Twice Your Age, Twice the Fun

One thing I enjoy about the whole snowboarding world is finding out about adults who enjoy the sideways slide down the mountain. Yes, it’s more and more common for those of us 30 and up (and even 50 and up) to enjoy snowboarding, but there’s still something a bit head-turning about it all.

And why is that important? Because it may cause some people to stop and think “Hey, maybe I can do that, too!” Introducing people to the sport is sometimes as much fun as a good trip down the slopes.

Here’s a letter published in today’s Wall Street Journal, written by Tai Sugimoto of Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina:

It may be true that the majority of skiers are older than 25 and the majority of snowboarders are “not old enough to rent a car” (“Snowboards Invade Another Ski Shrine,” Weekend Journal, Dec. 22). It is also a quite common trend that the children and grandchildren of skiers demand to open the “skiers only” resorts to boarders, or else. There is, however, another significant trend developing based on my observations and experiences: boomer skier turned boomer snowboarder.

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.

(Emphasis added)

To quote one of my youthful e-mail correspondents: “Go old people, go!”