Poll How old were you when you started skiing?

[LKLA]

I was in my early 20s when I first tried skiing - skied about a dozen times over a two year period. Then I stopped for about 15 years until late in the 14/15 season when I started skiing again. My wife started skiing when she was three and did so "regularly" into her late 20s/early 30s and then stopped for over 10 years to re-start in the 14/15 season. Our son started skiing at 6 during the 14/15 season.

 

[JsNeagle]

I think I was 2, but maybe 3. My first day was most likely Shawnee Peak in Maine. Possibly Lost Valley, but I think it was Shawnee. I'm sure I was pushed around the yard on XC skis before actually going alpine skiing too.

My mom loves to tell the story of teaching me to ski. I guess I loved going fast, but had trouble learning to turn or stop. My mom would just let me straight line the bunny slope, ski behind me, and yell "fall!!" when she got nervous.

 

[jspsj]

19 years old, with college group at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire. Skied after that maybe 8 or 9 times before the age of 35, and liked it OK. Then four years ago at the age of 35 my wife and I took our first two kids skiing (then ages 4 and almost 3). The next season, we skied several times and while my kids fell in love with the activity, something clicked for me and suddenly I found myself loving skiing. Perhaps I finally reached a level of competence that brought a new level of enjoyment. In any case, I can't get enough now!

 

[nay]

40.

So my kids started at 11, 10, 6, & 5. Or something like that.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Started at 12 on Big Blue in Canton, MA. In jeans and some crappy gloves I took a group lesson and proceeded to the bunny hill j bar (no magic carpet back then). It was the usual sheet of ice so I went straight down the hill, through the orange mesh fence, through the leaves in the woods, and stopped somewhere before the parking lot. My parents didn't ski so I give them credit for packing the van with 4 kids aged 2 to 12 and venturing into an unknown sport at different mountains.

My kids started at 3 but didn't really get the hang of it until 5 or 6.

 

[Dust_]

I was 21 when I first put skis on. That was in Aspen 2015. I've been hooked since then.

 

[Chriscray]

i skied 3-4 times between 10 and 14. Then we moved to Park City. that winter I was 15 and had the perfect storm of peer pressure, youth, and friends who were awesome skiers, some of whom competed professionally and have been in Olympics

 

[Matt Smith]

I started at age 13 in 1967 at a place called Blue Knob, PA. This is what it looked like back then, slopes go out of view to left.

BK is an "upside down" ski area with lodge, parking and service buildings at the summit, elev ~3000'. It had been a cold war USAF Air Defense Radar Station until the early 1960s when that closed and they started the ski area. A lot of the buildings in above picture from mid-1960s are leftovers from the USAF station. The ski area re-purposed many of them for a few years before they replaced them or tore them down. BK is a pretty cold and rugged place in winter by mid-Atlantic standards because of the exposed summit location. My family used to joke that the "Blue" in Blue Knob stood for the color of the ice on the beginner trails that was made from the crummy fire hose-like equipment that passed for a snowmaking system in the 1960s.

Here's another aerial view, I would guess from about 1980, summit is to the left:

Small place, but has the best terrain for advanced skiers in the area. I like going a couple times a year. My home mountain is 7 springs

 

[Matt Smith]

First time was at 17 on basically a hillside with a T bar. Joined the school ski club the next year. Been hooked since.

 

[oldschoolskier]

Approximately 17 months old, (my son at 15 months) My avatar is me at about 2-1/2 ready to get on big skis .

 

[Chris Walker]

I was 3, at Boyne Mt. Michigan. I don't remember much from when I was 3, but I remember that clear as a bell. My mom had to push me from behind to get me up the rope tow.

 

[at_nyc]

While I expected majority of people start a children (<20), I'm surprised so many started before 5!

My history was fairly common for "late starters", in my 20's. Not too into it, just social and a way to "get outside" in the long Michigan winter. A few trips to the west helped me along to keep the interest going after leaving the ice box of Michigan.

Epicski and snowheads were the main thing that nudged me into skiing a lot more: People to ski with, discuss equipment and techniques, more off-the-beaten-path ski destinations.

 

[TheArchitect]

I had just turned 12 the first time I went on a school trip in 1982. My family didn't ski and still don't but I was hooked for life.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Became a skier when I was 14 years old and bought a skiing poster that hung over my bed. Would look at that winter scene wishing for the freedom that skiers must feel. Started skiing when I hit the rip old age of 18 and was in the Navy earning enough to afford to go. Loved everything about the sport even before clipping in the first time.

 

[va_deb]

So fun to read everyone's responses! Loving the vintage pics.

 

[va_deb]

I checked 40s since I don't think I should count my first two experiences as a teen.

Age 14 or 15 early 1980s at Ski Liberty in south central PA on a crowded Saturday with church youth group.

• Not a fan of the cold and no interest in skiing; went mainly because of cute boys. Took newbie lesson, went on magic carpet, and got ski caught. Lifties had to stop the carpet. Felt like everyone was looking at me and I wanted to dig a hole in the snow and disappear.
• A couple hours later got back on the horse; made it past the magic carpet stage. Went on green lift with a girlfriend and super cute exchange student from Nicaragua named Roger Sandoval. Roger had never seen snow before and thought that swinging the lift to scare me was fun. Did I mention that I'm scared of heights? (He did feel bad when he realized how scared I was.)
• Slowly made my way down the icy scraped-off green, falling all the way. Told friends of bottom of hill what that @&$! Roger did to me swinging the lift, and turned around to see our priest (yep, Father Brady came too) who had heard every word. I think behind his scarf he was trying not to laugh.

Age 16 at Snowshoe in West Virginia:

• Weekend family trip with my mom, little brother, new stepdad and stepbrother (also 16), and new step-grandmother. New step-family were skiers. Did not want to go for multiple reasons. Only good thing: I got to drive on the interstate on the way there (a big deal when competing with new stepbrother for drive time in family car).
• Started snowing when we were about 45 miles away, so changed drivers.
• Finally arrived and snow was still coming down around 7 p.m..
• Got to condo and unpacked car and my mom asks, "Who wants to drive to the convenience store for milk and eggs?" Meeeee!
• New cool step grandma: "It's still coming down but the store is only 1/4 mile away, so take the Subaru." Sweet!
• Snow is getting heavier. Can't really see parking lot or exit, but knew we had driven up a hill to get to condo, so headed down what I assume is the driveway exit.
• Realized it was super icy and I had no traction. Something wasn't right. Then on my right above I saw chair lifts. On my left a few people were coming out onto their condo balconies and pointing at me. Yep...I was driving down a beginner slope.
• Thoughts from "I'm going to wreck the new Subaru and I'll never be allowed to drive again" to "I might die out here" flashed though my 16-year-old mind.

Obviously I lived to tell the tale, thankfully -- but I did not ski. At all.

My profile has the better story of when I picked up skiing at 40-something.

 

[Olesya C]

I was 27 I think. Great to see so many people in the poll starting as adults, at 20 and older. I was immediately hooked and 1-2 years after I started skiing became a full blown ski addict.

 

[newboots]

Started in December 2016, age 63. Loving it!

 

[Ken_R]

I was 11. It was at Killington Vt during the winter of 1984-1985. There was a good bit of snow but man it got so so cold at times and the ice was just scary. Very very tough to learn how to ski (plus the equipment then was kinda crappy). Went there for a few winters after that and have not skied there since. I still remember the cold and ice it was just brutal. Fun times with friends and family though.

 

[UGASkiDawg]

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