You may be thinking “Me? On a snowboard? I’m too old!” Listen, though, to some stories of other riders, and you may join your mind. You too, just may become an adult snowboarder. Here are a few excerpts of published accounts of adult learners that Grays on Trays has noted.
REJUVENATED MY TIMES ON THE SLOPES
“I’ve just become eligible for Social Security benefits, but about 10 years ago my daughter started snowboarding and was too young to do it by herself. I strapped on a board and took lessons with her. Admittedly, it was humiliating and frustrating for a few days, until I got the hang of it.
To my surprise snowboarding has rejuvenated my excitement on the slopes. I can do more with the board than I was ever able to do with skis and with less probability of leg injuries. Besides, it’s pretty “cool” when my boomer buddy and I say to the teens sitting next to us on the lift that our combined age exceeds 120 years, and then we beat them on the way down, getting (not giving) air for show. — Wall Street Journal reader
TRY EVERYTHING ONCE
“My motto: Try everything at least once. So when my 29-year-old daughter, who’s been snowboarding for 10 years, encouraged me to give it a chance, I said yes. … I was a downhill skier for 30 years, but after learning to snowboard, I haven’t touched my skis since. — 46 year old woman.”
THE BUG HIT ME HARD
“I stayed old school. Why give up years of skiing skills to start over and flop all over the hill? My wife, Sarah, felt pretty much the same way, although she loves any snow sport. Our 13-year-old daughter, Courtney, wanted to snowboard, like most of her friends. That was fine, but I was a skier. … My mind began changing last year, when I saw more people my age — I’m 42 — on snowboards. The bug hit me hard when the snow began to fall and the ski areas opened this winter.”
EXHILARATING
“It is an exhilarating experience [that] requires speed, skill, and coordination–and the scenery is unbelievable.” — 38 year old pharmaceutical executive.
FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS
“I’m 42, just got back from a week in Tahoe. I … can easily see myself riding for the next 20 years.”
GETTING BETTER!
“I am a 40-year-old married father of two girls. I rode a snowboard four times last winter, and have now ridden twice in the last month. … I spent most of the evening working my way down a very long and very wide beginner’s hill.
In my previous outing … I found that my major difficulty was in initiating turns. Last night I finally started to put turns together with some confidence.
When I was getting ready to go, another man about my age, a skier with a 10-year-old son on a board, asked “so, did you master the snowboard?” I smiled and shook my head, held up my thumb and index finger two inches apart, and said, “Well, I think I improved a tiny bit.” He said, “Yeah, my son has been watching you all night, and he said ‘Hey, Dad, that guy’s getting better!'”
A GREAT SECRET
“After taking a three-day class, I have revised my opinion of the sport and its young devotees. I think they are on to a great secret and should get credit for bringing the sport to the rest of us.”
HOOKED
“I saw a notice offering lessons for this funny snowboarding thing, tried it and I was hooked. … Once you learn to turn, the mountain becomes your playground.” – 40 year old vicar.
POWDER HOUND
“I just couldn’t manage skiing on powder. [But] Now the board just floats on top, and it’s a lot of fun. I just find that snowboarding is easier for me. I love it.” — a 50-year old president of a supply-chain management consulting firm.