Classic ski skiers

Over The Hill Maybe, But Not Over The Mountain!

Skiing is an athletic, dynamic sport that requires strength, endurance, a high level of fitness and a desire to conquer the mountain…..
Skiing is a recreational pastime, where cruising through alpine glades and stopping for lazy lunches is the absolute pinnacle of relaxation….

I’d take both of these statements and say that even throughout the duration of one day in the mountains, both of them might apply to how I feel. But that’s the unique and fantastic thing about skiing….it can be everything to everyone. Sure, there are limits and some form of physical fitness is required or at least highly recommended. But is age a factor? I went to investigate how age within the skiing industry impacts on people’s desire to continue the sport and if it really is a young person’s game after all.

The average age for skiers is somewhere between 31 and 36 years old depending on what country or resort you look at. There is evidence to suggest that the average age of skiers has risen during the last 15 years, perhaps some of this is to do with the rise in snowboarding (although that sport is now in decline) and economics….has skiing become more expensive in the last 10 years?

Personally I feel that today, holidaymakers expect more from their precious time away than they used to. Whilst 20 years ago, skiing was a sport that was on the top of the list for any aspirational middle class family or individual who took two to three holidays a year, now it competes with many other possibilities as travel around the globe has become more accessible.
The point is, do older skiers drop out of the sport because they are bored and want something else to try or because they feel they are getting too old?

Anecdotally I think many people imagine that skiing is a sport that you can only learn when you’re young. But I also know this could not be further from the truth. Many people start skiing in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and sometimes even later. If you are fit and healthy then it really does not matter what age you are, skiing is not an extreme sport or one that requires you to be young.

It turns out the demand for skiing holidays for older people is growing. Perhaps it’s because in general, people are living longer and remain fit and healthy well into later life. There are tools that have been developed to help people out like Ski Mojo, which is basically a device that stops your legs aching when you ski. I know people that use it and they are not all ‘old’!

There are also specialist tour operators that cater for a more mature clientele. I went along to meet some of the clients of Classic Ski in London for something which you might expect from a more mature and sophisticated crowd, afternoon tea! Classic Ski is a British tour operator with destinations throughout the French Alps including Flaine, La Clusaz and Morzine. Most people that travel with Classic ski are between 50 and 75 years of age, some of them are single people that would like to travel with like-minded skiers.

I met Paul Millard who is 67 years of age and had learnt to ski two years ago, he said, ‘some of my grandchildren were already learning to ski and I thought it would be fantastic to learn as well.’ He seems hooked and has booked his third holiday to the French Alps this winter.

Inger Cooper is a regular skier and I was polite enough not to ask her age, but I was informed that at 83 years she was currently the oldest skier booked to go out this winter. Her enthusiasm for the sport was inspiring and although she had been skiing for many years, she felt it wasn’t time to retire the boots just yet.

Classic Ski drink break

Guy Pezet, Classic Ski Director of Skiing and a French National Ski Instructor had come over to London to meet up with some of his clients and talk about how Classic Ski works. It was apparent that everyone loved the charismatic Frenchman and he certainly seemed to enjoy the work he does through the winter with his clients.

I left the tea party happy in the thought that far from being over the hill in terms of my skiing career, I still had a long way to go before reaching the peak.


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