sunday River (ME) Open
Bristol Mountain (NY) Open
Wildcat (NH) Nov 15
Gore Mountain (NY) Nov 15
Greek Peak (NY) Nov 15
Hunter Mountain (NY) Nov 15
Whiteface Mountain (NY) Nov 15
Big Boulder (PA) Nov 15
Sugarloaf (ME) Nov 15
Loon Mountain (NH) Nov 16
Titus Mountain (NY) Nov 16
Mont Tremblant (QC) Nov 22
Snowshoe (WV) Nov 22
Stratton (VT) Nov 23
Sugarbush (VT) Nov 23
Arapahoe Basin(CO) Open
Eldora (CO) Open
Mt. Norquay (AB) Open
Lake Louise (AB) Open
Winter Park (CO) Open
Copper Mountain (CO) Open
Banff Sunshine (AB) Open
Mammoth Mountain (CA) Open
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows (CA) Nov 15
Steamboat (CO) Nov 15
Park City (UT) Nov 22
Alya (UT) Nov 23
Solitude (UT) Nov 23
Aspen and Snowmass (CO) Nov 28
Big Bear (CA) Nov 28
Big Sky (MT) Nov 28
Jackson Hole (WY) Nov 28
Snow Summit (CA) Nov 28
Taos (NM) Nov 28
Big Bear (CA) Nov 29
Snowbird (UT) Nov 29
Revelstoke (BC) Nov 39
Aspen Highlands (CO) Dec 7
Buttermilk (CO) Dec 7
Deer Valley (UT) Dec 7
The Summit at Snoqualmie (WA) Dec 7
June Mountain (CA) Dec 21
Boyne Mountain (MI) Nov 15
Crystal Mountain (MI) Nov 22
Boyne Highlands (MI) Nov 28
Not Forgotten Outreach, Inc. (NFO), the Taos, NM, non-profit that organizes annual ski outings for past and present military at Taos Ski Valley, will host the 7th Not Forgotten Outreach Ski Week, January 21 – 26, 2020. The event is open to military, their immediate families, and Gold Star Families. Participants enjoy deeply discounted lodging, lift tickets, lessons and rentals. Through a VA Adaptive Sports Grant, NFO is offering five scholarships for skiers/snowboarders currently on active duty with vision, intellectual/cognitive, or physical-related diagnoses. Click here for more info.
High Fives Foundation is dedicated to prevention of life-changing injuries and providing resources if they happen. The non-profit is based in Truckee, CA, and much of its snow sports activities are in Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows. Among its many good deeds is production of Public Service Announcements educating people about on-snow safety. High Fives just released this short PSA on what to do when someone is injured. It is an excellent refresher.
Source: Parlor Skis
Powder Hour is a six-week online conditioning series featuring former US Ski Team member, Hilary McCloy. The program focuses on strengthening key muscle groups required to ski safely and powerfully. Parlor Skis, the New England custom ski company, is subsidizing the cost of the series by providing the first two free. The series cost is $75. For more info or to register, click here.
International Ski History Association
International Skiing History Association is the non-profit dedicated to preserving and presenting skiing history. Its publication, Skiing History, is a joy to read. Digital subscriptions are free to SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers. ISHA is seeking donations, all of which are tax-deductible. Please visit www.skiinghistory.org/donate and help ISHA continue its important work
Jim Niehues is the artist whose paintings are the basis of the maps of more than 300 ski areas. Ski Utah produced this 4 minute video of Niehues explaining his work.
A few years ago, Taos added a chair to improve accessibility to Kachina Peak. Last week, following inspection by patrol, a slide there killed two.
At the top of NinetyNineNinety at Park City Mountain Resort (the part of the area formerly known as The Canyons), there’s a gate and signs clearly spelling out avvy risks of going into that part of unpatrolled backcountry. Similar warnings probably exist on Kachina Peak.
Warnings at the top of NinetyNineNinty
Several years ago a friend instructing at The Canyons joined a search party looking for a couple whose car was in the otherwise empty parking lot and who hadn’t picked up their child from daycare. My friend explained the methodical nature of combing the post-avalanche slope where the couple was thought to be buried. It was late in the day, but there was ample light. My friend, a geologist, had been trained to seek anomalies…things that were different from the surroundings. Looking up the slope, he detected something angular, possibly the back corner of a ski. He told the search leader, who advised him and the rest of the party to continue probing the cement-like snow to detect what might be buried below. They found nothing until they reached the angular ski tail jutting from the snow. It led them to the two buried bodies. A tragedy.
Last year, I became friends with a man in his 40s who was rescued from a backcountry avalanche. I don’t remember his full description other than how horrific an experience it was and how, after months of hospitalization and rehabilitation, it altered his life.
The website of the National Avalanche Center, a unit of the National Forest Service, shows 551 US avalanche fatalities since 1998. All but five (on Mt Washington in NH and on Mt Mansfield in Stowe) occurred in the West. Most were in back and side country. 177 skiers died. 68 boarders died. 2 were snow shoers. 196 were snowmobilers. 48 were climbers. Five were ski patrol.
This year, alone, there have been 26 snow-related deaths at European resorts.
Once, skiing a remote in-bounds section of The Canyons, I set off a minor slide. It only made it to the tops of my boots, but it was dense and difficult to get free.
There are older skiers who seek out the adventure and solace of side and back country. I no longer have the lungs to climb, but if conditions are right, I rarely hesitate to take a gate or duck a rope for a promising patch of powder on the other side. But with every year I think a bit longer before I do.
Mad River Glen (VT), Sugarbush (VT) and Snow King (WY) announced free skiing benefits to furloughed government employees. Sugarbush upped the ante by extending the freebie to immediate family members. The deals will end when the shut-down ends.
Ski-Mojo and Elevate are products for those experiencing knee problems. Both are advertisers. Ski-Mojo is a set of light-weight shock absorber springs that reduce pressure on the knees by 33%. Worn under ski pants, the device reduces pain and fatigue. The people I’ve talked with who use Ski-Mojo, swear by it. Elevate is a soft, robotic ski exoskeleton that boosts quad strength and reduces muscle fatigue and joint pressure. The product causes loads to pass the knee entirely; improving knee stability and preventing normal wear and tear. Elevate is available to demo at locations in Lake Tahoe and Park City.
Resorts throughout California and Nevada will participate in Ski California Safety Day this Saturday, Jan. 26. Each of the 15 participating resorts will host activities designed to inform guests about skiing and riding safely. Topics range from avalanche and deep snow safety to proper chairlift loading and riding. More at skicalifornia.org.
That’s the question explored in an article this week in The New York Times Travel Section. The Snowpine Lodge was the funkiest of Alta’s five lodges. I know this from multiple stays at each of them over my 45+ years skiing Alta. Accommodations were less than luxe. Food was okay. Guests – maybe because we were all subjected to the same musty smells and low, head-bumping passageways – always seemed to bond. That was back then. The new Snowpine is said to be super-luxe, Aspen or Vail style…with prices to match. It may raise eyebrows among readers who know and love Alta, or simply raise the bar for the other lodges.
The world’s best snowboardcross and ski cross athletes will compete at Solitude, Feb 1-3 in the 2019 FIS World Championships. It will be the biggest winter event in Utah since the 2002 Olympics.
The single strip airport is about 20 miles north of the resort. Porter Airlines and Air Canada flights connect through Toronto. A quick check shows that New Yorkers and Bostonians can get round trip fares are as low as $275. Both airlines include free flights for kids and free lift tickets. Click here for details.
That’s the plan for this and future seasons, conditions and US Forest Service permitting.
Teton Gravity Research generally produces interesting ski videos, and this one (4+minutes) is no exception. It focuses on the challenges a young skier faces at the top of a cornice before skiing a beautiful, steep line.
Kings and Queens – The Evolution of Corbet’s Couloir is fun. The 7+ minute video shows a competition of men and women skiing and boarding Jackson Hole’s famed chute. Please comment if you’ve had the Corbet’s Experience, and we’ll compare notes.
Mirror Lake Inn ,in Lake Placid, is a lovely place to stay when visiting Whiteface Mountain and other North Country attractions. Starting this season, Andrew Weibrecht, son of the Inn’s owners and an Olympic medalist, is available to ski with Mirror Inn guests at Whiteface. For details, click on the adjacent ad.
Try the GearBeast phone holder. The $9.99 – $12.99 device (SeniorsSkiing.com readers receive a 20% discount; enter SENIORS-SKIING at checkout) fits over the neck and under the parka where your body warmth keeps the phone battery from draining. Other benefits? You won’t drop the phone when using it on the lift. And the mini pocket for credit card, ID and a few bills lets you leave bulky wallets in the car or lodge. Click on the company’s ad.
Sometimes it’s clear what I’ll write about: there’s a new survey; we’ve published one of our annual lists; Big Skiing, Inc. is systematically removing senior benefits. Those and other topics get a fair number of responses. Other times, the subject d’jour doesn’t present itself so easily and the dearth of reader comments reflects it. But, I always enjoy assembling the words.
More than one reader has accused me of naiveté because of comments about the amounts seniors spend when they go skiing. We explored that area in a reader survey at the end of last season and found 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.
Those figures are “grossly in error,” wrote one reader who claimed the figure should be closer to $5 per day. Our data comes from survey questions that had almost 2000 responses. The resulting information reflects input that shows higher levels of spending. I can’t argue with what the reader observed in the lodge at her area of choice – those elderly $5-a-day brown baggers are found at many areas – but our surveys collect data from a large group. Unless readers have conspired in a massive fib fest, I’ll accept the survey results as closer to what actually happens when seniors go skiing.
Another recent survey result is that grandparents play a major role introducing grandchildren to the sport. This may be obvious, but I don’t think it is fully appreciated – especially by Big Ski, Inc., which relies on newbies to fuel its future. In the past 35 years, the number of skiers and boarders hasn’t grown. I have two young grandkids just starting out. We encourage them with related gifts. The survey that validated this concept. It showed that once introduced, almost 95% of the grandkids stay with it.
Like all surveys, ours are not perfect. But the questions are carefully written and the number of responses large enough to be accurate.
If you have topics you’d like explored in Short Swings!, please let me know. Alternatively, if you’d like to express your own interests on these paperless pages, we’re always open to article ideas and article submissions. They could be about your personal experience, your ski club activities, interesting skiers you know, etc. Click here for submission guidelines.
Vermont Adaptive Snow Ball Fundraiser, Feb. 2 at Sugarbush
Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports will host its fourth annual Snow Ball fundraiser, Thursday, February 7, at Sugarbush. Tickets are $40 for individuals and $70 for couples. For more info, click here.
January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month
January is the 11thannual Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Resorts across the country have great deals on beginner learning programs. Since its inception in January 2009, resort partners have provided 957,250 beginner lessons during the month of January. For more info, click here.
Liftopia Launches Hosted Ski Bus Trips
Liftopia, the largest online and mobile marketplace for ski lift tickets and mountain activities recently launched “Liftopia Experiences,” hosted ski bus trips. Liftopia Experiences are available in major metro markets in the U.S. and Canada including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Minneapolis and Toronto. The trips include round-trip transportation to ski area along with lift tickets, rentals, lessons, and accommodations. For more information, click here.
Join us the week of March 10 when we ski in the Aosta Valley with guides from Alpskitour. Each day, we’ll go to a different resort in Italy, Switzerland and France. The all-inclusive price — $4,500 to $5,500 per person– depends on where you fly to and whether you stay in a 3 or 5 star hotel. Orsden is a sponsor and giving a parka to each participant. If interested, email me: jon@seniorsskiing.com.
Coming Soon: SeniorsSkiing.com Annual Fundraising Campaign
In a few weeks, we’ll start our second annual fundraising campaign. Please support our efforts to bring you weekly information and to advocate on behalf of older snow sports enthusiasts. Thank you!
I can emphasize. At 74, I feel the occasional twinge forecasting a time when something medical is in my future. I know I’m not alone.
Which brings me to the Ski-mojo ad on the SeniorsSkiing.com homepage. It’s a British product for skiers with weak or bad knees. It also works for skiers without knee problems (I’ve been told there are some), by giving a power boost that helps them ski stronger and longer.
Full disclosure: I have not tried Ski-mojo, but I have spoken with skiers who have. They rave about it. Last year, I watched a skier get fitted for the device. It’s light and slim, and it fits easily underneath ski pants. Once on, the skier flicks a switch to activate or deactivate the springs.
In the US, Ski-mojo is endorsed by PSIA. In the UK it’s endorsed by BASI (British Association of Snowsports Instructors). The product can be ordered at www.skimojo.com and shipped virtually anywhere.
I prefer to be proactive about being able to continue to participate in the sport I love. If the twinge in my knees worsens, I’ll be ordering Ski-mojo. I want to stay in the game as long as I can.
January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month
Almost 70 U.S. areas are offering great deals on beginner packages for new skiers and boarders. Packages typically include lesson, lift ticket and rental gear. Depending on location, deals range from a single lesson to up to four. To learn about offerings in your area visit the Ski and Snowboard Month website.
California
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is now an Official Training Site of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. Other sites are Mammoth Mountain, Deer Valley, Copper Mountain, and Timberline Lodge. Official Training Sites host U.S. team athletes for elite training sessions.
Quebec
Stoneham Mountain Resort dedicated its new Éclipse quad on December 23. The fixed grip quad replaces a double chair and T-Bar. Skiers use a conveyor belt to load the new lift. It has a capacity of 1900 skiers per hour and takes 8 1/2 minutes to reach the top.
Utah
Deer Valley hosts the world’s best aerial and mogul skiers during the 2018 Visa Freestyle International FIS World Cup, Wednesday, January 10 through Friday, January 12. DV has played host to international and world competitions for 20 consecutive years, including the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, two World Championships and 16 World Cups. If you’re in the vicinity, this is one exciting event to behold!
Powder Mountain Resort opened for the season on December 24. The resort has 8,464 acres. Powder now limits day pass sales to 1500.
Snowbasin opened its new Wildcat Express high-speed six-pack. It replaces a triple. The name “Wildcat” has been used for Snowbasin lifts serving the same part of the mountain since 1946, when it started as a single chair.
Soldier Hollow has Biathlon training for groups. Professional staff does the training and participants engage in a mini competition at the 2002 Olympic Range. Reservations required.
Solitude BrewSki Mountain Lager is a new German-style Pilsner created for Solitude Mountain Resort by Utah-based Bohemian Brewery.
Vermont
Vermont has 20 alpine resorts and 30 cross country centers. Ski Vermont is promoting an End-to-End Tour this season. Participants who visit different resorts each week and submit photos will be eligible to win tickets and prizes.
Molly Mahar is the new President of non-profit Vermont Ski Areas Association. She joins from Loon Mountain Resort where she was VP Marketing/Sales. Previously she held similar positions at Sugarbush and Bolton Valley.
Other
Black Diamond has a new short promotional video about backcountry skiing. Even if you stay in or around the resort, it’s well worth watching.
Liftopia announced its 2017-18 Best in Snow Awards. The results will surprise some. For all winners and how they were selected visit https://bestinsnow.liftopia.com/ – /
The Mountain Collective pass is back on sale for $519. With it you get 32 days at 16 iconic resorts. For more visit https://mountaincollective.com
The list of resorts is available to SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers. The annual SeniorsSkiing.com report was first issued for the 2015-16 season.
The number of resorts reporting free skiing privileges for seniors increased slightly from last season. Most provide free skiing at age 70.
According to recent National Ski Areas Association statistics, 20% of the nation’s total skiing/boarding population are 52 and older (1,843,000). Those 52-62 total 1,220,000 participants; 62-71 total 510,000, and 72+ total 113,000.
Each resort establishes its own age threshold for free skiing. People in their 60s ski free at nine resorts in six states. Those 70-79 have a choice of 62 resorts in 22 states, and those 80 and older ski free in 40 resorts in15 states.
The three states with the most areas offering free skiing are New Hampshire with 11 and California and Michigan, each with 10. New Mexico, New York, and Pennsylvania each have 8 resorts with free skiing. Maine has 7, Vermont has 6, and Washington has 5.
Three resorts, Alta Sierra (California), Welch Village (Minnesota), and Sugarbush (Vermont), have a minimum age of 90 to ski free.
Many resorts have a range of discounts for older skiers purchasing lift tickets and other products and services. The editors of SeniorsSkiing.com advise looking online or asking before making purchases.
The free list is available to SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers. Existing subscribers have immediate access to the list by clicking Community in the menu bar and then Subscriber Only Content in the dropdown box. New visitors to the site must enter their email address to have access.
Utah first snow. Ski Utah
Half-Price Subscription to realskiers.com: Jackson Hogen, publisher of realskiers.com, publishes short essays related to the the sport. The current one, about older skiers, is titled “Not Dead Yet.” You can sign up for the essays and receive them free. I recommend getting a paid subscription where, among other things, you’ll find intelligent and comprehensive ski reviews (including the best skis for senior skiers). Subscribers also are entitled to one-on-one consulting with Jackson. That comes in handy when considering your next equipment purchase. Youngsters pay $19.95 for a year’s subscription. SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers pay $9.95. 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 SS17 in the field under “Coupon Code.”
COLORADO
Area developments for 2017-18 follow:
MASSACHUSETTS
BOSTON: 36thANNUAL SKI & SNOWBOARD EXPO kicks off season, NOV. 9-12, at SEAPORT WORLD TRADE CENTER. ADMISSION:$15 adults; Under 12 free. Paid admission includes one-year subscription to SKI magazine and a $10 Gift Card from GetSkiTickets.com. Purchase tickets online at www.skisnowexpo.com/boston-expo or at door.
MICHIGAN
Ishpeming: Eight skiing athletes/others to be inducted to U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame next April . They include freestyle icon “Airborne” Eddie Ferguson, freestyle’s somersault king Herman Goellner cross-country coach Marty Hall, ski mountaineers twin brothers Mike and Steve Marolt, and (posthumously)130 mph alpine speed skiing world record holder, Steve McKinnney. Ceremonies to be held at Squaw Valley.
MONTANA
Big Sky reported snow above 6500′. National long-range forecasts for the 2017-18 winter season predict average temperatures and above-average precipitation in the Rocky Mountain West.
PENNSYLVANIA
“First-Time Ski/Snowboard Program” gives beginner ticket, lesson and rentals for $59. Click here for more.
TEXAS/FLORIDA
NOAA reports that Harvey delivered 49.32″ of rain and Irma, 16″. At 30°F, 1″ of rain falls as 13″ of snow. The snow amount could be as much as 50″ dry powder under certain conditions. Using the 30°F/1″rain =13″ snow formula, the amount of rain from Harvey would produce 641.16″ snow; the amount from Irma would equal 208″.
Dick Brooks with Hurricane Harvey debris in Houston
Dick Brooks is a SeniorsSkiing subscriber who lives in Houston and Durango, Colorado where his home resort is Purgatory. He reports that his home was dry and that he and wife, Claire, have volunteered by preparing food for those impacted and by carrying damaged items to the curb. Dick sent this photo of nearby damage.
UTAH
Deer Valley, which Ski Magazine readers just named the #1 resort in North America, will host the 2018 Visa Freestyle International, January 10-12. The event determines the freestylers who will represent the US at the South Korean Winter Olympics in February. The event is held at night under lights. The steep slope is covered in bumps. It can get chilly, but it’s a terrific thing to see.
Opening dates for Utah resorts:
VERMONT
OOPS. Ski Vermont recently announced that Parker Riehle, e group’s head, would leave that post to lead National Ski Areas Association. Citing personal reasons, he decided not to take the new position. Long time NSAA president, MIchael Berry, will remain in post until a new replacement is identified and transitioned.
Snowmaking and grooming improvements will improve the experience this season at Bolton Valley, Burke Mountain, Mount Snow, Okemo Mountain, Stratton Mountain, Sugarbush, and Suicide Six.
Okemo Ultimate season passholders now qualify for $49 lift tickets at Stratton Mountain Resort during the 2017/2018 season. Limited to one per day, non-holiday periods only, this special offer is non-transferable, and can only be used by the passholder. Stratton Summit passholders receive this same benefit at Okemo.
One of the mantras of SeniorsSkiing.com is that it is a good thing for ski areas and resorts to be kind to seniors. Not only do discounts, special activities and amenities bring more frequent senior visits, it also encourages them (us) to bring our families who are the next generation.
Sugarbush has lowered its senior age from 70 to 65. Thanks, guys.
So, it is with great pleasure and satisfaction that we notice a ski area stepping out nicely in early-season efforts to be senior-friendly. Sugarbush Resort, Warren, VT., has announced a mid-week, all-mountain, non-holiday pass for 65+ for $109 (until 9/16, then it’s $199, but still…).
In doing so, Sugarbush has LOWERED its senior age for discounted season tickets from 70 to 65. Now that’s senior-friendly. Thanks Sugarbush.
Incidentally, this is not an ad or a sponsored post. We just like the way these people think. What early-season senior discounts have you discovered?
Mid-Week Skiing Means Deals and No Crowds
Credit: Sugarbush
Sugarbush Resort is offering a wonderful deal: Mid-week season pass for $199 for 65+ skiers. For mid-week Boomer skiers, this is a good thing. Thanks, Sugarbush, for acknowledging senior skiers. Click here to BUY NOW.