• Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.

Inspiration for skiers over 50, or 60, or 70+

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm with you all here, just exactly as @ski diva laid it out. However, I enjoyed reading these 2 posts below. They're certainly inspirational even if I don't share the same goals.
Part I: https://fitisafeministissue.com/2016/04/13/black-diamond-guest-post/
Part II: https://fitisafeministissue.com/2016/04/15/just-go-guest-post/

And, look who's turning into a skier! Check out her progress videos. Go Yarn Harlot! https://fitisafeministissue.com/201...native-fear-from-cyclist-to-skier-guest-post/
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I'm with you all here, just exactly as @ski diva laid it out. However, I enjoyed reading these 2 posts below. They're certainly inspirational even if I don't share the same goals.
Part I: https://fitisafeministissue.com/2016/04/13/black-diamond-guest-post/
Part II: https://fitisafeministissue.com/2016/04/15/just-go-guest-post/

And, look who's turning into a skier! Check out her progress videos. Go Yarn Harlot! https://fitisafeministissue.com/201...native-fear-from-cyclist-to-skier-guest-post/

Thanks for the links, @VickiK! Great posts, and yes, I agree -- inspirational.

Something I forgot to add in my initial post: I started both my blog and this forum when I was 51. So for you younger skiers who think your ski life might end when you reach a certain age, think again. :smile:
 
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volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My mom will be 72 next week, and she skis with me most every Sunday. :thumbsup:

I'm also at the "nothing to prove anymore" stage. I love skiing, and I continue to race and improve, but there's a lot more stuff I just ski away from now.
 

newboots

Angel Diva

dloveski

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Never too old. I ski with awesome senior skiers who outski the youngsters. I'll be 65 this year and am still working on improvement in my skiing. DH is in his 70's and I cannot keep up with him and he is still skiing strong!!! Skiing is a sport in which there is always room to improve (especially for me).
 

KatyPerrey

PSIA 3 Children's Specialist 2 Keystone Resort
On my trip to Colorado last month I had the privilege to ski a few runs with a lovely lady Annie(I forget her surname).She is 84 and still skiing the blues with good form.It is inspirational to see.

Annie Loper. She received her PSIA Full Cert in 1965 and taught at Vail till she was 80!!! She went Heli-Skiing with our group at Mike Wiegle Heli-Ski when she WAS 70!! Amazing women and very inspirational!!
 

MtnRivergirl

Diva in Training
I am 54 and was an intermediate skier until I moved to CO 20 years ago. Now I love steeps, live for powder and really learned to love bumps in the past 10 years. I blew an MCL 10 years ago in a fall on icy stairs, but it has not held me back after the first year or so. Took up mountain biking at 52. I ski and ride and run rivers with friends ranging from their 30's to 70's. One couple I ski with a lot are in their early 70's and still rocking the steeps, powder and bumps - he broke his leg in a senior's competitive road bike accident a few years ago and it has not affected his ability at all. I try to not to be stupid and I don't ski if conditions are hardpacked and unforgiving. But I push myself to keep improving at everything I do and try to use fear of injury to make good decisions but not hold me back, as my MCL injury proved you can get hurt anywhere.

The critical components seem to be staying fit and healthy in the areas you can control (and of course good genetics help), getting good medical care and rehabbing hard if you do get injured and just keeping after it. My mom quit being active for a few years in her early 60's and she never recovered.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Welcome, @MtnRivergirl ! So excited to have you here! I just took up skiing at 63 (I decided after an injury that I needed to get serious about physical activity if I wasn't going to end up like your mother). Loving it, and especially loving all the not-so-young among us enjoying this sport.

Sadly, avoiding hardpack is not an option here in New England. I'm not skiing terribly challenging slopes, though, and when the conditions actually require a Zamboni, I stick to my familiar greens.

Move to Montana? Colorado? I think about it. Still working here, though!

Anne
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
George Jedenoff is going skiing at Snowbird for his 100th birthday! Has great answers in the Powder interview on 6/30/17.

https://www.powder.com/stories/inte...c_tw_social_PWDR_170630_sf94407094#sf94407094

" . . .
What is your advice to younger skiers?
Skiing is just a great sport. The thing I would say is take care of yourself. Watch your diet, and maintain an exercise program. The thing that has kept me going all these years is I have a rigid exercise program that I do every single day. I did it this morning. The secret to that, I find, is you have to work it in to your regular routine schedule. You have to make it part of your life. I wake up in the morning, scrub my teeth, shave, and then I go right down and do my exercise.

The thing about skiing now is that it’s an incentive for me to stay in shape. I know that I want to be able to ski, and you have to be in shape to do it. That motivates me to do my exercise everyday. . . ."
 

newboots

Angel Diva
That guy is wonderful! Wisdom and fun, a great combination. We should all live so well!
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
George Jedenoff is going skiing at Snowbird for his 100th birthday! Has great answers in the Powder interview on 6/30/17.

https://www.powder.com/stories/inte...c_tw_social_PWDR_170630_sf94407094#sf94407094

" . . .
What is your advice to younger skiers?
Skiing is just a great sport. The thing I would say is take care of yourself. Watch your diet, and maintain an exercise program. The thing that has kept me going all these years is I have a rigid exercise program that I do every single day. I did it this morning. The secret to that, I find, is you have to work it in to your regular routine schedule. You have to make it part of your life. I wake up in the morning, scrub my teeth, shave, and then I go right down and do my exercise.

The thing about skiing now is that it’s an incentive for me to stay in shape. I know that I want to be able to ski, and you have to be in shape to do it. That motivates me to do my exercise everyday. . . ."
LOVE this.
 

Rebecca Timson

Diva in Training
As 2017 approaches, I'm looking forward to my first season over 60. Not quite old enough for senior discounts on lift tickets yet because those usually require being 62+ or older. However, there is still plenty of inspiration to be found in stories about older Divas learning to ski, working to improve, or continuing to ski at a high level as seniors. My goal is to join the Wild Old Bunch at Alta as often as possible when the time is right. They are over 70, or 75, or 80, or even 85+.

Here's some inspiration to get the ball rolling. Any stories about senior women who aren't about to slow down on the slopes? Could be other women you've skied with or your own experience.


For intermediates who haven't seen it, check out this discussion in Ski Tips that began several years ago:

Tips for intermediates over 40 planning to ski until 70+

I am working on a story about women skiers over 50 who are still going strong and skiing beautifully. I would appreciate your suggestions about women (anywhere in the world) to feature!
 

Skisailor

Angel Diva
I am working on a story about women skiers over 50 who are still going strong and skiing beautifully. I would appreciate your suggestions about women (anywhere in the world) to feature!

SO many on this forum!!! But you must talk to @Ursula Howland - Amazing World Cup German team freestyle competitor and teacher of skiing - for 43 years now, 27 of them in Big Sky Montana (and counting). Ursula is part of that generation of women skiers who made it as a professional in the macho man's ski world through sheer talent, athleticism and stubborn perseverance, and who helped to pave the way for the rest of us.
 

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