Tag Archive for: Yellowstone Club

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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This week’s Short Swings! message is straight-forward:

If you enjoy receiving SeniorsSkiing.com, please support us financially.

Many of you have been generous in our past February fundraisers.

This month, we hope to expand the number of donations by asking more of you to donate a minimum of $10; not much considering the cost of a hot chocolate or a bowl of chili.

For those readers donating $50 or more, we’ll send a terrific navy blue BBQ apron imprinted with this striking vintage skiing woodcut.

All donors will receive a personalized thank you note and some SeniorsSkiing.com stickers.

The fundraiser will continue through the month.

To donate, click here.

Thank you!!!!

Ski Patrol Drones Used at Val Thorens

Many ski resorts outlaw drones for a variety of safety reasons. But ski patrol in Val Thorens, the French mega-resort, are employing drones to monitor lifts and avalanche management systems, and to perform a host of other duties. Among the examples you’ll see in this short video produced by drone-manufacturer, DJI Technology, is how an infrared-equipped drone, is able to detect a skier buried in an avalanche. This is impressive stuff that, before long, we’ll be seeing at many areas.

Idaho’s Tamarack Resort Plans Expansion

Tamarack Resort

Tamarack, which opened in 2004, went bankrupt in 2008, and got new owners in 2018, recently applied to the US Forest Service to add 3000 acres to its existing 1100. The addition, including multiple lifts, would elevate it to one of North America’s biggest. Tamarack, in west central Idaho, averages 300” a season.

Elan’s Folding All-Mountain Ski

Elan, the Slovenian ski brand, is big on innovation. I used their asymmetrical skis a few seasons ago in the Dolomites. Right and left ski were used on hard pack. Switch the skis and they performed differently in powder and soft, heavy snow. Now, Elan is using a similar approach in its new, folding Voyager model. The technology was developed as tactical equipment for the Slovenian Army. It incorporates a hinge and locking swivel-plate which holds the binding.  The company appears to be promoting Voyager for ease of carry-on and transport. Click here for an amusing explanation. Another Elan product currently under development is a “smart ski”, embedded with sensors that will provide real time coaching feedback through a headset. Couldn’t find a price for the Voyager.  

Yellowstone Club’s New Trail Map

Yellowstone Club, adjacent to Big Sky

The closest I ever got to the Yellowstone Club, was skiing a perimeter trail at Big Sky in Montana. Yellowstone Club is the “private and secure” ski and golf resort where business and entertainment celebs have homes. Bill and Melinda Gates are there, as are Tom Brady, Justin Timberlake, and before his death, Warren Miller. Click here to see the resort’s new trail map.

Two Idaho Areas Join Low Cost Multi-Pass

They are Soldier Mountain and Pomerelle Mountain. Indy Pass costs $259 and gives passholders two days of skiing at each of 61 participating areas.

Death and Fantasy Ski Videos

Arianna Tricomi is a three-time Freeride World Champion. In 2018, the Italian was Euro Skier of the Year. She recently recorded this touching and informative video after being unable to save a 15-year-old buried in an avalanche. The point she makes is that little is discussed publicly about risks and preparations made when filming fantasy skiing in challenging terrain. The final edited versions may attract less prepared skiers to mimic the lines, often with tragic results. Her message, while it may not apply to many older skiers, is still an important one: In order to prevent more unnecessary deaths, there needs to be more open discussion and disclosure about behind-the-scenes planning of extreme skiing videos.

Classical Guitar Après Ski

Dr. Jon Paul Yerby is a gifted classical guitar artist and educator who performs globally. He’s not a skier, although, he’s told me that skiing is one of his aspirations. But he is an outstanding musician, as demonstrated in this performance of the  J.S. Bach Prelude. This and other of Jon’s performances are a nice way to enjoy a relaxing senior skier après-ski.

 

Jon Weisberg

Big Sky: Unpretentious. Uncrowded. Unbelievably Great Skiing.

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Big Sky is not ritzy. It is not pretentious. It is not crowded.

And, as one of country’s greatest ski destinations, it is not to be missed.

Big Sky is big…really BIG!

With 4350′ of vertical and 5,800 acres, Big Sky justifiably calls itself “The Biggest Skiing in America.”

The last time I skied there was before the acquisition of Moonlight Basin, a smaller adjacent area I always assumed was for beginners.

That assumption was wrong.

A tour of what had been Moonlight revealed a world of interesting black diamonds off Lookout Ridge. I explored a few of them before heading toward Mountain Village, the resort’s commercial heart and onto the blue and black terrain on Andesite and Flatiron Mountains.

At day’s end, gear stashed with ski valet, I walked to Huntley Lodge, one of four hotels a short distance from the lifts.

Named for NBC news anchor Chet Huntley, it was bustling with people there for conferences and skiing. My room was clean and pleasant, and, like me, showing some age. The night before, following check-in, I had walked across the plaza to a well-populated bar and enjoyed a few beers and a surprisingly good meal. This night, I drove six miles to Town Center, where the Lotus Pad‘s curry was excellent and its vibe, big city.

Big Sky is attracting a lot of visitors and permanent residents. The place is booming. In Town Center, construction cranes and hard hats are everywhere. Winter is part of the equation. Other times of year fishing, golfing, mountain biking, hiking, and nearby Yellowstone National Park contribute to the draw. There’s a beautiful new high school and, especially important for seniors, the new Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center.

Next morning, following the Huntley’s substantial breakfast buffet, I returned to the lifts with the goal of reaching 11,166′ Lone Peak before the clouds rolled in. On the way I took Powder Seeker, the resort’s high-speed six-pack with blue bubble and heated seats. It’s then a short run to the base of Lone Peak Tram, the canister transporting 15 at a time. Depending on what awaits you at the top, the wait at the bottom may or may not be worth it.

By the time I reached the peak, it was socked-in, and I felt my way down a black bowl until visibility improved. Entering Bavarian Forest, an area of beautiful glades on manageable black terrain, I saw no one until reaching the bottom of the Dakota triple chair.

Big Sky has few on-hill amenities. There’s one permanent upscale restaurant recommending reservations, an over-sized yurt serving brats, burgers, and beers, and two limited-menu food trucks.

Toilets are equally scarce. PortaPotties next to the yurt, required an overly high step onto a slippery floor. They need to take care of that for skiers of any age. The trail map is a good one and will help you know before you need to go.

In the near distance, contiguous to Big Sky but not accessible to the rest of us, is Yellowstone Club, the famed, private resort. An instructor I met pointed out Bill and Melinda Gates’ home.

Seniors (70+) get a break on day passes (5-day advance purchase is best). Season pass options vary and have two senior categories, one 65-79, the other 80+. Big Sky participates in IKON and Mountain Collective.

Numerous direct flights to Bozeman, an hour from Big Sky.

There are a surprising number of non-stop flights from most major cities to Bozeman, about an hour away.

Depending on your skiing preferences, Big Sky is either a very good place to visit or a must place to visit. Its size, scope, and reliable snowfall make it a resort where senior skiers simply can’t go wrong.