Teach an Old Guy to Ski

[RabidGranny]

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?

[bompey]

Book yourself a week of ski school lessons for when you get out there. Teaching yourself is very difficult and will take far longer than lessons.

[gifdy]

Agree with above. Book into group lessons. It's more fun when in a group & helps with confidence if you're not the only duffer around ;-)

[seyre1972]

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?

Firstly - how fit are you ? As that has a huge impact on learning/enjoyment (put aside the apprehension)

Secondly - if you're near an indoor slope (see map below) Go have some lessons, and then practice as much as possible.

UK indoor Ski slopes




Nothing wrong with having adult lessons here/in resort (if your wife can ski she must understand you're on a learning trajectory) and as such to get maximum enjoyment with family - you need to invest in learning etc

[Ashfordian]

Firstly you are not old!

You need to go in with a positive mindset. Being scared means being tense and that will make falling more likely. Trust your wife (unless there is an large insurance payout on you ).

You will fall over so when you realise you are out of control you can make the decision to fall 'uphill'. This way you have a lot less distance before you hit the snow. You won't be going fast anyway. And sliding on snow does not hurt either

[Penny Whistle]

From when I learnt a long long time ago ..

1) Make sure your boots are comfortable.
2) Enrol in a beginners' class for adults for the first day and maybe the second morning, then just pootle around the nursery slopes; maybe book more morning sessions if and when you feel the need.
3) If your wife isn't supportive or patient then you're better of without having her huffing or, worse, laughing.
3) Remember that the steeper the slope, the easier it is to get back up onto your skis.
4) Use cabin cars or lifts where you carry your skis until you have confidence in moving round on them (not possible on all nursery slopes).

[Ezra]

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?

Assuming you're off on vacation to a ski resort, just book a weeks worth of lessons. If it was me I'd book with a group (you'll be in a group with other beginners so its targeted to that groups ability) rather than 1:1 (although you'll make quicker progress here) and I'd just book morning lessons and then maybe self teach / practice in the afternoon. If you try and self teach with no lessons you'll probably jack it in after the first morning or hurt yourself.

[SaulGoodman]

Absolutely book a half or full day in a snow dome before you go. At the very least you will get the basics of the plough turn down, Then book group lessons. If you can plough turn you'll most likely be in the intermediate beginners where you'll go out and see some of the resort as opposed to the basic class where you'll be on nursery slopes for the week.

Once you get the confidence to face down the mountain and turn you'll be away. If you've been snowboarding you'll have done that part of the process once before so you know what to expect at least. And you are certainly not old!

[RabidGranny]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

My wife thinks i should follow our eldest daughter to get the confidence going downhill. Shes 7.... It could work.

I had a morning lesson last year and it went ok but it got very sloppy when i got tired.

To the poster referring to fitness, i do ok, im a marathon runner.

I think the suggestions to get lessons are the best. I might therefore slyly do them one friday for a day and try to nail it down.

[shirt]

I’m the same age as you and never skied until last winter.

Firstly choose a resort that has a good variety of easy runs, the longer the better. Well signed routes are also handy, so you don’t get confused like me and end up staring down a red run with no way back to an easier route.

I’d go against what was said above and get private lessons, the progression is much faster and if you get a LH instructor you gel with it’s just as much fun. Don’t be afraid to change instructor.

Don’t try to ski all day every day, you’ll knackered yourself out and any hesitancy / falls due to lack of confidence / skill will result in a truly miserable day.

Try to think about how you learn best. For me the generic instructions didn’t work, I needed to know the full picture around what we were aiming for and how it would be broken down to get there. I could then see what he was trying to achieve and work with him to get there.

Work out the lesson plan accordingly. Maybe better to have shorter lessons and more practice early, maybe even having a day off lessons to practice, and then more intense later in the week.

Also speak to the school in advance about snow conditions and be flexible in the trip if possible. I found packed snow difficult in terms of speed control resulting in me going quicker than I was comfortable with and a few wipeouts. You just might need to meet elsewhere to access slopes with better conditions but can plan for this.

Learn how to fall. Going front in to a packed drift hurts, it’s not so bad if you just throw yourself on the floor to avoid it.

Go with what works for you, not what anyone says you should do. Otherwise the fun and learning isn’t there and it will be frustrating.

[thepritch]

I’m sure as a runner you’re no stranger to injury, and how easy it is to pick one up. And perhaps that’s playing on your mind. Of course you can get injured skiing, but equally if you’re fit (you’re a runner) you should have fairly decent flexibility so that’s strongly in your favour.

Skiing is incredible fun, even at the beginner stage so you must try group tuition. Share the fun, share the falls, enjoy the experience of being on a beautiful mountain top. If you’re doing a week long holiday, do morning lessons and ski with the family in the afternoon. You’ll progress much faster and your family will thank you for it. Trying to just work through it without proper guidance will guarantee you feeling frustrated and down, especially if you’re already in a negative mindset.

Also, your kids will get tired quickly, so you don’t have to be skiing all day. Remember, usually it’s when we get tired, we lose concentration, make mistakes, and greatly increase the risk of injury.

Remember to enjoy the experience of the holiday as a whole. There’s plenty to look forward to rather than dread

[UTH]

RabidGranny said:

Thanks for the feedback guys.

My wife thinks i should follow our eldest daughter to get the confidence going downhill. Shes 7.... It could work.

I had a morning lesson last year and it went ok but it got very sloppy when i got tired.

To the poster referring to fitness, i do ok, im a marathon runner.

I think the suggestions to get lessons are the best. I might therefore slyly do them one friday for a day and try to nail it down.

Not sure following your 7 year old is wise......they have no fear and love going in a straight line! haha

[jonathan_roberts]

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.

[a311]

When I opened this thread I thought you were going to be 60+

Indoor slopes are a really good way to get the basics down before you go away. Do that and get as fit as you can, the more nervous you are the more rigid you'll be and your thighs will be screaming for mercy.

There's no substitute for 1:1 tuition IMO, ski school can be fun but you'll go at the pace of the slowest, which may be you.

Back in the day I got up to a level 3 instructor and would go do a few weeks over the winter instructing in Austria and Italy for a paid holiday as you got at least half a day to yourself to ski. Guy who instructed me (owns a company called snoworks) is well in his 60s now and swears by yoga for keeping him going, but he probably doesn't fall much.

[UTH]

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.

"Teach me how to ski"

"Don't bother"

Nice. LOL

[RabidGranny]

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.

were you 'Competitive Dads' son in the 'Fast Show'??

[NDA]

My company used to own a ski chalet and I've taken lots of beginners onto the slopes over many years.

A ski instructor is the best bet and it normally takes 3 days of falling down (not fast) to eventually see what you need to do. Alternatively a very patient friend can teach you on some easy blue runs - but it's a big ask when they want to have fun too.

There is quite a bit about skiing that is counterintuitive - leaning forward, down the slope, weight on bottom ski etc. But once you master this it's not that tricky to start enjoying big pisted reds. You might never become Jean-Claude Killy, but you'll have lots of fun.

[jonathan_roberts]

RabidGranny said:

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.

were you 'Competitive Dads' son in the 'Fast Show'??

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.

[RabidGranny]

Thanks for the feedback guys, even the one who told me not to bother my arse ... honestly that's how i feel but the plan is to go a s a family in the future and so its almost incumbent upon me to learn.

I feel as though im too old and will wreck myself but noting ventured etc.

[AndyAudi]

I was also a late starter

My approach as an over thinker was

Dryslope for 1-1 lessons - (think I’d half a dozen over several weeks)

This gave me basics, linking turns, side slipping etc from an English languish teacher. It also got me familiar with the kit & muscles I was to be using (they hurt!)

Arrive in resort & I was assessed not as a beginner but intermediate & joined an adult learners class. My week was spent on greens & blues with a mixed age from 20-50.
Group lessons were in the morning - after lunch generally met family & we had an easy afternoon together sometimes re-doing what I’d done earlier with class to boost my confidence.

I took group lessons for 2 years before ok to join main group all day & not be holding them up. 1-1 will profess faster but, it’s much more expensive (a week of group mornings is the same cost as one morning 1-1). Sometimes some of our group would ski together after lessons or go for something to eat (meaning those we were on holiday with could do their own thing a bit longer before coming back to babysit us!)

Since then I’ve skid with loads of family groups & abilities (& politely suggested sone should go & join lessons!)

Learning with family is a pain & there will likely be fallouts.

Learning with kids who are also learning isn’t good, I remember as a relatively new skier spending ages behind small kids in the family “braking” with my thighs burning because they just couldn’t get up to speed, following a 7yr old isn’t good advice in my opinion & a sign you shouldn’t be listening to your Mrs if she’s suggesting it.

Kids lack of fear, ridiculously low centre of gravity & little skis mean you could pretty much put them anywhere in a mountain & they can get down, whereas you’d likely be uncomfortable & falling over leading to frustration (& fear if they’re your own disappearing in front of you)