How long have you been skiing?

[ski diva]

It'd be interesting to see how long everyone here's been skiing, and what age they were when they first started.

I began when I was 13, skied -- but not too intensely -- til I was about 23 or 24, then quit for a number of years (things got in the way). Restarted seriously about 12 years ago. So all told, it's been about 22 or 23 years (I'm a bit fuzzy on the specifics. Age, you know).

What about you?

 

[Lola]

Not nearly long enough!

By the way, that's the same answer I give when someone asks how long I've been married. Not nearly long enough! It's a great answer - and then I don't have to remember numbers, years, do math in my head, etc. . . :D

 

[Molly]

I didn't start until maybe ten years ago. Now I have to make up for lost time!

 

[snowflake]

I too have only been skiing for 10 years, but its been 10 fun years. :p

 

[Lilgeorg]

I learned to ski when I ways about 45. I am 63 now and I don't want to do the math. ask me some time for the very long story about how I got into the sport. The short story is that Lola's husband, Phil, "helped" me.

 

[teachski]

I started skiing on my 5th birthday, so I have been skiing longer than most of the others here have been alive. I started in lace leather boots and wooden skis with bear trap bindings. I skied a lot until I was about 15, then it slowed down and I really didn't begin to ski regularly again until I was about 25.

 

[mollmeister]

Logistics have had a lot to do with my ski history. . .

I started at 10, on a business trip with my Dad to Keystone (so that means about 24 years total).

Then I skied a good deal (ski club at school-- nightskiing in Michigan, anyone?-- and weekends with Dad) until I was 14, when we moved to the ice coast, and the drive to the mountains, with all the traffic, was sometimes more than anyone wanted to tackle on the weekends. We flew west for 10 days every winter, and went now and again, but I didn't really get serious again until college, which was in NH. By senior year I was scheduling my classes in order to make skiing at least a few hours every day a possibility. :D

After college we lived in the Bay Area for seven years or so, and although Tahoe was a haul, we got up there a lot (friends with ski house shares helped) and started doing annual ski weeks around the west with friends from all over.

Then we lived in CO for a couple of years, during which I was skiing 50 day winters, and then western Canada (yay!) where the mountains were very close, easy access, and uncrowded, and now we're back in CO.

The frequency of getting out there has ebbed and flowed, depending on location, but I have been in love for 24 years, and always getting out as much as I can!

 

[SnowHot]

Then I skied a good deal (ski club at school-- nightskiing in Michigan, anyone?-- and weekends with Dad) until I was 14,

Not only am I familiar with the school programs, I volunteer for a local church school and Head up the school ski program.

Gotta luv it when those kids who are learning because of your efforts.

 

[tcarey]

I started skiing when I was around 12.It was on and of until I got my son and husband to go.So around 38 years.

T

 

[ski diva]

Thought I'd bump this up for our newer members.

 

[Grace]

oh my, I really am a newbie...this will be my second full season...

 

[snobound]

I started at 3. 28 now (29 next month) and only missed about 3 seasons (darn Army and their deployments :p ).

 

[Jilly]

Missed this thread along the way. I started at 5 years old. We started as a family. Mom and Dad skied untill I went to University. The cottage was in a great place for ski-dooing, but not skiing. I kept it up, got my level 2 CSIA in 1984 after joining a traveling ski club. Well next fall is 1/2 century so, that makes this year - 44 years. It's a long time since bear trap bindings and rope tows!! I'll keep the chairlifts, release bindings and gore-tex!

 

[Quiver Queen]

Skied about once per year for a number of years until 10 years ago life and location improved so I figure that's when I really started. Since then one year I even got in 50 days--makes me feel so uptown (upmountain)!

 

[volklgirl]

Let's see....1x at 14, 1x at 16, then not again until 20. My SO at that time was an avid skier, so we started going to Boyne every other Sunday. Won a season pass to Mt. Holly at 21, started teaching at 22.The next SO didn't ski, so at 29 I went back to skiing once or twice a year with buddies from work. Got married at 32 to a man who was ready to move back to Hawaii when I met him. Then he discovered skiing! Been skiing 2-5 days a week ever since.

 

[Jilly]

Wow, Mt Holly, that brings back a memory. Hubby and I took a SkiCan holiday to Panorama in the 90's. On the bus were a group of instructors and coaches from Mt Holly. I was on my Volkl's so it had to be the early 90's as I changed to Dynastar is 1996. I do remember that that it was the year that Intrawest bought Panorama. We had a lot of fun with a group of good skiers.

 

[volklgirl]

Yup, there are some exceptional skiers and racers on that 250' hill :D

 

[pinto]

We lived in Colo Spgs when I was a preschooler ... used to ski Copper and Ski Broadmoor (I think that's closed now) and probably some other places.

I skied a few times when 4 and 5, and then the family moved to TX. We made a few ski trips during that time, and then finally moved back to CO when I was 9. So regular skiing started back up ... usually to Loveland, ABasin, Mary Jane, Copper, or Vail.

In high school, our church sent up a youth group ski bus about three Saturdays a month; that was a GREAT time. Then for some reason I went back to TX for college, where I spent lots of time (at least spring semesters) trying to get back to CO so I could ski. I figured I should probably just transfer.

So I ended up in Boulder, at CU, and that's when I really started to ski a LOT, almost exclusively at Mary Jane and ABasin. I graduated in Dec 89 and planned on moving to Vail to do postgrad work in ski bumming -- but my dad was temporarily transferred to Wash DC, so I decided that was a great opportunity. Which it was, but not so good for the ski life.

Skied only once a year then, including a time in WV and a time in PA. Then got married, had babies, blah blah, moved to CA, still not skiing.

Finally in 2000, we returned home to CO ... and the whole family started back up. So ... that's the long answer.

The short answer is 35 years! But somewhat off and on.

 

[eng_ch]

I'm a relative newbie too - this will be our 7th season, didn't start until I was 30 and then realised what I'd been missing. But we sort of make up for lost time as we're pretty close to the mountains and usually get in about 5-6 weeks a season all told

 

[chitownski]

I was on skis for the first time when I was 2 years old (my parents are ski bums that didn't want the hassle of finding babysitters). I think I've only missed two seasons in the 26 years since.