 Poster: A snowHead
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to do a (first) season? I've a medium term aspirational plan to take early retirement in 3 years time (when I'll be 56) and do a season somewhere in the Alps. No work would be involved (I'm too old to clean loos), it would be just pleasure. One or two dependencies on this though.
Any thoughts or experience?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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When your coffin is going through the curtains, THEN your'e too old!
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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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what tangowaggon, said!
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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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| davkt wrote: |
| what tangowaggon, said! |
Agreed. Plan to do a couple once the kids leave home 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Colin B,
If you check out the F.I.S. site in the Masters section and fiddle about you will see the sheer hundreds of ladies/men that race competatively at 60/70/80 and even 91 yrs of age - saw a clip on utube of the gent who is Masters world champ in the 90 - 95 yrs category and I'd say he'd ski the ar$e of most wannabee racers.
You're only a spring chicken - go for it ,I'm sure lots of us are green with envy-enjoy !!!!
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Not so much an age issue for me, but do you really want to spend an entire season in resort? I get a bit stir crazy if I spend a long time in resort as it's too artificial an environment for me. Need to get back to 'normality' from time to time.
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rob@rar, absolutely. I couldn't wait to get back after a season in Verbier and I was young then.
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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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Colin B, do it, perfect way to start the next chapter by living the dream for a while. You may find you never want to return! Enjoy
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rob@rar, Pedantica, Quite possibly true, but Colin B ought to go and find out firsthand. Otherwise he'll be sitting dribbling in a nursing home and wondering 'what if....'.
Colin B, My vote is go for it. Age has sod all to do with anything, you've only got one life - live it. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Schuss in Boots,
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find out firsthand. Otherwise he'll be sitting dribbling in a nursing home and wondering 'what if....'.
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Fair point.
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Age has sod all to do with anything, you've only got one life - live it.
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That's certainly true.
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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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Colin B, Free ski passes in most of France =/+75 ans 
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Sitting in a restraurant in Les Arcs one Christmas when the owner asked if we would mind having another customer sitting with us. The English gentleman was over 80, could barely walk, but he rented an apartment in the Alps every winter on his own and had a season skiing and chatting to strangers in restraurants. You are never tooo old
John
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You know it makes sense.
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rob@rar, I agree, at least some of the time it was like a bubble/unreal world for me, everyones on holiday, the skiing is great but the rest, its not real/normal life. When it gets foggy for days on end, which happens sometimes, the bubble gets really small too !!
I think the perfect arrangment would be to relocate to a city very close to the mountains. There are quite a few of these and you can take your pick. Zurich would be mine.
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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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Colin B, Take up gates to be fit and prepare
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Poster: A snowHead
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Lots of retired ski bums in every ski town in the world. Some of them irritatingly putting kids to shame with their early chairs and ski every day attitude. Retirement at 56 is an aspiration not many of those behind you will get to achieve so don't gloat too hard when you're talking to regular younger punters.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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One of my occasional ski partners in Colorado took early retirement in his late 50s and moved from Florida to Summit County full time.
He's loving it from what I can tell- has participated in the Masters Race program, which is a good way to meet people and goes to the gym/rec center most days off season (and some in season) skiing 100+ days a year- we have a long season at A-Basin, so he starts in October and doesn't put the skis away until June (except 1.5 years ago when he shut his season down in April to have a hip he had injured years ago at work replaced).
I don't think he would go back to Florida at all except for family reasons (once or twice a year) as quite a few of his friends come to CO to ski, so he catches up with them there (and/or they stay with 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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Colin B, ...my plan was retirement at 52 and then skiing, climbing and mountain-biking would be the focus of my life rather than academic work - BUT - along came kids late in life - and that scuppered that, but of course having a great family outweighs the loss - but the upshot of that is indeed GO FOR IT!!!! I would jump at it. There is one proviso. You have to look good. Personally I favour a (now white) goatee - very distinguished. Must wear guide-oriented clothing, which means Arcteryx, Patagonia or such. It can be ratty of course, must it must be top quality and slimming. Usually black, but go for a bright coloured helmet which resonates with 'I do a lot of off-piste, me...'.
So there we have it. Go for it. Develop as many friends and local networks as you can from as early as possible. Choose your location carefully. Never forget the semiotics of dress code. You can be old, but you can be cool.
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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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You will NEVER be to old,, Im 50 and will have a full season again in a couple of year , when Im still able to ski hard 
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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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Definitely not. My loose-pie-in-the-sky long term plan is to pay off my mortgage and sell up and move to the Alps for a few years. This plan is at least ten years away (i.e. the remaining term of mortgage) which would put me at age 53+ by the time I can carry it out. I'll still have to work of course but I'm hoping that by being mortgage-free I'll be able to work fewer hours than the current 60-ish per week and enjoy a bit more spare time on the piste and on my motorbike on Alpine roads in summer. Obviously I'll have to come back to the UK when I'm proper old and I need the 24-hour care of the NHS, but I'm hoping for a few good years in the Alps before all that.
We all need a dream...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My friend's parents arrive in 2Alpes this afternoon to do their first season. Both late 50s I believe, he's working as maintenance dogsbody for a local hotel.
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Thanks all some useful thoughts. I'll have to see what the next 3 years brings. I'd like to do it then before I am too old. As things stand I'd probably go for L2A as I know the place very well and know a few residents and very regular visitors and my french is OK. I suppose I'm lucky in that my pension prospects are still pretty good unlike those for most youngsters.
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Colin B, what makes you think you're 'too old' at under 60? You should see how many free passes we give out to the over-72s. I gave one to someone over 80 last season, which was a bit alarming as he was a rather good looking bloke and I quite fancied him until I looked at his ID. 
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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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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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Whitegold,
Mainly punctuation and capital letter error one feels, i quoted The Young Ones. I can assure you one was not taught by any person in sandals. I went to a private school. Not that it did me any good.
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You know it makes sense.
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If you can do it without screwing everything else up in your life then go for it. Your'll only regret it if you dont do it.
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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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Colin B, I'm a retired ski bum about to start my 7th season, I go skiing every day with the very occasional day off, its the best of times.
Better than jigsaws.
"The oldest person to go under four minutes was Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland, who was 41 when he ran 3:58.15. The oldest person to break five minutes was Derek Turnbull of New Zealand, clocking 4:56.4 at age 65. The oldest under six minutes was Scotty Carter of Massachusetts with a 5:57.2 at 75. The oldest under seven minutes was Harold Chapson of Hawaii with a 6:43.3 at age 80."
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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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We had a guest last season who's booking form suggested he was 91. I thought it was a typo, but it proved to be accurate.
He skied every day for at least 3 or 4 hours and didn't seem to think this was unusual (quote - "Och no, I go skiing at Glenshee with my friend every weekend. She's 3 years older than me.")
We have the usual naff old set of wooden skis on the chalet wall - that's what he'd learned on!
Respect!
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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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Mrs MA & I were at Stubai Glacier a couple of weeks ago and, while reading their information booklet (and being in our late 4os), were shocked and somewhat amused to see that they have a piste which they state is ideal for the over 50s !!
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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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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Mrs MA & I were at Stubai Glacier a couple of weeks ago and, while reading their information booklet (and being in our late 4os), were shocked and somewhat amused to see that they have a piste which they state is ideal for the over 50s !! |
Big print signage and a loo every 200 yards?
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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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Colin B, Absolutely 100% do it. Am very envious.
I plan to do the same but it's 11 years away for me and I'll be 65. Reassuring to read stories here that I could possibly still be getting I a few turns in 16 seasons after that too!
Maybe there's a business niche here; season-long chalet rentals aimed at senior skiers/boarders. The 210cm "decorative" skis on the wall get taken out once a week for old time's sake. Ambience supplied by those round discs called LPs played on a stereophonic system with music by bands who actually play instruments (mainly guitars, of course).
(retires to grumpy old git couch in corner)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Daily Fail almost certainly wrote: |
| Old guy not dead yet shock! |
Age is irrelevant, unless you are a cheese...
What really matters is whether your body is still up to it, so treat it with some degree of care.
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Colin B, you will never know unless you try it.
We have spent most of the winter in Les Gets for the last five (I think) years. We do always return to UK, or elsewhere, for three or four weeks in February, but other than that are at our chalet - we have friends to stay, family to stay. And we do try and go to a couple of other places for a week or so to ring the changes. We just carry on life there - if OH has to return for work reasons, as he did a couple of years ago quite a bit, then its easy to fly in and out of Geneva.
Also that was a thought when we built eleven years ago that we would not be too far away from the airport for us and visitors, and also that we could nip down to Geneva for galleries, shops, theatre etc - we rarely do, but just like to think that its possible.
Beats the cold and miserable weather back here.
And we have both had our bus passes for a while
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Colin B, My hero! Go for it, and please try and talk me into it too next week! 
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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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Colin B, Why do you think you will be too old at 56. At Cairngorm people who are over 75 no longer pay for their season tickets, they do wear one but a discreet look will show no date on them.
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I worked with one guy in the states who was 83, had a career, kids, etc, then when he was retired he moved to the mountains. Also one instructor in Chile who keeps her age a secret, but we suspect mid to late 70s, she still teaches every day, and does the yoga classes in the evenings. In short, no, you would not be too old!
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