Can adults learn to ski?

[Anonymous]

I've been wondering about this too- despite growing up in a cold, snowy area of the country, I never really learned to ski. My parents weren't skiers themselves, and it's an expensive sport! I went a handful of times with our high school ski club and could manage my way down some easy greens but that was over 25 years ago now. DH can ski and has taken our oldest DC a few times, now the younger one wants to learn and I wish I at least had some basic skills. Maybe I'll try Whitetail on a weekday to see how realistic it is....

[Anonymous]

Op- sorry this post was highjacked to tell me I am really a crappy skier.

To better outline what I was trying to say initially....

As someone who learned to ski locally in her 40s I suggest the learning area at Whitetail. I prefer this area over the area at Liberty. This is where I took my first lesson and spent my first few days. Once you are feeling good there you can progress to Sidewinder at WT. Note, not all greens are created equal. WT has Sidewinder and Snowpark, snowpark is steeper than Sidewinder. The front greens at liberty (lower blue streak, Nova, sneaky peat) are also a nice step up from the learning area. Dipsy doodle at Liberty is nice but requires a bit more skill as there are some turns and a steep area you need to maneuver around.

Once you are ready for blue runs give the blues at liberty a try (Whitney's way- access via the cut through off Dipsy doodle to avoid upper heavenly which can be a bit scary and steep for beginners, not to mention it gets congested). WT blues are a lot steeper than liberty.

Some people on here suggested Timberline. Which is a good option once you have some skills down, but IMO not a great place to initially learn because the beginner area is really small. There is only a magic carpet beginner area and it is a really short "run".

As I said, I learned as an adult, have quickly progressed and now I love skiing. I never thought I would be a ski vacation person, but now it is my favorite week of the year. It takes practice and lessons to progress as it is more technical than snowboarding, but it been really fun to learn something new and see your progression. If you feel stuck, take a lesson. So many people get stuck at one level because they stop taking lessons.

*Note: when I say a green is hard or tricky I am saying that based on how I felt skiing those areas when I was starting out. While I no longer find these tricky or challenging, I do think that because I recently learned I have a better take on thing than people who have been skiing since birth and will simply say things like "all greens are easy."

Give skiing a try. You just might fall in love like I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been wondering about this too- despite growing up in a cold, snowy area of the country, I never really learned to ski. My parents weren't skiers themselves, and it's an expensive sport! I went a handful of times with our high school ski club and could manage my way down some easy greens but that was over 25 years ago now. DH can ski and has taken our oldest DC a few times, now the younger one wants to learn and I wish I at least had some basic skills. Maybe I'll try Whitetail on a weekday to see how realistic it is....

I learned because my DH and kids learned to snowboard and wanted me to go to. Now it is one of our favorite things to do as a family.

Definitely take a lesson. It will set you up for success, give you confidence and help you progress faster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op- sorry this post was highjacked to tell me I am really a crappy skier.

To better outline what I was trying to say initially....

As someone who learned to ski locally in her 40s I suggest the learning area at Whitetail. I prefer this area over the area at Liberty. This is where I took my first lesson and spent my first few days. Once you are feeling good there you can progress to Sidewinder at WT. Note, not all greens are created equal. WT has Sidewinder and Snowpark, snowpark is steeper than Sidewinder. The front greens at liberty (lower blue streak, Nova, sneaky peat) are also a nice step up from the learning area. Dipsy doodle at Liberty is nice but requires a bit more skill as there are some turns and a steep area you need to maneuver around.

Once you are ready for blue runs give the blues at liberty a try (Whitney's way- access via the cut through off Dipsy doodle to avoid upper heavenly which can be a bit scary and steep for beginners, not to mention it gets congested). WT blues are a lot steeper than liberty.

Some people on here suggested Timberline. Which is a good option once you have some skills down, but IMO not a great place to initially learn because the beginner area is really small. There is only a magic carpet beginner area and it is a really short "run".

As I said, I learned as an adult, have quickly progressed and now I love skiing. I never thought I would be a ski vacation person, but now it is my favorite week of the year. It takes practice and lessons to progress as it is more technical than snowboarding, but it been really fun to learn something new and see your progression. If you feel stuck, take a lesson. So many people get stuck at one level because they stop taking lessons.

*Note: when I say a green is hard or tricky I am saying that based on how I felt skiing those areas when I was starting out. While I no longer find these tricky or challenging, I do think that because I recently learned I have a better take on thing than people who have been skiing since birth and will simply say things like "all greens are easy."

Give skiing a try. You just might fall in love like I did.

The nearby Canaan Valley resort is good for beginners IIRC, the problem is that they aren't great at making snow like Timberline. The Canaan Valley region can be blessed with a lot of snow in some years, but then you have bust years like last year. So it would be more of a crapshoot as to the conditions.