Tips for Adults Learning to Ski

“Can I learn to ski as an adult?”

We hear the question a lot. This article is for those who weren’t lucky enough to discover skiing at a young age and now wonder if they are too old to start. And it’s designed to get you to “yes.”

You can learn to ski as an adult, if you’re reasonably fit and healthy. And we whole-heartedly recommend it.

Picking up skiing or boarding at age 30 and beyond is more challenging than learning to ski at age 5, 10, 18 or 25 years old. As we get older, we lose the time to maintain the peak physical fitness that comes so easily in high school.

Our sense of self-preservation steadily increases with every year that passes. We may even be set in our ways. Other concerns can include distance, cost, weather and the time demands of adult life.

According to data from the National Ski Areas Association Industry Stats more than 80% of people who try skiing do not come back for a second day. The challenge for the industry is to make that first day easy and fun for everybody that is adventurous enough to come out and try. Following are our tips for adults who want to learn to ski.

Ski Gear for Beginners

Resist the urge to ski on borrowed gear. Skis or boots that don’t fit correctly can be dangerous and/or ruin your day.

To start, rent the hardware — skis/binding, poles and boots. Renting allows you to test your commitment before buying.

It may make sense to buy your own personal comfort and safety gear: ski helmet, goggles, gloves, ski socks and layered synthetic or wool clothing. No cotton.

What gear to use?

Keep it simple. You can rent from the ski hill you are visiting, usually by the day. Some favor this option, as you can make changes to your gear during the ski day if necessary.

Or you can rent in advance at a Ski Barn or other outfitter. Ski store rentals are seasonal, but would likely be cheaper after a few days of skiing. The other advantage of renting in advance is that your first ski day is more about skiing with less energy spent on logistics and paperwork on your ski day.

Boots are a crucial point of contact for all skiers. You want them to fit correctly. Poorly fit boots lead to foot pain and cold toes.

Listen to the people in the rental shop and speak up if you have questions or the boots don’t feel comfortable. You want the boots to be snug but not so tight that you’re smashing your toes against the front of the boot or your circulation is restricted. You should be able to wiggle your toes a little and your heel should be firmly locked in.

Eventually, if you come to love skiing, you’ll likely consider buying your own boots.  Kids learning to ski need a new boot size every year and they often rent for years before buying. As an adult you could invest in a quality custom fit boot if you know you want to make that commitment to the sport. In the long run it’s cheaper and more comfortable.

As far as choosing whether you want to ski or snowboard, it’s up to you. For the easiest first day, our objective advice if that unless you are an accomplished surfer or skateboarder, start by learning to ski. If you aren’t already comfortable going fast in a sideways stance, snowboarding may not feel natural. Skiing has the same face forward orientation as walking or jogging. You can always choose a different way to ride in the future, and many people do.

What to wear?

You can probably get away with some of what you already have, as long as it is synthetic. If you start skiing at a place like Holiday Mountain or Plattekill or Catamount, skiers aren’t decked out in Bogner or Spyder. You’ll see camo and Carharts because it works, people already own it and it is warm and comfortable. Real riders know, this not a fashion show.

Avoid cotton. Once it’s wet, it much harder to stay warm. Dress in synthetic layers as much as possible so you can strip a layer if you’re too warm. Good breathable rain gear makes an excellent outer layer.

We recommend buying at least one pair of ski socks. New skiers will often wear wool hiking socks or just put on two pairs of athletic socks. This is a mistake. You’re exercising and you feet may perspire and then get cold. They way to stay warm is to maintain circulation in your feet.

Thicker socks can also cause pinching or weird pressure points which can compromise your circulation and comfort. If you tend towards cold feet you can buy thicker ski socks but most skiers use light or medium weight socks. And make sure the socks are the only thing in the boot. Don’t tuck any part of your leggings into your boots.Let your layers just bunch up on your calves.

Also, bring the warmest gloves you have and bring an extra pair in case you get your first pair wet. Mittens are generally warmer and many skiers use them without compromise.

Where to Learn

We’ve skied around New York and Vermont, and many mountains have good lesson programs. The key is to find a hill with good instructors, and a good variety of uncrowded beginner terrain, so each step to a steeper pitch feels gradual and natural.

From Jim Teresco who teaches at Royal Mountain in Caroga Lake NY:

“Look for experienced instructors who know the difference between teaching kids and teaching adults and can quickly evaluate you and adapt the lesson to your natural abilities and frame of mind. Most adults prefer to be taught by adult instructors rather than high schoolers, so ask about this advance if it matters to you.

What does the learning area offer? Is it crowded? Is there a nice progression from flats to a place you can easily side step and take some first glides and turns? Does it have a magic carpet lift? Is there some area that’s still a learning area but offers something a little more steep that can prepare well for progression out of the learning area?”

Start by checking out local feeder hills or medium sized independent ski hills. You don’t need a high speed lift or a gondola on your first day out, so why pay for all of that before you have the skills to take advantage of it?

We’re not suggesting skipping the family trip to Stowe or the long weekend with your friends at Hunter. But plan for a few days at one of these smaller resorts first. If you do find yourself trying to learn on a big, crowded hill on MLK Day, don’t give up. Come back and try again at Mount Peter or Holiday Mountain. Feeder hills are not just for kids.

Read through our ski area guide to drill down on the mountains in New York and Vermont.

Lessons

Take lessons. There really is no substitute for good instruction. Private lessons will be more effective than groups but they’re more expensive. If you go midweek, the groups will likely be so small that you may have the benefits of a private lesson anyway.

Don’t rely on friends or family to coach you until you’ve moved past beginner status. Once you’re able to negotiate a green trail from the top, follow the leader with a better skier is a good way to advance your skills, but unless you really excel in your lessons it is not for your first day.

Ask your instructor for specific tips when loading a chairlift for your first time. You don’t have ski out to the chair. A good steady shuffle is sufficient and less likely to result in a fall in the loading area. Tell the lift operator you’re a beginner. They will look out for you.

As you get a little better and you achieve more, you’ll come to understand the “flow state” that makes skiing fun.  Skiing can be a transcendent experience. You may disagree, but you’ll never know until you try.

Timing the Conditions for Learning

Conditions are everything. In better conditions, we’re all better skiers, and the sport is objectively more fun.  Conditions vary with time, so choosing when to ski matters. By our definition conditions include snow quality, weather and skier density. When to go skiing is more important than you might think.

On a majority of ski days, the morning has the surface conditions, right after overnight trail grooming or new snowfall. Midweek days offer an uncrowded experience. Avoid holidays if you can, and skiing midseason is best to start.  The first weeks of the season are known for the WROD — the “white ribbon of death” — thin icy cover, limited terrain and and high skier density.

If you can take a day off mid-week to go to a local hill for your first lessons, you’ll increase your chances for success. Get the first lesson, some mountains offer an 8:30 am slot. If possible go on a day when temps are below freezing but not bitterly cold. You don’t want to learn in icy conditions, if you can avoid it, but you also don’t want the snow to be too deep. Deep powder and corn snow are for later on, when you’ve got a season under your belt and you know what you’re doing. You want groomed packed powder to learn.

Lift ticket packages for beginners

Many mountains have all inclusive packages for beginners. There are also options for multi-mountain discounts.

The Snow Triple Play, for $199, delivers three ski days and any one of 15+ resorts in the northeast and Canada.

This list includes Big Snow, the United States’s only indoor ski area — at the American Dream mall in New Jersey. It’s a unique and affordable option for a first day on skis. You can go there any time of year, rent ski clothing as well as boots and skis that are appropriate for your first day and get a lesson in a very controlled environment for $99.

Joe Hession of Snow Operating — the company that operates Big Snow and Mountain Creek and provides software solutions and management systems for ski areas — is working to reduce pain points in the rental and lesson process.

Terrain Based Learning has made early ski instruction more effective.  “By using specifically shaped snow features to naturally control your speed and body position Terrain Based Learning removes the anxieties associated with your first time sliding on snow.”

Indy Pass — possibly in response to The Snow Triple Play — created the Learn to Turn Pass, which will get you three days at any of 41 resorts in the East, Midwest and Western US. It includes rentals and a lesson which is a big added value. Last year the Learn to Turn Pass was offered at $189.

For NYC skiers, Shawnee in PA was the closet participating Indy hill. Berkshire East in MA, Greek Peak in CNY are also day-trip-able from much of New York. Other NY options include Hunt Hollow and Titus.

We believe that the future of skiing will be determined on the feeder hills and the family-owned ski areas that are spread out across the country. These beginner friendly options can help address concerns about cost, time and distance, rental and instruction for northeast skiers.

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This article is was written and edited by Brownski and Harvey,

with input from braintrust in the NYSkiBlog Forum.

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