Ideal ski towns for the future factoring in all issues?

[deadheadskier]

Also, with a family and 3 boys I have too much to lose to do dumb things out on the hill anymore.

Yes, having kids and getting my nuts snipped certainly cut down on my "hold my beer" behaviors

 

[AdironRider]

Anyone who thinks they are a better skier at 40, than they were at 20, must have been a pretty terrible skier at 20" - Warren Miller

Father time is undefeated. After spending 15 years in ski town bliss, I lost count of the number of retirees who thought they were finally going to live their 100 day season dreams, only for the harsh reality of age to slap them right in the face. Very few bodies hold up to 100 days, even for people in their 20's, let alone 60's or 70's. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional.

That doesn't mean working out and eating right won't make things better as you age. That is definitely true, but 60+ and you aren't going to be skiing long or hard more than likely compared to when you were in your 40's or younger.

 

[Ski2LiveLive2Ski]

At 56 I am still getting better every year. At 20 I was about as good as my 14 year old daughters were at 12. At 56 I am still better than they are at 14.

 

[pinion]

I am a better technical skier at 40+ than I was at 20. It’s required because I can no longer rely on my quads to fix my mistakes and recover from bad decisions.

Thankfully I still tackle the same stuff. Here’s hoping I get to 50.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Anyone who thinks they are a better skier at 40, than they were at 20, must have been a pretty terrible skier at 20" - Warren Miller Father time is undefeated. After spending 15 years in ski town bliss, I lost count of the number of retirees who thought they were finally going to live their 100 day season dreams, only for the harsh reality of age to slap them right in the face. Very few bodies hold up to 100 days, even for people in their 20's, let alone 60's or 70's. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. That doesn't mean working out and eating right won't make things better as you age. That is definitely true, but 60+ and you aren't going to be skiing long or hard more than likely compared to when you were in your 40's or younger.

Yes, having kids and getting my nuts snipped certainly cut down on my "hold my beer" behaviors

Yes, having kids and getting my nuts snipped certainly cut down on my "hold my beer" behaviors

 

[BenedictGomez]

I lost count of the number of retirees who thought they were finally going to live their 100 day season dreams

Maybe I'm the exception, but a 100 day season doesn't sound like fun to me, it sounds like a work goal.
If I lived in a ski town I would be more than happy to ski my first day December 1st and my last day April 25th, and get 40 days in between.

 

[JimG.]

My experience with most 100 day a year skiers is that they are the folks who arrive at 7:30, get first chair and are back in the lodge getting ready to leave at 10:00. Or who go inside and relax from 10-2 and then reappear in the afternoon.

Key word there was "most" before the hard cores start flaming.

 

[abc]

Anyone who thinks they are a better skier at 40, than they were at 20, must have been a pretty terrible skier at 20" - Warren Miller

I'm definitely a terrible skier at 20! I only started well after 20.

So much ski-snobbism in that passage. But that's not the point. Many people didn't ski in their 20's doesn't mean they weren't having fun doing other things. Or for that matter, trashing their bodies doing those "other fun things". But then, there're many others who didn't trash their bodies in their 20's and 30's because they were just busy living a non-sporty life.

There's no doubt whatsoever our body declines with age. Heck, that decline probably start long before 60! But skiing doesn't require a huge amount of effort as long as you're not trying to win the Olympic again! Hell, for that matter, even something as "hard" as biking 100 mile isn't as daunting as what it appears. When I was in my 40's, I rode with a bunch of retirees. (I was unemployed briefly and decided to really enjoy my pass time of cycling, except everybody else was busy working, only the retirees were available mid-week) Guess what? They rode their age in miles on their birthday! Man! Those 80 and 90 year old's really inspired me!!!

Make no mistake, no one's going to make the US national team in their 60's. But with a combination of genetic luck, healthy lifestyle and being careful not to trash one's body in too many of those "hold my beer" moments, one can still ski at a decent level at 60 easily, 70 quite possibly, and 80... just enjoy skiing!

Not to forget, medicine have advanced since our father's days. Many of those "you'll never ski again" injuries are now "fixable"!

 

[cdskier]

Maybe I'm the exception, but a 100 day season doesn't sound like fun to me, it sounds like a work goal.
If I lived in a ski town I would be more than happy to ski my first day December 1st and my last day April 25th, and get 40 days in between.

I typically get 40+ days just skiing weekends for the most part. If I lived in ski country and didn't have to work, I'd absolutely be shooting to ski a lot more days. I'm not necessarily saying I would make 100 a goal, but I would certainly enjoy being able to ski at least a couple hours a lot of mid-week days with no crowds around and could easily see getting to 70-75 without too much effort. That sounds like a lot more fun than skiing mainly weekends and dealing with crowds all the time.

 

[abc]

100 day is only 3 and half months! How is that so difficult to fit into a 5-6 months long winter?

It may be hard in the northeast when we had these mid-winter melts. But in the west, where the season is long and snow reasonably reliable, I don't think it's such a stretch.

Maybe I'm the exception, but a 100 day season doesn't sound like fun to me, it sounds like a work goal.
If I lived in a ski town I would be more than happy to ski my first day December 1st and my last day April 25th, and get 40 days in between.

Whether one wishes to ski everyday is an individual thing. My Mom plays bridge just about everyday. So that's really 7 days a week! But that doesn't mean she does only that and nothing else. Some days she just plays one hour. Other days she plays 3 hours. And during tournament time, it's more like a full day affair!

The same with skiing "days". When you're retired, and you enjoy skiing with some regular friends, going out for a couple hours with your friends EVERY SINGLE DAY can easily be the height of your retired daily life.

 

[crank]

I'm a fairweather skier. Meaning good snow. Last times I skied for 10 days straight the last 2 I was thinking these are conditions I normally stay home for. Skiing 100 days a season would never be goal I would aspire to.

If the snow is really good I will ski bell to bess. If so so I might get out around 10 or sko and be done by 2. I have nothing to prove.

Where did this ski every day/100days thing come from anyway?

When I was a ski bum and worked on mountain decades ago I skied every day, but maybe just like 4 runs.

 

[NYDB]

I'm a fairweather skier. Meaning good snow. Last times I skied for 10 days straight the last 2 I was thinking these are conditions I normally stay home for. Skiing 100 days a season would never be goal I would aspire to.

I agree and I thought that was most of the appeal of an early retirement or flexible work schedule. You have the flexibility to ski when the conditions are great and soft.

What's that like 20 days in a typical east coast season? add in another 10 for groomer days and thats about it. Maybe another 10 in a good year?

100 days seems like a recipe for a bum joint when you are 50+.

I think many of the issues for people happen when they are skiing hard in hard conditions. Icy bumps and boilerplate. That's like playing tennis or bball when you are old. Tempting fate. Old joints and Hardcourts and alot of starting and stopping. not a friendly mix. It seems like I have a few friends a year who fuck themselves up from that.

 

[Smellytele]

I agree and I thought that was most of the appeal of an early retirement or flexible work schedule. You have the flexibility to ski when the conditions are great and soft.

What's that like 20 days in a typical east coast season? add in another 10 for groomer days and thats about it. Maybe another 10 in a good year?

100 days seems like a recipe for a bum joint when you are 50+.

I think many of the issues for people happen when they are skiing hard in hard conditions. Icy bumps and boilerplate. That's like playing tennis or bball when you are old. Tempting fate. Old joints and Hardcourts and alot of starting and stopping. not a friendly mix. It seems like I have a few friends a year who fuck themselves up from that.

So people out west can ski until they are older?

 

[NYDB]

So people out west can ski until they are older?

I think it helps for sure. soft snow and sunshine beats ice and freezing temps. Ymmv.

 

[AdironRider]

The point isn't the exact number of days. The point is when you are older, you don't get to ski everyday that you would like to because shit happens to your body that you can't control so to speak (aka age related problems). You can say you are a fair weather skier, but most old guys only get to ski on the days their body says its fair, and not mother nature.

I've seen it over and over again. Eat right, work out, you'll probably do better than most, but reality is what it is. I'm not even 40 and I don't feel as good as I did in my 20's. You all know this. And unless you didn't learn to ski until you were 30, you are definitely not as good as you were when you were 20. No one is athletically.

I don't think Warren Miller was being snobbish, he was speaking truth as an older guy. Get those runs in now, because you might not be able to later. It's a decent mantra for any athletic oriented pursuit.

 

[deadheadskier]

The point isn't the exact number of days. The point is when you are older, you don't get to ski everyday that you would like to because shit happens to your body that you can't control so to speak (aka age related problems). You can say you are a fair weather skier, but most old guys only get to ski on the days their body says its fair, and not mother nature.

I've seen it over and over again. Eat right, work out, you'll probably do better than most, but reality is what it is. I'm not even 40 and I don't feel as good as I did in my 20's. You all know this. And unless you didn't learn to ski until you were 30, you are definitely not as good as you were when you were 20. No one is athletically.

I don't think Warren Miller was being snobbish, he was speaking truth as an older guy. Get those runs in now, because you might not be able to later. It's a decent mantra for any athletic oriented pursuit.

All very true. I have a couple of examples myself. Mid 30s I overshot the landing in the park. I blew the fat pad in my heal out the side of my foot. Weirdest injury ever that might not have happened when I was younger (and lighter). I missed six weeks of the season. Around 40 my shoulder started having issues that I believe was from when I dislocated it in my teens. Had to skip a month and do PT to be able to even plant a pole without zinging pain.

The one thing I disagree with regarding improvement is there can be certain disciplines that you can improve at if you focus on them later in life. I'll never be the bump or tree skier I was in my 20s. I'm just not as athletic. So, it's about maintaining those skills as much as I can. But, I also started racing this year and I got a little bit better throughout the season and I feel I can improve a lot more. It's reinvigorated me in a way. First time in 20 years I've had the mentality that there's something I can improve at with skiing again. Pretty fun.

 

[abc]

you are definitely not as good as you were when you were 20. No one is athletically

There're more than athletic that you're better at in your 20's than you're in your 40's!

Your memory is better at 20's than in your 40's. You learn new stuff faster in your 20's. Heck, your sperms are more lively in your 20's! You get the idea...

So, you want to get those runs in? Sure. How about getting your degree? Start your family?

The hard truth is, there're only so many hours in each day in your 20's, your 30's, your 40's... Each of those hours and days are more efficient than the same hours and days later in your life when you're 60 and 70. If you're not yet 40, take care in allocating those days and hours to what you care the most, because it'll take twice as long for you to accomplish the same when you're 50 or 60. But if you're already over 40 (as some here are), you already know that and accepted the result of the compromises you made in your 20's and 30's. And you know you'll have to make many such compromises all the time going forward...

If skiing is the MOST important thing in your life? Get those runs in NOW. You're at your best whatever your age! It'll only get harder later. That is, at the expense of other things that you feel is LESS important for you (which will ALSO become harder as you get older!).

And if you have the audacity to decide those "other things" are more important than skiing? It's your life. You get to choose how to live it. Just because someone on the internet feels that's what they value most doesn't means it's the same for you.

(A few years back, I looked at my saving and decided I can afford to retire, and was just waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger. But chance had it I got involved in a project that's so intellectually invigorating that it changed my perspective entirely. Now, retirement is again a distant horizon. I'd rather be "working"!

And to make matters worse, I took up skate skiing, which excites me even more than skiing trees and bumps. So now my downhill days are only half of what it was 2-3 years back. But I'm loving those days, because that's what I enjoy the most. Rather than just more days on the slope, which while enjoyable, is less than times on my skate skis, or even in front of my computer!

I know, blasphemy )

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'm not even 40 and I don't feel as good as I did in my 20's. You all know this.

Do we? What specifically are you referring to?

I'm in my 40s now, and the only real difference I perceive is that in my 20s I could mogul/tree ski all day, but now if I start mogul/tree skiing 100% at 9am, my legs are probably done by 1:30pm & it's groomers till' 4pm. But I'm not even sure what percentage to attribute that to age versus what percentage is simply I was in better shape in my late 20s or early 30s.

 

[jimk]

Maybe I'm the exception, but a 100 day season doesn't sound like fun to me, it sounds like a work goal.
If I lived in a ski town I would be more than happy to ski my first day December 1st and my last day April 25th, and get 40 days in between.

Yeah I kind of agree, although maybe if I owned a slopeside house as part of my retirement scenario. Could use a couple hours of skiing as basically my morning walk. My wife is a retired skier and pretty tolerant of my addiction, but I don't think her tolerance would accommodate a 100 day season She's too good at keeping me busy with "honey do" lists unrelated to skiing.

There is an older guy on TGR forums that just retired and is shooting for 100 days this winter. He already hit 50 by mid-Feb. He appears to based in So VT and mixes a lot of socializing into his skiing, which makes it more diverse than just about pounding vertical. He's heading west soon. I've enjoyed lurking on the thread he started documenting his winter: https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/344068-My-Retirement-Year-An-Ongoing-Skiing-TR

 

[BenedictGomez]

The one thing I disagree with regarding improvement is there can be certain disciplines that you can improve at if you focus on them later in life.

Like NFL quarterback. Or maybe Tom Brady's just a freak.