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A run on fun

 
Skiers ride the chairlift above Silver Lake Village at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. Utah is a popular ski destination.
Skiers ride the chairlift above Silver Lake Village at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. Utah is a popular ski destination.
Published Feb. 25, 2016

Who says seniors shouldn't ski on slick snow? Certainly not the seniors themselves.

Skiers over 50 accounted for nearly 1.94 million visits last year, according to Earl Saline, director of education programming for the National Ski Areas Association, which tracks traffic on U.S. ski slopes by day visits (one person per day). Seniors over 70 accounted for about 136,000 of those visits.

"Seniors have time to go skiing on average 6.3 visits a year," Saline said. "Those over 70 average 10.7 days. This is higher than any other age group."

That trend rose for the 2013-14 season and leveled out last year.

And the numbers are strong locally as well.

Two bay area-based snow skiing associations report that seniors account for at least half, if not more, of their membership. And we're talking 3,000 to 4,000 members nationwide.

There is a hub of senior skiers in the Tampa Bay area, many of them retirees who lived in Northern or Western states and learned to ski at an early age. Now retired, they have the time and funds — and energy — to ride the slopes again.

The Tampa Bay Ski Club, for example, promotes 16 to 17 ski trips a year, with 40 to 50 members taking part each time, from the beginning of December to the end of March, according to Chris Elam, club manager. Most trips are domestic, with one or two scheduled for more exotic slopes in places like Germany, Austria or Chile.

There's no special equipment or accommodations for seniors on these trips, though ski lift tickets usually are discounted for skiers 65 and older.

No matter, Elam said. The older skiers just join right in.

"They're so athletic," she said. "They're still out there and being so active. They are excellent role models."

The experiences the older skiers bring to these trips, Elam said, often mean they know which resorts they want to ski.

"They do a lot of research and a lot of them are well-traveled and have been to a lot of different resorts," she said.

Accidents are rare, she added — less than one a year. "Seniors are pretty cautious compared to younger skiers in their 20s and 30s who say, 'I'm going to do this (slope) even if it hurts.' "

That's not to say that age inhibits good skiing.

According to Zack Dickerson, a trip coordinator for the club, a recent trip included a 73-year-old skier who ran them "up and down Breckenridge. She skied ... in and out of the trees. She was waiting for us at the bottom of every single run."

It's not unusual to have skiers in their 80s on club trips, Dickerson said. "Older skiers usually take their time," he said. "They've been skiing their whole lives."

Fitz Rawls, former Tampa Bay Ski Club manager, agrees. "What they have is time to go and the money to go and the experience of knowing where to go," he said. Older skiers tend to pick trips and resorts that are more in line with their abilities.

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"They learned to ski well," said Rawls, 80. "They have a great appreciation for what their abilities are and they don't exceed those abilities."

There's also a sense of carpe diem, Rawls said.

"Seniors really enjoy their time on the slope," he said. "Some of them may think they don't have a lot of time, so they want to enjoy it to the max, and skiing is an activity they can do to the max."

The Tampa Bay Snow Skiers & Boarders, among the largest ski clubs in the country, takes trips in and out of the United States with an estimated 4,000 dues-free memberships. In fact, the club offers off-season hiking and biking trips to a variety of locations as well.

Domestic ski destinations range from Idaho to Utah, from Montana to Colorado (where the most popular resorts are). "We try to go where the travelers want to go," said Peggy Gummoe, 60. "Our trips are senior-friendly. There are discounts on air and lodging at many resorts as well as for gear rental and lift tickets."

Senior skiers tend to group together on trips, she said, but not because of age. Rather, they tend to "cluster together based on ability. They don't want to hold anybody back. You feel included in your ability level."

For a senior learning to ski for the first time on the artificial "ski deck" at Bill Jackson's in Pinellas Park, some adjustments are made, according to instructor Brent Long. While seniors are taught the same as any other novice skier, "Some people learn differently based on the kind of person they are.

"The main thing that is different ... is I set their bindings on their skis differently," he said. Long uses a mathematical formula that he lowers a bit for older skiers. He said he also might reduce the speed of the moving carpet that is used to simulate snow and take a few more short breaks.

On the other hand, he said, "I just taught a guy who is 87. He did really good.

"I have some older folks who can kick my butt up there on the slopes," he said. "It really depends on the person and whether they've skied before when they were younger."

Long said that leg strength is the biggest differential for older skiers.

"They can't just pick up their legs and move like they used to. I often recommend they go to the gym and work out. I sometimes recommend they get a personal trainer to strengthen up their legs."

Contact Fred W. Wright Jr. at travelword@aol.com.