Is 65 too old to try skiing?

You still need to be fairly fit to xcountry ski. You probably have less falls, but an awful lot of leg work involved.

There is no reason why they can't enjoy the experience as long as they WANT to do it and don't feel they have to. The only thing I will add which has been already mentioned is that when you begin yes you will tire quickly from picking yourself up but also from fighting the natural movements the skis want to make. Going soon it is likely to be cold and u can do alot of standing around at the beginning. Wrap up warm and they will be fine.Tell you what though if they stick it out and get the hang of it they will sleep like babies.Enjoy your time in Soll. Going soon myself and cannot wait!

There is know real reason for someone to fall over when being taught to ski.


Cant remember the last adult to fall over in one of my lessons.

If you learn on the dry slope the first lesson is a lot of work but from there on is quite easy, as was said on an erlia post if they really want to learn to ski they will be able to. i don't see 65 as being to old.

When I started I fell tewnty times a day. But no qualified teacher, and demanding equipment.

The hard part, aged 48, was getting up, especially when tired. It is easier now because I only fall on steep slopes these days...

Badbark wrote:I'm going on my first skiing holiday this Saturday with my girlfriend and parents to Soll in Austria. My parents are both 65, slightly overweight and not sure if they want to try skiing or not. My mum also had key-hole surgery on her knee in October which makes her more apprehensive. I'm booked into a beginners ski school for 5 days and my parents are thinking about coming along for the first day and see how it works out. Is this advisable or is 65 to old to start skiing? Are they likely to injure themselves falling?

Any advice would be welcome.

If they want to try it then they should. If they're not sure then I'd certainly suggest considering some of the other activities you can do in winter in the alps, Austrian villages are pretty good for this. Things like snowshoeing, nordic walking or nordic skiing are all easy to learn and they can be out and about like pro's in a few hours. My father was out with us over Christmas, he's 73 and did some snow shoeing and winter walking which he enjoyed. If they've not been to the alps in the winter before they might find just being there is interesting enough without having to ski.

The local tourist office will probably have some non-ski activities on offer if you're looking for ideas. Personally, I don't ski every day, if there's the vaguest chance of it being busy then I do something else, typically snow shoeing which I enjoy a lot.

My Mum, naturally slim and fit, learnt to ski at 62 with no problems at all - except extreme tiredness at the end of the day - but who doesn't?

Her partner who learnt at 67 did not cope quite as well.
He's of a large stature and finds it hard getting up after a fall hard work. He also struggles getting himself up to get off chair lifts.
He may have been the same of course at 40.

However, he is quite happy to go along, ski a few blues and just enjoy the atmosphere of the mountains.

I am glad they learnt at their ages - it was something my Mum had always wanted to do - and she has fulfilled a dream.


If they will regret not having a go encourage them. Mum dines out on her ski holidays from one season to the next.

Thanks for all the useful advice. I'm just back from the skiing holiday and both my parents did indeed give skiing a try. They didn't take any lessons but rented out skis for a couple of days. I spent some time with them showing them the basics and let them loose on the nursery slopes.

They both enjoyed it but my mum gave up after a few hours as she was feeling the strain physically. My dad however ended up taking the skis for longer and enjoyed messing around on the nursery slopes for about 4 days.

They loved the experience and said they want to take lessons the next time they go. Both said they would want to lose some weight before the next trip as well.

So to answer my own question – 65 isn't too old to try skiing but it would be better if you were fit for your age and you should also take lessons.

Thanks for the update, Badbark. Congratulations to both your parents for trying out ski-ing, and I'm very pleased to hear they'd like another go at it :D

Ally