Learning to ski past age 50

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Jorts
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by Jorts »

hokiehead wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 6:29 am
My short term goals for this winter / spring:
1. get proficient enough at back country skiing with mild down hills (<10°?) to not wear out the patience of my friends who would be willing to go out with me.
2. Do the easier slopes (green, blue?) at CO resorts without hurting myself.

Medium term goals: skin up couloirs and ski down some of the milder slopes on Colorado's high peaks.

Are professional lessons the way to go? I'm assuming that gaining some proficiency on groomed slopes is a prerequisite to ever gong down a 14er, but maybe there's other recommendations. I'm not really interested (at least at this point) in skiing resorts -- my goal is to advance as an aspiring mountaineer.
10 degrees is too low angle. You won’t go anywhere unless you’re skiing a skin track. Shoot for 20 to 30 deg. Speed is your friend once you get a little more proficient.

Lapping groomers at the resort’s a great start. But firm and powder are different animals wrt technique. They don’t necessarily translate that well.

You don’t want to be in couloirs in the winter generally. Plan to skin up, ski down low angle ridges in the winter and save couloirs for the spring.

If you have friends that ski they’re a great source of unsolicited advice.

I transitioned to skiing in my mid 30s from a lifetime of snowboarding. I sucked initially but I’m decent now. Be patient with yourself. Ski as much as you can. It’ll click. Fitness and strength will flatten the learning curve.

Lessons help but I faked it until I made it without them.
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by kingshimmers »

FWIW I found that in addition to lessons, the other thing that made a night and day difference in my skiing ability was doing gym strength work specific to skiing. My quads and glutes were pretty strong, but didn't realize how much working on my hip abductor/adductors and HAMSTRINGS would help. I also find nordic skiing as great strength training for downhill skiing, especially as good training for those long approach days - really works those stabilizers.
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by hokiehead »

first, thanks everyone for the advice. I'm digesting all of it and of course remain open to more.
Jim Davies wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:37 am I got a late start (age 43), but 20 years later I'm pretty confident about anything inbounds (although prefer ungroomed blue runs at Loveland for a higher fun-to-effort ratio). Definitely get lessons, buy a pass somewhere (IMO small ski areas are better for starting out), and get your own equipment to remove the resistance to going often. I found the book "The All-Mountain Skier" to be a great help to understanding what was going on, since it breaks down skiing techniques into different areas like edging, steering, pole use, etc, but maybe save until you've got some days in so that it'll make more sense. Resort skiing is a blast, and it's taken away most of my desire to climb in the winter. :mrgreen:
I just ordered that book last night! On a friend's reco, I also ordered Allen and Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book (and a recipe book on homemade boozy ice creams, to balance out all this fitness and exercise stuff).

re: becoming a resort skier, I'm slightly concerned that I'll enjoy the groomed slopes a lot and settle for those after reaching a certain skill level. But I'm an aspiring mountaineer -- damnit -- not an aspiring ski bum! :lol: But it doesn't sound like that will become anything to worry about for a while. Patience, hokiehead.
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by gb »

I should preface my comments by saying I'm not 50 and I remember learning how to ski as well as I remember learning how to walk, which is to say not at all...

But I'll echo others who suggest that you really work on your skills inbounds before trying to do any backcountry skiing other than maybe a very simple valley approach. There are honestly a lot of people in the backcountry who could probably spend a lot more time riding the lifts. Take a class, or 10. And lastly, when you are ready for backcountry, I'd also suggest a lesson at Bluebird backcountry- there is so much to learn and become efficient before adding in the avalanche education factor. Bluebird really has a good scene, so consider checking it out.
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by Don Eberl »

If you are determined for the backcountry, try Hidden Valley in RMNP. It almost skies like a resort on weekends because it can attract quite a few people. It does give you a good opportunity to earn your turns and get a good start to learning to ski in the backcountry.
Some of it's majic, some of it's tragic, but I had a good life all the way.

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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by ltlFish99 »

I grew up in Denver, looking at the mountains daily and wanting to ski, ski, dki.
It was not an option when I was a younger one. Economics, and a general disdain for anything that required effort was the attitude I received from one parental unit.
Anyway, I did not ski until I was 18, which got a Denver resident should have been some kind of crime.
The people I have met, or tried to help learn to ski who stated they had a negative experience, were all discouraged by the same things:
Cost.
Traffic.
Bad weather.
Ones learning curve was rarely even mentioned.
The most common comment by people was:
We spent all of this money, sat in traffic for hours, got to the resort, and all it did was snow, with lots of wind.
The complaint about the weather was the number 1 negative comment.
This was from at least 50 people over the years.
Many of them did not come close to learning how to ski.
They hated ghd bad weather so much, they simply went back home.
Most stated they would Not go back again.
Some who were friends/ girlfriends actually had the patience to hang in there until they could get down the hill and most importantly experience a little bit of fun.
These people continued to ski for the time I knew them.
My opinion on someone quitting after 1 negative experience is meaningless.
I love the sport.
I know, that at my age, almost 62, my best days of bashing moguls all day, the harder the run, the better, thesedays are behind me. I still enjoy the feeling if cruising down a mountain on skis as much as I did decades ago.
I just ski more moderate terrain now.
I have heard from some that did take a few lessons, that they had a good experience and that it helped them a lot.
I think the key is just getting started.
The number 1 fear people have shared is not knowing how to stop.
Learn how to stop.
Then, I learned how to control my speed.
This allowed me to be able to enjoy nice, wide open blue runs until I was comfortable trying
somethings more difficult.
I skied mainly at resorts for years, and a lot of that was just me skiing by myself.
I started a little of cross country skiing do I could ski things I used to snowshoe.
I was never that good at it, but it was still qa lot of fun.

From people I have talked to somewhat more recently, the changes in skis with shaped skis, etc., has really helped revive the sport, bringing people back to the sport, and bringing people into the sport as adults. People state that the newer types if skis really help shorten the learning curve, which helps get to the fun curve quicker.
Anyway, go for it. It is a very enjoyable sport.
Eldorado us a fine place to ski, we loved how inexpensive it was when we were younger.
+1 on ghd recommendation to chevkmout package deals from resorts.
Last recommendation: look into the smaller resorts for deals. Fir years they had a discount card called "the gems of the Rockies" which consisted of the 10 most enjoyable small resorts.
Thdxsmaller resort is are perfect for learning the sport.
Enjoy your journey.
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by Above_Treeline »

hokiehead wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 6:29 am Anyone here learn to ski later in life? TIA for advice.

I've said I'm going to take lessons for three years now but this time I mean it (my wife finally conceded that her knees will never allow her to be a skier and gave me permission to go forward without her).

I'm 51 and have never downhill skied. Cross-country / Nordic skied only a few times in my life and never really got the hang of it (especially down hills and stopping).

I'm in decent shape but not the most coordinated person. My balance isn't the best, but not outright horrible. I've started practicing yoga and just ordered a balance board to work on this.

My short term goals for this winter / spring:
1. get proficient enough at back country skiing with mild down hills (<10°?) to not wear out the patience of my friends who would be willing to go out with me.
2. Do the easier slopes (green, blue?) at CO resorts without hurting myself.

Medium term goals: skin up couloirs and ski down some of the milder slopes on Colorado's high peaks.

Are professional lessons the way to go? I'm assuming that gaining some proficiency on groomed slopes is a prerequisite to ever gong down a 14er, but maybe there's other recommendations. I'm not really interested (at least at this point) in skiing resorts -- my goal is to advance as an aspiring mountaineer.

if yes, any idea how many professional lessons (or hours of lessons) would be reasonable to get me the skills to achieve those short term goals?

Are my goals reasonable sounding?

Also interested in any recommended "learn on your own" materials (e.g. books, websites, YouTube).

Eldora is uber-convenient for me (30 minute drive with almost no traffic risk). I realize it's not popular for experienced skiers, but is there any compelling reason not to take starter lessons there?

Even if I'm confident that I'm all-in on becoming a skier, I assume the smart thing is to rent / borrow a few times in order to try different setups and different brands / models prior to investing? but if anyone would advise to just go ahead and invest in certain gear up front, I'm open to that.

Thanks again for any help.
You need to start on resorts. After 10-15 days I think you'd be pretty proficient. I haven't done much if any backcountry other than hiking up to more difficult terrain however Just skiing a few days and then heading into the backcountry sounds like a bad idea. 10° is nothing though, you'll probably be going down 30°+ stuff in several days.

Learning isn't hard. At least not necessarily. They took us up to the top of the main Exhibition lift at A-basin, and after skiing down I could ski the easy green slopes passably, have fun, and get better. Took an hour or so. I got good lessons though the next year something changed. If you get good lessons might not be too hard. Basically learn to snowplow pie shaped and turn. Then pick up your inside ski to turn more and much more versatile. To stop turn to the side basically and slide. You might even go back uphill a bit to stop and not slide. Turning is key. I definitely recommend lessons, I learned younger I guess but not coordinated yet. Red glasses/ goggles help you ski in a whiteout or close getting new powder while everyone is in the lodge whining less lift lines too

I haven't been to Eldora. If conditions are good might be great. But looking at the map etc it has a surprising number if expert trails. Not that you need many greens at first. Also it's not as high and probably as a consequence has man made capabilities. So I'm not sure how conditions are going to be. January it might be fine April idk. But I mean it's close and probably a good idea to try if conditions good? Idk . A-Basin doesn't have a lot of easy runs either, but enough, it is more alpine and you might enjoy it so I'm going to suggest that. Depending on how getting up Loveland pass is. Also Loveland ski area might be good option same area.
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by Skimo95 »

Great advice on this thread.. I completely agree with getting your feet wet at a resort. Last Winter was my first season snowboarding. I was able to bite off more than I could chew the first couple times.. knowing I wasn’t going to be alone and stranded if an injury occurred. After numerous days at Loveland, Monarch, Crested, and a couple others I was finally ready to ride some 14ers. Knowing conditions, and what to avoid can be key. That being said I’m getting into an AAIRE class this December. If there’s a will, there’s a way. The key is to being cognizant, and not overwhelming yourself. It’s also very important to know, even if you can ride the hardest hike to terrain, being new it’s still possible to break bones on the groomers. I found solo riding with music can be just as fun as going with a group of friends. Shoutout to HikesInGeologicalTime for absolutely killing the groomers, and giving me the confidence to keep going faster in treeline. Just take it easy, there’s more powder days at a resort than you’ll likely be able to attend.
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by arianna2 »

I've never been much into downhill skiing, did it some as a kid with a pretty bad fall then my husband dislocated a shoulder quite a few years back. However, I love to climb, so when a friend told me about skinning I was all in. To teach me, she invited me along to go up 3000 feet up to the Circ on Snowmass resort. I asked, shouldn't I maybe ski something easier first, I haven't skied in a long time. Well, long story short, she loaned me AT gear and up we went. I got down eventually, several garage sales later. I still was hooked because I love the hike up. I tolerate the ski down, so my goals might be different than yours. However, my husband and I wanted to do some backcountry stuff and he likes downhill so I needed to learn to ski better. I kept saying I would take some lessons, but we bought the gear and I faked it until I made it too. Still have intentions to do lessons but hard to find a good fit and get it set up. You tube videos are good. What I have found to be helpful is a combination of Resort work and easy backcountry. Resort skiing is so much easier. You end up thinking you're a good skier until you go into the backcountry. You have to learn all the different terrain that constantly changes based on the weather and other previous skiers etc. The same stretch of a ski can have icy conditions then powder then a dip the a rut from a previous track. Then that is all different the next time you do it. It just takes practice. We found it helpful to do to places like Meadow mountain and Mayflower and up here in GJ is old powderhorn. Doing these easier BC areas over and over can really help these skills. Speaking as medical providers that have seen a lot of injuries from skiing accidents I would discourage skiing in trees until you are really confident. Remember that the experts make it look easy but it is not and the consequences can be grave. Good luck
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by JacerJack »

gb wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:05 pm There are honestly a lot of people in the backcountry who could probably spend a lot more time riding the lifts.
Couldn't agree more. There are lots more factors to consider when skiing in the backcountry (in addition to the obvious avalanche hazard)... even a day in "easy" backcountry terrain, you will encounter things like variable snow, hidden rocks, tight trees, creek crossings, snow bridges, etc. IMO, your skills should be pretty dialed so you can focus on mitigating other risks and not having to worry about how to ski. I've always heard people say you should be a confident black diamond resort skier before venturing out into true backcountry terrain (although this rule probably doesn't apply to places like Hidden Valley and Mainline at Berthoud). Not trying to gatekeep, but I think if you stick to resorts for a few seasons, it will make your time in the backcountry much more enjoyable once you do decide to venture out.

Also, FWIW, my dad and I picked up snowboarding at the same time. I was around 7 years old, and he was nearing 40 (and had never snowboarded before). It's been a big source of bonding for us over the last couple decades and now he can hold his own on steep coulies and deep pow in his 50s. It can be done -- best of luck to you!
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by Jorts »

If you're coming from a mountaineering background, you don't need THAT much textbook proficiency and technique to get out into the backcountry. Skis are a tool. And they're more efficient than any other tool for moving quickly in Colorado mountains from about November to halfway through June. The first time you skin up a mountain instead of slogging on snowshoes, you'll never consider going back - no matter how crappy the downhill conditions might be.

Snow conditions you'll regularly experience in the backcountry that you'll only occasionally encounter at the resorts:
breakable crusts (do awkward jump turns in and out all the way down - or get enough speed and carefully weight your skis on turns so you don't punch through precipitating an endo, really hard to practice at a resort)
windboard/sastrugi
3ft of facets down to the ground
trapdoors
and... virgin, balls deep, low density hero powder

Some of my best days in the mountains have been in atrocious ski conditions.

Guess I'm just saying don't overthink it. If you're always questioning "AM I READY" you'll never be ready.
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Re: Learning to ski past age 50

Post by hokiehead »

thanks again all for the advice. I'll be back to this thread as I advance and hope its of some use to others.

I had day one on the slopes yesterday with @climbnowworklater at Keystone. His great instruction got me from "how to put on your boots" to making a trip down most of the 2.5 miles of Schoolmarm with only a few falls!

waiting for Eldora to open now so I can reinforce the lessons.
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