Learning to ski mid-40s

[Anonymous]

If you learned to ski later in life, how long did it take for you to feel comfortable on blues? Blacks? Or did you mainly just stick to greens?
I’ve been skiing about 7-8 times and still struggling to get parallel turns down. Just curious around what level you ended up skiing and how long it took you to get there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you learned to ski later in life, how long did it take for you to feel comfortable on blues? Blacks? Or did you mainly just stick to greens?
I’ve been skiing about 7-8 times and still struggling to get parallel turns down. Just curious around what level you ended up skiing and how long it took you to get there.

7-8 times with lessons every time? Or just one lesson and doing it on your own the rest of the time?

To learn parallel turns, you need a lot of repetition and comfort and that’s going to come from more time on the snow and more lessons. Many skiers take a few years (or forever) to ski parallel. It depends on what kind of shape you’re in and what level of athleticism you’re coming in with. It can take a while to develop awareness of your body if you haven’t done other sports.

Don’t get hung up on green/blue/black. They differ everywhere. The important thing is that you’re progressing if you want to progress. It’s ok to ski what you’re comfortable on forever. You don’t have to ski vertical bumps to be a real skier. I’ve been skiing for 35 years and can ski 99% of inbounds runs in the U.S. but spend a lot of my time (like today!) just chilling on easy runs with friends who are new skiers.

You don’t have anything to prove because you’ve already proven yourself by taking up something entirely new as an adult. Well done! I’m proud of you!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the pep talk! I’m just curious what is “normal” for an adult. I’m in average shape, I’d say. My husband is giving me lessons and I’m out practicing with him, and he’s amazing and better than the actual lessons I’ve taken. I have a healthy dose of fear and am very cautious, which I think is holding me back.

[Anonymous]

I learned to ski at 40 and yes, the fear and caution is very real. We're old (comparatively speaking) and a fall can cause much more damage! I was on blues after about 6 days of lessons and practice, parallel turns on day 3 maybe. Not super well, but enough to keep up with my kids at least. But in addition to being decently in shape, I do a lot of yoga and have good balance, body control, and lower body/core strength. I also learned to surf in my 30's and that was 100% because I was physically strong and had good muscle control. If those aren't areas you're already strong in, then I would guess it would take longer.

That said, learning to ski in your 40s is a huge accomplishment! Don't worry about trying to get as good as someone that learned as a child. I'll never ski blacks or hard blues, and that's okay. My goals are only to have fun and keep up with my kids until they're old enough to navigate the lifts on their own without getting lost or accidentally ending up on the wrong slope.

[Anonymous]

I am an older skier and after breaking my ankle after a gentle fall, I am more cautious than ever! I had always been terrified of picking up speed and never felt confident with turns, worrying that faster skiers behind me would crash into me since I take very wide turns. So, I decided to just stick to greens and blues (with the occasional tougher blue when the slopes aren't crowded) and enjoy just going at my pace vs. skiing in fear. This does mean that I can't always ski with my family but I am ok with that.
Instructors are very hit or miss but I did find that, before my fall, I was advancing pretty quickly when the slopes were not crowded and I can take my time and take some risks without someone crashing into me, especially obnoxious snowboarders who have no problem stopping and sitting down in the middle of a run.

[Anonymous]

As another data point, my husband started learning to ski at 40. Now he has probably spent about 30 days skiing, over a few years, and with lessons every time. He skis parallel almost all the time and can ski any run, but he’ll fall into snowploughs on harder runs and finds some blues and blacks very hard, though he can do them. By contrast, of course, our kids who have skied the same number of days as him, look like pros!
As long as you are enjoying it, keep going! Your progress sounds totally normal and you’ll get better with more practice, and lessons really help. We are skiing in France right now and it is a wonderful way to spend time as a family all doing something we love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the pep talk! I’m just curious what is “normal” for an adult. I’m in average shape, I’d say. My husband is giving me lessons and I’m out practicing with him, and he’s amazing and better than the actual lessons I’ve taken. I have a healthy dose of fear and am very cautious, which I think is holding me back.

I don't know what is normal, but I am also cautious and fearful and do not feel comfortable progressing past greens and some easier blues. Spouse is good and keeps up with the kids.