Reflections on Transitions in the Geezer Skier Community

    I started this blog in December of 2009; at least 15 years ago!  At that time our Tough Old Geezer Skier group at Greek Peak in Virgil New York had been self identified for several years.  Founder Pat Ryan had labelled many of us as such.  Even giving us badges to wear with our name and the Geezer designation.  Many of us have continued to wear such badges with pride as the years go by.  I have lost a few, but have replaced them almost immediately to keep the tradition going.

    Sadly, our founder Pat Ryan recently passed away.  We deeply mourn his passing and miss his presence on the slopes. Pat was an exemplary person, a fine skier and model of integrity that we will not forget.

    In the ensuing years following our founding, there have been many changes.  Membership was always quite open and in the early years there may have been 30 or so that would identify with our group.  Some ardently, and others casually.  We even would have an annual season ending meeting for lunch with gag awards and invited spouses.   Basically we were more or less young geezers in late sixties and early seventies.  As time has passed many of the original group have either given up skiing or have passed away.   Fortunately there has been an infusion of a few new geezers.  It will be a challenge from now on to recruit replacements  for the inevitable departure of some of our more senior members.  To the best of my knowledge I am the most senior geezer skier at Greek Peak regularly on the slopes each week.  Gene who is a bit older is less frequent due to health issue.  

    A word about my geezer skier experience currently.  I now recognize I do not have the stamina I once had as I approach my 90th birthday this April.  Essentially on an every day basis I am skiing with "youngsters".  My definition of youngsters is now anyone in their seventies and younger.   Many of my companion skiers are  now in their sixties.   My companions now seem to think they need to take care of me!  Of course, I tolerate that, but in some ways I feel like I may be holding them back by my somewhat slower pace!    However, my wife does appreciate that my friend Tim Russell has taken on the role as my guardian angel!  In this vein, I must say that many of the Greek Peak ski community have both admired me for still being out and are keeping an eye on me.

    As I rest up on the weekends, I find it recharges my batteries for the coming week and it gives me a chance to reflect on how lucky I am to be pursuing downhill skiing in my most senior years.  I look forward to passing the torch of leadership of our group to the next generation when the time comes.  A shout out to the the geezers who might be reading this blog!  Keep on moving and enjoying every day we are blessed with!

Community of Characters

     Skiing at one area for many years brings you into contact with a host of characters to observe.   Some of them will become your friends. If you were writing a play or a story, you would have to have real examples of individuals of all sorts.  In fact you might not even be able to imagine them without actually observing them.  

    One thing about the characters that is shared by all at my Greek Peak Ski Area friends in Virgil, New York is a passion for skiing.   The long-timers desire to be on the slopes as much as possible, depending on their physical condition, their economic situation and the demand of family and jobs. 

    In the case of my closer community at the Peak, we have made all kinds of observations about skiers behavior.  Many of these regulars have nicknames that are universally known or in some cases, if they are somewhat derogatory, are unknown to them.  For the most part, we are a forgiving bunch when we observe behaviors we think inappropriate.   

   Observations of behavior include comments on skiing style.  Bombing the hill seems to be desired by a few of these characters and we know when to avoid what we think is perilous behavior. While we skiers are mostly tolerant of snow boarders, we do have some anxiety about what we consider to be their blindside while boarding!

    Among the special subsets of community are the Geezer Skiers. We pretty much know all of the geezer skiers and most of the staff as well as the management, who appreciate our loyalty to the area.  Recently some of us were honored for our loyalty with plaques placed on the back of the Visions Express chairs recognizing our decades at the Greek Peak Ski area.  Beyond the current Geezer Skier characters we hope that there will be people at the area who will still appreciate those who are deceased and/or now reluctantly retired from the slopes.

    Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy observing the character of this skier community and meeting and chatting with the skiers from all over Central New York to learn their stories and get some insights into their character. 

    As a final observation, I am uplifted by the recognition of character as such an important element of human existence recently highlighted in the service for President Jimmy Carter. Regardless of your political leanings, one has to appreciate the exemplary life of that man of such sterling character.  

Rhythyms: Musing on New Year's Day 2025

     Another year has rolled by.  In a few months, I will be experiencing my 90th birthday. I am amazed that I have enjoyed so many years of living on this earth and have experienced the ebbs and flows of seasonal changes, life changes and many adaptations to changing situations.  As I wrote the check for our town and county tax bill today I was thinking of how this is a reminder that there is the inevitability of taxes and of course the accompanying thought of death too. Unfortunately the latter has become much more common among my contemporaries. The population of the Tough Old Geezer Skier Community that we founded at Greek Peak 10 or so years ago has dwindled too much. Thankfully some of us are still carrying the Geezer Skier banner, even if it is not a frequently on the hill as we used to be. Obviously, we have a legacy to uphold and perhaps our present duty is to keep the geezer tradition continuing by recruiting a new generation.  Part of the rhythm of things.

    In the cosmic sense, rhythm is a vast wave of centuries and eons. However in the shorter time frames the rhythm can be simply a day's activities with a comfortable routine.  With the ski season upon us, I am happily establishing the rhythm of my ski day for the max pleasure and preservation of this old body. Arising at reasonable hour is a good start to the day. A breakfast and a few exercises, followed by a shower and gathering my gear, gets me on the way to the slopes for riding the lift near the opening hour.  

     Although I have had many years on the slopes, each new day brings the necessity of establishing my rhythm for handling the conditions for the day. Settling into the groove brings the finest satisfaction. Depending on the conditions of both my body and the slopes, the day will have its ups and downs. (Pun intended) Of course a significant part of the day is the social interaction with lift attendants and fellow skiers. 

    In conclusion, I now wonder what this new year will bring into my life and interactions, particularly with the geezer ski community and the younger ski community as well.  Whatever the case, I hope that all geezers will approach the new year with optimism and a goal of enjoying life's many surprises as much as possible.