Marketing Artist L.L.C.

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Results for tag "skiing"

Family Skiing

I’ve enjoyed skiing since I was 4 years old.  Except for last winter, I don’t think I’ve ever had less than 6 or 7 ski days in any given season.  This winter, I’m on pace to possibly surpass 10 days. We made sure our children learned to ski properly at Sugarloaf in Maine, where we spent one traditional ski week ever winter since 2002 (all in January, except last year; always very cold).

Now that I’m back on skis, I’ve come to realize lift ticket prices are very, very high. Having a ski week package with discounted lift tickets is a good thing. Skiing at smaller mountains like Plattekill, you take advantage of lower prices and accept lesser snowmaking coverage as a trade-off. Skier visits are down in Colorado this season, and some owe it to higher ticket prices. Generally, most ski industry leaders were optimistic this season (weather permitting).

So this weekend, we skied one day at Hunter for a change. A lift ticket costs $63 for an adult and $43 for a kid (junior, age 7-12).  We went up with several families and one of us got smart and wondered whether we qualify for a group rate. We did! Saved $54 when we paid our share for a family of four.

When planning a family ski trip, get other families to join in so you reach the group level (15+ people).

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Never Too Cold

It was very cold in Hunter yesterday, but skiing is, after all, a winter sport. The place was mostly empty, save for the hardy ones.

Saw quite a few college students, which, along with the frigid conditions, reminded me of an adventurous ski vacation from my college days. In fact, one of my ski buddies from those days (and a close friend since 1970), was with us in Hunter. He attended NJIT in Newark, while I went to Fordham in The Bronx. Our winter and spring breaks always coincided, so we spent some time skiing in those days.

During the winter of 1981, I was driving a ’77 Honda Civic that wasn’t especially happy in very cold temperatures. I think the overnight low that week was 23 below zero (F). That poor little red car did not want to start in the morning, so we became expert in rolling starts (use 3rd gear). We charged the battery by running it for an hour, covered the engine block with an old blanket, or simply surrendered and opted not to ski that day.

These days, we keep our cars up-to-date and tuned for winter — and we all have AAA memberships.

Since then, I’ve spent ski weeks up at Sugarloaf in Maine — for six years in a row, all in January. Skiing in -25 deg. F with crazy wind is harsh. HARSH. After those experiences, I no longer get cold on the slopes.

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