34 and feeling to old to ski anymore

[loafer89]

I am 33 years old and I just skied 10 consecutive days for I think the first time since I started skiing in 1982. I have to admit that I feel quite sore from the skiing, but I can hardly wait to get out on snow again. Many years ago I skied with an instructor at Vail who was 77 YEARS OLD, and he was an excellent skier, so I have along way to go before I am to old to ski.

 

[dmc]

http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-10160337.apds.m0406.bc-ct-fea--feb10,0,5604783.story

 

[RossiSkier]

http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-10160337.apds.m0406.bc-ct-fea--feb10,0,5604783.story

Harold Humphey rocks. Long live Harold Humphrey!

 

[bvibert]

http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-10160337.apds.m0406.bc-ct-fea--feb10,0,5604783.story

Cool! Thats my local hill, where I work part time

 

[smootharc]

I'll never forget one day at Alta, about 1988....

....it wasn't going so well. My head was screwed on backwards, my attitude stunk, and I was doing a great job of moaning to myself about this, that, the other thing. I know, I know....I fully deserved to be slapped back to reality, told to take a deep breath, and look out at the distant hills....

....and then it happened....

.....I saw this funny looking guy get off the Germania Lift. He made a few funny looking turns, and ended up stopping nearby. He was old....really old...and he had a huge smile on his face. It was the smile of a 5 year old....one heck of a happy camper. I looked at his legs, and he has some kind of contraption on them - sort of a knee-brace/exoskeleton/ankle cuff thing with surgical rubber tubing and pulleys. To my quizzical look he bounced up and down a few times, and said he was an engineer and a diehard lifelong skiier and that when he had been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) a decade or so earlier, and told he couldn't ski again, he went into his basement.....and, well, you get the picture....gravity pulled down, and this thing bounced him back up. I could see his legs were atrophied, and I think he had some strapping to keep his thighs together. Ingenious....and indicative of someone who wasn't afraid to take life's lumps and still go for it. Shame on me....

With that he said "Have a great day" and bounced off down the hill, a smile on his face as he went....

Needless to say, after sheepishly wiping the attitude off my sorry face, I did just what he said. And any time I'm thinking about "should I ski", or if my attitude is off track, or, whatever negative thing I can momentarily conjure up in my own little head, well,.....my little gray, bouncing, smiling old man pops into my mind's eye, and I look to the distant ridges, and ask myself what excuse could I possibly have NOT to ski.....

Skiers ski, at whatever level, and whatever age. There's noone keeping score. It's more than edges and snow. It's the community of skiing - the people, the places, and the natural world which is fast disappearing. Skiing puts us right in the middle of all of that. What could possibly be a better thing to do ?

I'm in my early 40's, and I'm hard pressed to really know if I feel any different than when I was 28, other than slower recovery from injury. So I ski....mostly with a smile on my face....

 

[Statyk]

my mom is 48 and she skis a lot still

maybe it's an interest issue

 

[skintowin]

Are you INSANE?

I ski, in large part, because it makes me feel like I'm ten years old again. This is your fountain of youth, man!

Skiing is a life sport - something that can keep you fit and happy for as long as your knees can stand it. Try to imagine what might happen to your body (and mind) if you quit. You are now at that age where you can't get away with a four month hiatus of sloth. Your hairline may be a lost cause by now, but you still have the power to fend off that beer gut through the winter. And if you're doing it right, you should be having a great time in the process.

That brings me to another point : There is just too much fun to be had within the skiing community to just turn your back. Most of my best friends are skiers. A day on the hill with your buddies, or even better, with your family, builds the bonds that make life worth getting out of bed for. Where else are you going to find that kind of fulfillment? From your job?

You are a skier. You are a member of a sacred fraternity of misfits who will always have one up on the straight edge majority. So forget about your birthday; age is just a state of mind. I could go on like this for hours, but I'll cut it off here.

Don't give up! You've got a lot of great years of skiing ahead of you yet!

 

[bosrocker51]

suck it up, punk. I'm 58 and I just got back from Squaw Valley & Kirkwood. I skied The Wall at Kirk and Headwall at Squaw - both expert slopes.

If you are measuring your worth based on some teenagers you need to re-think your world. If you love skiing do it - for as well and as long as you can.

 

[Warp Daddy]

quit at 34 -----------RU effin kidding me ??? -- hell man i'm 66 soon 67 ski like a bat outta hell for 5 hrs a day . Get off yer az and live life !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ERJ-145CA]

I started skiing again after a 19 year hiatus at the age of 35, I'll be 40 in March and am really happy I got hooked on skiing again. It helps me feel younger and keeps me active.

You might want to try Hidden Valley, it's 5 minutes down the road from Mountain Creek but there are not nearly as many teens. It's a much smaller than MC but it's still a fun place to ski and it's rarely crowded and a lot cheaper. Or got to the Catskills or Poconos.

There's no reason to stop if you have fun. How old you feel is mostly an attitude. I see many people a lot older than me on the slopes every day. Also I never work out and am not in great shape (except my legs) but I ski much better than I skied when I was a kid.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

I take maybe 10 vacation days a year mid week to ski, I always ask the peson on the lift how do you get the time to do this midweek. I always get the same answers. I own my own business... and they all have twice as many days in as me. I guess I need to become independently wealthy. :idea: I skied 5 days a week in college had classes Tues and Thur and a few monday night classes. I went more days then than know. :beer:

I'm always running into other airline pilots when I'm skiing mid week, It's one of the few jobs where you can get a lot of weekdays off and make a decent living (though it doesn't pay nearly as well as it used to).

Hey, I didn't realize how old this thread was, it's from before my time on this forum.

 

[Edd]

Anyone notice this thread is 5 years old? Poor OP.

 

[billski]

Out of the many corny, and just horrible lines (and background music) from the many Warren Miller videos, one of the truly great lines was..."Aging is mandatory, Growing old is Optional". 8)

I thought it was "growing up is optional"
Either way, the thought is spot-on.
:-D

 

[millerm277]

I started skiing again after a 19 year hiatus at the age of 35, I'll be 40 in March and am really happy I got hooked on skiing again. It helps me feel younger and keeps me active.

Speaking of a 19 year hiatus, I don't think the person who posted this is going to be reading it. This thread is 5 years old. :smash:

 

[billski]

Speaking of a 19 year hiatus, I don't think the person who posted this is going to be reading it. This thread is 5 years old. :smash:

That's OK. We're having fun entertaining ourselves, consoling each other and denying mortality. Besides any talk about skiing and boarding is good talk!

 

[marcski]

I'm 42...in better shape at 40 than I was at 30. I live to ski. The last few years and the next couple are all about getting my daughters to love skiing as much as I do. So far, my 7 y.o. loves...LOVES it..she studies trail maps like I used to when I was her age. My 3.5 y.o. had her 3rd or 4th day on the hill yesterday. She loves it too. Still working on speed control and edging...but I had her out on the magic carpet a few runs and then picked her right up and brought her upto to the top and took like 5-6 runs with her on a leash. She's already itching for her next day.

I am looking forward to the many many years to come skiing with both of them...and god willing hopefully with their own kids (yes my grandkids!) too! If I'm still breathing...and able to walk...I see myself skiing until I'm dead!

 

[Warp Daddy]

Speaking of a 19 year hiatus, I don't think the person who posted this is going to be reading it. This thread is 5 years old. :smash:

of course i noticed it who cares when it was submitted -- the point is to always RE_AFFIRM that positive attitude and committment is everything..

While one will age , attitude , conditioning and l healthy lifestyle committment trumps biological time -- Rage on -- never friggin settle for the damn rocking chair and canasta and shuffleboard -- LIVE LIFE -- don't be a damn spectator . Life isn't a dress rehersal

 

[Glenn]

This thread is so old...the guy who started it is now almost 40.

 

[billski]

This thread is so old...the guy who started it is now almost 40.

Probably moved to an assisted living apartment too. :lol:

 

[gmcunni]

This thread is so old...the guy who started it is now almost 40.

40 is the new 30 so he'll be back in a couple of years to ask the question again :-D