Tag Archive for: Sundance

Jon Weisberg

ShortSwings!

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This is to thank the 3000+ of you who completed our August reader survey. We learned that on average, those of you who did not take last season off skied an average of 26 days. That’s down from a few seasons back when the average was more than 33 days. But, when you figure that the national average is 6.5 skier/boarder days, you quickly realize that we’re the ones using the resorts…especially midweek.

We seniors are a very luck lot, doing what we love, when we want to.

Like many of you, I missed last season. That was a first since I started at age 10. Now I’m psyched about getting back on the hill. Skiing brings me immense pleasure. Each of you feels this in your own way. Whether it’s snaking slowly through a mogul field, cruising down a well-groomed slope or floating through thigh-deep powder, you understand.

Ski often enough and you’ll experience a great mix of conditions. Although I haven’t done so in several years, I’ve found pleasure skiing in a blizzard. Very cold days bring their own form of bliss. Warm, bluebird days are a form of skiers’ nirvana.

It is wonderful to age and ski and to be outside in the snow. It doesn’t matter the size of the mountain or the number of runs. It’s simply being there and skiing that brings joy.

This is the first issue of SeniorsSkiing.com for the 2021-22 season. We’ll be posting new articles each week and emailing them to you as a package every other Friday. As a heads up, we’ll  occasionally email advertisements. Each of these ads has been vetted to be relevant to your skiing interests. 

I hope you continue to enjoy SeniorsSkiing.com. Best wishes for a great 2021-22 season!

Patagonia Offering Store Credits for Trade-Ins

With the goal of keeping its stuff out of landfill and improving the environment, Patagonia has introduced a program that gives credit for old and worn Patagonia products. The credits can be used in its retail and online stores. Click here for details about the program and the amount of credit offered.

Will This Replace Day Lodge Burgers and Fries?

A new eatery — Oxygène Café — in the French ski resort, Tignes, specializes in vegan, vegetarian and gluten free food. Started by Oxygène, the French Alps based ski school specializing in English speaking ski and snowboard lessons. The company is partnering with Caffè Vergnano, a socially and environmentally friendly Italian coffee brand.

Snowbasin to Add Base Village and Club Med

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

Snowbasin, the vast ski area north of Salt Lake City, near the city of Ogden, was the site of the 2002 Olympic Downhill events. The place offers terrain for every ability. What it hasn’t offered is a place to stay at the mountain. All of that is about to change as Club Med builds a 300 room facility (projected opening: December 2024) and as plans develop for a base village with restaurants, shops and lodging (project to start in 2025). 

Sundance Mountain Resort: New Owners Make Changes

Sundance

Founded by Robert Redford in 1969, Sundance changed hands last December. Over the summer, the new owners installed two new lifts and upgraded snowmaking services, among other changes. A high-speed detachable quad will access the mid-mountain summit. The second lift will provide expanded terrain choices to guests returning from the back mountain. Sundance is a Utah gem. Off the beaten path, it’s not far from Salt Lake City, Park City and Provo and rarely has crowded slopes. Lodging is primarily in the form of condos and it has always been a foodie destination. Most importantly, there’s a range of excellent terrain. 

Squaw Valley’s New Name: Palisades Tahoe

According to a news release issued by Alterra, the company that owns the resort, the “…name change was an important initiative for our company. At the end of the day, “squaw” is a hurtful word, and we are not hurtful people. It was a change that needed to be made for us to continue to hold our heads high as a leader in our industry and community. We have a well-earned reputation as a progressive resort at the forefront of ski culture, and progress can’t happen without change.”

Deep Discount on Stocking Stuffer Ski Books

Arcadia Publishing has a roster of 27 books covering localized skiing history. They paperback books are loaded with vintage photos and have titles such as Skiing in the Mad River Valley, New Hampshire on Skis, and North Carolina Ski Resorts. Part of the series explores “lost ski areas,” those that existed years ago but no more. Among them, Lost Ski Areas of the Berkshires, Lost Ski Areas of Southern Vermont, Lost Ski Areas of Tahoe and Donner, and Lost Ski Areas of Colorado’s Front Range and Northern Mountains. Arcadia is offering SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers a 30% discount on all of its skiing titles. Click here to shop the books and enter the code, SENIORSSKI, when checking out. The offer is good from October 7 to November 7.

The Perfect Gift for Older Skiers

Bootster is a clever, compact device that makes it easy to get into a ski boot – even when it’s cold. It has a super slippery surface that helps the foot slide in effortlessly. And unlike shoehorns, sprays, etc., Bootster is compact and easily carried in a parka pocket (click on the video above). If you or an older skier you know likes to shed boots during lunch, getting them back on with Bootster is a breeze. It is pretty much indestructible, making it ideal to pass on to the next generation of skiers. At $25 (+ shipping) the price is right. Looking for something to give your favorite older skier? Bootster will be appreciated for years to come.

Boston and Denver Ski Shows Cancelled

This is second year in a row. The cause? Covid.

It’s a Bird?

People have been dreaming about being able to fly without a plane for years. Technology is finally making it possible, as shown in this video compilation of several different approaches from around the world. Who knows? At one point, some version of these flying machines may eliminate the need for ski lifts. About 16 minutes.

 

 

Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Sundance

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[Editor Note: As the new year begins, SeniorsSkiing.com is again asking our readers to contribute to support our online magazine. Yes, we have grown in the number of subscribers and advertisers. But our expenses have also grown. You can help us defray some of these expenses by helping us out with a donation.  This year, we have a mix of premiums for different level of donations, including stickers, sew-on patches, our new SeniorsSkiing.com ball cap. All donors will be entered into a drawing for a pair of bamboo Polar Poles to be drawn in late March.  You can donate by clicking here.]

If your Western ski vacation takes to Salt Lake City, save a day for Robert Redford’s Sundance.

SeniorsSkiing.com correspondent soaks up the beneficial rays of the sun on the Bearclaw sun deck at Sundance. Credit: Harriet Wallis

It’s about an hour from the airport, but it’s off the beaten track, and it’s laid back. It’s the only resort where you can ski—and then create jewelry, make wheel-thrown pottery, or do printmaking all in the same day.

While Robert Redford was still a young actor, he was drawn to the wilderness. He bought two acres in secluded North Fork Canyon and built a small home, doing much of the work himself.

Ski the shoulder of towering Mt. Timpanogos. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Then in 1969, he bought the entire pristine canyon to protect it from developers who might dice it into small lots, sell it off for homes, and destroy it. He saw the perpetual tug-of-war between developers and environmentalists.  Redford lives his beliefs, saying don’t squander the wilderness for short term gains.

Ski the wide open spaces. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Sundance is a 5,000 acre environmental preserve on the shoulder of towering 11,700 foot Mount Timpanogos. It  encompasses the 450 acre ski area with four chairs, 44 trails, two terrain parks and a 2,150 foot elevation drop.

The window ticket price for those 65 and over is $30.

And it’s a resort with a twist.

Creativity is good for the soul

The famous Sundance Film Festival was born here, and it celebrates the creativity of independent film makers. Redford believes that creativity and new ideas are good for the soul. Everyone’s soul.

So you can ski in the morning, create silver jewelry in the afternoon, and then wear it home. In just two hours in an Art Studio workshop you can create your own memory of Sundance even if you think you don’t have a creative bone in your body.

Workshops are especially appealing to those who want to enjoy the intimate resort but not ski all day.

Here’s where you can make your unique creation at the art studio workshop. Credit: Harriet Wallis

There are workshops in jewelry, soap making, journal binding, drawing, painting, wheel-thrown pottery, and print making. Classes are very small or it’s likely the session will be one-on-one with your instructor.

Relax and unwind

“We don’t try to compete with other resorts,” said Sundance Director of Skiing Jerry Warren. “You’re here for a different reason. There’s a greater sense of peace here.”

“Take a person from a busy city. They race to catch a plane, they fly, they land, they jump back into the fast lane. We’re going to slow them down a little bit and let them savor the mountains and the experience,” he said.

Sundance’s active senior group —it’s called the Senior Ski Group—meets and skis together weekly accompanied by a ski school instructor who skis along and gives tips.

There’s also snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and night skiing.

From brownies to relaxed dining

The Bearclaw cabin on the summit offers 360 degree views.  It serves soups and sandwiches and brownies that are to die for. On warm days, skiers lie back in deck chairs and soak up the high mountain sunshine.

Plank floor, roaring fire, and lunch at the Foundry Grill. Credit: Harriet Wallis

In the base area, there’s Creekside for a quick bite. The  Foundry Grill has an earlier times atmosphere with farm implement decor, rough hewn wood floors and a roaring fireplace. The Tree Room is built around the live native pine tree and has a romantic atmosphere. And there’s a country store with more of those brownies.

Low key is special

But what really distinguishes Sundance is its low key ambiance and relaxed atmosphere that have disappeared from many mega resorts.

Sundance is located 56 miles south of the Salt Lake International Airport. The trip takes a little over an hour. You can reserve a luxurious, secluded Sundance cabin, or there’s ample lodging in Provo about 13 miles away.

For Sundance webcam, click here.

For Sundance trail map, click here.

Base area buildings are tucked into the trees, and…”a river runs through it.” Credit: Harriet Wallis

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

Here’s a typical morning in the base lift area. Credit: Harriet Wallis
Jon Weisberg

Lift Tickets: An Area That Charges By The Hour?

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And Other Ticket Pricing Ideas.

Station de ski du Semnoz offers hourly ski tickets. Huh?

Station de ski du Semnoz with a  view of Mont Blanc offers by-the-hour lift tickets. That’s different.

Pre-season cocktail hour among veteran skiers often leads to talk of the new season’s pass prices. In 2001 or 2002, when Park City Mountain Resort changed its senior pass from free to $300, a flurry of letters to the editor registered collective outrage. Not to mention that even at $300, it was a great deal for a season’s pass. Now, under Vail’s ownership, it doesn’t matter if you’re 19 or 89, the cost is $599 for locals and $789 for everyone else. To be fair, they throw in the rest of the Vail-owned resorts with the purchase, but not The Canyons, the area next door under Vail’s management.

A short drive away is smaller, more intimate Sundance. Vertical and skiable acreage are smaller, but on weekdays it is less inhabited. On powder days, it is vacant, providing one untracked run after another, some on steep, continuously pitched terrain. Sundance’s food is equivalent to that of a well-reviewed restaurant. And maybe because he’s an older dude, Robert Redford cuts a great deal for seniors (65+). This year, a day pass is $21, up from $15 last season and $12 a few years before that. The season pass is $125.

We’ll be publishing an updated list of where and when the mature set can ski free. Last year, those privileges started at 63 (McCauley Mountain Ski Center, Old Forge, NY) and clustered around 70.

SSAWS (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Skiing) Indoor Ski Dome outside Tokyo.

SSAWS (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Skiing) Indoor Ski Dome outside Tokyo had three-hour day passes.

Throughout the industry, ticket-pricing models tend to follow the same ideas: Age, full day, half day, night, multi-day passes, 10 packs, etc. When it was in business, Lalaporte Ski Dome SSAWS, the indoor ski center outside of Tokyo, sold three-hour tickets. The monotony of the place made three-hours seem especially long.

We’ve just learned of an area not far from Chamonix that offers tickets based on the number of hours you choose to ski. Semnoz, is a short drive from Annecy, with a direct view of Mont Blanc. It is 5575′ above sea level, a midget compared to Mont Blanc’s 15,778′. Semnoz is a local’s place, which like Sundance, is reported to deliver endless untracked following big powder dumps.

We mention Semnoz because paying to ski by the hour is an idea that might deserve some attention here in the States.