What about snowboarding? I feel like falling is kinda of a “feature” of snowboarding. You are always down on butt fiddling with the buckle.

If you want to keep doing X at 80, make sure to keep doing it at 79. If you want to do it at 79, keep it up at 78....

I learned after 40 and it is still scary and skiing is a huge hassle generally I think people lose tolerance for the hassle with carrying skis etc.

Anonymous wrote:I posted above but want to say one more thing. I do think it is incredibly scary to learn to ski after 40. I would be terrified as a novice skier and I'm so so glad that I learned young.

DH and I learned to ski after 40 and I concur. It was scary. It also was super fun and I'm glad we did it. Note that "I'm" glad we did it. DH, still very scared.

I switched to cross-country and not because I'm getting older (62). I hate the crowds, the expense, and the travel required by downhill. I live in upstate NY so when there is snow, there are many places that I can ski, some as close as 5 minutes from my house. And if I want to go to a ski resort, it's much cheaper. Great exercise too since you spend a lot of time skiing uphill.

I posted above but want to say one more thing. I do think it is incredibly scary to learn to ski after 40. I would be terrified as a novice skier and I'm so so glad that I learned young.

My father in law is 80. He bike rides every day, and loves to ski. He doesn't ski is super cold weather like he used to, but still loves to get out there.

I am 53 and an expert skier. I think a lot more now about the implications of a bad fall but it's easy to ski a notch slower than I used to and to stay in complete control.

In this area I worry a ton about other skiers and I've left the slopes a number of times when it felt sketchy to me.

I hope to be able to ski well into my retirment, in fact I'd like to spend my retirement skiing!

Anonymous wrote:People vary hugely in how their motor skills and their bones hold up as they age.

I once rode a ski lift that just served black diamond terrain with a woman in her 80’s who told me she was riding this “easy” lift because she wanted to be on the same terrain as he grandchildren but usually she skied double blacks. On the other hand my mother, once a capable skier, had significant osteoporosis, arthritis, and neuropathy by her 80th birthday, and needed exercises like aqua aerobics and gentle walks with her rollator.

+1

Watching the Gwyneth case play out, this guy should not have been on skis, IMO. Not to mention, that guy is blind in one eye, and has poor vision in the other eye. Is that what you are asking, OP?

Not that different than the selfish, stubborn people who insist on driving when they have no business on the road.

NEVER.

People vary hugely in how their motor skills and their bones hold up as they age.

I once rode a ski lift that just served black diamond terrain with a woman in her 80’s who told me she was riding this “easy” lift because she wanted to be on the same terrain as he grandchildren but usually she skied double blacks. On the other hand my mother, once a capable skier, had significant osteoporosis, arthritis, and neuropathy by her 80th birthday, and needed exercises like aqua aerobics and gentle walks with her rollator.

My dad loves to ski and was able to do it pretty actively through his early 70s. By mid 70s he was much more nervous about the implications of a bad fall and so just stuck to the “bunny Hills” with one of the grandkids. I know he missed doing it, but I was glad he made that change around that time.

Biking? You'll get a range of answers and it depends on many factors. But lots of people over 70 bike.

I'm a snowboarder, but I think being a first-time skier for most people over 50-55 would be incredibly difficult.

Anonymous wrote:What age is too old for skiing? When is it too risky? Also, when are you too old to bike? When is it too dangerous?

What? No you can learn to ski at any age.

What age is too old for skiing? When is it too risky? Also, when are you too old to bike? When is it too dangerous?