Learning to do "winter sports" from scratch in your (late) fifties?

[GrumpyGregry]

Specifically snowboarding.

Anyone learnt late in life?
Anyone tried and lived to regret it?

 

[Levo-Lon]

If your fit and active you'll be fine.
I think its safer than skiing in the broken ankle stakes.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If your fit and active you'll be fine.
I think its safer than skiing in the broken ankle stakes.

That's what they said about longboarding. Jebus but tarmac is hard.

 

[vickster]

If your fit and active you'll be fine.
I think its safer than skiing in the broken ankle stakes.

Not so much in the broken wrist stakes tho for snowboarders (I taught in Austria as a student and there was at least one plastered arm per class after the winter break (boom boom ...)

Give it a try on a dry slope. Think there’s one at Aldershot

Given my hatred of snow, I’ll be spending holidays in my 50s in warm weather

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Apparently I can learn in a day how to hurt myself on real snow in Tamworth...

 

[User10571]

Milton Keynes is probably closer and has a better rail connection for you, Greg - there are direct trains from ECR.
https://www.snozoneuk.com/

 

[Tim Hall]

Not so much in the broken wrist stakes tho for snowboarders (I taught in Austria as a student and there was at least one plastered arm per class after the winter break (boom boom ...)

Give it a try on a dry slope. Think there’s one at Aldershot

Given my hatred of snow, I’ll be spending holidays in my 50s in warm weather

Aldershot, blimey. About a million years ago I did dry skiing there when I was in the Scouts. We had an army instructor. The sequence went something like:
Hands up who has skied before?
One lad puts his hand up.
Off you go then says the instructor.
Lad skis down slope, turns, falls down with a thump.
First aiders are summoned, bandage is applied.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

Aldershot, blimey. About a million years ago I did dry skiing there when I was in the Scouts. We had an army instructor. The sequence went something like:
Hands up who has skied before?
One lad puts his hand up.
Off you go then says the instructor.
Lad skis down slope, turns, falls down with a thump.
First aiders are summoned, bandage is applied.

Must be something about Army skiing instructors.

I remember when I was doing my basic cross-country skiing course at the British Mountain Services Training Centre in Gautestad, Norway. The army instuctor's technique was to send of us off down the training slope one at a time and, if we should start to wobble, shout "DON'T FALL OVER" at the top of his voice. He seemed to take it as a personal affront if we fell over.

To the OP. I would definitely try a couple of lessons on a dry-slope first if there is one near enough. It could otherwise be an expensive mistake to commit to an overseas resort and discover that it isn't for you.

Graham

 

[ColinJ]

I'm not really into skiing or snowboarding but the new Cambridge ice rink is under construction, so I may have to dust off my skates (which I haven't worn for about 20 years) and give it a go. It's not as if A&E at Addenbrookes is always busy...

I hope you don't need the A&E though ...

My niece was pretty handy on roller skates when she was a teenager. In her 30s she decided to go roller skating with some mates who weren't quite so handy and they soon fell over in front of her. She crashed into them, an accident which shattered the tibia and fibula in one of her legs!

 

[ColinJ]

Unfortunately, I do have a history of attending A&E following ice skating incidents - the worst of which was fracturing my patella on one leg and the ankle on the other. I was speedskating and the mount on my blade broke, sending me into the barrier...

Yikes - the skating equivalent of having a bike's handlebar stem snap on a descent!

I only tried ice skating once. It looked a lot of fun but I had 3 heavy falls in as many minutes and on the 3rd occasion was nearly skated over by a speeding teenager (he jumped over my prostrated body!) ... I decided to stick to cycling!

 

[derrick]

I'm not really into skiing or snowboarding but the new Cambridge ice rink is under construction, so I may have to dust off my skates (which I haven't worn for about 20 years) and give it a go. It's not as if A&E at Addenbrookes is always busy...

One more in the queue will not make much difference

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

I am booked to go skiing in a few weeks. My brother is in his forties and this will be his first skiing trip. I suggested a few lessons first, just so that he is not a complete novice when we go (I just did a basic course at the chill factore before I went on my first skiing holiday) I know plenty of people that are in the 40s/50s that have taken up skiing or snow boarding and really enjoyed it.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Must be something about Army skiing instructors.

I remember when I was doing my basic cross-country skiing course at the British Mountain Services Training Centre in Gautestad, Norway. The army instuctor's technique was to send of us off down the training slope one at a time and, if we should start to wobble, shout "DON'T FALL OVER" at the top of his voice. He seemed to take it as a personal affront if we fell over.

To the OP. I would definitely try a couple of lessons on a dry-slope first if there is one near enough. It could otherwise be an expensive mistake to commit to an overseas resort and discover that it isn't for you.

Graham

Tamworth, for a day. With tlh.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Once went ice skating on a date. Girlfriend lost half a little finger. Wasn't me that took it off but there was no second date....

Still, tlh's gain, what?

 

[Ganymede]

I took up skiing in my mid-forties and it's been fantastic. Black runs, off-piste and touring now. I did think a couple of years ago I might try a board but decided not to based on several things:

As said upthread, falling on your wrists
You spend a lot of time on your bum - you can't stand around on a board, you have to sit, or scoot on one leg
You fall onto your knees a lot while learning, which is a hell of a lot worse when you are older, especially on hard snow
You have more of a blind spot
You get more easily stuck on the flat and cannot pole yourself along (you often see skiers pulling their boarding chums along with a pole)
You have to faff getting one foot in and out of your board on chairlifts
It's harder to use draglifts or T-lifts

Hmm, that list turned out longer than I expected!

But - you do you! There is a reason it's so popular. Have fun and get good insurance!