 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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alicia, what do you mean by 'pushing on'? I intend to ski for as long as I can walk.
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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 skied with an 80 year old lady who had had a hip replacement operation ! Thats true, albeit a bit tentatively...... She and about four other ladies all over 70 have been skiing for over 50 years and they ski off piste. They used to hire two guides who,when they hear/see who they have, take a very reluctant approach. Next day however they are both there early, looking forward to the day ! Ive also skied with a man of 75 who was like a mountain goat. We hiked Highlands bowl, and he even offered to carry my brothers skis !! Where was his missus....happily skiing with the best looking ski instructor she could find ! she was 78 and loving it !
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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alicia, I'm near 60 and I don't see any point in slowing down . . . ever! Gonna go back to my board this season and play in the park at VT . . . they've a big air-bag so's I can explore some of the more stupid ideas I've bouncing between my ears. 
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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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When my kids were younger they enjoyed ski lessons at Cardiff dry ski slope. One of the instructors there, although very spritely, definitely looked a little older than the others; I was astonished, though, when he started to tell me about the skiing holiday he'd taken several years earlier to celebrate his 80th birthday.
If you can still ski well enough to teach kids in your mid 80s, you're doing well. He's become my role model for the very distant future!
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I've skied with an 84 year old man, who took up skiing in his 50s I think, and he was a superb skier, on piste and off. He also suffered badly from osteo-arthritis, but determinedly kept that at bay with almost daily gym workouts and shedloads of painkillers. An amazing chap. What drove him was his love of skiing, pure and simple.
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The oldest I know personally is Frank - he is still racing in his mid eighties... He complained that the Masters races only had a 70+ category... and they made an 80+ which was him and another guy...
Google Frank Prihoda and you may find him - his sister was Sacha and raced for Czech in years long gone.... Frank raced for Australia after they resettled... Sadly Sacha stopped skiing after an encounter with an out of control goon that left her injured...(too common that story)
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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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I know an 89 year old who skis every year
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I bloody hope not. What else is one supposed to do once becoming semi retired? I'm not keen on the idea of either knitting or bingo. I intend to keep skiing and motorcycling as long as my body will allow.
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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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Is cross country skiing a possibility for old age or is it still physically gruelling?
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You know it makes sense.
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I give away lotd of old crocks tickets to the over 72s each season. Mainly in March after the kids have gone and the weather has warmed up. 
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Is cross country skiing a possibility for old age or is it still physically gruelling?
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Alpine (moderate, on piste) is much easier, technically and in terms of physical exertion. I fell more often, and harder, doing XC, too.
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I don't see any point in slowing down . . . ever
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well I do - you do have to treat your body a bit differently. Recovery times are longer and joints do get worn. If you don't slow down a bit you might not still be able to ski when you're 90.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We bought a book about a remarkable man named Ulrich Inderbinen in the Zermatt museum.
He was the oldest active mountain guide at 95 years old, and was 90 when he last climbed the Matterhorn!
He stopped guiding at 97.
There is hope for all of us..
Google Ulrich Inderbinnen for info on his amazing life.
The book is called Ulrich Inderbinnen, and written by Heidi Lanz and Liliane de Meester.
He tells the story of while he was still guiding at 92 and carrying his clients skis as well as his own to the Matterhorn cable car,
someone asked him why he was carrying two pairs of skis? He replied that the other pair is for his father who was just behind him. 
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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 just a youngster with a bus pass. We could do with a list of resorts where the senior discount kicks in, some resorts are mean and you need to be 80 to be a senior ! Others kick in the early 60's. My mate (72) has got the Rocky Mountain Super Season Pass for $219 which was a super deal for him, giving him more money to womanise on his Caribbean cruise.  Great if your health holds out but I think skiing helps keep you young.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Realistically it depends on your luck in th egenetic draw, how you have treated your body down the years and how determined you are.
I have skied with good skiers in their 80's equally I have seen people who have looked after themselves and continue to exercise regularly suddenly go downhill (pun unintended) in their 80's, a family friend able to play 36 holes of golf a couple of years ago now housebound.
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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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A couple of seasons ago I was catching one more lift up for a last run, in fading light, when just as the chair arrived so did a pair of skis beside me. They were the longest, fattest skis I've ever seen and stuck out at least a foot in front of mine (I had 176's). Attached to them was a little old lady about 5' tall and 80+. Dressed in an overcoat and hand knitted hat (imagine your great-grandmother going shopping in winter), nothing ski specific. Then halfway up the lift she started fumbling in her pocket and out came a tin and from that a JOINT! At the top she turned and dissapeared down under the lift and when i got to the edge to look she was zipping off between the trees.
So no there's no age limit... just ability limit.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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T Bar, I am relying on the genetics so hope they work... Dad is still playing tennis every week at 79 & 1/2 ... his mum played well into her 70's... Mum is close behind and pretty healthy although not playing sport she can drag dead tree branches around for him after storms and they have only just stopped camping trips(she is demanding hotels now at 77)... Her Mum lived to 97 and despite a walking problem due to an injury(severed nerve) was healthy and fit up to 96... Dad plays tennis with his younger brother amongst others. Brother is about 71.
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I skied with an 80 year old lady who had had a hip replacement operation
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One of the other guests in the chalet in Les Gets had had 3 hip operations and was still skiing. One on each side and 1 was redone under warranty. Could ski all day to 4pm, and only then did he need to stop for a vin chaud while everyone else was trying to decide between vin chaud now, or keep lapping the last lift and home run until you get kicked off the mountain.
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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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In this month's snow & board there's an article about Peter Lunn who is still skiing at 95. I'd like to think I can keep going till then too.
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little tiger,
Sounds like the genetic odds are tilted in your favour, I'm sure you will sort out the rest. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My grandfather skied until 88 years old, only gave up as "it seems to be pushing my luck"! Still active now at 92. Hopefully I've got his genes.........
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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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During my final season (over 15 years ago *sob*) the oldest client we had was in his mid-70s. According to his ESF instructor he was the best British holidaymaker he'd seen. I only caught a glimpse of him skiing but from what I saw he had a very neat, precise style - probably not as speedy as he'd been 50 years earlier but looking pretty good (and still trying to improve). He's been something of an inspiration to me ever since.
lizski wow!
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What a great thread!!
At 40+ I am starting to get aches etc. that weren't there 5 years ago, but I think having read the above I am not going to worry about starting to ski later in the game - it sounds like I could have few more years left in me yet. By the sounds of it I don't think alicia, needs to worry!
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You know it makes sense.
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My Godfather (who recently died...I will always remember you, what a character) was retired from skiing at the age of 85 by a liftie in Meribel.
They had been going there for decades and were well known by many locals.
Uncle Arthur was struggeling to get on the chairlift. The liftie took his skis and invited him into his hut for a sharpener while he got his equilibrium back.
"I think Arthur, for you the skiing is finished now" and at that moment I think Uncle Arthur bowed to the inevitable.
Well that was nearly ten years ago and after that he had to be more focussed on his grandchildren and family holidays in cornwall where he continued to enjoy bodyboarding in the surf for another few years.
He is my role model.
As I approach my 50th (wife's tomorrow!) I can see that the absolute key to skiing in old age is good technique. When you are younger you can muscle your way down the mountain, pulling your body back from dodgy positions and compensating for bad technique.
For good skiers with good technique the activity of skiing is almost effortless unless they are pushing hard.
Though I hope I will be shredding-the-gnar (!) in old age I won't be too gutted if I am just pottering down the reds....but to do either I will need good (really good) technique.
PS My Grandfather didn't even learn to ski until he was 67 and that was in the late 1940s on old leather boots, wooden skis and cable bindings!
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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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Peter Lunn now 96 is still skiing in Murren. An inspiration for us all.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| pam w wrote: |
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Is cross country skiing a possibility for old age or is it still physically gruelling?
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Alpine (moderate, on piste) is much easier, technically and in terms of physical exertion. I fell more often, and harder, doing XC, too. |
IMV alpine skiing puts much more pressure on your joints than XC. i went touring with some old geezers (65-75 year-olds) a few years ago and their plan was to switch to nordic touring once the downhill got a bit too much for their joints. you don't have to go fast when XC skiing - you see little old ladies in their fur coats doing it, just as you see lycra'd up fitness freaks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Many years ago on a US trip with the SCGB we had a 90 year old on the trip and he was as fit as a flea. The Reps did, however, have to talk him out of a heli-skiing trip he wanted to go on.
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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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Arno, I've got a cycling friend who goes to Norway every year to ski cross-country. He's been going for years and is in his sixties. When anybody asks him if he's any good, he says "Yes, Ive improved a lot... The granies with thier shopping bags, only come past doing about twice my speed now"
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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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the absolute key to skiing in old age is good technique
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Too true, and having seen two elderly Austrian ladies out skiing in their "Sunday best" church coats, many years ago, I resolved to get good enough to emulate them - very efficient, quiet, unshowy, skiing.
We have a major cross-country area in Les Saisies - one of the best in France. We do get a lot of elderly cross country skiers but they have super technique, they are fit, and they are super sleek. Because they are good technically they don't fall over (unlike me) when they are going downhill (the most difficult bit) and they get uphill using far less energy, both because they are skilful and because they are built like racing spiders. You don't see fat old cross country skiers and you don't (often) see elderly skiers who are anything other than good at it.
So - more lessons coming up!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Death is nature's way of telling us to stop skiing.
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My intructor in Romania a few years ago was in his 70s. he had twin 18 yr old sons and taught tennis in the summer.
I'm going to go on as long as my body lets me, even if it's just pootling along the easy blues.
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I've got a good book about skiing written by Peter Lunn - my mother-in-law found it in a charity shop. It's exceptionally well written, and generally good.
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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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| snowball wrote: |
| Death is nature's way of telling us to stop skiing. |
Amen
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this is a really great thread.
The skier who has inspired me is Professor Ed- I met him and his grandson with SCGB repped groups in Val D'Isere. Ed was in his mid 80s, his grandson n his mid 20s and in the Army. Ed was a retired Maths Professor, what a skier, down the unpisted blacks with aplomb- leaving his grandson in a sweaty mess, letching at pretty girls in the gondolas and generally being a role model! His wife had been skiing too till a year or so previously when she had fallen and broken her hip. His biggest problem was that he'd booked a skiing holiday to clash with their 50th (or60th I forget) wedding anniversary. I am sure that he had been a really superb skier in his time- long skis, leather boots, cable bindings- couloirs- wow.
I guess the points of the thread are; luck/genetics, fitness and what you have done to your body, technique.
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FAQ
in another few years 
