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

Bolder

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Dec 1, 2017
Posts
486
No reason you shouldn't be able to enjoy skiing even starting late in life.
On the other hand, i never met anyone who started after 20 and is a very good skier.

Hmmm...my initial reaction was that you've got to be wrong about this...but then I thought about surfing, which I learned in my early teens, and how many people I knew who took it up later in life and how good they were. And I think you might be mostly right. There's just something about how easily and deeply you learn movement patterns when you're young.

I guess it depends on your definition of "very good." I'd say a very good skier can ski the whole mountain plus out of bounds while being in control and with fluidity. So surely there are many, many people who started skiiing later who meet these criteria. But if your definition is "near-sponsored free skier or college-level racer," then I think you're probably right...
 

Don'tfit

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Nov 22, 2017
Posts
76
Get on craigslist and buy yourself a used SkiersEdge then set it on a soft setting and Use it. Find your center of balance, learn the feeling. It will take you a while I'm sure to get comfortable but you will shortcut a lot of wasted time on the snow.
 

SkiSVLikeAgassi

100% proud ski and tennis bum
Skier
Joined
Oct 22, 2020
Posts
162
Location
Sun Valley, Idaho
Hmmm...my initial reaction was that you've got to be wrong about this...but then I thought about surfing, which I learned in my early teens, and how many people I knew who took it up later in life and how good they were. And I think you might be mostly right. There's just something about how easily and deeply you learn movement patterns when you're young.

Well, right off the bat, the fear of falling hard at 50 is thirty orders of magnitude higher
than the fear of falling hard in your teens, and if you're not falling... ogsmile

Your learning curve in your 50s is obviously a whole lot flatter than it is in your teens.
But I don't think age, ultimately, is an impediment to becoming a great skier. Time is.
Becoming a good/great skier requires a LOT of commitment, hard work, effort, good guidance and dedication.
Some measure of talent, of course, and arguably, gobs of money if you take it up in your 50s.
That's it really.

I haven't met too many middle-aged men or women that can afford themselves the luxury
of full commitment and unlimited time on the slopes. Life for most gets in the way of that.
The older you get, the more time you need to throw at it, but the less time you realistically have.
Therein lies the conundrum. Not a winning formula...
So, to me, it all boils down to commitment and time (and its affordability).
If you start skiing in your 50s and have both of these things in spades, you can be a great skier.

Urgh, I wish I could still surf five hours/day everyday like I used to back in the day... :ogbiggrin:
 

Bolder

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Dec 1, 2017
Posts
486
Well, right off the bat, the fear of falling hard at 50 is thirty orders of magnitude higher
than the fear of falling hard in your teens, and if you're not falling... ogsmile

Your learning curve in your 50s is obviously a whole lot flatter than it is in your teens.
But I don't think age, ultimately, is an impediment to becoming a great skier. Time is.
Becoming a good/great skier requires a LOT of commitment, hard work, effort, good guidance and dedication.
Some measure of talent, of course, and arguably, gobs of money if you take it up in your 50s.
That's it really.

I haven't met too many middle-aged men or women that can afford themselves the luxury
of full commitment and unlimited time on the slopes. Life for most gets in the way of that.
The older you get, the more time you need to throw at it, but the less time you realistically have.
Therein lies the conundrum. Not a winning formula...
So, to me, it all boils down to commitment and time (and its affordability).
If you start skiing in your 50s and have both of these things in spades, you can be a great skier.

Urgh, I wish I could still surf five hours/day everyday like I used to back in the day... :ogbiggrin:
Oh yeah, definitely. But there are also issues around flexibilité and recovering from bumps and bruises. And fear of falling is a real impediment if you're older, so time is just one factor in why it's so hard to master skiing or surfing in your 50s.
 

Blue Streak

I like snow.
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
3,266
Location
Edwards, Colorado
Get on craigslist and buy yourself a used SkiersEdge then set it on a soft setting and Use it. Find your center of balance, learn the feeling. It will take you a while I'm sure to get comfortable but you will shortcut a lot of wasted time on the snow.
What is this “wasted time on the snow” of which you speak?
 

DanoT

RVer-Skier
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
4,788
Location
Sun Peaks B.C. in winter, Victoria B.C. in summer
Those of you who have never stood at the top of a run and had doubts, raise your hands.

The only way to overcome doubts is to face them.
No, never had any doubts whatsoever....that I could side slip or traverse my way out. Well practiced at survival skiing, I am. :ogbiggrin:
 

Bluenose

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Posts
32
Location
Ottawa ON Canada
Congratulations!

In one year you have gone from wondering if you were wasting your time to skiing blues. Slow is not important, but consistent turns are.

Keep taking lessons, practice what you learned (do the drills) and then ski freely and just enjoy what you are doing. I started skiing 7 years ago at age 54 and can assure you that you will get better and as you get better, it becomes even more enjoyable.
 

late4gates

Pride comes before a fall.
Skier
Joined
May 3, 2021
Posts
58
Location
ID
I started at 62. Fortunately I was physically fit. I was doubtful that I could progress much given my age, but I’ve had huge success this year (by my standards anyway) thanks to Tom Gellie and some advice from this forum.

The keys for me were 1. good quality instruction, 2. willingness to drill, drill, drill and 3. moving to stiff, predictable skis (thank you SkiTalk).

The last is probably underrated. Moving to near race construction skis changed everything. Before that every turn was an adventure. Afterwards I got exactly what I asked for (for better or worse). It just massively increases your ability to self diagnose.
 

Coach13

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Posts
2,091
Location
No. VA
If you can swing it, a private lesson can lead to breakthroughs sometimes. The 1-on-1 attention and discussion can really help, even in just an hour, IMO. Sometimes small changes can make things "click". Is there any place near you that does hourly privates? (Versus a half or full day)

EDIT: Looks like Ski Cooper has $149 2 hour private lessons, which seems like a great deal to me. If you can go there, I'd call the ski school desk, explain your situation, and see if they can hook you up with an instructor who would be a good fit.
Ski Cooper has a great ski school.
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,451
Update: skied some blue runs at Copper and WP this year - slow but consistent turns
Nice!
Opens up a lot of the world. You can travel in the mountains on skis. Like this, a long path down to the middle right where you take a lift back up. Chances to absorb the scenery.
E6752738-46BD-48EA-AAE1-08BAB69832F2.jpeg


If you are fundamentally sound, even ungroomed powder up to say a foot is quite doable. If not, one can buy or rent fat skis.
That opens up things like this-

D03756D7-817D-4D4A-BD55-74DA7AF7F3BF.jpeg


Both are from 4 Vallées in Switzerland. Second is the route itinéraire L’Eteygeon
 

Olderguy

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Mar 14, 2022
Posts
3
Location
Ontario, Canada
I enjoy the “after the fact” feeling that I’ve improved. I’m usually frightened every trip down the hill but then make a beeline for the lift to go right back up. It’s the “weight on outside ski/lightening the inside ski/parallel turn thing where I’m getting nowhere. Maybe 9 total days of skiing with 4 group lessons isn’t enough yet? Until I figure out the parallel, I am stuck on the low slope greens. Not sure I find that acceptable.
I started skiing at 53 and now 63. I am in pretty good physical condition as a gym goer for the last 25 years.

I learned by myself and watching youtubes. I would go out about 4 or 5 times per week. I bought good gear and professionally fitted boots.

All things being equal, I found that I really started to ski after I let go of the fear and fighting the mountain. In my experience that was the turning point. Previous to that I would be trying to stop myself from going down as much as trying to go down creating tension. Once I let go of the fear and kept learning technique my skiing really took off. I still go several times per week and just love cruising down a hill and feeling the rush.
 

Tom K.

Skier Ordinaire
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Dec 20, 2015
Posts
8,402
@jwtravel, now that you've done it, I'll say yes you can! :ogbiggrin:

Time on skis and some private lessons will keep you enjoying what I call the ride up the curve.
 

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