For Dunsmuir native John David Fischer, known locally as “Dave,” skiing has always been in his blood. With his early experiences dating back to 1956 at Snowman’s Hill on the flanks of Mt. Shasta, the now retired high school teacher continues to nurture his passion for the sport as well as his love of writing.
Now at age 66 and living in Visalia, Fischer’s book “Geezers, Groomers, and Parabolics: The Senior Skiing Revolution” was recently published.
Driven by his passion for the sport and the extra time afforded by retirement, Fischer set out to learn more about what he saw as a noteworthy and unexplored trend, the growing number of skiing seniors.
“Many of the folks out on the slopes these days are senior citizens, especially mid-week,” noted Fischer, who taught English and journalism, was a yearbook advisor, and coached football and baseball during his career. “I started to talk to more and more people on the chairlifts and realized there was an interesting story here that had not been fully explored.”
The book, which is part journalism, part “how to,” part reflection, and part inspiration, takes an in-depth look at how seniors are heading to the slopes well into their golden years and what they are doing to stay successful.
“Senior skiers in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s are invading the ski resorts around the country in ever increasing numbers, especially during the middle of the week. These aren’t new skiers but veterans of the slopes who have now found the time in retirement to ply their trade at a more accelerated pace than ever before in their lives.”
Using surveys, interviews, and research, “Geezers” is both informational and entertaining. “There is something artistic about skiing, and I try to capture that in the book, as well,” said Fischer, who has also self-published books about running and high school football.
“During the 2006-07 ski season, I contacted over 80 senior skiers from age 55 to 88 who responded in detail to 14 questions about their skiing,” he said. “The questions ranged from why they still ski, how they are able to ski at their ages, and a number of different issues that they face as older skiers.”
The 80 skiers who responded to the survey became his panel for a discussion on various topics, including conditioning, ski technology, inspiration, and lifestyle.
Fischer said, “I spent a lot of time just talking to people on chairlifts and in the lodge. Senior skiers in many ways are no different from their younger counterparts, yet a careful examination reveals some stark differences in their approaches to this physically challenging sport.”
His research unearths information about the habits, interests, and aspirations of many seniors who are actively pursuing the sports. “I found that most of the people I surveyed noted that they have developed some sort of training regime and many indicated that their off-season activities contribute to their success and enjoyment.”
The author also attributes the proliferation of skiing seniors to the evolution in ski technology. “The new parabolic skis have really made it easier for people,” Fischer noted.
His research reveals that “A lot of seniors like steep runs but they don’t like moguls (bumps in the snow)… Give them something steep and smooth it out. That’s what they want.”
Though he now lives in Visalia, Fischer says he travel regularly to Dunsmuir to visit his mother. “I definitely ski Mt. Shasta whenever I can,” he said.
The book is more than just about skiing, however. It is about continuing to set goals and being active well into retirement.
“These seniors present an inspirational story that older people can continue to pursue difficult physical challenges well after most of our society believes they should be unable to do so. This inspiration is a model for people of all ages to never cease to pursue goals in their lives, no matter how old they become.”
Copies of the book are available at Village Books in Mount Shasta. More information can be found at www.booksbyjohndavidfischer.com.
|
|
|
For Dunsmuir native John David Fischer, known locally as “Dave,” skiing has always been in his blood. With his early experiences dating back to 1956 at Snowman’s Hill on the flanks of Mt. Shasta, the now retired high school teacher continues to nurture his passion for the sport as well as his love of writing.
Now at age 66 and living in Visalia, Fischer’s book “Geezers, Groomers, and Parabolics: The Senior Skiing Revolution” was recently published.
Driven by his passion for the sport and the extra time afforded by retirement, Fischer set out to learn more about what he saw as a noteworthy and unexplored trend, the growing number of skiing seniors.
“Many of the folks out on the slopes these days are senior citizens, especially mid-week,” noted Fischer, who taught English and journalism, was a yearbook advisor, and coached football and baseball during his career. “I started to talk to more and more people on the chairlifts and realized there was an interesting story here that had not been fully explored.”
The book, which is part journalism, part “how to,” part reflection, and part inspiration, takes an in-depth look at how seniors are heading to the slopes well into their golden years and what they are doing to stay successful.
“Senior skiers in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s are invading the ski resorts around the country in ever increasing numbers, especially during the middle of the week. These aren’t new skiers but veterans of the slopes who have now found the time in retirement to ply their trade at a more accelerated pace than ever before in their lives.”
Using surveys, interviews, and research, “Geezers” is both informational and entertaining. “There is something artistic about skiing, and I try to capture that in the book, as well,” said Fischer, who has also self-published books about running and high school football.
“During the 2006-07 ski season, I contacted over 80 senior skiers from age 55 to 88 who responded in detail to 14 questions about their skiing,” he said. “The questions ranged from why they still ski, how they are able to ski at their ages, and a number of different issues that they face as older skiers.”
The 80 skiers who responded to the survey became his panel for a discussion on various topics, including conditioning, ski technology, inspiration, and lifestyle.
Fischer said, “I spent a lot of time just talking to people on chairlifts and in the lodge. Senior skiers in many ways are no different from their younger counterparts, yet a careful examination reveals some stark differences in their approaches to this physically challenging sport.”
His research unearths information about the habits, interests, and aspirations of many seniors who are actively pursuing the sports. “I found that most of the people I surveyed noted that they have developed some sort of training regime and many indicated that their off-season activities contribute to their success and enjoyment.”
The author also attributes the proliferation of skiing seniors to the evolution in ski technology. “The new parabolic skis have really made it easier for people,” Fischer noted.
His research reveals that “A lot of seniors like steep runs but they don’t like moguls (bumps in the snow)… Give them something steep and smooth it out. That’s what they want.”
Though he now lives in Visalia, Fischer says he travel regularly to Dunsmuir to visit his mother. “I definitely ski Mt. Shasta whenever I can,” he said.
The book is more than just about skiing, however. It is about continuing to set goals and being active well into retirement.
“These seniors present an inspirational story that older people can continue to pursue difficult physical challenges well after most of our society believes they should be unable to do so. This inspiration is a model for people of all ages to never cease to pursue goals in their lives, no matter how old they become.”
Copies of the book are available at Village Books in Mount Shasta. More information can be found at www.booksbyjohndavidfischer.com.
