 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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too old is DEAD. skiing is for life
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Interesting guy...
On a practical note - how old is too old? Have been thinking about a family holiday which includes taking my mum - a spring chicken at 58. She's very active and cycles nearly every day. She has never been to snowy mountains - but loves being outdoors,so we assumed that we'd pick a resort with an interesting town - and at best mum could go walking/snowshoeing. Would it be too much to try to encourage her to have a go at skiing - am not thinking of day in/day out ski school - but maybe an afternoon or two on green slopes?
We're tempted to see if we could hire the gear for an afternoon - and try out the free nursery lifts, and then if it works - get an instructor organised
Anyone got any experience of doing something similar?
p.s. mum's attitude is - 'if i was a bit younger - you don't learn skiing at my age.' Don't think she'd have any problem with the physical side of it - just needs convincing that you can have a go at her age and that maybe other people do it also...
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mountain mad,
I went skiing for the first time before Xmas. I will be 51 before this season ends. I have become totally addicted. I would say she has ABSOLUTELY nothing to worry about if , as you intimate , she is as fit as that. I am not as fit as I once was . I also have to ski with a Knee 'brace' and a knee support ((my excuse for not skiing before this year)
I only wish I had 'tried' before , just trying to to pack it all in now!
However I would suggest ski school ( I did private lessons 1 on 2) for a couple of hours per day. I don't know why but I had a mortal fear for the first 3 days , might have had something to do with age .. but then my progress, and confidence, really took off. In any case what chance do you have of teaching her? It will be your fault or patronisation from the first minute. No.. throw her out and tell her to get on with it. She will either love it or pack it in...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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My son has taught a lady of 74 to snowboard so your mum is a youngster by comparison. We had a guest in the in the chalet last week who'd retired and never skied before, he loved it, wants to come back later in the season for more, so be careful your mum could get hooked.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I am always interested in this subject as the wife and I took up skiing after we were over 50. That was 5 to 6 years ago.
She goes wherever I go. We have done black slopes in 8 countries so far. Usually skiing one resort a day. Not really any good at it, need a lot of rest always but we could enjoy the mountains same as everybody.
Also both of us have never met a skiing instructor. Willing to pay for one but afraid the legs or knees wouldn't go along as instructed. Did it by reading, watched a few videos and keeping an eye on how others skied.
We also have never booked a skiing packaged holiday. Always arrange it ourselves and drive to wherever we wish to go.
Just an example to show an over-50 couple dealing with skiing.
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I used to go with a ski club (Standish Ski Club, of anyone's heard of it) - one of the reasons I no longer go with them was the organiser's habit of handing out free places to his family and mates rather than sharing the discount - but anyway one year he took his dad - he learnt to ski well into his sixties and continued toi ski until having a triple bypass in his late seventies, if I have the story right
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Russell, "skiing is for life" - don't you have one too many three letter words in there?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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After our latest pay award at work I have worked out I will be 136 before I hit the max of my current payscale - thats too old !!!!
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In andorra last year there was a couple learning to ski for the first time - both were over 70. They had sat down and made a list of things they wanted to do before they died and skiing was on that list - fantastic.
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You know it makes sense.
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Anyone else seen the vid/DVD(might be a Warren Miller)that features a woman who moved to a mountain region,in the States,to be near her grandchildren.Seemingly,in no time,she took up skiing as it was on her doorstep.The vid features her doing some very steep and deep in full on extreme style.She was 60 when she moved!!!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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My wife is 55 and Iam 57 started in our fourties and go 3 times a year and still going strong.Its never too late you are as young as you feel. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Fantastic guys - thanks for the responses - will print them out and show them to my mum!
Hopefully that will give her the confidence to want to have a go - and also when she's out there - she may see the appeal (always difficult to describe to non-skiers how fantastic it is in a mountain resort).
I guess a private lesson from the start might be the way to go...
I'm just conscious of not 'pushing' her into doing it - will suggest it and if the idea takes off then it could be great (although it does scupper the idea of having 'grandma' to look after the kids while they're too young to ski themselves!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mountain Mad, assure her she is nowhere near too old. A few years ago in Mottaret in the same chalet as us there was a woman of 68. She started skiing at 64 after years of wanting to but didn’t because her husband didn’t like the idea. She loved it. She had lessons every week on a dryslope before venturing into the mountains. She skied blues and the odd red and was often one of the last back in the afternoon even though she needed a nice hot soak in the bath afterwards. She had the respect of everyone there and deservedly so.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I shall smash up the shower and switch to the hot bath to earn more respect then.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I will print this out too, we are going in 3 wks time and taking the (60 last week) mother in law with us, she says she is going for the scenery, atmosphere and to experience a snowy winter holiday. We say stuff that, you are coming to the top with us and having private lessons. Never too old to learn (i was a whippersnapping 32).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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At Christmas, we had a familyholiday in Wengen and my Mother- in-Law was included. She didn't ski- she is 80 and has MS(although still mobile)
She came up to Manlichen or Kleine Sheidig with us every day, walked around, (with crampons and hiking sticks), had coffee, chatted to people and generally enjoyed herself.She enjoyed the Apres Ski as well!! Age is not a barrier to enjoying the mountains.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I took my mother away for her to learn to ski for her 60th birthday present, 10 years on she is still going strong, and five years ago my dad decided to get in on the act and learnt too. Never too old, all about attitude.
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We have an 80 year old woman instructor at our resort. She still teaches almost full time; she's Level II PSIA certified in alpine, boarding, and I think adaptive as well. She's a black belt and apparently still travels around giving martial arts demos.
Two days ago, I came down one of the steeper trails on our mountain. The snow was thick, grabby glop, heavily tracked up by the passage of many skiers over the warm previous days. Probably because of the conditions, there was no one on the trail but me ... or so I thought.
About half way down, I decide to pause and enjoy the unusual quiet and emptiness of the mountain. When I look way back up the trail, I spot another instructor's uniform, with the person skiing the cut up glop like it was the nicest groomed snow in existence - absolutely grace personified. I wait, and when the other instructor gets within a few hundred feet of me I realize that it is 80 y.o. Fran, just out relaxin'. We ski down together, join a couple more instructors and the conversation slips between sex education in the 1930's and early ski design, with Fran leading the discussion in both areas. This is one amazing lady!
Tom / PM
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