Aging is inevitable, and for many, it signals the beginning of a new chapter - one where you cross off bucket list items and live life to the fullest, on your own terms. However, for some women, aging is a horrible prospect, filled with chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to perform in the bedroom. If you're concerned about life in middle age and beyond, we've got great news: there are easy, proven steps that you can take to help stop the negative effect of aging.
Global Life Rejuvenation was founded to give women a new lease on life - one that includes less body fat, fewer mood swings, and more energy as you age. If you're ready to look and feel younger, it's time to consider HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and growth hormone peptides. These therapies for men and women are effective, safe, and customized to fit your goals, so you can keep loving life as you get older.
HRT, and growth hormone peptide therapies bridge the gap between your old life and the more vibrant, happier version of you. With a simple click or call, you can be well on your way to a brighter future. After all, you deserve to be the one in charge of your wellness and health. Now, you have the tools to do so - backed by science and applied by our team of HRT experts with more than 13 years of experience.
As women age, their hormones begin to go through changes that affect their day-to-day lives. For women, hormone deficiency and imbalance usually occur during menopause and can cause chronic fatigue, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other issues. Hormone replacement therapy helps correct hormone imbalances in women, helping them feel more vibrant and virile as they age.
Often, HRT treatments give patients enhanced quality of life that they didn't think was possible - even in their 60's and beyond.
The benefits for women are numerous and are available today through Global Life Rejuvenation.
As women age, their bodies begin to go through significant changes that affect their quality of life. This change is called menopause and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle and reproduction ability. Though there is no specific age when this change occurs, the average age of menopause onset is 51 years old. However, according to doctors, menopause officially starts 12 months after a woman's final period. During the transition to menopause, women's estrogen and other hormones begin to deplete.
As that happens, many women experience severe symptoms. These symptoms include:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be concerning and scary for both women and their spouses. However, if you're getting older and notice some of these symptoms, there is reason to be hopeful. Hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine for women can correct imbalances that happen during menopause. These safe, effective treatments leave you feeling younger, healthier, and more vibrant.
The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:
Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.
Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.
For many women, menopause is a trying time that can be filled with many hormonal hurdles to jump through. A little knowledge can go a long way, whether you're going through menopause now or are approaching "that" age.
Here are some of the most common issues that women experience during menopause:
If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:
Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.
Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.
Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.
The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.
Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Vernon Valley, NJ for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.
Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?
Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Vernon Valley, NJ can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?
The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.
Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.
Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.
Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.
Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.
Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.
Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.
Hormone stability is imperative for a healthy sex drive and for a normal, stress-free life during menopause. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women balance the hormones that your body has altered due to perimenopause or menopause.
HRT for women is a revolutionary step in helping women live their best lives, even as they grow older. However, at Global Life Rejuvenation, we know that no two patients are the same. That's why we specialize in holistic treatments that utilize HRT, combined with healthy nutrition, supplements, and fitness plans that maximize hormone replacement treatments.
If you've been suffering through menopause, is HRT the answer? That's hard to say without an examination by a trusted physician, but one thing's for sure. When a woman balances her hormone levels, she has a much better shot at living a regular life with limited depression, weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes.
Here are just a few additional benefits of HRT and anti-aging treatments for females:
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with anti-aging treatments for women, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen supply, HRT can relieve symptoms from menopause and protect against osteoporosis. But that's just the start.
Global Life Rejuvenation's patients report many more benefits of HRT and anti-aging medicine for women:
If you're ready to feel better, look better, and recapture the vitality of your youth, it's time to contact Global Life Rejuvenation. It all starts with an in-depth consultation, where we will determine if HRT and anti-aging treatments for women are right for you. After all, every patient's body and hormone levels are different. Since all our treatment options are personalized, we do not have a single threshold for treatment. Instead, we look at our patient's hormone levels and analyze them on a case-by-case basis.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we help women rediscover their youth with HRT treatment for women. We like to think of ourselves as an anti-aging concierge service, guiding and connecting our patients to the most qualified HRT physicians available. With customized HRT treatment plan for women, our patients experience fewer menopausal symptoms, less perimenopause & menopause depression, and often enjoy a more youth-like appearance.
Growth hormone peptides are an innovative therapy that boosts the natural human growth hormone production in a person's body. These exciting treatment options help slow down the aging process and give you a chance at restoring your youth.
Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.
Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.
Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.
Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.
One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.
When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:
Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Vernon Valley, NJ, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!
866-793-9933Take your pick: You can opt for an easy stroll on Pochuck Boardwalk, or use the boardwalk hike as a warm-up for the more demanding Stairway to Heaven hike. Both are popular attractions; go early to avoid the crowds.Pochuck Boardwalk is an elevated trail ...
Take your pick: You can opt for an easy stroll on Pochuck Boardwalk, or use the boardwalk hike as a warm-up for the more demanding Stairway to Heaven hike. Both are popular attractions; go early to avoid the crowds.
Pochuck Boardwalk is an elevated trail that zigzags for almost two miles over wetlands and through a cow pasture. Limited roadside parking is available at the trailhead on Route 517, near Vernon Valley. Keep a sharp eye out for hawks, herons and other wildlife above and around the narrow, wooden boardwalk as it passes through acres of cattails and wildflowers. At one point, you’ll cross a 110-foot suspension bridge over Pochuck Creek. Follow the boardwalk all the way to Route 94. Here, you can head back—or cross the road and continue with the Stairway to Heaven hike. You can also visit the neighboring Heaven Hill Farm (451 Route 94) for refreshments and fresh baked goods.
The 2.9-mile Stairway to Heaven hike starts across the road. There’s a small parking lot at the trailhead on Route 94. Follow the white blazes and head almost immediately uphill—a change of pace from the flat boardwalk. Here, you’ll walk through woods and climb over rocks in some sections until you reach the trail’s summit at Pinwheel Vista. You’ve gained 900 feet of elevation. Walk out on the boulders and gaze down at the trail you just climbed and at the rolling hills to the west.
Both sections of this hike are part of the Appalachian Trail, the 2,190-mile pathway from Maine to Georgia (including 72 miles in northwestern New Jersey). Don’t be surprised to encounter backpack-lugging through-hikers along the way. On the Stairway to Heaven, you need to be wary of the black bears that frequently cross the trail. Play it safe and be noisy!
Leashed dogs are welcome on both trails. The boardwalk hike can be done in under an hour, out and back. Allow about two hours to go up and down Stairway to Heaven. Avoid these hikes after heavy rains; sections of the boardwalk can sometimes be swamped, and the Stairway can get muddy and slippery.
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VERNON - Damian Kribs has a knack for finding the football.The Passaic Valley two-way playmaker seems to be in the right places, at the right times when his team needs him the most.So when the Hornets’ back was against the wall in Friday’s state-playoff opener against Vernon, Kribs made sure he was there and that his timing was on point.Kribs’ play on both sides of the ball proved to be the difference as Passaic Valley stunned Vernon in overtime, 13-7, in the NJSIAA North 2, Group 3 opene...
VERNON - Damian Kribs has a knack for finding the football.
The Passaic Valley two-way playmaker seems to be in the right places, at the right times when his team needs him the most.
So when the Hornets’ back was against the wall in Friday’s state-playoff opener against Vernon, Kribs made sure he was there and that his timing was on point.
Kribs’ play on both sides of the ball proved to be the difference as Passaic Valley stunned Vernon in overtime, 13-7, in the NJSIAA North 2, Group 3 opener at Anthony J. Macerino Stadium.
Passaic Valley, the No. 6 seed, will host No. 7 Montville next week in the sectional semifinals in Little Falls. The Mustangs upset No. 2 seed Parsippany Hills, 17-14 on Friday.
“No one on this team gave up, even when we were down by seven at the half. We stayed as a family the whole time. I needed to step up,” said Kribs, who scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime, had a key interception, and had a key stop for a loss on Vernon’s final play in overtime. “I’m a captain and a senior so when the plays came, I made them.”
Kribs played a key role in the Hornets’ defensive scheme all week of practice. Facing a Vernon team that had won eight straight games and featuring the state’s second-leading rusher, Logan Pych, stopping the Vikings’ high-powered run game was paramount. Pych, who came into the game with 1,623 yards and 17 touchdowns, still managed to break off for 201 yards, but the Hornets limited the big plays behind a locked-in defensive front.
“We were aggressive and extremely fast. We may not have the size, but we have the aggression and the speed,” defensive lineman Frank Martino said. “We knew we had to stuff him up front. It’s all about the linemen. We push the sleds all week at practice and knew we had to push. Damian [Kribs] is a stud player. He comes out when we really need it and when we’re under pressure. That’s how we role.”
Vernon (8-2) struck first when Pych connected with Franco Luna on a 1-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds remaining in the first half. Facing fourth-and-goal at the one, Pych took a handoff, pulled up at the line of scrimmage and threw a jump-pass to Luna in the middle of the end zone. It was the Vikings first-ever touchdown at home in a state playoff game.
Trailing by seven to start the second half, Passaic Valley’s defense came up big when Kribs picked off Vernon quarterback Aden Karwoski at the 50-yard line and raced down to the Vernon 13. Two plays later, Karim Elsaadany barreled in from the one-yard line to knot the score 7-7 following the point-after-attempt.
The Vikings dominated the clock in both halves and had an opportunity to take the lead with just over a minute to play in regulation, but failed to score inside the red zone. On its final drive of the fourth quarter, Vernon ran Pych 12 consecutive times, taking the ball down to the seven-yard line. But on fourth down, the Vikings ran a fake field goal attempt and opted a pass that was intercepted by defensive back Ralphie Cintron in the end zone for a touchback.
Vernon had the ball first in overtime but failed to get a first down. Kribs had a big stop on fourth down when he dropped Pych behind the line, giving his team a chance to win it.
“Watching their film, he [Pych] was able to break off a bunch of big runs all year,” Passaic Valley coach Max Wassel said. “I think we contained that enough to hold them and get off the field.”
Passaic Valley, playing in its first postseason game in five years, advances past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. The last time the Hornets won a playoff game was in 2009 when they defeated Somerville, 28-6 in the North 2, Group 3 opener. The Little Falls school eventually reached the sectional final, falling to West Morris, 28-19.
Vernon was playing in its first home playoff game in 41 years. The last time the Vikings hosted a postseason contest was 1982.
With the score knotted at seven in overtime and Vernon facing fourth-and-three at the Passaic Valley 17-yard line, Kribs took down Pych behind the line to force a turnover on downs. Seven plays later, Kribs scored on a 1-yard keeper for the win.
“He’s a gamer. When the lights are on he shows up,” Wassel said of Kribs. “He plays so hard and there’s nothing more you can ask of him.”
Kribs rushed for 64 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown.
Pych carried 42 times for 201 yards.
“The plan all week was to stop the run. That’s what we did. They still pounded the ball and kept going after it. That kid [Pych] is a heck of a runner with a great offensive line. We showed up defensively. This win is huge for our program. We have a lot of young guys on this team. For them to see this and know what it feels like to win a playoff game, that want is going to be there all year. It’s just an awesome win.” – Wassel.
“The plan is to keep winning. Some people didn’t believe we would win this game. We had players step up when it mattered. I’m happy for us. This is big for our program.” – Kribs.
VERNON — Legends, the now-shuttered former Playboy Club that hosted sold-out performances by Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr. and other big-time entertainers in its heyday, may be on the verge of a second act under terms of a proposed legal settlement with the township.Mayor Howard Burrell, who will present it to the Township Council for approval Tuesday, said the township has already received hundreds of thousands of dollars in past due property taxes and is betting the house's money the agreement ca...
VERNON — Legends, the now-shuttered former Playboy Club that hosted sold-out performances by Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr. and other big-time entertainers in its heyday, may be on the verge of a second act under terms of a proposed legal settlement with the township.
Mayor Howard Burrell, who will present it to the Township Council for approval Tuesday, said the township has already received hundreds of thousands of dollars in past due property taxes and is betting the house's money the agreement can resurrect the late Hugh Hefner's once-palatial resort from mothballs into something that can again be a revenue generator for the township.
The linchpin of the proposal is the agreement by Metairie Corp., the facility's current owner, to make good on $860,000 in delinquent property taxes due to Vernon. Of that amount, $472,000 was paid at the end of last month with the balance due by June 30, 2021, Burrell said.
Metairie would also be required to find a buyer or obtain financing for the redevelopment of the property, located at the junction of Route 94 and Route 517, by June 30 or find an auctioneer to sell it off by October.
Vernon, in turn, would forgive about $60,000 in building and fire code violations and drop its opposition to renewing the resort's cabaret liquor license, a major consideration for any investor.
"The assumption is that anyone who buys this will know what the situation is and have some plan to make it useful," Burrell said. "I can't see somebody paying a lot of money for it without a plan."
Vernon residents have heard this song before, from proposals to turn it into a convention center or satellite college campus and again two years ago when a hedge fund investor claimed to be finalizing a deal to turn it into a retirement community. All came to naught.
But with the new Legoland theme park set to open next year in Goshen, N.Y., Burrell said the time is right for Vernon and its resorts to cash in on an expected spillover of tourism and demand for hotel rooms across the region. He believes this spillover will be key to resurrecting the resort.
Built at a cost of nearly $30 million, the Great Gorge Playboy Club had eight floors and over 800 guest rooms as well as a penthouse suite famously reserved for Hefner himself when it opened in 1971. The resort had a cabaret, ballroom, 27-championship hole golf course, bowling, tennis, jacuzzis, indoor swimming pools and an Olympic-sized outdoor pool plus access to nearby skiing and riding. These amenities, coupled with its nightly entertainment and ubiquitous Playboy Bunnies, enabled the club to flourish in its first few years.
Things started to go south once the novelty wore off and hopes for the legalization of casino gambling at the hotel were dashed. In 1982, the facility was sold to the Americana hotel chain and later was resold and rebranded as Seasons.
Many of the units were subsequently converted to timeshares and condominiums. In 1998, the remaining units and building were rebranded as Legends Resort & Country Club and acquired by Hillel Meyers, a Florida-based timeshare industry executive whose Metairie Corp. remains the facility's primary owner today.
Much of the building has since been shuttered and the unused units leased to short-term tenants including a Tennessee Gas pipeline worker from out of state who was murdered at the hotel in 2008. With reports of drug dealing and vultures, bats and other vermin taking up residence in the building, Vernon took steps to have the remaining 60 or so low-income tenants evicted three years ago for health and safety reasons.
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Burrell is hopeful the removal of legal and tax encumbrances will make the former hotel more palatable to an investor. However, he acknowledged the sale could be complicated by the multiple unit owners and more than 2,200 people who bought timeshares here in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some are believed to still hold title to those units.
"All of the people who still own condos are unknown and probably unknowable to a great extent," Burrell said. "For us, the important thing is that all of the taxes and anything else that's financially due Vernon will have to come off the top, so it's going to be up to the new owner to deal with those people. He'll have to do that."
Although the township could seek to condemn the facility through eminent domain, Burrell said it would do nothing to put it back on the tax rolls. Additionally, the township doesn't want to be in the hotel business or left to shoulder the $1 million in annual carrying costs to keep its infrastructure from deteriorating, let alone the $15 million or more it may take to refurbish it.
Burrell said the settlement will be a win-win if it leads an investor to come forward and restore the facility to the tax rolls.
Eric Obernauer can also be contacted on Twitter: @EricObernNJH or by phone at 862-273-5349.
VERNON — The snow came a day early in New Jersey’s northwest.While many looked over weather reports Wednesday night, the mechanical whir of fans and compressors squeezing mist into the ice-cold air blanketed the hill behind Mountain Creek’s Red Tail Lodge.Thursday’s pending nor’easter was the impetus to put a portion of the resort’s 1,200 snow guns into action as a base for the 5 to 8 inches of expected snow, said Evan Kovach, Mountain Creek Resort’s director of sales and...
VERNON — The snow came a day early in New Jersey’s northwest.
While many looked over weather reports Wednesday night, the mechanical whir of fans and compressors squeezing mist into the ice-cold air blanketed the hill behind Mountain Creek’s Red Tail Lodge.
Thursday’s pending nor’easter was the impetus to put a portion of the resort’s 1,200 snow guns into action as a base for the 5 to 8 inches of expected snow, said Evan Kovach, Mountain Creek Resort’s director of sales and marketing.
“With weather like this there’s always opportunity to get things started sooner,” he said. “It seems mother nature is picking up where she left off last March, and we’re not complaining.”
The resort is planning a mid-December opening, but the prospect of an early storm is exciting, said Joe Hession, the president of resort operator SNOW Operating. Kovach said the business is about getting people out to enjoy sliding on snow.
A combination of below freezing temperatures and low humidity allows the snow machines to blow cold mist into the freezing air to create snow. Some of the resort’s technology, including nearly 60 new SMI fan guns, HKD high-efficiency stick guns and SGT Sledgehammer super-efficiency snow guns, allows for some of the best surfaces for skiing.
Story continues below photo gallery.
“For a beginner or intermediate skier or rider, a freshly groomed man-made surface is ideal,” Kovach said. “That said, who doesn’t love the ambiance of fresh snow falling, and making turns through natural snow?”
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Thursday’s storm was the earliest snowstorm in New Jersey since 2014, according to data compiled by the Office of the State Climatologist. Last year’s first storm was Dec. 9, when 5 inches fell on Vernon.
Despite that later start in 2017, the cold and dry conditions this time last year allowed the resort to begin making snow on Nov. 13. These consecutive mid-November starts have been the earliest for the resort in recent history, Kovach said.
“As soon as we see a window of opportunity, we jump at it," he said. "We’re glued to the weather this time of year. As we say, ‘we’re ready when mother nature says it’s time.’”
On Thursday, workers were busy setting up tables in the resort’s Red Tail Lodge. In about a month, the great hall could be packed. That possibility is mostly credited to snowmaking.
As a ski resort is northwest New Jersey, a storm dumping a foot or more of snow is possible. It happened in each of the past three winters. Still, compared to resorts out West or farther north, Kovach said Mountain Creek is not as blessed with natural snow.
This past winter, the resort received about 69 inches of snowfall. That is about 20 inches less than Burlington, Vermont received and 68 inches less than fell on Aspen, Colorado.
To compensate, the resort has been making snow for more than 50 years. It can currently pump millions of gallons of water per day into the air above its 35 trails and all 11 terrain park areas, Kovach said. The system allows the resort to not only open in mid-December but run to late March in some years.
The goal is always to open sooner and stay open longer, however, Kovach said. To that end, the resort invested more than $500,000 in snowmaking technology this past summer to create a more consistent surface. Trail erosion and other projects were also executed, as were modern technologies for guest admissions designed to get people on the hill more quickly.
“Our philosophy was to do whatever it takes to improve our ability to get open and stay open, and we’re excited to share that with our guests this winter,” Kovach said.
For more information, including data on trails, lifts and conditions, visit mountaincreek.com.
Email: [email protected]
Staff Writer, @karayorioA small but triumphant voice came through the fog that had descended the mountain.“I did it!” she yelled.A little earlier in the day, an instructor could be heard through the mist praising a different skier – “Good job, Anna!” the woman yelled. “Look at you! Look at you!”Visions of just these kinds of moments are what inspired the re-imagining of the former Hidden Valley skiing site in Vernon into the National Winter Activity Center....
Staff Writer, @karayorio
A small but triumphant voice came through the fog that had descended the mountain.
“I did it!” she yelled.
A little earlier in the day, an instructor could be heard through the mist praising a different skier – “Good job, Anna!” the woman yelled. “Look at you! Look at you!”
Visions of just these kinds of moments are what inspired the re-imagining of the former Hidden Valley skiing site in Vernon into the National Winter Activity Center.
A non-profit facility formed by the National Winter Sports Education Foundation and dedicated to an instructional and competition program for kids 6 to 17, the activity center's mission is to improve the lives of young people through winter sports, but its focus isn’t simply on the snow.
It also promotes healthy eating -- giving the kids snacks, a meal and a little nutritional education while they are there -- and attempts to instill some core values that include “persistence, respect, humor,” according to Schone Malliet, the center's CEO.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to improve the life and health of youth through winter activities,” Malliet said. “We do that with this facility, which is dedicated, by giving the opportunity to develop as young men and young women, the opportunity to compete if they want to. ... The other things you need are a healthy meal and equipment. We provide equipment, a healthy meal, instruction and mentorship.”
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The organization runs programs for instruction and competition in alpine and cross-country skiing and snowboarding. The Vernon site provided the perfect place for a dedicated facility and mountain. There are no adults weaving around the children, who are just learning. As a private center, there are no crowds of people filling the line to the ski lift.
The activity center began with a pilot program in 2015, when it had 180 kids. Last year there were 800, and this season it's pushing past 1,000.
One weekend in late January, the facility is loud and bursting with activity as kids get off their buses, then rush into the building to eat, gear up and hit the slopes. On the first floor, near the stairs down to the locker room where the equipment waited, were racks with winter coats and ski pants. For kids who can’t afford or don’t have any of their own, these are theirs to take and keep. The skiing equipment is provided as part of the cost of the program, which Malliet stresses is for children of all socioeconomic levels.
“We could take any kids from anywhere along the spectrum of skills, from any economic environment or geographic environment,” he said. “The idea is to make sure kids who wouldn’t necessarily have access, that’s who we seek out. That access is more than socioeconomic. Sometimes they don’t know.”
The activity center runs it programs for groups, partnering with youth organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA and schools, which offer the program at a cost generally much lower than it would be for a family to take a child to a public ski facility and rent equipment, get lessons and lift tickets, etc. The programs run six to nine weeks for one day on weekends or on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school.
The Wayne YMCA is one of the organizations that has sent kids the last couple of years. The majority of kids who attend the program enjoy it, according to Albana Maliqi, site supervisor for the group.
Some kids are so excited they get to the Y as early as possible to wait for the bus and rush eating so they can get out onto the mountain as soon as possible, Maliqi said.
“They really love the program,” she said, adding that when an instructor praises a student they are quick to excitedly tell their parents when they are picked up, clearly proud of their accomplishment.
Out on the mountain in a constant drizzle that day, most of the kids seem to be enjoying themselves and trying hard. The instructors keep it fun – especially for the younger and more inexperienced skiers, who spend some time warming up by walking around in hula hoops to work on balance before clicking their boots into the ski bindings (and being reminded repeatedly that it’s toe-first).
A couple of hours later, at the end of their lesson, the same group takes off their skis, walks up a small incline and makes some snow angels while their instructor points out all the positives and improvement from the day.
Samantha Walter from the Sussex County YMCA is out on the slope with that group, encouraging them as they go. Also part of the program last year, Walter has seen the children not only improve in their skiing skills, but in their attitudes toward trying and in their belief in themselves.
“It builds confidence,” she said.
The afternoon lessons end with generally happy but exhausted kids taking off their equipment and heading upstairs for a well-earned snack before boarding buses for home. Another successful day on the slopes, despite the slightly inclement weather.
Malliet intends for this to be just the beginning, the anchor of a national program.
“We hope to replicate, if not the facility, the program in other places around the country ... maybe 70 to 80 miles from an urban area with a large population of kids, whether urban, rural or suburban, who don’t have access, and to use the program to continue to make a difference.”