Dave Smith wrote:

lal_truckee wrote:



Dave Smith wrote:


...Let's just say that if you are old
enough to have a 14 year old kid, you are going to be one of the oldest
people on the hill.


I call Non sequitur.



Not entirely, but maybe I should have explained. It is a little more
physically demanding that some people realize. There is more to it than just
standing on a pair of skis and letting gravity do the work. It takes a lot
of energy to counter gravity and keep yourself under control. I tried
downhill skiing after more than 15 years of cross country skiing. That
taught me some basics about balance, but I always thought that downhill
skiing would be easier..... until I tired it. I had no problem on the bunny
hill, thanks to Xcountry experience. I had no problem on the beginner hill. I
set off for an intermediate hill. Half way down that hill for the fourth time
I thought my thighs were going to explode.

I was 43 the first time I tried down hill skiing, and I was usually twice the
age of most of the people around me. I rarely ran into people my age or
older. I attribute that to the physical demands. There aren't that many
people over 30 who are in condition to even tackle the slopes, and those
older people who do try it do only a few runs. Kids have a lot more energy
and can easily spend a whole day on the slopes.



"Ski Resorts Catering More to Boomers"
(http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbc.../512300329/0/0)

....
"But the average age of skiers is creeping up steadily every year with
some of the sport's fastest growth in the 45 and older demographic."
....
"The percentage of overall skiers 45 or older had climbed from 21
percent to 31 percent between 1997 and 2004, NSAA reported."

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

I am 47 and just finished skiing a day with a bunch of high school
friends of mine. I no longer do the marathon 10 hour ski days I used to
do when I was in my 20s, but I can still usually handle 5 1/2 or 6 hours
of ski time on a good day. I walk regularly and work out occasionally,
but I don't consider myself in great shape.

Most of the younger crowd (my daughter and her friends) seem to go more
for snowboarding than skiing, though. That might partially account for
the growth of skiing among older folks, as the younger demographic moves
towards a different snow sport. I haven't noticed any decrease in the
crowds at the ski areas I go to, so I think that the resorts are still
attracting as many people purchasing lift tickets as ever, and the ski
resorts seem to keep expanding and adding lifts.