Know anyone who learned to ski after 50? Be honest.

[KingGrump]

The contrast with my childhood makes it even more rewarding to be good at skiing.

You are good at skiing?

 

[Tony Storaro]

I thought sharing a success was in order.

Attaboy!

 

[mdf]

You are good at skiing?

I knew that was coming....

 

[jwtravel]

Off to Granite Peak this coming Monday and Tuesday, decent green runs for practice, a mild blue IF I’m handling greens well. Will report on progress upon return.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Off to Granite Peak this coming Monday and Tuesday, decent green runs for practice, a mild blue IF I’m handling greens well. Will report on progress upon return.

Grab some video, with your camera person holding the camera horizontal, and post in a thread of your own. I bet you'll be surprised at the amount of specific advice you'll get.

 

[jwtravel]

Wow, a month of ice skating and boots that fit properly made a boat load of difference for my skiing. Long way to go but did my first true blue run and actually enjoyed it, wasn’t in a half panic all the way down. I guess I know someone who is learning to ski after 50.

 

[Marker]

We skied the last few days with a friend that had to be the most cautious skier you've seen. She is mid-50's and physically fit (does kick boxing and other kinds of cross-training to stay fit). Previous trips she could not ski comfortably with us, but this trip was totally different. She could ski most any blue we took at a respectable speed, such that our waits at the lift were not too long. This progress happened very suddenly this season after our first day together back in December when I suggested she try taking just a hint of weight off her inside ski as she started a turn. I wish she would take our advise and take another lesson!

 

[Tony Storaro]

Wow, a month of ice skating and boots that fit properly made a boat load of difference for my skiing. Long way to go but did my first true blue run and actually enjoyed it, wasn’t in a half panic all the way down. I guess I know someone who is learning to ski after 50.

 

[cantunamunch]

Wow, a month of ice skating and boots that fit properly made a boat load of difference for my skiing. Long way to go but did my first true blue run and actually enjoyed it, wasn’t in a half panic all the way down. I guess I know someone who is learning to ski after 50.

There ya go. Well done.

Remember this breakthrough.

Pretty much everyone on this board encounters stupid-big or insurmountable problems. Most of them can be addressed through change in perspective, conditioning and gear - or combinations thereof.

It's immensely important to remember that it can be done.

 

[jwtravel]

Turns on blues, at least steepest parts, are still skid type turns where I’m really trying to lift my inside ski and bring it closer to parallel to my steering ski. My next big breakthrough will be actually gliding on edges during a turn rather than snowplow scraping. Every time I went on a shallow slope and really tried to lean over on the edges to make the turns, it was an unsettling, scary feeling. Instantly throws my balance into a tizzy. Basically, my traverses and turns are just sideways skids. I’m still waiting for that feeling that taking weight off the inside ski and “leaning on the inside edge of the outside ski” actually starts a turn. My turns only begin when I force them to. When I am “patient” starting the turn, the reward is an out of control speed. I could keep skiing like I did the last 2 days but it really wears me out quickly. I think I need many more months of ice skating and perhaps a week long ski school to learn how to actually use my edges to create a turn rather than just skidding through them, though it gets the job done. I also did okay on the blues at this place because it had LOOONNNGGG run outs at the bottom before getting back on the lift. I still probably couldn’t handle the bottom hill at Winter Park because it is such an abrupt end with not enough room for a true beginner to safely stop.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Just take a lesson.

 

[jwtravel]

Just take a lesson.

Next year, will find a place with an instructor and spend the money and commit to getting better from a purist point of view. No more group lessons - need individual attention. Meanwhile, will continue ice skating because it helped in ways I wasn’t aware it would. Balance, less fear of speed, ankle proprioception.

 

[LiquidFeet]

....When I am “patient” starting the turn, the reward is an out of control speed....

You must have experienced a moment of arc-to-arc carving there !
@Jwrags, are you taking lessons?
I think there are some misunderstandings going on.
You might benefit from a pair of eyes on what you're doing, with some real-time interventions.

Oh, I read the intervening posts and see you are already getting this advice. I second it.
A private is a good idea.
When will your season end? How many more days on snow have you got?
Every day you ski without good guidance gives you the chance to embed bad habits that will be hard to break. Why not fork over the dough now and get some one-on-one guidance?

 

[Tony Storaro]

My next big breakthrough will be actually gliding on edges during a turn rather than snowplow scraping.

Ah, that will come quite a lot later. But it WILL come for sure. Many many days ahead of you in which skidding will be your best friend.
What you trying to do is a carved turn, but for this you will need a bit more speed and to get used to the feeling of your ski pulling you into turn. This comes with time on the slopes. The fear of speed and steepness will wear off gradually as you gain more confidence.
Good, good progress, well done! Just keep at it.

 

[justaute]

If you are willing and are physically able, I think you'll be fine. I'm 51 and this is my 3rd year with season-pass. Although I grew up in Utah and have skied a few times in the past, I didn't really learn. I used to ski a day or two every 3 to 4 years -- went 10+ years without -- so not much.

After moving back to Utah in 2018, I signed up for Snowbasin's Learn-and-Earn, 3-year program and I am in my last year of it. I am now skiing mostly blacks and blues at Snowbasin and just skied Sun Valley's black/blue. Don't get me wrong, I still have a long ways to go to get to my "ideal" state, but I just want to share my experience with you. Of course, I am also fortunate in that I have a friend who's a former olympian/skier who helps me; I was also a collegiate athlete and played competitive club volleyball until I was 46. I ask a lot of questions, read a lot, and watch a lot of videos. I still suck in deep powder and moguls, but am getting better.

In short, keep at it and be safe. Have fun at it, even if frustration does set in once in a while. Folks here have been very helpful.

 

[jwtravel]

Here’s to perseverance and longer runouts at the bottom, at least some distance between the end of the slope and the catch fence. Copper and Winter Park fail that criterion, Granite Peak aces it. 8 months off season work, ice skating, and bespoke ski boots will get me closer to ability to stop suddenly vs. semi-suddenly and therefore avoid further bursa sac injury at the bottom of runs with low amount of “real estate” to stop.

 

[Blue Streak]

I am 62, and I am still learning how to ski. And to be honest, I enjoy the learning as much today as I did when I first donned skis almost 50 years ago.
There is no reason why a reasonably fit 50 year old cannot learn to ski well enough to thoroughly enjoy the experience. Furthermore, if someone is somewhat athletic and receptive to coaching, such a person can progress quite rapidly.
In fact such a person may well be better off than some of my contemporaries who were self taught decades ago on straight skis.
When I asked a friend of mine who fits into that category how he learned to ski, he told me that he "just looked around and tried to copy those who seemed to know what they were doing."
Not all lessons are created equal, but a good one certainly beats the strategy of imitating someone who looks "cool," but who has no grasp of fundamental skills.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Here’s to perseverance and longer runouts at the bottom

Perseverance beats talent every day of the week. Relentless, constant, uncompromising grind day in day out is the solution to many things in life.
Just to put your mind at ease-what you feel about the net being too close is another thing that strikes fear into the hearts of the beginners. And rightly so. Especially if it is a steep run.
But with time you will turn that into a game-see how close to the nets you can stop and how much spray coming from your tails you can slap on the faces of the onlookers (if any) on the other side of the net.
It is fun....well, at least for you it will be fun...

 

[KingGrump]

Perseverance beats talent every day of the week. Relentless, constant, uncompromising grind day in day out is the solution to many things in life.

Gee, you must be a fun guy to be around.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Gee, you must be a fun guy to be around.