Should I get a different type of ski as I get older and ski less aggressively?

[slowrider]

I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once
As I ever was

 

[Tony S]

More importantly, is the OP getting significantly less fit than in his "younger" days?

If so, there maybe a need to dial back on skis that takes less effort to ski hit the gym.

Really talking to myself here.

 

[Tony S]

If @KingGrump were to ever write a "how to" book of his adventures....I would be one of the first to be in line to buy it.

As someone who has occasionally sat in the front row at the concerts, I can tell you that waiting for the glossy retrospective in Rolling Stone is probably a good idea.

 

[JCF]

This thread is Reckless ! Especially DS

 

[Sibhusky]

At only 6 days a year, I can believe that maybe you're not still improving, you're just hanging on to last year's level. The age thing would be instantly a joke even to you (as opposed to us) if you'd up that number of days this season. I learned in college to ski, but didn't really get much better for years until I turned 50. Why? Because I only skied groomers in the mid-Atlantic and the main challenge was getting down the hill without colliding with another skier. I might have put in 40 days a year, but essentially they were always the same day. It certainly cemented my reaction time, but not my technique.

I moved to ski country in my early 50's. Ramped my skiing days up by almost double. Spent lots of time actually thinking about terrain, not dodging bodies. It made a huge difference. So to me, I laugh at your "aging" at 40. Now 72. Yes, I'm no longer into some of the stupidity of my younger years, but I think of it as wisdom and not an ability drop off. If you are skiing SLOWER, you actually start to refine your skills as you are not relying on raw power to turn. You may need a DIFFERENT ski, but it doesn't mean it's a lower level ski.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Really talking to myself here.

This. Sometime in our 40s is when the realization hits, or at least it should baring raging denial, you can't get by on just your good looks and innate youthful strength and reflexes. Time to start investing time and energy in maintaining/improving, both physically and mentally.

 

[BMC]

I've skied my whole life (although usually only a half dozen or so ski days a season), and always spent most of my time on the BD and DBD slopes. I've always selected skis that were rated for an ability level of high intermediate to advanced.
View attachment 216101

As I'm getting older (Late 40's now) I find myself skiing much less on the DBD, more Blues, and slower and less aggressively than I used to ski.
Should my next pair of skis be rated somewhat lower on this scale based on my less aggressive skiing style?

At late 40’s you should be ok to keep skiing at a decent level for some time yet. I think the trick to not feeling old is, at least in most cases, to not start thinking of yourself as “old”. I’m late 50’s and while I take less risks in my skiing now, ski as well as I ever have, or better. Im not on race gear but use essentially high end recreational all mountain skis (Brahma, Enforcer etc) and love the trust I can feel underfoot on a good ski…”good” for me being stiffer and more precise.

But it’s you skiing, not me. If you do demand less of yourself while skiing it might be appropriate to use skis designed with advanced intermediates in mind, and there’s lots of choices there.

cheers!!

 

[Scruffy]

I've skied my whole life (although usually only a half dozen or so ski days a season), and always spent most of my time on the BD and DBD slopes. I've always selected skis that were rated for an ability level of high intermediate to advanced.
View attachment 216101

As I'm getting older (Late 40's now) I find myself skiing much less on the DBD, more Blues, and slower and less aggressively than I used to ski.
Should my next pair of skis be rated somewhat lower on this scale based on my less aggressive skiing style?

Or, you can realize you've probably been muscling your way down those DBD runs, and now you find it harder to do so. So, give up? No! that would be for sheep, and you're not a sheep, Dano, no sir. So what to do: double down of course. Take lessons and learn to carve a ski without effort. Learn to use the ski's energy to move from one turn into the other. Learn to use gravity with technique and ski design, and not muscles. Then buy the next level up ski, and enjoy easy skiing into your old age.

 

[Brian Finch]

Should my next pair of skis be rated somewhat lower on this scale based on my less aggressive skiing style?

I’m going to say yes. My skiing was at a solid plateau for years & then I started playing w fat skis and skis like the Kendo instead of a WC GS ski & I found that I could feel / perform the manipulation to the ski far better than I could with a top end set up,

Instead of going longer for stability, I could bend / butter / smear / pull radius again on shorter skis.

I took this into my skiing w WC SL skis and cheater / beer league carvers w excellent results.

Additional validation can this past year skiing w Marcus Caston who said…~ ‘I have access to that catalog, but I ski a Rustler & I stepped down from 188 to 180….’

^ we were skiing this

And again from making turns w Reilly McGlashan:

^ ‘his’ ski is a 175 / 16m w a 12 din all plastic demo binding so he can swap w his wife- who skis the same ; no plate

^ that’s me on his skis…

YMMV

*im ~ lil older than you

 

[Tony Storaro]

At 75 step bumps are not my friend but other than that I'm still able to do the same as always although perhaps not for as long.

Seriously-people who are physically active—outdoorsmen, skiers, hikers, cyclists, flyfishermen just age differently-both physically and mentally so to them/us numbers apply differently and doesn’t have the same meaning as for the city dwelling laymen.

 

[Castle Dave]

Seriously-people who are physically active—outdoorsmen, skiers, hikers, cyclists, flyfishermen just age differently-both physically and mentally so to them/us numbers apply differently and doesn’t have the same meaning as for the city dwelling laymen.

The reason my knees still work reasonably well is I had an office job all my life and saved my knees for skiing.

 

[cantunamunch]

Really talking to myself here.

Counter evidence - if you were, the question

Should I get a different type of ski as I get older and ski less aggressively?

would have an answer closer to this...

Cross-Country Skis

Find the Nordic skis for cross country skiing online from Gear West. Visit our site for assistance in picking out the right Nordic XC ski equipment for you.

www.gearwest.com

 

[cantunamunch]

YMMV

And then we have the evidence of a certain minty pair of 188cm Kastles

 

[Yo Momma]

@ 62 I'm happy to be slowing down and smelling the roses. 10+ yrs ago I moved to shorter, generally fatter, less camber and more rocker. Allows carving at slower speeds as my reaction times have DEF slowed over the years! ... just ask the many Vermont trees I've fallen in love w/ and literally embraced on the way down when skiing the single track mtn bike trails!!

The ski quality has improved so much and like @Philpug said, the enlarged "sweet spots" make expert level skis more approachable. My relatively short Bones (Blizzard Bonafide) can carve at 5 mph or rage at speeds I deem far to dangerous to even consider. They actually laugh at me when I try to pick up speed now and say; " I Double Dare you to come get soma dis!"

 

[cantunamunch]

They have roses? I mean I saw some wilty blooms just the other day but

 

[danobano]

Late 40's.....and you think you're old....

Female 66 yr - Rossi Hero ST Ti, 159...daily driver.

Get out and ski!

I don't think I'm old, but I am older than I when I was in my 20's. Believe me, I have every intention of continuing to ski, hopefully into my 70's or 80's. When sharing a chare lift with a senior person, I do find they are spending more time on the blues and less on the double black diamonds. Do you ski less aggressively at 66 than you did at 21? I would think this would be a common question.

 

[danobano]

Wait. Are you saying that a guy who lives in Indiana shouldn't buy a pair of 120mm waisted powder skis and take them out on the midwestern boilerplate?

I may live in Indiana, but I do get out west and ski once a year. Breckenridge and Jackson hole are 2 of my favorites. I grew up on the North East and skied Stowe, and Killington often.

 

[danobano]

Lots of us are far older than you are and aren't slowing down.
Heck I wonder what @Jack skis will have to say about your 40+ year old question.

Seriously? You're far older than 48 and you ski as fast now as you did at 25? I find that hard to believe, but if you do, more power to you. At 25 I would be on the slopes at opening, ski 50%BD and 50%DBD all day till closing. Maybe stop for an 30 min lunch. Now I ski 50% BD and 50% Blue. I may arrive on the slope 30min after opening, have an hour lunch with a beer, and may even quite before closing.

 

[danobano]

And the OP got around 6 per season.

That's way I said I only get intermediate-advanced skis. I'm definitely no expert.

 

[danobano]

At 75 step bumps are not my friend but other than that I'm still able to do the same as always although perhaps not for as long.

OK, so you get my point. You don't buy skis anymore that are well suited for steep bumps. I also used to ski bumps, but much less so now than in my 20s. That's one reason I'm considering less aggressive ski options.