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How old were you when you started skiing?

  • In the womb - 5 years old

    Votes: 46 21.7%
  • 6-12

    Votes: 58 27.4%
  • Teenager

    Votes: 44 20.8%
  • 20s

    Votes: 27 12.7%
  • 30s

    Votes: 20 9.4%
  • 40s

    Votes: 10 4.7%
  • 50s plus, the AARP years

    Votes: 7 3.3%

  • Total voters
    212

TonyC

Contact me at bestsnow.net
Pass Pulled
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Posts
678
Location
Glendale, CA
Another trip to the Epic archives......circa 2006

My father was from Maine and my mother from Idaho, and they decided to live in SoCal because they both hated snow. I first saw snow fall at college in New Jersey.

Introduction to skiing at age 23 was a total fluke. A friend invited me along on his uncle's high roller junket to Las Vegas for New Year's 1976. The uncle was from Miami and his daughter wanted to see snow, so we all went out to Lee Canyon (now Ski Las Vegas) and got rentals and played around on a 100-foot handle tow for a couple of hours.

Intrigued, I checked out my closest local area (Baldy, not a good choice for a beginner) when it finally snowed in February 1976. On my second Baldy day in March 1976 I blew out my left ACL and was not walking normally for the next 3 months. As the knee is not unstable, I didn't know the nature of the injury until an MRI revealed it 19 years later.

I was still interested in skiing and managed 5 days in 1977, which was dominated by my then overriding obsession of tournament bridge. I put in some more effort in 1978, becoming your typical low intermediate, sort of parallel skier on the easy runs, by March of that 12-day season. April 1-2 and May 13-14 were my first Mammoth trips.

By now I had the bug, but I was troubled by my slow progress as a beginner, consistent with my dismal performance at nearly all sports while growing up. I'd begun reading about skiing and was aware of the prevailing opinion that "skiing is easy to learn, but very hard to break through the intermediate plateau and ski carved turns, steep terrain and variable snow."

I was also very sore after those 2 Mammoth weekends and therefore started YMCA ski fitness classes in November 1978, just before my 26th birthday. The snow gods smiled upon SoCal in 1978-79 and I was able to ski at least one day of every weekend from November 18 until April in SoCal if I wasn't at Mammoth.

By April 1979 I had skied 30 days, the feared "intermediate plateau" was history and I was a true addict. I was carving turns on the groomers by February, and I had a 50K weekend at Mammoth March 31/April 1 which included my first runs on Wipe Out/Drop Out.
 

Mike Rogers

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Posts
753
Location
Calgary
I started skiing at the beginning of the 1992/93 season. I was 11 years old.

My father was (and still is) an avid skier, but his job took the family to some locations that were not exactly skiing hot-spots.

I was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland but 5 times before I was in second grade. We lived mostly on the East Coast of Canada, which had skiing, but it wasn’t great. With a younger sister, skiing wasn’t much of a priority in those days. In the second grade, we relocated to Houston, Texas. Family vacations were spent travelling back to Canada, so a ski trip was not in the budget.

In 1992, we relocated to Calgary. My dad lived here in the 1970s and was eager to resume skiing. We all got new equipment and season passes to Mount Norquay in Banff. Norquay wasn’t the most exciting hill, but it was a great place to learn. We skied every weekend, and my sister and I picked it up very quickly.

My very first day on actually skis was at a very small hill near our house. We side stepped up and had enough vert for one turn. Climb up and turn right, then climb up and turn left. Good way to understand edge control! Then Norquay most weekends.

Our first ever family vacation was to Fernie. I had a blast. In those days, the town of Fernie was very quiet, and somewhat depressed. The “resort” was more of a local hill that was known for good snow, and most of the good terrain was accessed by the very steep Bear T-Bar.

We upgraded our passes the next year to Lake Louise, and didn’t’ look back.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, the good skiing didn’t last forever.

In 1997, my family moved back to Nova Scotia. I joined the high school race team, but skiing on the East Coast was not the same. Travel was expensive, but my family made a few trips back West. Eventually my sister moved to New Hampshire, so I was able to ski a bit of the better east, without needing a place to stay. Interests changed, and when I broke away from home, money was tight. I didn’t’ ski at all some years.

In 2006, I moved back to Alberta. I went back to school to study accounting. As a mature student, I wasn’t into the party scene, so I worked my ass off during the week and skied on the weekends. I spent two years in Calgary, and two in Lethbridge, where I skied Castle Mountain.

After graduation, I started working for a big 4 firm, and lost all life balance in the winter. I didn’t ski much in those years.

I changed jobs 4 years later, was pretty excited to start skiing again. Unfortunately, I hurt my knee on my second day of that season.

I’ve been back at it for the last two seasons, skiing 40 and 54 days respectively. I am hoping that skiing will continue to be a big part of my life, but priorities change. :(

So I have 10 big seasons under my belt.
92-97
06-10
and 15-17.

With some good days in between.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Philpug

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
A week or two before my 50th birthday. And I had to be dragged kicking and screaming.
And now you are here...who do we have to thank for this?
 

lone pine

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Dec 1, 2015
Posts
116
Location
Southport, NC
Age 17, in 1965, on a recruiting trip to Dartmouth. I took a day and rented gear at Mt Sunapee in NH. A Flatlander from Long Island, I made up for lost time in college, skiing as much as I could at the college-owned Skiway, with an occasional trip to Killington (lift ticket less than $10).
 

Read Blinn

lakespapa
Inactive
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
1,656
Location
SW New Hampshire
Age 17, in 1965, on a recruiting trip to Dartmouth. I took a day and rented gear at Mt Sunapee in NH. A Flatlander from Long Island, I made up for lost time in college, skiing as much as I could at the college-owned Skiway, with an occasional trip to Killington (lift ticket less than $10).

Nice little hill, the Skiway. Lots of good skiers. @T-Square teaches there (still?) I believe.
 

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
as a kid I lived in a rural area that got a fair amount of snow and had a very steep hill behind. made good use of it.

surfing the tobogans, old cable skis when we could get them, water skis with finns removed, bikes with plywood runners replacing the wheels, my skim boards with runners screwed on. Skates when we could get the ice firm enough on the homemade bobsleigh track was particularly exciting

but cant say started seriously skiing until 1st year university (18) when I bought a $50 crappy mini to make it to Vancouvers north shore hills (and back with luck)

much more serious the following year following an upgrade to slightly less crappy vw which enabled me to road trip to areas all over the PNW.
 

Nobody

Out of my mind, back in five.
Skier
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,272
Location
Ponte di legno Tonale
No precise recollection, only an hotel receipt from 1969...that was my first "documented" week long vacation up the mountains with my parents, I think I started skiing a couple of years (or less) after that...
 

BradA

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Posts
11
And now you are here...who do we have to thank for this?

My wife. Here's the long story. We moved up to NE from the South. She grew up in NE and decided we had to go skiing. I just felt I was too old and would break my a__. Folks I worked with thought I was nuts when I said we were going to try skiing. She finally got me to commit to a 3 day lesson package at Gunstock. At the time it was something like $109 for a 3 day lesson, lift, and rental package. I hated the first day. You know, there's a lot of reasons why folks wouldn't start as adults. You're getting fit into rental boots, you're trying to walkup stairs in clunky boots while carrying gear, the bathrooms are always on a different floor... 2nd day was a lot more fun. After the 3rd day we started going somewhere almost every weekend. Sunapee was within driving distance and has a very nice beginner area. Then we ended up going to Stowe and they had a combined lift and lesson package if you bought multiple days of tickets. We ended up taking group lessons from a Level III at Stowe and were lucky enough to have him 3 days in a row. We became friends with him and other folks in Stowe. He introduced us to other instructors, ... The lessons were so beneficial for us. I ski stuff I never would have thought I'd ever ski. My initial thought was that if I could just ski easy blue groomers and get around the mountain to enjoy the scenery, that would be be my goal. That's not to say I'm an expert level skier. I'm not and have much to learn. But the process has been a great adventure. We've been to Austria a few times. CO twice. UT 3-4 times, we bought the Epic pass for the upcoming year and plan to visit UT again.
 

teledance

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Posts
52
Location
N. ID
Started at 1 year old, skied at Skyline which is now Pebble Creek, haven't missed a season yet. Only one serious injury in the 53 years I've skied. Telemark since 1991/92 winter.
 

Jim McDonald

愛スキー
Skier
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Posts
2,101
Location
Tokyo
you're trying to walkup stairs in clunky boots while carrying gear, the bathrooms are always on a different floor...

This! I think a lot of people get turned off by all the hassle. I was fortunate to start at a small hill, from a tiny guest house where the owner helped me into a pair of boots that pretty much fit, held my arm as I stepped over the 3-inch doorsill, walked me across the lane onto the snow, got me into the bindings and got me sliding downhill toward the loading station for the complete beginners' lift. Later that day I slid right back to the door of the guest house.
I think it would've been "screw this" long before getting on the snow if I'd had to deal with the typical rental scene I've watched (and experienced) at big mountains.
It's easy to forget just how difficult it can be for an adult who's never clunked around in ski boots or juggled skis/poles/goggles/gloves/hat (or helmet)/etc up/down stairs, navigating those beautiful and massive lodge doors (that require six weeks of daily workouts before you can muscle them open). Kids? They're so excited it's all an adventure for them, but for an adult it's surprising that so many actually come back a second day.
 

Tytlynz64

Getting off the lift
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Posts
490
26 years old. A friend from college who I played hockey with invited me to join him and his friends at Stowe for a long weekend. I said sure but I don't ski. He said "you can skate you can ski." So I go rent gear, click in and follow him to the lift line not knowing any better. I tapped his shoulder and asked "what's that?" He replies "bunny hill for beginners." "Well shouldn't I be going there?" "I told you if you can skate you can ski." We go up the lift don't remember the slope but it was green and he says "you are on skates with longer blades and wider edges. To turn weight the downhill ski and you know how to stop. Follow me and do what I do." That was It I was hooked. A month later a group from work was going to Winter Park and I asked if I could join them. I did and the aura of Big mountains became my addiction. I wished I was less self taught, I think I have a lot of bad habits but I am still hooked. Took a respite for 15 years and came back 3 years ago. Glad I did.
 

TonyC

Contact me at bestsnow.net
Pass Pulled
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Posts
678
Location
Glendale, CA
"I told you if you can skate you can ski."
Interesting. In college I tried ice skating and basically could not do it. I was walking not skating and needless to say needed to be near a rail in case I lost balance. After learning to ski I don't skate well but at least I can skate. Also, knowing snow skiing allowed me to get up on water skis the first time.
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,215
Location
Boston Suburbs
Here's another, same mountain. This run I haven't skied. ;)

View attachment 26347

Definitely steeper than it appears in the photo.

Hey, I didn't know they have bumps at Pat's Peak! Those look pretty nice, although the ones is the foreground are a bit odd.
Google says its only 1:05 driving time from my house.
 

Read Blinn

lakespapa
Inactive
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
1,656
Location
SW New Hampshire
Hey, I didn't know they have bumps at Pat's Peak! Those look pretty nice, although the ones is the foreground are a bit odd.
Google says its only 1:05 driving time from my house.

Most of the runs last about 30 seconds (at best), so it may not be worth the trip. The photo shows the only bump run that I know of on the mountain. It used to be just a steep, short double black. Crotched Mountain, about 30 minutes further, has more going on (though bumps are hit or miss there).

Sumapee is 28 minutes from Pats and is larger yet; they seed a couple of bump runs there.

Let me know if you ski Sunapee. ogsmile
 
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ski otter 2

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Posts
2,920
Location
Front Range, Colorado
age 6, in 1952/53 season.

At Winter Park, with ours and another family, the Dines.

We went there a few more times, and to Loveland, A-Basin, Aspen and Ski Cooper that same first season.
(What bricks my parents must have been, my Heavens.)

I got pretty discouraged the first time I went (mostly just walking),
took heart during the second (walking up and skiing down bunny hill, mostly),
and was hooked by the third time (bunny slope T bar), all at Winter Park.

The next year, I think, my brother and I joined the Eskimo Ski Club, and took the train through the tunnel to Winter Park for the next decade or so, every weekend. Got all those color patches on my shoulder that the Eskimo instructors gave out, including, eventually, for racing. Quarter rainbow.

What fun - it made my childhood.
 
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albertanskigirl

aka Sabrina
Skier
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Posts
319
Location
Calgary, AB
I started skiing in February 2013. I had just started dating a guy who lived 300 km away from me (in Edmonton - I'm in Calgary), but who was originally from Colorado and an avid skier. I was not interested in skiing. I grew up in Croatia (on the beach), then my family moved to Toronto and were a typical immigrant family. Our finances were definitely not on the skiing track. After a few weeks of coaxing and coercing, I agreed to go to a 2 hour session (lift pass and rentals $30!) at Snow Valley, in Edmonton. I was almost 32. And here are the pics to prove it! This is my first run down the bunny hill, which my SO (and still my SO!) took of me.


That's me in the blue hoodie and black pants, snowplowing down the hill for the first time. It was a beautiful and warm midwinter's day:
Photo 2013-02-23 4 13 20 PM.jpg




and this is right after my first run:
Photo 2013-02-23 4 13 34 PM.jpg


In summary, I was hooked on skiing and hooked on the guy. And skiing is a big part of how we spend the winter now!
 

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