Prime Time Ski Club news for Bethel Citizen 2/13/14
It’s a good news/bad news kind of thing. The good news – Prime Time Ski Club members enjoyed another great week on the mountain. Tuesday was one of the best days of the season so far with sunny skies, comfortable temperatures and great snow underfoot. Wednesday’s snow storm continued all day, dropping about a foot of fresh powder. Thursday there was a lot of soft snow on most trails. The bad news is that not all club members are comfortable skiing fresh powder and even more uncomfortable skiing the powder after it’s been skied on and turned into “crud” – heavy mounds of snow with a scratch base in between.
Does this sound like you? Do you get skiddish when corduroy grooming becomes broken up or the hard-pack becomes even harder as the ski day goes on? Do patches of ice on a late afternoon slope make your hands sweat? Do you ski fast because you can’t ski slow and sometimes feel out of control? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are a good candidate for ski lessons. Ski lessons are not just for kids. As a matter of fact, several of our Prime Time members who are well over 50 (I won’t mention names or ages) have committed to a series of six weekly lessons this season and are reaping the benefits. They are skiing in all conditions and enjoying the sport more than ever. They are staying out later in the day. They are adding time to their “days on show” count because there are fewer days they are not skiing because of the conditions.
Several years ago Perfect Turn ski school had a slogan: “The better you get, the better it gets.” And that’s exactly what these Prime Timers who are taking lessons are finding out. These members taking lessons are getting back to the ski club’s original purpose. In the mid-90s, Prime Time was a seasonal instruction program offered by Sunday River’s Perfect Turn ski school for skiers 50 years and over. Eventually those involved in the lessons formed a social club. Although ski clinics continued for a while, the Prime Time Ski Club became focused more on social activities as well as providing companionship on the slopes for those who otherwise would be skiing alone.
So if you want to enjoy skiing in all kinds of conditions, take a lesson. There are private lessons, group lessons and seasonal adult programs. Or make your own group and then you can practice together and have the same instructor each week. You’re never too old to learn something new. Check out the Sunday River web site for lesson information.
And if you’re looking for someone to ski with remember that The Prime Time Ski Club motto is “No one needs to ski alone.” Club members meet every weekday at North Peak Lodge at 10 a.m. (upper level, right-hand side). After a brief time for announcements, members (who are 50 years or older) usually break into small groups of from four to eight skiers, based primarily on skiing ability and terrain preference. Check out our website at www.primetimeskiclub.com or just show up at North Peak Lodge and ski a few runs with us and make some new friends.
