Poll How old were you when you started skiing?

[Kurt]

Started skiing a yr 5 at Badger Pass, Yosemite. Dad and Mom would drive us 5.5 hrs from San Luis Obispo every weekend in our old Dodge station wagon; get us kids up at 3 am, pile us into the car and be there by first chair, or was it a T-bar or platter? What dedicated parents! The commute got easier when we moved to the foothills of the Sierras in 1969 and Tahoe areas became our home turf; back when the snow drifts along the road were often 30 ft high over Donner Pass.

 

[4ster]

Started skiing a yr 5 at Badger Pass, Yosemite. Dad and Mom would drive us 5.5 hrs from San Luis Obispo every weekend in our old Dodge station wagon; get us kids up at 3 am, pile us into the car and be there by first chair, or was it a T-bar or platter? What dedicated parents! The commute got easier when we moved to the foothills of the Sierras in 1969 and Tahoe areas became our home turf; back when the snow drifts along the road were often 30 ft high over Donner Pass.

I remember a rope tow but could've been all of the above

 

[Lofcaudio]

Telluride, Colorado in March of 1986. I was 14.

 

[UGASkiDawg]

Hard to figure out the exact year, but when I was 10 or 11 the family gave me ski, boots and poles for Christmas. Don't think I wanted them especially, but once I got them outside and on snow, it felt pretty good. It's 70+ years later and I'm still feeling pretty good about skiing and lucky enough to be able to be on the snow 100+ days per year. Probably getting close to converting to rocking chair days, but I'll resist as long as I can.

Jack

Rage, rage at the dying of the light, do not go gently into that good night!

We never hooked up when I was at CB for Prayer last year. Next year is my last year with a U14 so we'll have rectify that

 

[va_deb]

Started in December 2016, age 63. Loving it!

That is awesome! So, I'm curious... What made you decide to start skiing at 63? Was it something you always wanted to try? Do you have friends who ski who encouraged you?

I wish more people would take up skiing in mid-life. For women in particular I think there is a huge sense of accomplishment. Congrats on a great first season! And I can't wait to hear about your adventures during your second.

Bet your story may inspire others with spouses/SOs who may have thought, "It's too late for me to learn how to ski."

It's never too late! Cheers to you!

 

[newboots]

That is awesome! So, I'm curious... What made you decide to start skiing at 63? Was it something you always wanted to try? Do you have friends who ski who encouraged you?

Yes. I had a friend, passionate skier, who had a bad breakup. Every time we talked, if I could steer the conversation away from the ex and toward skiing, the mood changed from desperately despondent to almost elated. So for months, I listened to rapturous descriptions of how wonderful skiing was!

I had to try it. And I threw myself into it, with good (novice-good) boots, season-rental skis, and all the rest. Lessons. Season's pass to my local mountain. Skiing every weekend. Addiction to ski forum discussions.

I don't know whether the best part is the skiing, or the bragging rights. I mean, of course skiing. But the bragging rights are awesome . . .

 

[Jim McDonald]

Sounds like you're ready for The Gathering...
https://www.kayak.com/flights/BOS-SLC/2018-03-02/2018-03-11?fs=stops=-2

 

[Uncle-A]

I had just turned 20 and went on a bus trip for the weekend to Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain 1967. I still like to ski Whiteface in NY.

 

[Read Blinn]

Ha! @newboots, you've got me at 63. I feel pretty conscious having started at 47 — only 12 seasons ago.

I grew up in Iowa, and my dad, a Medford, Ma., native, thought skiing was a rich man's sport; he certainly wasn't going to spend the time and money to travel to the mountains in the middle of the academic year. After my parents retired, though, and moved to Enfield, NH, they set my wife and me up with a day at Whaleback — my lesson, rentals, lift tickets. A bust, so I don't count it.

When my son was four, though, my wife insisted that he learn to ski, and I tagged along. I was 47. While she did all the hard labor (bent at the waist, guiding the little wedge-bunny), I taught myself how to parallel using internet tips. Here's where I made my first real turns, at Pat's Peak in New Hamphire:

I swear it was steeper in those days — no fancy A-frame, either.

 

[newboots]

Ha! at Pat's Peak in New Hamphire:

[ATTACH=full]26344[/ATTACH]

I swear it was steeper in those days — no fancy A-frame, either.

I've taken pictures of a couple of trails, and they always look really flat like this! I think it requires a better photographer.

 

[Read Blinn]

Here's another, same mountain. This run I haven't skied.

Definitely steeper than it appears in the photo.

 

[John Webb]

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.

HaHaHa @va_deb Same place I first started but I started in early 70's when It was called Charnita. Was it Ski Liberty for you. Fed's closed it down for
several years because they were building houses on lots that would not pass perc test for septic. I was about 23 yrs old - just out of college with a real
job so I could pay for $6 lift lickets !

 

[va_deb]

@John Webb Wow, I had no idea it was called Charnita! Any idea what the origin of that was? It was definitely Liberty by the time I got there. Guessing late 70s. From your location info it looks like you're on the side of the country with taller mountains than south central PA. Good for you! ##AndI'mJealous##

 

[erdz]

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:

 

[John Webb]

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'.

Site of my second ski day at age 23 ! Rank beginner at time and forgot to stop at midstation. Continued down lower High Hopes, a double black,
on my butt. Lucky I did not kill myself !

 

[John Webb]

@John Webb Wow, I had no idea it was called Charnita! Any idea what the origin of that was? It was definitely Liberty by the time I got there. Guessing late 70s. From your location info it looks like you're on the side of the country with taller mountains than south central PA. Good for you! ##AndI'mJealous##

Ask and here you are @va_deb ! Charnita name comes from the name of a lame real estate development that failed. Named after CHARles G. and his wife ANITA Rist, the developers. Snotime (owners of Roundtop) bought it in 1970 and renamed it Liberty Mountain Resort. Calling it a "Resort" is a real stretch.
The only real expert run was taken out to put in an alpine slide. A very short steep is now on backside.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Mountain_Resort

Charnita opened Jan 25, 1965 and here's an old timer employee's opening day story !

I'm a recent transplant to CA from MD

(ps a Google search can be amazing)

 

[textrovert]

Repeating my story from the "Where did you start skiimg" thread below. Adding explicit age makers here

Mid-90's cross country ski (first & last time to date) - early-20s
Mid-00s reset with snowboard - early-30s.
Switch to skiing 2013-14 season - 40
Still skiing and not going back to snowboard - this season - 44
_______________________

I moved from spending a couple of years in grad-school in Cleveland to the Bay area back in the mid-90s. My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I decided we should check out skiing at Tahoe. With no real internet at the time for reviews/feedback- we heard that cross-country skiing had no crowds and is the way to start!

Showed up at Royal George in jeans and heavy winter jacket (gaper++). I knew how to roller skate, roller blade and ice skate, how hard could this be?! Signed up for a beginner package- the usual lesson+ rental+ ticket. Clicked in to rental Telemark skis and went bombing down to the lesson area from the rental. Halfway down realised could not stop- crashed into something at the bottom. The instructor picked me up and asked me if I was there for the lesson.

Didn't ski again for many years. Fresh start in around 2005 at Diamond Peak, but with snowboard. Daughter introduced to skiing, also at Diamond Peak, around 2006 when she was 4. She got really into it 2010-11 season at Sierra and we've been averaging 25-30 days a season since. I switched to skis 3 seasons ago and have not been on a snowboard since.

We now consider Sierra our home mountain (with soft spot for Diamond Peak) but also love everything Tahoe!

 

[textrovert]

My daughter will have a very different story- starting to ski at around 4 years and now 14 with a decade of ski memories already.

Meanwhile, MFW-

 

[Willy]

11 years old. I went 11 times that first year, 8 days of ski lessons at Mount Spokane and 3 days with a friend's family to other area mountains. I'm somewhat reluctant to say that this past year was my 50th ski season. Damn, that makes me feel really old...

 

[x10003q]

4 years old at Craigmeur in NJ. My mom started the same year.