 Poster: A snowHead
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@fvlover, I ski with a guy with two replaced knees and no one would know it. Good luck with the (essential) rehab!
@DrLawn, thank you, can't wait for ZT.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@boulevardier, Currently 71, will ski 5/6 weeks this season, have taken lessons at the PSB and EOSB in recent years in the hope that improved technique would lead to me to being able to keep skiing all day for longer without tiring too much. Seems to be working, had my longest day ever in January with 11,041m vertical and 66.6km distance skiied over 32 runs and 7hrs 25m without stopping.
But also had a few days just cruising with grandchildren who fortunately have not yet got better than me, no hope with my children.
I'm not some superfit superman, I don't believe in needing to be ski fit, don't run, can't run, play badminton for an hour about once a fortnight, cycle occasionally when the weather is nice, haven't seen the inside of a gym since I left school over 50 years ago, obese and with several health conditions but just love skiing.
My point is - Just enjoy yourself doing what you want to do and don't try and conform to some pre-defined model of what you think you should be like. The mountains are the best place to be (in winter) enjoy them and don't over think it.
Edit: Just remembered! Did a couple of new (to me) black runs this year. Just as well I use ski tracks otherwise I would definitely have forgotten where I've been 
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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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| JDL65 wrote: |
You should do what ever gives you pleasure. It is your live, your money and your time.
However there is no reason to ease up just because you're 60. It sounds like there is a general lack of fitness in your lives. I'm 59 this year, and for the last 3 years have cycled over 20,000 kms each year. I sometimes ride with people in their late 60s who can easily ride for 4+ hours, and will do 200 kms or more a week.
We ski from about 9.30 am through to close to 4.00 pm, typically covering 65-80 kms in a day. |
I used to ride with a guy in his early 80s who could easily crank out 200 km a day. He just never stopped riding. Instead of driving, he would cycle.
As for skiing, I'm 56 and can go bell to bell if my legs are in shape, with an hour for lunch. But honestly I prefer to start at 830-9, have an early lunch, and quit around 3 at the latest. I hate when everything gets scraped off or turns into mush piles/ice at the end of the day.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We’ve increasingly gone snowshoeing on days when the weather is poor, or the pistes are busy. We now realise how often we used to ski just because we’d bought a period pass, when a snowshoe excursion would have been much more rewarding. We rarely buy a period pass now and get at most a 3-day ticket if the weather is going to be fine. A day’s snowshoeing saves enough in skipass fees to pay for an evening out as well. [edit: we’re both 70 this year]
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 26-02-24 0:27; edited 2 times in total
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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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| Quote: |
go bell to bell if my legs are in shape, with an hour for lunch. But honestly I prefer to start at 830-9, have an early lunch, and quit around 3 at the latest. I hate when everything gets scraped off or turns into mush piles/ice at the end of the day.
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Same here. In mid-winter, I usually quit before 3. Snow surface gets less accommodating when the sun goes behind the peaks. Don’t feel like ending my ski day on a low note. The only time I will ski till last lift is in late spring, when the sun is high and the snow soft late in the day.
I will download if the option exists. I’d much rather spend my ski time high up where snow is usually better. Life is too short to ski crappy snow.
But when the snow condition is good, I can go from first chair to last without problem. On a few fabulous powder days, I’ve even skipped lunch! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@LaForet, I'm buying snowshoes next season. Already got cross country kit. I'll still buy the full pass as long as I can afford it
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i"m 64, and usually go skiing on my own, and my skiing day is hit the slopes at 10am if it is sunny, if its cloudy i check the webcams at the top of the mountain to see if its sunny up top, if not, i roll over and go back to sleep, assuming its sunny, i ski for an hour, then stop for a beer, ski for another hour, have some lunch, ski for another hour and have a beer, 3 to 4 hours skiing is enough for me, last run down is about 4pm, take those blooming ski boots off, find a cafe and have a cup of coffee, then do an hour on the computer, have a bath or shower, find a restaurant about 8pmish, go to bed at 11pm.
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@DrLawn, argh sorry to hear about the knee twist ... but glad you enjoyed your time there ...
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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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Skiers start dropping like flies after 50yo, when fat guts, clogged arteries, and arthritis kick in.
It's all over for most by 60yo.
Weight is the key.
Keep your BMI between 20-24 -- for 12 months of the year.
Most should be able to ride into their 70s.
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| JimboS wrote: |
| I thought that 60 was the new 40? |
Absolutely!
But (as a recently turned 60), I’m fitter, healthier and weigh quite a bit less than I was at 40….so full tilt skiing is my goal! Or at least it was until buggering up a leg whilst skiing in December. It’s the recovery time that seems to take longer these days 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
It's all over for most by 60yo.
Weight is the key.
Keep your BMI between 20-24 -- for 12 months of the year. |
Ok i will bite & call out this utter rubbish, who here claims to have a BMI of 20?
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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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@Jonny996, maybe an ultramarathoner, maybe a stick! At 6'2" I'd need to weigh 155, which was the case when I was 17. BMI of 24? Sure. BMI of 20? fuggeddaboudit.
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| Jonny996 wrote: |
| Ok i will bite & call out this utter rubbish, who here claims to have a BMI of 20? |
I do.
But that doesn’t mean I buy that rubbish. I just happen to be “underweight” for my height my whole life (also, I’m short, the formula is off for short people, in our “favor”).
Still, this is an example of never assume. The original statement was utter rubbish. But that doesn’t mean nobody can have a “low BMI”. I bet there’re quite a few short people here who have pretty “low BMI”, which isn’t any guarantee of good health.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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@DaveD, good for you. I'm 64 and still do MTB (no E. Max out at 1200m vertical / day) and ski on&off piste all day. Love it, and will carry on until they carry me off the hill in a box.
I could never understand friends who started to plan their retirement from the age of 45! I mean, WTF?
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've always told myself that if I can walk I can ski, OK maybe not in a way that will earn me a voice amongst the ski gods on BZK, but still well enough to have fun. So far so good at 77.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Jonny996, My BMI is 20.3.
As for age I aspire to emulate Jacques in Val D’Isere. He skies every day it’s sunny and is regularly seen skiing down Double M in a one-er. Then lunch in Rosie’s with a glass of wine. He’s 96.
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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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Some great and inspiring CV's on here!
And FWIW OH did indeed win her age-group 70+ at the Malta Half Marathon yesterday in biblical rain throughout, in 1:57 and on not too much specific running training so altitude and ski-touring must have helped!
However did come across an old Geezonaire a few days ago who I think is 79 and he thinks he'll be hanging his skis up as legs are just not working plus he get's dizzy, he's done well as he did have a stroke ten or so years ago, which is always a concern along with other nasties 
We actually have a mate out here, who we didn't think would be here, as 18 months ago diagnosed with grade 4 lung cancer, was originally thought it was Long Covid, (67) he's responding really well to treatment, and is out here for three months or so, nipping back this week to the UK for his immunotherapy treatment and to see his consultant. He tries to ski every day, and whilst getting tired he's doing so well, again inspiring!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I’m sh.t in poor viz - nascent cataracts - so I have to make a very careful choice of goggles (currently hi yellow and hi pink oakleys) and use ‘safety turns’ - often little jump turns … and that really helps
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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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@Weathercam, goodness the Geezonaire story - amazing to have overcome that adversity in the past and kept going.
If I stop skiing and mountain biking I hope I will still be walking in the mountains and felling and cutting wood…
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just because very few older people have (or aspire to) a BMI of 20, that doesn't mean that settling for being overweight is OK. My BMI just comes within Whitedold's bracket, albeit at the top end. I weigh the same as I did when I was 19, before having 3 kids, but I've shrunk, as old people do, so my BMI is now worse and I'd be happy to weigh half a stone less!
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| JDL65 wrote: |
You should do what ever gives you pleasure. It is your live, your money and your time.
However there is no reason to ease up just because you're 60. It sounds like there is a general lack of fitness in your lives. I'm 59 this year, and for the last 3 years have cycled over 20,000 kms each year. I sometimes ride with people in their late 60s who can easily ride for 4+ hours, and will do 200 kms or more a week.
We ski from about 9.30 am through to close to 4.00 pm, typically covering 65-80 kms in a day. |
I ski with a guy in his mid 70s who does all that biking thing. Just before Covid he did London-Swiss alps-Venice (with a few stops obviously!) Incredibly fit, some would say nuts, and would put most 20 year olds to shame. However, when we ski he is often out of puff and I keep telling him it's a combination of too-stiff boots and dodgy technique. Essentially, his ankle flex is non-existent and he's not stacking his skeleton, relying purely on muscular strength. So he gets exhausted quickly. I, on the other hand, mainly walk the dog (to the pub) but I was trained properly (on the finest Scottish snow/heather) at an early age and lately have also moved on to a much softer boot which definitely makes things easier, especially on these pathetically short skis now. Keeping going all day is simply not an issue if I really want to. So many of my friends have given up skiing in their 60s and 70s, and the main reason cited seems to be a fear of getting injured and the long recovery that might involve - a not unrealistic consideration. I understand that but they need to understand they aren't 35 any more and make a few adjustments. It's about selecting the right resort too - the Verbiers, St Antons and other overcrowded gnarly places of this world are no longer of interest, give me a nice unheard-of Austrian or Italian place any day. Also, skiing etiquette has fallen off a cliff recently - too many nutters out there and the potential of being hit by a 100kg missile in your 70s is of genuine concern.
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Ah yes re being hit.
Back protectors pretty damn important
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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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If this generation of 60-70 year olds is retiring from the sport, I dread to think how the millennials and GenX will cope.
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| valais2 wrote: |
Ah yes re being hit.
Back protectors pretty damn important |
Better not to be hit at all. Weaker bones, easier breaks, longer recovery, other complications - a bad break will reduce the life expectancy of someone in their 70s. Just a sad fact.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I’m genuinely surprised to see the stated ages here. For the folk in your 70’s you come across as so young across other threads including pile-ons and rows. Still great and combative minds 
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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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@Snow&skifan, but I can't remember what I had for breakfast.
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@Avabrunch,
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You know it makes sense.
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While I think of it, one other thing oldies need to think about is altitude. Everyone says 'go high' these days but exerting yourself at altitude in your 60s-70s isn't advised.
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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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| Avabrunch wrote: |
| JDL65 wrote: |
You should do what ever gives you pleasure. It is your live, your money and your time.
However there is no reason to ease up just because you're 60. It sounds like there is a general lack of fitness in your lives. I'm 59 this year, and for the last 3 years have cycled over 20,000 kms each year. I sometimes ride with people in their late 60s who can easily ride for 4+ hours, and will do 200 kms or more a week.
We ski from about 9.30 am through to close to 4.00 pm, typically covering 65-80 kms in a day. |
I ski with a guy in his mid 70s who does all that biking thing. Just before Covid he did London-Swiss alps-Venice (with a few stops obviously!) Incredibly fit, some would say nuts, and would put most 20 year olds to shame. However, when we ski he is often out of puff and I keep telling him it's a combination of too-stiff boots and dodgy technique. Essentially, his ankle flex is non-existent and he's not stacking his skeleton, relying purely on muscular strength. So he gets exhausted quickly. I, on the other hand, mainly walk the dog (to the pub) but I was trained properly (on the finest Scottish snow/heather) at an early age and lately have also moved on to a much softer boot which definitely makes things easier, especially on these pathetically short skis now. Keeping going all day is simply not an issue if I really want to. So many of my friends have given up skiing in their 60s and 70s, and the main reason cited seems to be a fear of getting injured and the long recovery that might involve - a not unrealistic consideration. I understand that but they need to understand they aren't 35 any more and make a few adjustments. It's about selecting the right resort too - the Verbiers, St Antons and other overcrowded gnarly places of this world are no longer of interest, give me a nice unheard-of Austrian or Italian place any day. Also, skiing etiquette has fallen off a cliff recently - too many nutters out there and the potential of being hit by a 100kg missile in your 70s is of genuine concern. |
Exactly
i really do not understand why people over 60 or 65, want to go for skiing in the high season
In Austria there were some accidents , and one of them a 86 y old skier didnt manage to recover and died after 15 days in Hospital
Why the hell a 86 wants to go for skiing mid Februar?
I have to go because of the kids.
Before the kids our main ski holidays were from 01 till 20 December and then usually around end of March
In the high saison usually with cross country skiing in Seefeld etc or in some small skiresorts away from the crowd
Why the people without kids still go in the skiholidays?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Avabrunch wrote: |
| ..... exerting yourself at altitude in your 60s-70s isn't advised. |
Says who?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I don't think that European alpine resorts are particularly high altitude.
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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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@DJL, indeed … what research behind this? New to me ….
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| valais2 wrote: |
| @DJL, indeed … what research behind this? New to me …. |
+1
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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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| turms2 wrote: |
Exactly
i really do not understand why people over 60 or 65, want to go for skiing in the high season
In Austria there were some accidents , and one of them a 86 y old skier didnt manage to recover and died after 15 days in Hospital
Why the hell a 86 wants to go for skiing mid Februar?
I
Why the people without kids still go in the skiholidays? |
There are maybe worse ways of going age 86.
But lots of reasons to go skiing ,he was quite possibly on holiday with grandchildren/ great grandchildren, he maybe always went at that time of year and enjoyed the conditions.
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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'm 65, 4-5 weeks per year, 9-9.30 start (after large preferably English breakfast), finish when the lifts do, might stop for a short drink or lunch, twice in a day. no problems at all (lucky me). ski whole mountain, bumps and off piste where available, if you ski at a reasonable pace more than half the day is spent sitting on lifts!
I don't do gym or training and I like the odd drink!
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| DJL wrote: |
| Avabrunch wrote: |
| ..... exerting yourself at altitude in your 60s-70s isn't advised. |
Says who? |
Well I said so having discussed this very issue with a cardiac specialist. I assume he knows what he's talking about.
Seems rather obvious to me. The cohort we are discussing are much more likely to have pre-existing or underlying cardiac issues. Just a fact. Going to altitude is likely to exacerbate such problems for reasons that I would have thought were obvious. Exercising at altitude more so.
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@Avabrunch,
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Going to altitude is likely to exacerbate such problems
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Not necessarily. My consultant cardiologist, cardiac surgeon (and anaesthetist whom I persuaded to take up skiing and who is now hooked) are all delighted that I'm skiing after two lots of open heart surgery. I skied Marmolada, at more than 3,000m the other week: no problem, though I was careful to acclimatise a bit in the the three stage lift station before I started skiing (there's a museum and a café in which to dawdle, as well as a viewing platform for the incredible views) and took the top set of stairs slowly.
I don't sleep well at altitude eg in Val Thorens, but then I never have.
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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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Skiing is not particularly intense exercise and the reduction in oxygen at most altitudes that you ski at in Europe is not large.
I'm a little sceptical that as a general measure it makes sense though it may be in a few individual cases.
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@T Bar,
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may be in a few individual cases.
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Agreed eg significant heart failure.
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FAQ
