Ski with Senior Champ, Eat Cheaper
Keystone celebrates senior instructor's SIDS fund raiser
Colorado ski deals for seniors: Get discount on food on Aspen mountain restaurants, ski Keystone with Olympians and a 75-year-old instructor to benefit major charity
Have you had a ski pass longer than Bode Miller has been alive? Unhappy that skiing has become so expensive? Don't fret. There are still great events and deals in Colorado Ski Country for you.
Aspen does not publicize it, but if you are over 65, ask for a senior discount at any restaurant on-mountain restaurant on the slopes of Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk or Snowmass, and you get a 10 percent discount on your grub. OK, it's not much, but if you are in Aspen working out those geezer knees, you deserve to save a few bucks.
Meanwhile, at Keystone Resort in Colorado this Sunday, March 4, you can watch former Olympians Steve Mahre and Jason Rossner try to keep up with 75-year-old Freda Nieters.
Nieters, a former ski champion, broke the Guinness Book of World Record last year by skiing 78,000 vertical feet in one day at Keystone. But, she’s most proud of the fact that she raised $30,000 for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by getting pledges for her inaugural Ski for SIDS event last year. Nieters lost her grandson, Zachary, to SIDS in January 2005.
“The devastation of a baby’s death is far-reaching” said Nieters. “By working together, we can help make a difference in the lives of families near and far.”
Nieters wanted to do something to help. She wanted to raise awareness through her Keystone community on the slopes. This year the self-described “flying fossil” intends to expand the event to bring more awareness to SIDS. She’s enlisting the help of her friends and former ski champs – Mahre and Summit County local Rossner – as well as Colorado politicians like Dan Gibbs. All of them will ski for SIDS Sunday at Keystone in an effort to raise funds for First Candle/SIDS alliance and its research projects, programs and services.
Skiers of any ability level can join Nieters on the slopes at Keystone on Sunday. Interested individuals or groups can register online at www.firstcandle.org and are encouraged to collect sponsorships to support their efforts and compete for awards.
Registration fees ($100 for adults, $50 for children) include a commemorative T-shirt, bib, skiing from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and admission to an awards ceremony and barbecue immediately following the event. Lift tickets ($35 for ages 5+) are separate and can be purchased the day of the event. A 10 percent discount is offered for groups of 2 or more skiers. Awards will be given to the individual or group raising the most money, the individual skier who completes the most runs and the group who collectively completes the most runs.
According to Executive Director Deborah L. Boyd, “First Candle is thrilled to be partnering with Freda and Keystone for this exciting event. Despite progress in recent years at reducing SIDS rates, SIDS remains the leading cause of death for babies one month to one year of age, claiming the lives of seven babies each and every day in the United States. In addition, more than 26,000 babies are stillborn in the United States each year. There is much work to be done if we are to reach our goal of a future where all babies survive and thrive.”
Patricia Campbell, chief operating officer for Keystone, says Keystone’s proud to be involved with Freda in the second annual Ski for SIDS event. “Freda’s been a valued ski instructor for more than 30 years at Keystone and she continues to inspire us all on and off the slopes.”
Interested in participating, pledging or sponsoring a “Ski for SIDS” event? visit www.firstcandle.org or contact Michelle Zarek at michelle.zarek@firstcandle.org or 1.800.221.7437. Proceeds from this event will benefit the SIDS research program at First Candle as well as programs and services at the Colorado SIDS Program in Denver.
For more terrific ski info, see Mitch Kaplan's 'Winter Sport' articles.
