Teach an Old Guy to Ski
Discussion
jonathan_roberts said:
Lol no. My point is that my parents and their peer group all picked up skiing in their early 40s and I can’t say that any of them have ever really enjoyed it. It wasn’t for lack of practice either, we went on a lot of skiing holidays as children. In fact, I’ll be more brutal, they all just suck at skiing. The type of people you hear on the lifts who boast or are proud about “doing a black” when you know that they’d be happier if they just went for a walk in the mountains.
If I compare my parents with my Austrian in-laws who have, like me, skied since a very early age, my parents are pedestrian and always have been. My in laws are in their 70s and still go on proper two week ski tours in deep powder with a guide.
I just think that if I was in the OPs position, I wouldn’t really see the point in learning to ski. Combined with the injury risk, the massive increase in the price of skiing I’ve seen in the last 5 years, and the ecological damage it does to the mountains, I’m not sure I’d bother starting.
I’ve skied much of my life and I’m with you here, though I’d say that for many people it’s not all about the skiing, there’s something very special about being in the mountains. I still remember my first experience aged thirteen and I was absolutely blown away, I’m not sure I’d want to deny that to anyone else. You’re dead right about the environmental impact and the cost, but the killer is putting those fIf I compare my parents with my Austrian in-laws who have, like me, skied since a very early age, my parents are pedestrian and always have been. My in laws are in their 70s and still go on proper two week ski tours in deep powder with a guide.
I just think that if I was in the OPs position, I wouldn’t really see the point in learning to ski. Combined with the injury risk, the massive increase in the price of skiing I’ve seen in the last 5 years, and the ecological damage it does to the mountains, I’m not sure I’d bother starting.
king boots on every morning! Blue62 said:
jonathan_roberts said:
Lol no. My point is that my parents and their peer group all picked up skiing in their early 40s and I can’t say that any of them have ever really enjoyed it. It wasn’t for lack of practice either, we went on a lot of skiing holidays as children. In fact, I’ll be more brutal, they all just suck at skiing. The type of people you hear on the lifts who boast or are proud about “doing a black” when you know that they’d be happier if they just went for a walk in the mountains.
If I compare my parents with my Austrian in-laws who have, like me, skied since a very early age, my parents are pedestrian and always have been. My in laws are in their 70s and still go on proper two week ski tours in deep powder with a guide.
I just think that if I was in the OPs position, I wouldn’t really see the point in learning to ski. Combined with the injury risk, the massive increase in the price of skiing I’ve seen in the last 5 years, and the ecological damage it does to the mountains, I’m not sure I’d bother starting.
I’ve skied much of my life and I’m with you here, though I’d say that for many people it’s not all about the skiing, there’s something very special about being in the mountains. I still remember my first experience aged thirteen and I was absolutely blown away, I’m not sure I’d want to deny that to anyone else. You’re dead right about the environmental impact and the cost, but the killer is putting those fIf I compare my parents with my Austrian in-laws who have, like me, skied since a very early age, my parents are pedestrian and always have been. My in laws are in their 70s and still go on proper two week ski tours in deep powder with a guide.
I just think that if I was in the OPs position, I wouldn’t really see the point in learning to ski. Combined with the injury risk, the massive increase in the price of skiing I’ve seen in the last 5 years, and the ecological damage it does to the mountains, I’m not sure I’d bother starting.
king boots on every morning! The mountains in the summer are equally as impressive and present loads of great outdoor activity opportunities.
RabidGranny said:
Morning All,
My wife has taught the kids how to ski and now its my turn. Im 42 and im nervous as hell even though conceivably it is 2 months away.
Im 42 and im just afraid of getting injured. I snowboarded for a few years and got on ok but skiing is new for me. I had a couple of lessons last year and went ok but im kind of one of these people who, unless there's someone with them they wont do it. Her logic is to go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will be well. My logic is go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will go to st when i lose control. She spends her time with the kids so doesnt have time to teach me.
Does anyone have any tips to get over this?
Fear is a difficult thing to manage with rational thought. The best way to get over your fear, I’m afraid, will be to fall over a few times and realise that it doesn’t hurt. There will be lots of opportunities to find this out, because you *will* fall when you start off. Quite a bit (there’s a school of thought that falling whilst learning is a sign that you’re pushing yourself right up to and over the level of your current ability). My wife has taught the kids how to ski and now its my turn. Im 42 and im nervous as hell even though conceivably it is 2 months away.
Im 42 and im just afraid of getting injured. I snowboarded for a few years and got on ok but skiing is new for me. I had a couple of lessons last year and went ok but im kind of one of these people who, unless there's someone with them they wont do it. Her logic is to go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will be well. My logic is go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will go to s
t when i lose control. She spends her time with the kids so doesnt have time to teach me. Does anyone have any tips to get over this?
When you fall skiing, most of the time it is no worse than falling sideways off a chair onto a soft surface. You skid along the snow a bit, but your forward momentum gets bled off during that skidding, and unless you ski into a tree, you don’t have the sudden deceleration to zero that will hurt if, say, you jump out of a second storey window. That said, a simple fall can be made bad if you tense up: the key is (basically) once you realise you’re past the point of no return, give up, relax and enjoy the ride until you stop.
[ETA: Is the idea that your wife will be teaching you, having now “done” your kids?] As for having your spouse teach you: does she have any ski instructing qualifications? 40s isn’t too late to learn how to ski by any means, but your progression will depend on a number of things, including how good your balance and co-ordination is, how fit you are, and crucially how you are taught. Teaching beginners so that they progress quickly is quite a skill; teaching beginners so that they can get down a slope but then have to unlearn what they do in order to progress is easy.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 28th October 11:36
jonathan_roberts said:
As someone who has watched both his parents, and their friends start skiing in their 40s, just be prepared to never master it. I always cringe when I watch people who started skiing as adults working their way down slopes with awful wooden technique trying not to break themselves.
I’ve probably done more skiing than most people here having lived in Geneva for 10 years, now in Austria, and I started aged 7. It’s probably not something I’d bother doing if I started now, and I’m still younger than you.
Not sure I agree with this. Myself and 5 friends started at 40. 3 of us continued to go regularly, 3 didn't. The 3 that didn't are stil nervous but do ok. We don't have to worry about which runs to go down on a resort unless maybe black moguls. I’ve probably done more skiing than most people here having lived in Geneva for 10 years, now in Austria, and I started aged 7. It’s probably not something I’d bother doing if I started now, and I’m still younger than you.
The other 3 of us are pretty useful and my wife skied from the age of 7 and she doesn't get bored skiing with me. It's all to do with fitness and effort in learning. Yes you are way more fearful as you get common sense as you get older, but someone running marathons and 40 with effort will get pretty decent in 5 years.
Fitness helps when learning to ski because when you learn to ski you waste huge amounts of energy moving things that ought to be staying still. It’s very much like learning to swim in that respect: they are both sports where you have to maintain your balance even though you are moving multiple body parts in different ways, trying to keep other multiple body parts still, and your external environment is varying second to second and affecting your balance.
The thing that IMO helps rapid learning is kinaesthesia, aka proprioception: the extent to which you know what various bits of your body are doing at any given moment, and your degree of control over what’s going on. The better sense of that you have the faster you will refine your movements into the correct movement and execute it consistently, and the faster your muscle memory will build.
It’s both a frustrating and a satisfying sport!
The thing that IMO helps rapid learning is kinaesthesia, aka proprioception: the extent to which you know what various bits of your body are doing at any given moment, and your degree of control over what’s going on. The better sense of that you have the faster you will refine your movements into the correct movement and execute it consistently, and the faster your muscle memory will build.
It’s both a frustrating and a satisfying sport!
jonathan_roberts said:
As someone who has watched both his parents, and their friends start skiing in their 40s, just be prepared to never master it. I always cringe when I watch people who started skiing as adults working their way down slopes with awful wooden technique trying not to break themselves.
I’ve probably done more skiing than most people here having lived in Geneva for 10 years, now in Austria, and I started aged 7. It’s probably not something I’d bother doing if I started now, and I’m still younger than you.
Don't listen to this. I’ve probably done more skiing than most people here having lived in Geneva for 10 years, now in Austria, and I started aged 7. It’s probably not something I’d bother doing if I started now, and I’m still younger than you.
My mother learned to ski at 53 yrs of age and is a very competent skier now, aged 78.
I've skied since I was 5 and I can't keep up with her
Which means nothing as the whole family could be terrible. But you get the idea.
Be fit and practice
I’ve literally just had a conversation with my son about going skiing-thinking about possibly going year after next, son and his girlfriend have never done it, I was quite good but haven’t done it since late teens-obviously lessons would be done before going abroad,
They’ll be ok and pick it up no problem, I’m wondering how easy I’ll find it lol.
Then there’s the wife that’s never done it either
They’ll be ok and pick it up no problem, I’m wondering how easy I’ll find it lol.
Then there’s the wife that’s never done it either
BlackWidow13 said:
RabidGranny said:
Morning All,
My wife has taught the kids how to ski and now its my turn. Im 42 and im nervous as hell even though conceivably it is 2 months away.
Im 42 and im just afraid of getting injured. I snowboarded for a few years and got on ok but skiing is new for me. I had a couple of lessons last year and went ok but im kind of one of these people who, unless there's someone with them they wont do it. Her logic is to go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will be well. My logic is go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will go to st when i lose control. She spends her time with the kids so doesnt have time to teach me.
Does anyone have any tips to get over this?
Fear is a difficult thing to manage with rational thought. The best way to get over your fear, I’m afraid, will be to fall over a few times and realise that it doesn’t hurt. There will be lots of opportunities to find this out, because you *will* fall when you start off. Quite a bit (there’s a school of thought that falling whilst learning is a sign that you’re pushing yourself right up to and over the level of your current ability). My wife has taught the kids how to ski and now its my turn. Im 42 and im nervous as hell even though conceivably it is 2 months away.
Im 42 and im just afraid of getting injured. I snowboarded for a few years and got on ok but skiing is new for me. I had a couple of lessons last year and went ok but im kind of one of these people who, unless there's someone with them they wont do it. Her logic is to go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will be well. My logic is go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will go to s
t when i lose control. She spends her time with the kids so doesnt have time to teach me. Does anyone have any tips to get over this?
When you fall skiing, most of the time it is no worse than falling sideways off a chair onto a soft surface. You skid along the snow a bit, but your forward momentum gets bled off during that skidding, and unless you ski into a tree, you don’t have the sudden deceleration to zero that will hurt if, say, you jump out of a second storey window. That said, a simple fall can be made bad if you tense up: the key is (basically) once you realise you’re past the point of no return, give up, relax and enjoy the ride until you stop.
[ETA: Is the idea that your wife will be teaching you, having now “done” your kids?] As for having your spouse teach you: does she have any ski instructing qualifications? 40s isn’t too late to learn how to ski by any means, but your progression will depend on a number of things, including how good your balance and co-ordination is, how fit you are, and crucially how you are taught. Teaching beginners so that they progress quickly is quite a skill; teaching beginners so that they can get down a slope but then have to unlearn what they do in order to progress is easy.
Edited by BlackWidow13 on Saturday 28th October 11:36
Thank you so much for the fall psychology. This is actually very helpful to think about on these lines.
To state the obvious, if you're reasonably near one it would be worth doing half a dozen sessions at a snow dome (eg Milton Keynes) rather than an old style dry slope.
Boots are torturous for a lot of people, I finally ponied up the money with solutions4feet at Bicester and it as well worth it. Don't think you mentioned if you were buying or renting equipment, but worth getting the boots sorted beforehand at least.
All skis are the same apart from their length.
Boots are torturous for a lot of people, I finally ponied up the money with solutions4feet at Bicester and it as well worth it. Don't think you mentioned if you were buying or renting equipment, but worth getting the boots sorted beforehand at least.
All skis are the same apart from their length.
Hammersia said:
To state the obvious, if you're reasonably near one it would be worth doing half a dozen sessions at a snow dome (eg Milton Keynes) rather than an old style dry slope.
Boots are torturous for a lot of people, I finally ponied up the money with solutions4feet at Bicester and it as well worth it. Don't think you mentioned if you were buying or renting equipment, but worth getting the boots sorted beforehand at least.
Yes. Boots are torturous for a lot of people, I finally ponied up the money with solutions4feet at Bicester and it as well worth it. Don't think you mentioned if you were buying or renting equipment, but worth getting the boots sorted beforehand at least.
Hammersia said:
All skis are the same apart from their length.
No. BlackWidow13 said:
Hammersia said:
To state the obvious, if you're reasonably near one it would be worth doing half a dozen sessions at a snow dome (eg Milton Keynes) rather than an old style dry slope.
Boots are torturous for a lot of people, I finally ponied up the money with solutions4feet at Bicester and it as well worth it. Don't think you mentioned if you were buying or renting equipment, but worth getting the boots sorted beforehand at least.
Yes. Boots are torturous for a lot of people, I finally ponied up the money with solutions4feet at Bicester and it as well worth it. Don't think you mentioned if you were buying or renting equipment, but worth getting the boots sorted beforehand at least.
Hammersia said:
All skis are the same apart from their length.
No. There has never been a subject so drenched in hyperbole as the materials skis are made out of. Not even golf comes close.
RabidGranny said:
BlackWidow13 said:
RabidGranny said:
Morning All,
My wife has taught the kids how to ski and now its my turn. Im 42 and im nervous as hell even though conceivably it is 2 months away.
Im 42 and im just afraid of getting injured. I snowboarded for a few years and got on ok but skiing is new for me. I had a couple of lessons last year and went ok but im kind of one of these people who, unless there's someone with them they wont do it. Her logic is to go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will be well. My logic is go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will go to st when i lose control. She spends her time with the kids so doesnt have time to teach me.
Does anyone have any tips to get over this?
Fear is a difficult thing to manage with rational thought. The best way to get over your fear, I’m afraid, will be to fall over a few times and realise that it doesn’t hurt. There will be lots of opportunities to find this out, because you *will* fall when you start off. Quite a bit (there’s a school of thought that falling whilst learning is a sign that you’re pushing yourself right up to and over the level of your current ability). My wife has taught the kids how to ski and now its my turn. Im 42 and im nervous as hell even though conceivably it is 2 months away.
Im 42 and im just afraid of getting injured. I snowboarded for a few years and got on ok but skiing is new for me. I had a couple of lessons last year and went ok but im kind of one of these people who, unless there's someone with them they wont do it. Her logic is to go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will be well. My logic is go on the progressive slopes, make the turns and all will go to s
t when i lose control. She spends her time with the kids so doesnt have time to teach me. Does anyone have any tips to get over this?
When you fall skiing, most of the time it is no worse than falling sideways off a chair onto a soft surface. You skid along the snow a bit, but your forward momentum gets bled off during that skidding, and unless you ski into a tree, you don’t have the sudden deceleration to zero that will hurt if, say, you jump out of a second storey window. That said, a simple fall can be made bad if you tense up: the key is (basically) once you realise you’re past the point of no return, give up, relax and enjoy the ride until you stop.
[ETA: Is the idea that your wife will be teaching you, having now “done” your kids?] As for having your spouse teach you: does she have any ski instructing qualifications? 40s isn’t too late to learn how to ski by any means, but your progression will depend on a number of things, including how good your balance and co-ordination is, how fit you are, and crucially how you are taught. Teaching beginners so that they progress quickly is quite a skill; teaching beginners so that they can get down a slope but then have to unlearn what they do in order to progress is easy.
Edited by BlackWidow13 on Saturday 28th October 11:36
Thank you so much for the fall psychology. This is actually very helpful to think about on these lines.
You've got the fitness thing sorted from the sound of it but I totally agree that your head is the key. One of the reasons kids find skiing so easy is that they don't really think about the "what if" scenario (that and being bendy as hell and much lower to the ground). You will fall over, that's a given. As mentioned above, it will be likely be fine if you do though, not least because you should be on the beginner slopes to start with.
I see people whizz past me on the slopes who clearly started when they were toddlers and think "I wish I could ski like that" - my 12 year old is one of them! Will I ever be an expert skier? Probably not. Will I ever be a pro tennis player? Definitely not. But I love skiing and playing tennis regardless.
As for not bothering at all, that's for you to square in your head. All I can say is that I am the weak link in our family when it comes to skiing but I would not miss out on going for a second. Give yourself a break, do it as well as you can, enjoy the fact that you are outdoors with all the family and if you have a bad day on the slopes, console yourself with some extra wine and cheese in the hot tub that evening
It would be interesting to know how long ago your snowboarding was and how comfortable you were doing that? I did ski racing when I was younger (25 years ago now) but still love skiing with my kids and wife. I have snowboarded just to do something different on occasion and can comfortably get round the mountain but find it way more tiring and feel like I'm far more likely to get hurt. So if you were handy on a snowboard I expect you'll be fine on skis. Your fitness levels will help as well.
Using a dry slope or indoor slope would be ideal if you can as it will get you going pretty quickly and effectively saves you a first day on the 'baby' slopes. You may find you take to it pretty quickly and then may not need any lessons when you are in the mountains.
I taught my wife and kids but generally I didn't really teach them anything other than making sure they weren't doing anything horrendously wrong. Kids especially, they just get on with it and there's a limit to how much they take in from what you say anyway. Adults will pay some attention and there's some use in making sure you understand which ski to weigh on a extending body up and down etc.
If you can get going you my find you're able to keep up with the family quite quickly and then you're other half can offer a few pointers!
What you can also do is find a fairly easy short poma/drag lift that you can all go up and down on for a while and don't have to be all together side by side but can generally keep an eye on each other. Once our kids were around 6 or 7 they were fine on these kind of short runs to bomb up and down on their own with us able to see them all the time.
Using a dry slope or indoor slope would be ideal if you can as it will get you going pretty quickly and effectively saves you a first day on the 'baby' slopes. You may find you take to it pretty quickly and then may not need any lessons when you are in the mountains.
I taught my wife and kids but generally I didn't really teach them anything other than making sure they weren't doing anything horrendously wrong. Kids especially, they just get on with it and there's a limit to how much they take in from what you say anyway. Adults will pay some attention and there's some use in making sure you understand which ski to weigh on a extending body up and down etc.
If you can get going you my find you're able to keep up with the family quite quickly and then you're other half can offer a few pointers!
What you can also do is find a fairly easy short poma/drag lift that you can all go up and down on for a while and don't have to be all together side by side but can generally keep an eye on each other. Once our kids were around 6 or 7 they were fine on these kind of short runs to bomb up and down on their own with us able to see them all the time.
RAB2000 said:
It would be interesting to know how long ago your snowboarding was and how comfortable you were doing that? I did ski racing when I was younger (25 years ago now) but still love skiing with my kids and wife. I have snowboarded just to do something different on occasion and can comfortably get round the mountain but find it way more tiring and feel like I'm far more likely to get hurt. So if you were handy on a snowboard I expect you'll be fine on skis. Your fitness levels will help as well.
Using a dry slope or indoor slope would be ideal if you can as it will get you going pretty quickly and effectively saves you a first day on the 'baby' slopes. You may find you take to it pretty quickly and then may not need any lessons when you are in the mountains.
I taught my wife and kids but generally I didn't really teach them anything other than making sure they weren't doing anything horrendously wrong. Kids especially, they just get on with it and there's a limit to how much they take in from what you say anyway. Adults will pay some attention and there's some use in making sure you understand which ski to weigh on a extending body up and down etc.
If you can get going you my find you're able to keep up with the family quite quickly and then you're other half can offer a few pointers!
What you can also do is find a fairly easy short poma/drag lift that you can all go up and down on for a while and don't have to be all together side by side but can generally keep an eye on each other. Once our kids were around 6 or 7 they were fine on these kind of short runs to bomb up and down on their own with us able to see them all the time.
so i snowboarded when my wife and i would go on holidays as a couple prior to marriage and then briefly post kids. so about 5-6 years. Using a dry slope or indoor slope would be ideal if you can as it will get you going pretty quickly and effectively saves you a first day on the 'baby' slopes. You may find you take to it pretty quickly and then may not need any lessons when you are in the mountains.
I taught my wife and kids but generally I didn't really teach them anything other than making sure they weren't doing anything horrendously wrong. Kids especially, they just get on with it and there's a limit to how much they take in from what you say anyway. Adults will pay some attention and there's some use in making sure you understand which ski to weigh on a extending body up and down etc.
If you can get going you my find you're able to keep up with the family quite quickly and then you're other half can offer a few pointers!
What you can also do is find a fairly easy short poma/drag lift that you can all go up and down on for a while and don't have to be all together side by side but can generally keep an eye on each other. Once our kids were around 6 or 7 they were fine on these kind of short runs to bomb up and down on their own with us able to see them all the time.
I like your pointers and your attitude.
Hammersia said:
Yes.
There has never been a subject so drenched in hyperbole as the materials skis are made out of. Not even golf comes close.
Stop talking out of your arse. Try skiing moguls in downhill race skis, or gates in mogul skis, or hardpack in some soft twisty beginner/intermediate skis, or any number of other variations. There has never been a subject so drenched in hyperbole as the materials skis are made out of. Not even golf comes close.
It’s ok to say that you can’t tell the difference between skis. Don’t pretend though that that is true for everyone.
BlackWidow13 said:
Hammersia said:
Yes.
There has never been a subject so drenched in hyperbole as the materials skis are made out of. Not even golf comes close.
Stop talking out of your arse. Try skiing moguls in downhill race skis, or gates in mogul skis, or hardpack in some soft twisty beginner/intermediate skis, or any number of other variations. There has never been a subject so drenched in hyperbole as the materials skis are made out of. Not even golf comes close.
It’s ok to say that you can’t tell the difference between skis. Don’t pretend though that that is true for everyone.
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