Are we too old to start skiing?!

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I'm 41 and DH is 60, and neither of us have ever skiied before. We are both fit and healthy (DH ran marathon at easter!). Its not the cheapest holiday, and I wonder whether we've missed the boat and it'll end up being a waste of time and money! Any thoughts?

This might be his babcia… 😜

I wouldn't do this. The slopes made of stuff like upside-down toothbrushes are a lot more painful to fall on than snow – when I was a beginner they wouldn't let you on them if you'd never skied. And snow domes can be terrifying. I'd far rather start off on a nice nursery slope with plenty of space.

Provided your joints are flexible and you have strength in your legs, no knee issues - no problem. Do take lessons though. Do not attempt to ski until your lessons.

if you look online, you’ll even find some exercises to help your legs be in good shape for skiing. Running isn’t enough.

Agree with everyone re making sure you are as fit as you can be. Can I add single leg deadlifts to the exercise list? Good for glutes and core. Both super important for skiing.

I've skied for years. I've also been overweight for years. But I lost 5 stones recently mainly to be able to keep up with my kids on the slopes. It made a massive difference last year. I used to get knee pain but last year I didn't at all. I used these last year. https://imbrace.com/products/womens-gen-2-snow-sport-base-layer I don't know if it was them or the weight loss but it was a pain free year. Probably the weight loss tbh but the leggings are pretty good regardless (although v spendy obvs)

Snowdomes are real snow though.

But would agree dry slopes are hideous to fall on. I learnt back when they were hexagonal matting. People used to dislocate thumbs. Pretty horrible. But they've mainly done away with that.

I learnt on dry slope and it is way harder to ski on. But the advantage is that it makes skiing on real snow much easier.

I get that snowdomes feel stressful. Being enclosed and inside is the total opposite of all the things I enjoy about skiing. The faff to reward ratio is low. But I'd much rather figure out the basics cheaply than spend a fortune going abroad to realise that you either hate it or can't figure out how to get your skis on.

Also, OP, when I used to go skiing in my twenties and thirties, say from Saturday to Saturday, I would always take the Wednesday 'off'. It can get really tiring.

We’re South London - I don’t think we have any snow domes within easy reach?!

Probably not. As much as I think it's a good place to learn the basics, you'll be fine without it.

I would definitely pick a resort that has lots of non skiing activities in case you hate it.

In terms of learning though, if you're both fit, it'll be fine. Harder than had you learnt as a child obviously. I learnt as a teenager but I'll never have that graceful elegance my 15 year old has from learning when he was 5. But that's fine. You'll still be able to get to the point where you enjoy it. Definitely get plenty of lessons. And actually never stop getting lessons tbh. My friend is an absolutely amazing skiier and she still gets lessons occasionally. It helps to have someone else point out her bad habits.

We’d be happy to spend a week just learning, and then having access to saunas and lovely food and drinks in the afternoon!

We know Poland extremely well, but I personally would love to explore more of Slovakia if anyone has any recommendations!

It sounds like you’ll have a fantastic week - Poland / Slovakia I know very little about, but as a beginner I think it’s far more sensible to go to a small cosy resort and have a fun time. Honestly I wouldn’t bother with snow domes. I’m a London too, but before I skied for the first time (1984?) I went on a bristled slope in Yorkshire. And skied in France the following week with a very black thumb nail that fell off! I absolutely love skiing and there’s a lot to be said for enjoying a cruisy blue and a milked wine or 2 on or après the piste!

Hemel Hempstead. Other side of London but not too bad if you have a car.

Just even having one lesson before you go is worth it as then you’ll be familiar with all the faffing with boots etc and should progress a bit more quickly if you’ve already covered the basics of a snow plough.

I learnt at 15 and have found that as I’ve got older (now 55) I’ve become increasingly more cautious / sensible. The fearless skiing days are long gone and now I’m too aware of just how dangerous skiing can be and just don’t enjoy taking risks these days. Only time I revert back to fearless skiing is after a few mulled wines at lunch.

I reiterate the importance of specific ski training before you go. As older skiers it’s even more important as our older bodies are much more fragile and don’t bounce back like they used to do in our younger days. Core, quads, glutes, they all need a lot of work. People who haven’t trained hard enough beforehand tend to be the people who are most likely get injured.

Not too old at all OP! My grandfather used to come annually to our family ski holidays but stay in the chalet. When he was early 60's, at his request, my father started giving him lessons. He did also have professional lessons and absolutely loved it when he got to an age to get a free pass.

My advice:
-Attend a 'fit to ski' class or look online for specific exercises. Ideally start 8 weeks beforehand or as early as possible. Being generally fit is 1 thing, but the muscles used for skiing are different and ones you wouldn't even know you even had till after a day of skiing!
-I agree with getting a ski in-ski out hotel. It means that the hotel is near the ski slope and can walked/skiied back to. Some countries/resorts have places which require you to get a bus then a gondala/lift to even the beginner slope.

-I agree with getting lessons
-Don't discount a 'ski' holiday if you don't enjoy downhill skiing, which doesn't suit everyone. Cross country can be interesting in a different way to see scenery, wildlife etc because you are at a slower, more like a walking pace. You still need to be fit though!
-I'm not familiar with any resorts in Poland or the Tatra mountains. This website can be filtered for beginner resorts, ski in-ski out etc. You could previously filter and get info without being a member but I just tried now and it won't let me. If becoming a member is free, I'd suggest joining to get the info.
https://www.skiclub.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22721773889&gbraid=0AAAAAo_S7bGS7ik1JT_15q87aCw9tVRxm&gclid=CjwKCAiAz_DIBhBJEiwAVH2XwJFP8uqxaEyPEsxX44zgi4_6WHg-BoJIdcgeeAe2ZqqEpUuvcmUOQxoCUQQQAvD_BwE

oh you’ll be good. The year I ran my first marathon I was in a group lesson with teenage boys, the instructor seemed surprised 35 year old me was fine!

Being fit is the biggest advantage.

Someone mentioned not to go somewhere too high up. Need to be aware if not high enough there may well be no snow.

Go to Les Gets. Fabulous.

Go to Les Gets. Fabulous.

Lots of good advice given here but I cannot stress enough the importance of getting ski fit, as running, while good, isn't enough. In addition to wall sits and squats, I would add side to side jumps, push ups and one leg balance exercises.

I'm another advocate for lessons - on a dry slope (use mittens to protect fingers), and in resort. It all adds up moneywise but then skiing isn't a cheap hobby.

Fitness and a degree of courage/willingness to try something new are more important than "age." I taught one beginner who was 80 years old, and many people are taking up skiing in their 50s and 60s.

For the first ski holiday I'd recommend taking a package holiday with Crystal, Nielsen, Inghams, Heidi etc. My personal preference is for Austria (short transfers from Salzburg and loads of flights from Gatwick) but France or Italy would work just as well. For the OP, Poland might also work well. Although Polish resorts are tiny, somewhere like Szczyrk Mountain or Zakopane might still be large enough for a beginner week, but these are not as snow-sure as the Alpine resorts and might not have the same standard of hotels and other facilities.

I've heard good things about Jasna in Slovakia, we are considering trying. We went to Austria last year and it was good for DH and one of my kids who already ski, and we stayed at a kinderhotel which was a great set-up with kids, but I didn't necessarily think the skiing was great for beginners. I took lessons which helped but it was a big leap from the magic carpet slope to an actual blue. I would choose a different ski resort next time.

I 💙 this thread.

I had a couple of Nordic ski lessons last year. I have a double hip replacement, so I’m more risk averse now. I enjoyed it, but I think cross country skating style might be more for me, as an ex downhill skier.

In the meantime, I’ve been doing a lot of snowshoeing along the cross country trails, and really enjoying it.