Tips for advanced skiers over 50 planning to ski until 80+

[snoWYmonkey]

@santacruz skier. Sadly nothing free at all at JHMR for seniors unless they volunteer 2 full days a week for their passes. Discounted starting at 65. We do have a ton of paid instructors over 65 though and some in their 70s and 80s too

 

[marzNC]

Alta and Taos are two of my favorite destination resorts out west. Both start senior season pass rates at age 65. I started paying more attention when Bill reached that milestone since he's a few years older than I am. Now I try to consider whether or not a senior season pass at Alta makes sense, especially given the reciprocal 50% tickets at MCP resorts. Both are essentially free starting at age 80.

There is no senior rate for day tickets at Alta. There is a senior and junior (up to 16) day rate at Taos.

Apparently the idea of no free skiing until age 80 was based on Alf Engen's thinking long ago. He founded the Alta ski school in 1949 and ran it for 40 years. He was born in 1909 and died in 1997 at age 88.

For seniors who don't live in ski country, and have the time and money for traveling during the winter, I think taking longer trips is one way to keep skiing at a high level. That way, there is more energy for skiing with a smaller percentage of time given to the travel effort. At 65+ I much prefer taking a ski trip that last 10+ days compared to only 5-7 days. That way the first couple days I don't feel bad taking it easy on the slopes while getting adjusted to high altitude and recovering from a full day of travel (if flying). Also means a senior season pass to a favorite mountain is more likely to make sense to cover lift access.

 

[liquidfeet]

....
For seniors who don't live in ski country, and have the time and money for traveling during the winter, I think taking longer trips is one way to keep skiing at a high level. That way, there is more energy for skiing with a smaller percentage of time given to the travel effort. At 65+ I much prefer taking a ski trip that last 10+ days compared to only 5-7 days. That way the first couple days I don't feel bad taking it easy on the slopes while getting adjusted to high altitude and recovering from a full day of travel (if flying). Also means a senior season pass to a favorite mountain is more likely to make sense to cover lift access.

Great advice.

This is what I'm doing this season. I have a season pass for Taos (senior rate) and am planning on skiing 3 weeks there. Life is getting in the way for skiing back home at my usual mountains where I also have a season pass, so these three weeks will be a big part of my season.

 

[santacruz skier]

@santacruz skier. Sadly nothing free at all at JHMR for seniors unless they volunteer 2 full days a week for their passes. Discounted starting at 65. We do have a ton of paid instructors over 65 though and some in their 70s and 80s too

Maybe that list isn’t current? Actually I scanned the list curious about free skiing ..

 

[snoWYmonkey]

@santacruz skier as far as I know Jackson Hole has never had free skiing for seniors. My favorite was a full timer who started teaching adter 50 and had his free 20 year employee lifetime pass but kept teaching into his 80s. Miss him....

 

[santacruz skier]

@santacruz skier as far as I know Jackson Hole has never had free skiing for seniors. My favorite was a full timer who started teaching adter 50 and had his free 20 year employee lifetime pass but kept teaching into his 80s. Miss him....

Thanks for the clarification.
First time I went to Taos I noticed many of the instructors were mostly older skiers. (Meaning 50+)

 

[marzNC]

First time I went to Taos I noticed many of the instructors were mostly older skiers. (Meaning 50+)

What I heard about Derek, who is pushing 80, is that he realized in his 70s that he needed to work on his technique even more to compensate for not being as strong and fit as he had been when he was younger. He's been teaching for over 40 years at this point.

February 2016

Learning from the best at Taos Ski Valley

It was a humbling experience, but in the end, quite helpful.

www.santafenewmexican.com

Most of my Level 3 instructors have been over 50. Partially because that's a better fit for me and my ski buddies who do semi-private lessons and Private Ski Weeks with me are over 50, if not over 60. I started regular lessons at my home hill in northern Virginia doing a clinic designed for skiers over 50, which was the pet project of one of the older instructors/trainers. Made a big difference in the long run given that I wasn't a solid advanced skier when I started working with him.

The instructor we worked with for the first time at Wolf Creek last December had taught at Crested Butte for 20+ years before moving to teach at Vail for 13 years. He's a Colorado native. He recently moved to Wolf Creek for the great snow they get there all winter long. He doesn't miss doing private lessons at Vail where the guest really didn't want to improve technique, but just wanted a guide for extremely challenging terrain. He's still teaching and helping with instructor training, but I got the sense that if there wasn't a lesson to teach that was okay with him. We were lucky to have powder lessons with him for the planned full-day semi-private lesson and a bonus afternoon lesson the next day. It snowed over a foot those two days. He was booked the rest of the week.

 

[SwimSusan]

A couple years ago, I saw this video about a 87yo who is a ski patroller at Big Sky. His suggestion was to make friends with younger skiers. The 85yo man I met at Taos last season needed to find new ski friends because his friends were no longer skiing as much. He was still in very good shape. He wife has stopped skiing because of RA but was still happy to spend a month in Taos with him.

https://unofficialnetworks.com/2015...-patroller-at-big-sky-makes-us-all-look-soft/

My main ski buddy is a bit older but I don't expect him to slow down for at least another 10 years. Now that he's taking lessons, he could be skiing challenging terrain for another 20 years. In his case, didn't start the lessons until he was over 60. He was an advanced skier in high school skiing every weekend at Aspen Mountain on straight skis. That said, I'm always on the lookout for potential travel mates of any age for trips out west. Still have quite a few places on my bucket list.

As for skiing, I certainly expect to continue to improve for a while. When I was 50, I figured that I had 10 years to become as good a skier as possible. My revised thinking is that I could keep improving well into my 70s. My parents didn't slow down until after they were 90. They worked at staying in shape physically and mentally. They were still traveling internationally in their late 80s and early 90s, although only with a younger companion.

This just made my morning. 53 and i loved the “revised thinking”!

 

[SwimSusan]

For those reading who are over 80, it's never too late find a way to work with an instructor to improve technique. Harvey Simpson was 90 when the following article and video were done in March 2017. Clearly Harvey has the advantage of financial resources that allowed him to pay for private lessons. But starting in 2015 Vail Village Ski School began 3-day clinics designed specifically for seniors that are pretty reasonable, especially for someone with an Epic Pass. The Ski Younger Now clinics are held several times a season and run about $1000 if lift tickets are included.

Vail Daily - March 2017
Skiing better at 90: Vail resident uses lessons to improve his technique

"VAIL — When Harvey Simpson was 80, he started getting nervous about his future as a skier. Realizing that one bad fall could end his days on the snow for good, he made a decision to reduce the chances of that happening by becoming a better skier.

"I decided, in order to avoid that I'd better ski correctly," Simpson said.

Simpson is a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. He started skiing in New York in 1954 after he got out of the Navy, and he skied hard.

"I used to be wild out there," he said.

These days, he's 90 years old, skiing on two new hips and he resides at the Sonnenalp as their only permanent resident. Skiing as a lifestyle is very important to his goals in longevity.
. . .

Simpson credits Vail ski instructor Gunnar Moberg for improving his technique throughout the years and contributing to that younger appearance on the slopes.

"He's light on the skis, with good rhythm," Moberg said. "He was a wonderful student."

Simpson said he learned by mimicking Moberg's movements.

"Talking to me was not working," Simpson said. "I'd ski behind him about 10 feet … seeing what he was doing as we skied down the mountain, and if I didn't feel right I'd see where he has his hands, where he has his head, his knees and everything else."

. . ."

Every time i read an article like that, i become more convinced that i should tell my husband we have to move to a mountain town!

 

[marzNC]

Every time i read an article like that, i become more convinced that i should tell my husband we have to move to a mountain town!

Not sure it needs to be a complete move, depending on the situation. I've talked to seniors at skiing at Alta and Taos who had a seasonal rental for the winter months, usually a month or two during mid-season. They get a senior season pass, and make the drive up to ski on a fairly regular basis. In one case at Alta, there were two couples from the midwest sharing a house. The husbands skied pretty much every day midweek. The wives were pickier about snow conditions. Only joined for the ride up the canyon when there was going to be good off-piste skiing. Probably also waited until the powder hounds were done clogging up the road.

During my first trip to Taos, I ended up riding up and skiing a few runs with a 80+ man. He and his wife were spending a month in a place in town. She's stopped skiing due to RA. He would either drive for a day trip or ride the free public bus up to TSV. What was unexpected is that he never considered doing a Ski Week in all the years they had been skiing TSV. He was on narrow skis and only liked to go fast while carving. They were from the midwest and discovered skiing as working adults.

I know of a couple retired Divas who are spending over 4 weeks at a seasonal rental with friends. They are enjoying a destination resort, but not one near a major urban center like SLC or Denver.

 

[ski diva]

I remember taking a lesson with @Ursula at Big Sky, who told us that the better your technique, the less energy it requires, and that her goal was to expend as little energy as possible so she could ski as long as possible.

As for skiing more after age 50, I really stepped up my skiing when I was 52 and moved to Vermont. I'm fortunate enough to live in a ski town and get out on the hill nearly every day (I skip weekends and peak periods, like Christmas Week, MLK, and President's Week).

 

[marzNC]

Here's good advice from a couple of long time instructors from a few years ago that's worth repeating.

I went back to read this thread from the beginning and now feel as if I'm entitled to weigh in. I turned 60 this year and I think one of the keys to continued successful advanced skiing at an advanced age is to keep up with an aerobic, a strength, and a flexibility program. For me, when I neglect any one of those, I feel it. I ski about 100 days per season, but it is my off-season regime that makes the most difference in my fitness. I'm sure we all know the adage: "you can't ski yourself into good shape."

I have definitely noticed that I charge a bit less hard these days. But, I am far more accurate and able to keep going if I make sure I am balanced and that my movements are progressive.

In addition to strength, cardio and flexibility, I am a huge fan of balance work in the off season. So much of skiing is about balancing, especially on one leg, and two, while having to move up and down and finding stability while being constantly challenged. The better ski fitness programs in our area have a very strong balance component around week three that gets added to the mix.

Teaching novices, especially older adults, the balance is sorely lacking even out of ski boots, let alone while gliding over a slippery surface.

One local instructor, Bill Briggs, the first person to ski the Grand Teton, was still teaching this winter at the tender young age of 89! All this with a permanently fused hip. I used to watch him doing summer trail work well into his late seventies at the Snowking where he taught.

The fact that skiing at a high level provides the incentive for year round fitness work means that I'm in far better shape at 66 than I was at 56. I can tell the difference not only on the slopes but when I'm doing yard work at home during the off-season.

One of the couples I encouraged to give a Taos Ski Week a try for first time in late January are in their early 60s. They are skiing more now that their children are young adults starting their careers. They also discovered they love mountain biking. They were already golfers. That pretty much covers all the seasons. Wife retired recently, husband can do WFH. He's starting to think of places they could go for a couple weeks to mix skiing while still getting in some work.

He hadn't considered that it was worth taking ski lessons at his "late age" but by the middle of a Taos Ski Week, he was starting to understand why would make a difference in the long run. He was in an advanced intermediate group with other people over 50, if not over 60. Being from the northeast, he had been thinking that he'd just continue skiing fast down groomers until he would just quit when that became too hard on his leg muscles. Never occurred to him that it was possible to ski any other way.

 

[marzNC]

This group of seniors up in Canada were not only still skiing powder, they were hiking to get to the good stuff.

February 2011

 

[marzNC]

One factor that makes it a lot easier for seniors who are advanced to keep skiing is having friends who are interested in skiing at similar times and on similar terrain. Could be a group at the local mountain, or could be friends willing to travel to destination resorts for a week or two. For the 70+, a ski trip with the 70+ Ski Club or a local ski club could be a way to make new ski friends.

I'm a solo traveler for ski trips because my husband is a non-skier for assorted reasons. It made it easier to find ski/travel buddies after I invested time and money to improve my technique over 5+ seasons. As an adventurous intermediate over 50, I wasn't able to keep up with advanced friends off-piste so I often only did one "adventure run" with them in the morning. But I was better than intermediate friends who didn't ski full days, especially if snow or weather conditions weren't that good. That meant I often skied solo during a trip out west, which limited the amount of time I could gain experience skiing off-piste.

Having become a solid advanced skier who is in better shape than before, it's much easier to explore a new mountain or maximize ski time at a favorite mountain. My ski/travel buddies and I can explore any black terrain without any worries of getting in over our head. It doesn't matter if conditions or weather aren't ideal. Low visibility because of a snowstorm or lower than ideal coverage in the trees doesn't mean we stick to groomers. Also means that a trip can include weekend skiing because we can ski advanced terrain where there are fewer people.

In short . . . lessons and continuing to improve technique is worthwhile for advanced skiers over 50, 60, and beyond.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

One of the groups I would be invited to coach as a guest coach was called the geriatrics. The oldest were a couple in their late eighties early nineties who were still skiing the Hoback in Jackson Hole, a never groomed, off piste, black zone with about 3k vert of drop. Just two days ago I ran into them at the store. Sadly, at 93 and 95 respectively they hung up skiing last year. I will admit that it was a bit of blow to me as they were always, and remain my inspiration, should I even make it to my nineties. They are selling their condo in Wyoming and from now on staying permanently in Calgary where they raised their family even though they are from France originally. I am happy to note that while skiing might be only a fun filled memory for them, they are as witty, sharp and opinionated as they ever were!

 

[SkiBam]

Yes, finding ski buddies as we get older can pose problems. I haven't faced this yet as I have lots of people to ski with - many younger than I but a couple older. One woman who recently joined our little group was lamenting just that: fewer people to ski with as so many as they get older stop skiing. From what I've heard many say, it's not the physical requirements of skiing that lead them to quit but the crowds and dangers of collisions.

Someone mentioned skiing as efficiently and with as little energy as possible. You can sure keep going much longer this way. One woman in our group (mid-seventies, in excellent shape in general and wants to keep skiing) was moaning about sore legs and saying she hadn't done enough pre-season exercises. She scoffs at lessons but has been willing to accept a few tips that are helping get her out of the back seat. She's already saying she's feeling more balanced and it's less effort. A work in progress!

 

[marzNC]

For an advanced skier who's been skiing for a long time, it's the small tweaks that can make a difference in the long run. Can be hard to learn a new habit though. What Deb Armstrong was working on with this woman makes sense to me now in a way that wouldn't have a few years ago without the lessons I've had as an advanced skier.

 

[Lmk92]

For an advanced skier who's been skiing for a long time, it's the small tweaks that can make a difference in the long run. Can be hard to learn a new habit though. What Deb Armstrong was working on with this woman makes sense to me now in a way that wouldn't have a few years ago without the lessons I've had as an advanced skier.

You know, I've seen that one before, and I'm glad you shared it, because it does mean so much more this time!

 

[marzNC]

Recently came across an old thread that makes even more sense now than when it was active. There are some drills mentioned that are worth considering. Especially for an older advanced skier who hasn't skied much for a while.

December 2018

So, are my quads supposed to be getting tired and sore?

They don't. I'm kind of out of shape, too. I get sore in small muscles in my hips and ankles, but not too bad. Having a good time, and improving, but not sure whether I should be putting in more effort or not.

www.theskidiva.com

 

[JaniceO]

I'm 59 and want to keep skiing forever. I still take lessons and women's clinics and want to continue to work on technique and using as much gravity as possible to make my legs last.