# Too old to learn snowboarding?



## iechoi (Apr 20, 2012)

My dad is 65 years old and retiring at the end of 2012. He used to be a decent skier (blues + moguls), but hasn't gone out for a while due to knee surgery. Then, his eyes started shriveling on account of being old, which increased the risk of a retinal tear during high impact sports. He says the eye situation has stabilized and wants to go skiing this year. He also floated the possibility of learning snowboarding because it'd be easier on his old man knees, though I don't think he knows what he'd be getting into.

Is he too old to learn snowboarding? Everyone I know who learned snowboarding had a rough time physically, so I was wondering if it's advisable for him as well. He's not fragile - he still does a lot of yard work, swims and plays tennis regularly - but I'm afraid that the impact of repeated falls or catching an edge will mess him up somehow.


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## NWBoarder (Jan 10, 2010)

Nope, never to old to learn. He may want to look into some protective gear, or he may not, but that's his call. Get him out there and share the stoke!


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

No one is too old. If he is willing to take the physical punishment it takes to learn, then he can definitely learn it. There is a lot of falling in learning snowboarding. Especially the knees...


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

well in this case I"m on the fence...how is his strength and physically wise.
The amount of time falling and if your not in a place with powder can be banging on the body.


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## WhistlerBound (Aug 24, 2008)

I'd say go for it (with an appropriate level caution). It may well open up a whole new world for him, it did for me after many years on skis.

I'm not entirely sure it will be easier on the knees though, just different.


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## firstx1017 (Jan 10, 2011)

Here's my take..... I started this later in life also. I learned to ski at 48 and at 50 I wanted to try snowboarding. I watched alot of videos and I was very methodical in learning and started very slow. I would recommend a butt pad - as I did get a hematoma on my rear from several falls on the same part of my rear. Wrist guards and a helmet and knee pads. I really didn't fall all that often as I learned at a slow rate and didn't push forward until I learned what I was working on. I have bad knees and I find snowboarding actually easier on my knees than skiing. I also didn't want to give up. I did get tired easily and would just practice for about an hour and then go back to the cabin and regroup. We were at the resort every weekend Saturday and Sunday and holidays as we had a season pass. My husband thought I would give up after the first two days, but I persevered and I was bound and determined to learn this sport - and I love it! Two more months and we will be hitting the slopes again - can't wait!


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

firstx1017 said:


> Here's my take..... I started this later in life also. I learned to ski at 48 and at 50 I wanted to try snowboarding. I watched alot of videos and I was very methodical in learning and started very slow. I would recommend a butt pad - as I did get a hematoma on my rear from several falls on the same part of my rear. Wrist guards and a helmet and knee pads. I really didn't fall all that often as I learned at a slow rate and didn't push forward until I learned what I was working on. I have bad knees and I find snowboarding actually easier on my knees than skiing. I also didn't want to give up. I did get tired easily and would just practice for about an hour and then go back to the cabin and regroup. We were at the resort every weekend Saturday and Sunday and holidays as we had a season pass. My husband thought I would give up after the first two days, but I persevered and I was bound and determined to learn this sport - and I love it! Two more months and we will be hitting the slopes again - can't wait!


You know your not supposed to use pictures of your daughter for your avatar.

TT


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## backstop13 (Jun 27, 2012)

timmytard said:


> You know your not supposed to use pictures of your daughter for your avatar.
> 
> TT


Look at Rico Suave over here!


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## henry06x (Feb 16, 2011)

I'd say you never are. I rode up the lift a year I two ago with a guy that was I believe he said early 70's learning. He said he had been skiing since he was in his teens and just wanted to try something new! Lol
Mainly probably depends on how good of health the person is.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

I have taught several friends including a 62 year old lady.

If he is athletic he should be fine but get a board with lifted up contact points and proper lessons.

My main suggestion is learn to ride somewhere there is powder, even if you take a 1 week trip somewhere.

Powder makes the difference between painful falls and possible injury and harmless, painless falls into a soft forgiving surface. 

Its almost fun to fall on freshly groomed powder. Its hell on ice.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

dreampow said:


> I have taught several friends including a 62 year old lady.
> 
> If he is athletic he should be fine but get a board with lifted up contact points and proper lessons.
> 
> ...


Keep in mind though that powder is something you learn after you get good at groomers... for beginner/intermediates powder is also some of the most frustrating stuff to ride because you have to be comfortable letting go and have good balance. Fresh groomers after it snows however are a lot more awesome to fall on.


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## firstx1017 (Jan 10, 2011)

timmytard said:


> You know your not supposed to use pictures of your daughter for your avatar.
> 
> TT


@TT - lol - good thing the avatar hides wrinkles and gravity! lol Have two boys who aren't interested in snowboarding - good thing my 57 year old husband will hang with me doing this!!!


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## 2hipp4u (Dec 24, 2010)

Go for it, Im 47 and this will be my third year on the board. Extra protective wear would be a good idea and I would also have him talk to a doctor about the eye problem. Nothing is worth losing your sight over.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

firstx1017 said:


> @TT - lol - good thing the avatar hides wrinkles and gravity! lol Have two boys who aren't interested in snowboarding - good thing my 57 year old husband will hang with me doing this!!!


anyone smell smoke....TT being shot down in flames 

From the OP'er post I inferred his dad hasn't been on skis in a long time, and his health was not the best. I may have read into it a bit though.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

He is playing tennis and used to ski. He knows how snow works, how edges work, how to read terrain. Ime tennis is hell on my 53 yr old knees...stop go, twist....ehhh boarding no problem. I think with excellent instruction, going over how to fall, the mechanics of getting back up, good body posture and how to turn. No problem...just predose with ibuprohen to help prevent the swelling before it happens. 

edit: Get your old pops a day long private lesson with a hot chick snowboard instructor (motivation and gender pressure so he won't puss out) and buy the beer at the end of the day.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

HoboMaster said:


> Keep in mind though that powder is something you learn after you get good at groomers... for beginner/intermediates powder is also some of the most frustrating stuff to ride because you have to be comfortable letting go and have good balance. Fresh groomers after it snows however are a lot more awesome to fall on.


Fair point, let me clarify.

Freshly groomed powder as in groomers with packed down powder, AKA corduroy. No newb is going straight into off piste powder, but if there is snowfall the night before the groomers consist of soft compacted powder rather than hard unforgiving ice. 

Thats how most of my buddies learned thanks to regular snowfall here in Japan. No bruises or bad injuries.


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## iechoi (Apr 20, 2012)

Thanks for all the responses! It sounds like it's very possible with some extra precautions. He's still in good shape and active, and I'll make sure the eye thing gets checked out again. We both live near Seattle, so finding soft snow won't be a problem for us. He'll have all the time in the world after he retires so we can cherrypick the days to go up.


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## LuckyRVA (Jan 18, 2011)

My step dad learned to snowboard when he was in his upper 50s. But, he's super fit and has more energy than I do it seems. I'm sure it can be done. But, like someone mentioned padding is probably at must at that age.


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## hktrdr (Apr 3, 2012)

dreampow said:


> Fair point, let me clarify.
> 
> Freshly groomed powder as in groomers with packed down powder, AKA corduroy. No newb is going straight into off piste powder, but if there is snowfall the night before the groomers consist of soft compacted powder rather than hard unforgiving ice.
> 
> Thats how most of my buddies learned thanks to regular snowfall here in Japan. No bruises or bad injuries.


+1. I am with dreampow 100% on this. It is what makes Japan such a great place to learn for beginners - you generally do not have to be afraid to fall. 
I don't enjoy riding in Japan (more accurately Niseko) as much as I used to (I mean, I love the powder but the terrain is just not that challenging without having to do long hikes up undeveloped mountains), but for learning it is definitely tops.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Since ur in pnw, catch a nice 4-6" little refresh and he'll be fine. Get him to think about getting a little retirement cabin in the hills.


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## ThomasOwen (Mar 8, 2011)

I learned at 57 and have not looked back since. I use a upper body protection from Demon and highly recommend that type of armor.

But, the number one thing I would recommend is a good instructor 'day-1'. I used a very experienced guy at Beaver Creek and he started me out very slow. Yes, I still had some falls but knew when to call it quits for the day.

Now, 2 years later, I go to Colorado twice during the winter and the instructor has become a great friend. 

Best of luck -


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## pharcyde (Nov 3, 2012)

id be hesistant to recommend it. bone loss occurs steadily after age 40-45 or so. falls are a part of skiing and snowboarding and can cause fractures in even young people.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

pharcyde said:


> id be hesistant to recommend it. bone loss occurs steadily after age 40-45 or so. falls are a part of skiing and snowboarding and can cause fractures in even young people.


Screw that. You wanna put me in an old folks home, you'll have to catch me first!


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

pharcyde said:


> id be hesistant to recommend it. bone loss occurs steadily after age 40-45 or so. falls are a part of skiing and snowboarding and can cause fractures in even young people.


If a person has been active and relatively healthy habits all their life, its not much of an issue. The current thinking is if a child is active and doing some bone jarring activities they develop higher bone density than a couch potato kid...and that the higher bone density is a boone later in life.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

pharcyde said:


> id be hesistant to recommend it. bone loss occurs steadily after age 40-45 or so. falls are a part of skiing and snowboarding and can cause fractures in even young people.


Ah, the arrogance of youth.

The only real difference I've found at 50 versus 20 is that 1) it takes me longer to recover from the various bangs and bruises or hangovers and 2) when I'm done, then I'm done. If my legs are rubber at 2:30, then they're not coming back that same day.


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## pharcyde (Nov 3, 2012)

physical activity stimulates muscle growth, the main factor contributing to increased bone density is calcium and D3 intake during the growing years along with thyroid hormones. and its not arrogance, its a fact that bone loss occurs and risk of fractures increases with age. im not saying he shouldnt be on the slopes any more than im saying older people should have other activities restricted. were i a doctor, id want to know more details before id be all for it. previous broken bones? arthritis? flexibility? does he think he'll be able to handle black diamonds lickity-split?


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

pharcyde said:


> physical activity stimulates muscle growth, the main factor contributing to increased bone density is calcium and D3 intake during the growing years along with thyroid hormones. and its not arrogance, its a fact that bone loss occurs and risk of fractures increases with age. im not saying he shouldnt be on the slopes any more than im saying older people should have other activities restricted. were i a doctor, id want to know more details before id be all for it. previous broken bones? arthritis? flexibility? does he think he'll be able to handle black diamonds lickity-split?


Sir you are confusing the exuberance of youth verses the treachery of old age. Geezers are well aware of limits and risks; the fun factor and sense of accomplishment is perhaps better appreciated and not so wasted as in youth.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Sir you are confusing the exuberance of youth verses the treachery of old age. Geezers are well aware of limits and risks; the fun factor and sense of accomplishment is perhaps better appreciated and not so wasted as in youth.


Youth is wasted on the young.

.
.
.


Little bastards.

:laugh:


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## mixie (Mar 29, 2011)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Sir you are confusing the exuberance of youth verses the treachery of old age. Geezers are well aware of limits and risks; the fun factor and sense of accomplishment is perhaps better appreciated and not so wasted as in youth.



:thumbsup:

and smart money bets on treachery and old age every. single. time. 

y'all kids better get the fuck of mah gawddamn lawn!


plus the little victories mean so much more when you're old  

tennis is probably harder then snowboarding.


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## Oldman (Mar 7, 2012)

*Never say Never*

I did't learn to ride until I was approaching my 50th. Had done a little skiing up to that point, but never really got hooked on it. My only regret is that I didn't start riding 20 years ago!!!!

Best advice: Sound out the locals, find the BEST instructor and head straight to the bunny hill. You will have far fewer falls, superior satisfaction, greater confidence sooner and it is also great fun to hang around kids. You will be shredding in no time. Bring on the snow!!!!!!!!


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## Sincraft (Sep 6, 2010)

iechoi said:


> My dad is 65 years old and retiring at the end of 2012. He used to be a decent skier (blues + moguls), but hasn't gone out for a while due to knee surgery. Then, his eyes started shriveling on account of being old, which increased the risk of a retinal tear during high impact sports. He says the eye situation has stabilized and wants to go skiing this year. He also floated the possibility of learning snowboarding because it'd be easier on his old man knees, though I don't think he knows what he'd be getting into.
> 
> Is he too old to learn snowboarding? Everyone I know who learned snowboarding had a rough time physically, so I was wondering if it's advisable for him as well. He's not fragile - he still does a lot of yard work, swims and plays tennis regularly - but I'm afraid that the impact of repeated falls or catching an edge will mess him up somehow.


uh...

Well it all depends on his health. The average doctor is a pretty stupid person today. They see people in 15 minute intervals and give them antibiotics like candy. Trust me, it took me AT LEAST 40 doctors visits with 30 of them being specialists to find only 50% of my issues, which one of which is an arthritis where my body actually attacks its own tissues.

The safest thing he could probably do, honestly is to have a stress test done with a good heart doctor, and then also have a bone density test done. 

Explain to him that while on a snowboard, you are locked in. It is NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like skiing when you can gently sit yourself down or, if you fall hard you might whip your head back onto the hard snow and ouchy. 

Snowboarding falls are much much much much much more harsh, especially in the beginning. I recommend that he learns from an instruction and doesnt try how so many I see trying, flat boarding the bunny slope day 1. 

learn to hold ONE edge on day one, and maybe even up to day 5 eventually falling leave. 

Buy him some ass pads, and make sure he realizes that helmets are NOT option on boards. 

If he has bad knees, he probably has bad elbows and probably even a lower back and upper back (neck) area. Common. The lower back will hurt but subside. The tail bone pain if broken can last a very very long time. I would recommend that asspads, a stress test and a bone density test.


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## ComeBack_Kid (May 27, 2009)

Sincraft said:


> uh...
> 
> The average doctor is a pretty stupid person today.


You lost all credibility with that statement. What a ridiculous, dumb thing to say, especially when you base it on the amount of appointment time they get with a patient.


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## iechoi (Apr 20, 2012)

ComeBack_Kid said:


> You lost all credibility with that statement. What a ridiculous, dumb thing to say, especially when you base it on the amount of appointment time they get with a patient.


Well, he's a doctor himself (surgeon), so I think he knows who and what he can trust. Unfortunately, certain circumstances are delaying his retirement until March 2013, so it's going to be hard to find time to go up until then.


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