How Do We Ski to Age 100?

We see those ol’ snow dawgs out on snow or enjoying an après beer talking about the good ol’ days but how can we stay skiing longer and minimise injury? 

Al McLaughlin (age over 70) is a Kiwi and mad keen skier and worked in New Zealand ski tourism in the 80s so has seen the ski industry morph over time. A big fan of multi-day hikes, New Zealand is so famous for, Al considers walking long distances up and over hills in the ski pre-season an essential part of skiing for longer. 

Is it time to quit things you love? 

Al: “What are you not going to give up on if you start giving up on things? Tennis? Golf? I’ve had some wonderful times in the past, heli-skiing and back country and you’ve got to ask yourself – how do you have a good time? Why not work on your skiing technique instead? Learn like you’re going to live forever, it’s never too late”. 

“I didn’t think it was possible to get even more of a buzz on snow”

Technique 

“There is a huge difference between skiing for fun – racing your mates and going off jumps or pushing yourself on the slopes – and technical skiing”. 

Injury is something people worry about as they age but Al is nonplussed about it. “You can be unlucky anywhere, you can trip over while hiking or trip over at home. I smashed my shoulder skiing quite recently and had to have it rebuilt. I got back into skiing again 3 months later in Japan. Keeping the passion alive on things you love is important. 

A lot of people don’t work on their ski technique when they’re young, they can jump off rocks and ski freshies but they don’t have the fundamentals and later in life, they can be prone to injury”. 

Adjusting Technique As You Age 

“There are lots of local clubs and places where you can join groups and learn disciplined skiing. And it has the potential to keep you skiing longer and to feel exciting new things in your skiing”

“Learning something new, and becoming proficient at it in a couple of weeks really is exciting. People on courses come back to the lodge buzzing about what they’ve learnt and discover their skiing has changed! It’s a solo sport best done with other people. Camaraderie is important”. 

Dean Hunter, owner of Rookies for 30 years talks about progression in skiing as you age “- Look at Austria- skiing is very social for older people in Austria. You want to be at least a strong intermediate level as an oldie”. 

Body Position 

“When we ski out of position we put pressure on our joints, we have to learn to go with the ski and trust the equipment. We have to be in a position that we can be more active on the skis, stay with the ski underneath us. We want to move with the ski so we can control it through our legs and if we don’t do this we’re just constantly fighting the skis and fighting the terrain”. 

Know Yourself and keep yourself educated 

It’s all about common sense, according to Dean, you and only you know what injuries

you are carrying. He recommends staying in your comfort zone, going out with a

good trainer and knowing your limitations. “Make it easy for yourself, not harder and take a break when conditions deteriorate because we brake a bit more in poor conditions.