Mystery Glimpse, Reasons For Nordic Skiing, Test Your Ski Knowledge, SnowSport Leader Alan Engen.
Where’s the snow, you may wonder? If you’re in the Northeast, you’ve got cold and snow, and many areas have been open since Thanksgiving. If you’re in the Rockies, you’re still looking upward, although we hear its coming this weekend. If you’re in Alaska, you’re wondering what hit you.
Alaska has been hit by humongous snowfall earlier this month, and the beat goes on. The Washington Post reports that 10 inches of snow has fallen in one hour—that’s one hour—in parts of Alaska. In all, 40 inches of wet snow fell in 12 hours from that particular storm. That is one of the most intense, all-time snowfalls on record.
Here’s where La Nina comes in. The La Nina condition, the cooling of sea water in the Eastern Pacific, interacts with the atmosphere, bringing moisture-laden air into the jet stream and focusing it in the Alaska-Yukon area. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Atmospheric River, streaming from the Pacific into the Northwest? This amazing snowfall is in line with the winter prediction from NOAA. That prediction includes moisture for the Northern latitudes and dryness for Southern latitudes across North America.
The good news for Western skiers is that this La Nina condition resembles what happened last year. And you remember what snow conditions were like in the Sierra, right? Awesomely amazing. Keep those skis and snowshoes ready.
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You can also get a FREE online subscription to SKI HISTORY, the publication of the International Ski History Association. Just click SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT.
Mystery Glimpse: New SeniorsSkiing.com Feature
This week, we’re launching a new feature, Mystery Glimpse. We’ll publish a picture from a museum’s archive, a private collection, or from a news source, and you guess who it is, where it was taken, or what its significance is. Just reply in the COMMENTS box under the photo. This week’s inaugural photos is a famous ski racer. Let’s see who gets it right.
Also This Week
We are putting the spotlight on Alan Engen, a snow sports leader whose career as ski jumper and industry executive started the moment he was born. Find out how that happened by clicking here. SeniorsSkiing.com is proud to have Alan on our Advisory Board.
XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr responded to last week’s Top Reasons for Being A Senior Skier with his list of Top Reasons For Being A NORDIC Senior Skier. We love Nordic skiing and agree with the benefits of being outdoors in the quiet woods on a brilliantly cold winter day. Thanks Roger.
In another first, we have a test-your-knowledge quiz about the sport of skiing from Correspondent Don Burch. It’s a challenge; we didn’t fare very well. Perhaps you can score a 10.
SeniorsSkiing.com Assets For Subscribers
Another reminder to our readers. We have some incredibly useful resources for our readers. These include:
- Where seniors can ski for free (or almost free)
- Boot recommendations for seniors
- Ski recommendations for seniors
- Free Historic Ski Poster Booklet
- Discounts from Experticity for those who are eligible
- Ski Younger Now tips every senior skier should know
And we point you to where you can find ski buddies from the club listings of the National Ski Council Federation. Note: Ski clubs can be accessed by clicking the Find Ski Buddies Box on the top menu.
Quote of the Week:
“How Old Would You Be If You Didn’t Know How Old You Were?”
K2 Ski Ad Circa 1970s
Have a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year. Remember, there are more of us every day and we aren’t going away!
SeniorsSkiing.com will be taking next week off for the holidays.
The Olympic skier is Barbara Corcoran