Is Skiing For Everyone
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Is Skiing For Everyone

Many different people, from all walks of life, in all shapes and sizes can ski. Of course, there various different factors which may make it easier or harder to ski based off of your athletic ability, mental fortitude, and even the affects of your initial experience of Skiing! However, it is important to know that you can ski as fast or as slow as you like, and even sticking to the easier slopes will still be heaps of fun!

Am I too old to ski?

Old Man Ski.jpg

As mentioned, the term “Skiing” covers a wide variety of different circumstances, from hiking up knee deep summits for some off-piste skiing, to going 0.5 mph on the baby slopes. This is important to understand, as provided you don’t take the wrong lift, you will be in complete and utter control of what you are skiing, and with time, how you go about skiing your terrain. In a 2016 study by the National Ski Areas Association, 17% of skiers were over 55 years old, and in Ski Club Great Britain, over 15% of skiers were 65+! This will give a good indication of how old many skiers are, and old you can keep it up. If you have any medical conditions, then you should seek professional advice on whether a ski trip would be suitable, however unless you are extremely elderly, there is no reason the more matured of us can’t enjoy skiing or even start skiing!

If in doubt - seek professional medical advice!

How young can you ski?

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Any Experienced skiers will tell you about that time where they saw not much more than a baby ski a black run – myself included! In countries with rich ski cultures (Switzerland for example) the children who are brought up in Alpine towns and villages will learn to ski shortly after they learn to walk.

If you don’t believe me check this video out of a 1-year-old skiing!

However, like these children, their parents have also been skiing since they were toddlers, and so they understand the risks and rewards of teaching such young children to ski. Teaching a mere toddler to ski is definitely not recommended without some extensive knowledge of the sport. If you have children who want to learn, and you have no experience of skiing, then ski school is the best way to teach them the dos and don’ts of skiing. Most ski schools set a minimum age of their students at 3! Although this number seems extremely low, young kids can navigate the easier runs independently in just a few days!

Can you ski overweight?

Skiing is a great way to lose weight, and those with a few extra pounds can definitely take up skiing! Much like walking, you can go as intense or as relaxed as you like. Taking the windy blue pistes all day is the equivalent of going for a brisk walk/light jog, whereas doing off-piste or blacks all day are the equivalent of sprinting! Skiing is much more exhilarating than running however, and so you won’t even notice the exercise so much – as you are so enthused to fit in one last run of the day. This allows skiing to be a perfect sport for an overweight individual to get back into shape!