For ages 50+ Skiboarders — hear their experience on skiboards. Everyone knows that certain sports can be very hard on the body. Some think it’s too late to start snow riding. Hear what some of our customers over 50 are saying about skiboarding.
Better Late Than Never
Hi Skiboarders!
Early last week I took delivery of my Snowjam 75’s and on Sunday I had the opportunity to try them. I will turn 58 in a month and have been skiing on and off since introduction to the sport in my mid-thirties. With my late start in skiing and infrequent participation, I never did advance beyond novice level, and thought I would be relegated to those green and blue cirles forever. All of that changed on that Sunday at Spring Mountain in Eastern Pennsylvania, where the two youngest of my three daughters and I discovered this thing called a terrain park. My daughters are quite new to skiing and still apprehensive about anything new or challenging, and they were on conventional skis. When they saw what I could do with the skiboards, they relaxed and became much more bold just from watching me have a good time on the Snowjams. The skiboards actually improved their skiing, and they never even had them on. I believe Doc’s recommendation of the Snowjam 75’s was a good one. I felt a little bit awkward at first, but balance came quickly and was followed by a tremendous feeling of freedom on the slopes. I could maneuver much more easily and quickly, making small corrections here and there that I couldn’t think of doing on skis. Jumps and turns were no problem. I wish I got these earlier in the season. Our outing on Sunday was in fact the last operations at Spring Mountain for the 2000-2001 season, and I have to say the three of us had a blast.
Thanks again to Doc and the rest of you at Skiboards.com for getting me started on this.
Jim,
Age: 58
Pennsylvania
I purchased a pair of 90cm Salomon ski blades at the start of the season – I’m now a convert – and have thrown away my skis!
As a 60 year old with some arthritis, these are the best thing for getting mobility when long skis are too hard to turn.
Thanks for taking the trouble to read this.
Regards,
Keith,
Park City, UT
I have to add a testimonial, of sorts, to those already offered by former, conventional skiers. I have been skiing since age three, have been a part-time and full-time ski instructor at different times, from age fourteen to age forty-six. Today, at age fifty-one, I rented a pair of Salomon Snow Blades at Bristol Mountain, out of curiosity…
Back in the early Sixties, Cliff Taylor popularized ‘shortee skis’ (and there was also, later, an instructional system, the Graduated Length Method, or GLM, that began with beginners on short boards). Other than the pure novelty of radically short skis, even hybrids that were double-tipped, they were singularly unimportant in a world where it was often the case that the longer the ski, the better the skier…210/215cm’s were marks of prowess. So, my experience on short boards was limited to playing on ‘shortees skis’.
I had the most exhilarating day on snow, in six years, on the Salomon Snow Blades. Awesome experience carving tight corners, laying out long, tight tracks of eight or twelve fast 360’s, riding one-legged with great carving ability for a whole run, pushing them fast, and off the wall. After forty-eight years on those long, excrutiatingly expensive skis – $1200 for skis and bindings! – I’m converting to skiboards. Done Deal. Don’t look back (actually, do look back…because it’s so much easier to ski backwards on skiboards than skis).
They are phenomenal – and I’ve only demo’d one pair of rentals for one day – and I can’t wait to be out in the bumps and getting some air and having tools on my body fit for a terrain park. While I’ll have to demo some, to decide on Width, Length, Etceteras (for the price, Hey, get Two Pair, for less than one pair of long boards), I’m gone. They are a whole different, exhilarating experience. Like being on a road bike and then discovering mountain bikes…like decaf versus double espresso…hey, when I get my headphones and my tunes and my board….awesome experience!!!
I had to tell someone! I’m not a writer of testimonials…but the experience is an awesome legal high. Anyway, your site gets rave reviews. I’ll be buying from you as soon as I test more boards. And, if you guys have a t-shirt or baseball cap, I’ll wear it with pride. What a sport!!!
Cheers,
David, Age: 51
I learned to ski at age 48. My children advised “Big Feet” and I loved them. I ski 70 days per year, always on Big feet, but last year I “graduated ” to some 90 cm skiboards. Still having fun. All our Grandchildren have learned on skiboards too!
Heather, Turoa, New Zealand
Hi there, I live in England and having struggled for 5 years skiing in Europe, trying to use traditional skis (150cm) and having god knows how many lessons from a variety of instructors in each resort. I told my husband that the feeling of fear and panic when I took the slopes (blue ones at that) was now so bad that I didn’t want to go skiing again. 2 weeks ago a new indoor snowdome opened an hours drive away, and I plucked up the courage to try the snowblades, Salomon’s 99.9 long. One of the ski instructors there did everything he could to discourage me, saying they were “girly” not “proper” skis! and that he could get me to ski where others had failed. But I stuck to my guns, thanked him and put the blades on – wow, for the first time ever I have felt what it is like to ski. I cannot believe that after 5 years of fear, panic, anxiety, and being tense from head to toe, it vanished in 5 minutes. I have been back since, to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, and can now race my husband and son to the bottom of the slope without so much as a wobble!
I can’t think why one of those instructors seeing how distressed I was, didn’t suggest them rather than lose me from the slopes altogether.
PS. Great site!
Sharon, England. Age: 50
Your Skiboards Don’t Know How Old You Are!
This phrase came to me today and it is quite relevant to us maturing skiboarders and skiers. For me riding skiboards opened up a whole new world, no more bulky cumbersome equipment, no more worrying about how to get down the mountain, pure freedom and fun. Yes, the fun. That is what life is about – enjoying your life. Your skiboards don’t hold you accountable for your age – they don’t care. They just want you to live your life to the fullest and be ridden by someone who is young in their heart. There are no limitations on the person who rejoices in their life and is willing to try new things. The nice thing about aging is that you just don’t care what others think anymore. You realize this is your life to live and if you want to ride your way and enjoy your day, then so be it!
Doc Roberts
President, Skiboards.com
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