Are you a better skier now?

[gmcunni]

Perhaps not appropriate for you 20-somethings but curious to know what the 30+ skiers/riders think.

Are you a better skier/rider now than you were 10 or 20 years ago?

@ 44 i can say i am skiing better now than i ever did before. Sure, equipment probably has a something to do with it but i think experience is the key. i've learned from many years of mistakes. while my legs are as lively as they once were i know how to ski better so i don't have to rely on muscling my way through every run.

I still have plenty of room for improvement and i look forward to skiing more better next year.

 

[Greg]

Better than I was 10 years ago? Hell, I'm better than I was one year ago, or at least I like to think so. I think that's the way you're supposed to go though Gary, ain't it? I'm also waaaay better than I was 20 years ago since I've only been skiing 15 years.

 

[bvibert]

Yes, definitely better than I was even a year ago. 10 years ago I was on a long skiing hiatus. As sad as it is I'm almost definitely in better shape than I was 10 years ago too...

 

[Edd]

God, yes. These last 4 years have been tremendous, going from a few times a year to between 40 - 65 times a year. Time on the slopes, if nothing else, increases drastically your comfort level. That alone is a big game changer.

 

[severine]

I hope that's the case 5 years from now.

 

[dmc]

20 years ago I started concentrating on snowboarding... Really haven't skied much since then... So I'm going to say.. no...

 

[2knees]

better, not sure. different skier, definitely.

 

[Beetlenut]

Yes! Better technique, more stamina, lots more knowledge of snow conditions. Would have never even thought to ski in the trees even 10 years ago!

 

[WWF-VT]

No doubt that I am much better now. I used to be a 8-12 days a year skier. For the past four years have been a season pass holder and now on the mountain 35+ days a year. Lots more time on the mountain, instruction and experience in all kinds of conditions has improved my skiing ability.

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm 34 and I'm definitely not better than I was 10 years ago and unless I hit the lotto and become a full time ski bum again, that's just reality. There is no substitute for skiing 80-100 days a season. I'm fine with that though. I feel as though I can still ski competently over pretty much any type of terrain and in any condition, which is all that really matters to me. It sounds cliche, but I'm having as much or more fun now skiing than I ever have had.

I can get myself in better shape though, which I've done a bit of each season the past couple years. That helps me now more than anything. I'm wondering now if I was 20 pounds lighter might I not developed this nagging quad injury that really shortened my days towards the end of the season. That will be a goal for next year. Having to call it quits early yesterday because of an injury that I might have been able to prevent is pretty frustrating.

 

[campgottagopee]

It's a "no" here. 20 years ago when I was teaching skiing for a living I was a much stronger skier, obviuosly due to skiing every day all day no matter what the conditions or weather was like. Now only skiing 2X per week, and not all day my performance has dropped off. But you know what, I'm actually having more fun because I really don't care anymore if I make a bad turn.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Perhaps not appropriate for you 20-somethings but curious to know what the 30+ skiers/riders think.

Are you a better skier/rider now than you were 10 or 20 years ago?

@ 44 i can say i am skiing better now than i ever did before. Sure, equipment probably has a something to do with it but i think experience is the key. i've learned from many years of mistakes. while my legs are as lively as they once were i know how to ski better so i don't have to rely on muscling my way through every run.

I still have plenty of room for improvement and i look forward to skiing more better next year.

I'm 29 and I feel like I am a much better skier than when I was in my early 20s..alot of it is just skiing alot and I will say that fat skis have helped a ton in powder and crud toward being a more efficient skier. When I lived in Montana, I got better at skiing powder and when I moved back east, I got better at carving and bumps...now I just have to master the rails to become a true all mountain skier because you never know when you might encounter a down flat down rail in the backcountry..

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

But I am a way better snowboarder than GSS ..

The closest I've come to snowboarding was standing on a sled..

 

[Warp Daddy]

I started Downhill skiing at 50 years of age but had XC skied for 15 years beforehand


so i am a much better downhill skier @ 65 than i was @ 50 but equipment has really improved

 

[Geoff]

I was way better 25 years ago and I was doing it on vastly inferior ski technology. I have nothing like the quickness, strength, or fitness I had at age 25. I also had way better knees.

 

[Rambo]

No. I think I am permanetly stuck in the "Advanced Intermeadiate Rut". As I am in my early 50's I have accepted my limitations and place Safety First. I do like to get there early and do some high speed cruising on the groomers = 1st Tracks.

 

[TheBEast]

Every year I feel stronger and work hard to always try and ski with people who push me above my comfort zone. Starting the free heel action about 7-8 years ago has really helped my overall balance on the alpine boards and provides a great amount of variety. Now if I can just get my stamina up for 30K vert days on tele gear and increased comfort in the woods (my preferred habitat) then I would probably be free heeling 100%.

 

[riverc0il]

I don't think age plays a super important impact on ability at 30ish years old. That said, I just turned 30 this past year and I have significantly declined in ability since two years ago when I really peaked in ability. I have definitely gotten to the point that I can't just let my health ride, not exercise, and still get better every year. I took an ability hit this year... not due to age, but just letting my health go and that won't be happening again next year.

 

[Terry]

I am definately a better skier now than I was 10 years ago. I just started skiing 10 years ago.

 

[Greg]

I don't think age plays a super important impact on ability at 30ish years old. That said, I just turned 30 this past year and I have significantly declined in ability since two years ago when I really peaked in ability. I have definitely gotten to the point that I can't just let my health ride, not exercise, and still get better every year. I took an ability hit this year... not due to age, but just letting my health go and that won't be happening again next year.

Put those golf clubs away for another 25 years and buy a mountain bike. Seriously, MTBing has your name all over it, I would think. I'm 35 and in the best shape of my life, aside from the teenage years when I did a lot of backpacking. Luckily with a very high metabolism, excess weight has never been a problem, but I think my stamina/endurance might be the best it's ever been. I attribute a lot of that to mountain biking last summer. This year I plan to do longer and faster rides and hope I continue to build stamina. As I get closer to 40, I'm sure it'll be more maintenance than improvement so I better get in as good as shape as possible now.

Back to the original topic, I think I picked up the speed in my skiing a lot this year. Maybe not so much in the bumps, but the times I've been out of the bumps, I've been letting them run a lot more.