# Old guy getting back in after 25 year break



## Scalpelman (Dec 5, 2017)

Lots of old guys here. 52 for me. Life is good on the mountain. I just don’t jump as high so I won’t land as hard! [emoji38]

Get some boots on the stiffer side to protect those ankles and get properly fitted. Looks like you picked a solid board. 

Welcome back.


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## Crusty (Nov 8, 2018)

Start a stretching regime now. Seriously. A pre-season workout routine helps a ton as well, but stretching will lessen injuries and just plain makes you feel better all around.


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## Surgeon (Apr 13, 2020)

41 here. We take linger to get back from injuries. Be more careful when you plan something risky. Know your limits and realize that you have to get to work on monday no matter how bad you really want to try that backflip.
I still do lots of bog air but I really plan/calculate more than when I was younger. I’ve never been great on rails but I still do some. Smarter I hope. Lots of video tutorials around for almost anything you wanna try so you get a headstart compared to when you were a kid.
Most important: have fun!


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## robotfood99 (Mar 19, 2016)

Welcome back. 25 years! Equipment these days are so much better than they were 25 years ago so if you can build yourself back to shape you will be having a whale of a time. Like what others have said above, choose to err on the stiffer side of supportive and stretch those muscles. For me what I noticed getting older was that daily recoveries take longer. So consider taking extra time and care with post workout stretches.

Also, because you are new here and it is the rite of passage... go check out @Wiredsport's boot threads in the Boots section of the forums and measure your feet. Determining the actual size before shopping for boots and bindings could save you lots of time and money. You will be surprised how many people, especially older riders, had their sizes wrong. Can't hurt to check. 

Good luck, have fun!


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## Oldman (Mar 7, 2012)

It's like riding a bike. You never forget. As the Surgeon has mentioned, ride within yourself and you should have no problems. All of the advice above is spot on. You will love the new deck, but as mentioned, get the boots right. Paramount to the best experience possible. Welcome back!


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## Chi773Rider (Jan 26, 2021)

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I’m a big basketball player (played 3x/wk against the 20-somethings before COVID shut the courts down), so I feel good about my strength, balance, stamina etc. Starting to get back into yoga as well...that helps with everything.

One reason I was hesitant to get back into riding after awhile is that I have crushed my knees over the years with hoop, and was thinking they wouldn’t hold up to riding. But the first thing noticed when I started cruising around on my ‘new’ skateboard was that when I was kinda carving down the hills, even when I was really getting forward into my shins going onto my toes, I didn’t really notice any strain on my knees. I guess that makes sense, because being on a board uses your knees the way they’re supposed to be used, vs the high impact on a hard surface at weird angles from BB.

Good call on the stiffer boots, too. I’ve had a couple of severe (surgery requiring) ankle injuries, and I just don’t have much left in the way of ligaments. I’ll definitely skew towards the stiffer side. Any specific recommendations?


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## Chi773Rider (Jan 26, 2021)

robotfood99 said:


> Welcome back. 25 years! Equipment these days are so much better than they were 25 years ago so if you can build yourself back to shape you will be having a whale of a time. Like what others have said above, choose to err on the stiffer side of supportive and stretch those muscles. For me what I noticed getting older was that daily recoveries take longer. So consider taking extra time and care with post workout stretches.
> 
> Also, because you are new here and it is the rite of passage... go check out @Wiredsport's boot threads in the Boots section of the forums and measure your feet. Determining the actual size before shopping for boots and bindings could save you lots of time and money. You will be surprised how many people, especially older riders, had their sizes wrong. Can't hurt to check.
> 
> Good luck, have fun!


Good point on boot sizing. That is definitely a purchase I’m going to make in person at the board shop in my area. I believe that in any activity you do, the wrong or wrong-fitting sneaks will screw you.

And you’re not kidding about the gear these days. Just the difference in board tech is insane. Camber/rocker profiles, edge tech, directional, twin, etc etc. Whoa...what? Back when I used to ride, it seemed like you just tried to find a deck that was the right length and if you were lucky, you liked the graphics and it didn’t cost so much that it put you on a ramen diet for 3 months to be able to buy it.

That said, I can see now that the newer board tech is probably going to really help me when I get back in.


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## dbb (Jan 2, 2021)

I've been riding 28 years now and taught for 15, and am in my mid fifties. The hardwares changed dramatically, as has the riding method, everything from body management to how you actually turn the board from initiation through.
I can still ride all day, but thats just down to technique - good technique uses less energy.
If you can, get riding with people who know what they're doing. The old adage of "Practice makes Permanent" still applies though, but if you want "Practice makes Perfect" I would always advise getting a bit of instruction..


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Welcome back! I'd really measure your feet before you go try on boots. In the shop, they measure your feet wrong, and get you into boots that are too big 9 times out of 10. Reading over the boot forum, you'll see the same story over and over. People get fitted for boots and they're comfy like shoes. They ride a few times and the boots pack out, and they're left with boots that are too large, unresponsive, and painful. Measure your feet and buy the right boots the first time.


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

The good news is in general snowboarding is pretty knee friendly I think. I gave up skiing and switched over to snowboarding in my 40s because of sore knees thanks to mogul fields. They would ache on any given day going up stairs, and skiing is really harsh laterally on your knees. Riding has that locked in natural athletic bent knee stance which is pretty sturdy. Since switching my knees are actually stronger than they were before and haven't ached at all in a few years, I'm 50 now. Of course all of this changes depending what you are looking to do, ie: the park can bang you up pretty good and from experience bruises and bumps take a hell of a lot longer to go away when 50 than 25. But that part of riding is really a super small part of it all.

My advice is don't skimp on stuff. Not saying break the bank, but at 50 you deserve stuff that is comfortable and works well, not gets by. This goes from outerwear to equipment. As you know by now there's a price to quality curve. Find the sweetspot for you.


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## crash77 (Jan 24, 2011)

43 here. I'll be 44 in March. I was introduced to snowboarding 10 years ago and immediately fell in love with it. I was able to consistently hit the hill for about 2 years before circumstances forced me to step away. That was 8 years ago!!! I've played basketball all of my life...I was playing 5 times a week before Covid and I work out 6 times a week so I'm in pretty good shape. My son took a trip to Colorado and looking at the pics and videos brought that passion back again. It's something about this sport...nothing in life makes me feel more free. My son and I are planning the 1st of our annual Colorado trips for next year and we frequent a few resorts in PA to hold us over. I'm in the process of picking out all of my gear...again...and it can be a bit overwhelming but I love the process of researching boards, bindings, brands, etc. Anyways, glad to see you are getting back out there. Ride at your own pace and enjoy the freedom!


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## Chi773Rider (Jan 26, 2021)

crash77 said:


> 43 here. I'll be 44 in March. I was introduced to snowboarding 10 years ago and immediately fell in love with it. I was able to consistently hit the hill for about 2 years before circumstances forced me to step away. That was 8 years ago!!! I've played basketball all of my life...I was playing 5 times a week before Covid and I work out 6 times a week so I'm in pretty good shape. My son took a trip to Colorado and looking at the pics and videos brought that passion back again. It's something about this sport...nothing in life makes me feel more free. My son and I are planning the 1st of our annual Colorado trips for next year and we frequent a few resorts in PA to hold us over. I'm in the process of picking out all of my gear...again...and it can be a bit overwhelming but I love the process of researching boards, bindings, brands, etc. Anyways, glad to see you are getting back out there. Ride at your own pace and enjoy the freedom!


Yep. I’ve always thought playing basketball really helped me with my riding.

2 primary things:
1) playing trains you to just automatically be in an athletic stance, especially when you take pride in playing defense (like I do). There’s something about being able to be in that position and keeping feet, hips, and shoulders square, keeping knees bent and butt down with a straight back and being able to maintain that while changing directions that really translates to riding

2) aerial awareness...just constantly jumping and then adjusting in the air, maintain balance, and landing while focusing 100% on something else always helped me feel comfortable in the air on a board.

Now...will I be able to do the things I used to be able to do? Probably not. But that’s OK. I used to dunk like crazy, but I put down my last jam the day after my 40th birthday and haven’t thought about it since. I still love being on the court. I suspect I will feel the same once I get back on a board. Super stoked to get going.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

It's not so much that the basketball practice makes you better at snowboarding, as the same genetics that make you sporty serve you well in basketball and in snowboarding. People who are good at sports can be good (not saying _great_, that's another thing entirely) at just about anything physical. People who are not sporty tend to struggle with just about anything physical. And attitude plays into it as well. It's easy to spot the gung ho beginner vs the tentative beginner. That's all about confidence.


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## mjayvee (Nov 18, 2015)

Here are some helpful things that I do as a mature/experienced snowboarder: 

Balanced diet, no alcohol 
Train year-round: with special attention to flexibility, core & leg strength and hip strength/mobility. Cardio (running & martial arts) and upper body are also important. 
Yoga
Static and Dynamic Stretching
Foam Roll
Massage Gun
Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) bath to help muscles recover faster
For snowboarding itself, I take calculated risks and which are usually only small/medium risks. I use my experience & maturity to make good decisions and I ride according to current snow & terrain conditions. 
As a working-class snowboarder and family man, I mostly ride once a week nowadays. I treat that day of the week like “game day.” And I take all my prep for that week very seriously, leading up to the day that I ride. “Separation is in the preparation.” 

To simply explain it, snowboarding is a lifestyle for me. From physical conditioning to maintaining my gear, I am all in it.


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## kapifaxi (Jan 28, 2021)

Hello and welcome


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## Schoobang (Nov 4, 2019)

A lot of great tips in this thread. Also don’t forget protective gear to minimize the risk of those serious injuries. A helmet is the most important and the helmets today are sooo much more comfortable and better looking than 25 years ago. I always wear back protection as well. I got it for rocky backcoutry riding but it so comfortable that I don’t see the point riding without it anywhere.


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

Welcome back. You can also check custom insoles with impact protection. Some Adidas snowboarding boots use boost which is used in some of their basketball shoes too.


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## Manicmouse (Apr 7, 2014)

mjayvee said:


> Here are some helpful things that I do as a mature/experienced snowboarder:
> 
> Balanced diet, no alcohol
> Train year-round: with special attention to flexibility, core & leg strength and hip strength/mobility. Cardio (running & martial arts) and upper body are also important.
> ...


Hmm looking at your list I'm at 0/8 of the recommendations as someone approaching 40. I always tell myself I'm going to start doing squats in the summer... Going to grab another beer instead.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Chi773Rider said:


> Hey guys, just joined. What’s up.
> hoping to get some perspectives from people who have been at it for a while on what it’s like and how it’s different once you’re...like me...pushing 50.


So I didn't start until 44 yrs and now 63. Do it for the fun, some exercise and be grateful that you are not sitting on the couch complaining of your aches and pains. Also its not all about ballz to the wallz first to last chair. Its a rhythm of energy management and mental focus; It takes me a few runs to get warmed up...then fun, later in the afternoon to dial it back and cruise, quit while I'm ahead and live to ride another day. Occasionally will have a rare day when I can go hard non-stop for 5 hours. I've learned to stay hydrated and not stop for lunch to avoid the after lunch drag. Can fairly easily go from 9-2.


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## Chi773Rider (Jan 26, 2021)

So, finally got my board today, hooked up the whole rig and took it for a spin. Ended up getting a Capita Mercury which, for the moment, is a little above my pay-grade. I’m not used to being able to do so much with so little effort.

Just took it to a sledding hill by my house after dark when nobody was there. It’s been so long I just wanted to get my feet wet. Unfortunately, the snow was essentially solid ice with about 1” of powder on it. Not ideal for the maiden voyage. But man, that Mercury carved the ice like an ice skate. Kinda shocking how little effort it took to get a lot of result.

Felt awesome just to be back out. Thanks for all the great input, everybody!


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## Scalpelman (Dec 5, 2017)

That board will not disappoint. Welcome back.


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