Progressing in your mid 20's

LineBoarder

LineBoarder

Active member
Its crazy when I think about it, I am going to be 25, have a serious job, pay my own bills, live in the city, tons of pressure, etc.. etc.. But I still have the drive to progress as I did when I was 16.

The question I have for all you older dudes out there, is do you feel the same I do? 25 is a pretty pinacle age in your life, and I feel like when I am 28 I will feel super old.

Progression never stops in skiing. Its crazy how much this sport has progressed since the grass root days.

I guess my biggest question is, does anyone feel like they should just chill out and ski, instead of trying to learn new tricks. You can't help it when your addicted, but when is enough? Maybe never, whos going to be 40 years old and still trying new things?
 
A guy I ride with at my hill is like 32 or something and just learned 9's this year. So progression will keep happening if you keep on keepin on.
 
if you look at other sports, skate boarding, mountain biking, even hockey... people stay competive well into there 30s.

and i mean look at the big mountain guys, lots of them are in there 30s and kill it.

tanners 24 isnt he? and he's progressing like crazy.
 
I'll be forty and still trying new things.

As long as you keep your body in pretty tip top shape you should be able to do this shit into your 40's no problem.

I'm 26 and entered my first rail jam this year, I did pretty bad and busted ass a few times but it was still a new experience.

I think you can always progress with something it just depends what you consider progression, it doesn't always have to mean bigger jumps or harder tricks. I just hope to keep adding fun things to the sports I like in order to keep them fresh and fun for me. That's just how I am and it sounds like you're that way as well, folks like us will never be satisfied with doing the same thing year after year.

I hope to still be learning new shit in skiing through my thirties and forties.
 
thats good to hear. I am only 22 but i have injured myself a lot from skiing and missed work and i wonder if it is really worth it when i know i am never going to be a professional skier.
 
Im not quite there yet but i know in general what you feel like...i am more scared to hit big jumps now than in the past. Although the major motivation is at okemo closing day this year there was a guy in his mid fifties with twins on throwing truly steezy 1s, 3s, and 5s, as well as switch 1s and switch 3s. it was ridic. that guy pretty much owns me, so i plan on keep on keepin on.

just be careful and take precautions to stay injury free. that is what will put you out for a season or maybe life. just dont let that fear dominate you on the mountain. push yourself but be reasonable.
 
im only 21 but i've had to slow down over the past two season due to a knee injury. I still rode as much as possible, but I wasn't trying the same crazy stuff I used to do only a few years ago. Then again my style of riding is more lower spin and fun grabs anyway so i dont mind it too much. You just gotta keep doing what you want to, once you lose the urge to go any further, just do what keeps you happy. So cliche... haha
 
I dont think it matters how old you are you still can progress. I am 27 and I am still out there trying to better myself and try new things. The only thing that holds me back are medical bills, they can be expensive. There is a good cult called "over the hill" which talks about this as well.
 
I'm going to be 23 this season, and feeling a bit old too, but I've also got the most drive to progress that I've had since i started skiing. I just know that it takes more physical preparation now to do it, and knowing your limits and not pushing it too hard. Tramps and diving boards are key, they definitely allow you to progress far beyond what you think you're capable of, no matter what the age. 23 and just getting started with an earnest ski-bum life this winter and I couldn't be more stoked
 
I would like to say, my dad, is freestyle skiing, and he is 42 years old. I know it's not amazing so don't bash or anything. But this year he started to spin 360's off 10 foot jumps and things, and got better at boxes (coming off switch and things) and my guess is that he will start hitting more then just flat boxes this upcoming year, and will spin some bigger jumps. I mean, he's not out there because he wants to go pro, he's just doing what he loves.
 
I'm 22 and am still pushing my limits. due to knee injuries I've had to slow down. I am just trying to get stronger and stonger and get back to where I was. I have also been a bit more conservative I guess about jumping. I wait until I'm feeling it, and its good snow. I am now over trying to dodge too many bombholes and hitting massive tables in the park. I think its mostly due to the fact that I know I can get hurt badly sometimes and I want to ski the rest of my life like this. so I take it easy sometimes, and sometimes you just gotta fuckin send it. I mean it is skiing.
 
word to that man. i broke my leg this yr at togg just throwing a left seven too far over the first table and im 21 as well. almost had to miss some school because i was taking winter classes at occ, i just cant seem to force myself to slow down, i just want to try to slay as hard as i can regardless of what else is going on in my life.
 
25 is still damn young for someone in action sports. its only because newschool skiing is so new, we have so many young pro's. if you look at any other action sport like skateboarding, snowboarding, mx, etc.... half the good pro's are in their mid 30's. so really if your only 25 you have a good 10 years before you may stop progressing very fast, and like 20 years before you start going downhill.

i have a feeling that in 20 years tanner and some of the other biggest pro's will be like skiings tony hawk.
i can see alot of today's pro's killing it in their 40's not like winning comps and stuff, but just like chilling and skiing pow and doing steezy park stuff.
im only 19, but i plan on living in the mountains each winter and having my life revolve around skiing until im well into my 30's or even 40's. so if i think about it, ive been skiing park for like 6 years, and i still got about 20 years to go until i start to slow down, it gets me super excited to think about it.
you got to remember that most people in their 30's and 40's that look old are the people that sold out straight out of college when they were 23 and just went straight to starting their career and turning into an adult. and by the time they are 40 they are fat and extremely out of shape.
while people like us get out of college and think of it as an oppertunity to do more skiing, and we stay in shape wayyy longer.
my dads friend runs marithons all the time and he is 60, he does like day long hikes in the winter to ski bc stuff. and honestly he is in better shape than even me. like he is a machine and can take a beating, but thats cause he never sold out and kept running and skiing a shit ton.
 
yeah man, last year when i was at water ramps, this 56 year old guy was learning doubles. keep the flame in you and never let it die.
 
my dad was 50 and spinning 3s off like 30 ft. jumps. then he tried a backflip on the trampoline drunk as fuck, straight to head. he just skis regularly now hahaha.

i'm only 16 so really i'm not too sure about this yet but a lot of people i know who were good skiers when they are my age and are now in their mid to late twenties really slowed down. many due to injuries though. shit my cousin is 30 and can still throw backs, 9's, cork 5's and 7's PLUS double daffy spread eagles.
 
Progression is a mindset - you can always learn new shit, though as you get older it may be more technical and less about going big.
 
I am going to disagree completely with this, at least from personal experience. I will be 28 this fall and am not the skinny guy many on this site are. I am not really "out of shape" either though. However, my body doesn't hold up at all like it used now. Now a small bail kills my hip when it didn't before, bones break more easily and ligaments tear more easily. Being in shape is totally different from freeride skiing. No one is in serious danger of hurting themself running a marathon. But when you are 30 and bail on a 30+ table, something is going to be damaged pretty seriously. One's body just doesn't have the strength to weight ratio it formerly did. There are always exceptions, which I am sure someone like Dumont or even Tanner will be since they are made of titanium (if I had either of their crashes I might have died :) But still, don't expect anyone to be learning new tricks at 35 which involving anything but a water ramp.
 
Just keep goin till your body says no more.

Im in my mid 20's, 25 was no deal, its just a stupid number.

I own a business, pay the bills, etc so I know right where youre coming from. I dont really feel old. I make people feel foolish when they ask "Dont you think youre a little too old to be messing around on those jumps?" I usually just reply "dont you think youre a little too young to be making a comment like that?"

stay in shape, and stretch lots, the day you become old is the day you decide you are.
 
Depends on how your progressing. Proper usage of water ramps,foam pits,and pow landing then throw down in the park is just a smarter safer way. Learning on bulletproof ice when your in the 30's isn't the best look. Wasn't tony hawk 31 when he pulled the 900 in 99. Very similar prob worse for his body falling from air to bottom of the vert ramp.

It's partly in the mind but also how well you take care of yourself and knowing your limits. Rome wasn't built in a day. Yes kids are throwing crazy shit at a young age but who cares. Everybody learns are different rates.

I just turned 26 and I'm just as excited to pull off tricks as I was when I pulled my first 360 years ago. Body feels no different. First broken bone/operation when I was 24. It definitely made me realize that I'm not invisible but I never gave up. Having a job with great medical benefits also helps my situation, other wise I might have a different perspective.

At the end of the day progression is a mind state combined with drive to succeed. If your afraid of falling and losing your job then, ya your most likely going to fall or not even try what you had planned on doing. Confidence=Success
 
After breaking my back and getting 5 vertebrae fused together at 23 after overshotoing a jump I wasnt feeling safe opn. I wasnt sure I could keep skiing at the level I was used to.

I took the first year pretty easy and didnt do anything that I felt like there was a slight chance that I could get hurt on. Soemtimes, it was really hard not to go nuts and do stuff I new that could be dangerous and that other younger kids were doing but I just waited and made sure everything was perfect before trying it. At the time it seemed like I was loosing ground to the kids but at teh end of each dayz I was pretty much at the same level as the other dudes were and unlike some I didnt hurt myself at all.

Now that I'm still filming a bunch and competing in some events I simply use the same technique: I make sure everything is perfect even if the trick I want to shoot may seem basic I take the time to make sure that the chances of getting hurt are as low as possible. Somtimes it means sitting and watching the others throw down on that 60 footer that I dont feel safe on. An attitude like that is certainly not as impressive as the balls to the walls adn go big or go home attitude but in the end the only thing that matter is the fact that you had fun skiing and that your not feeling like your on the verge of breaking down at the end of each ski day.

I'd say that as long as your having fun and dont take too much stupid risk you'll keep progressing.

 
i'm going to be 20 this year, which isn't as old as some on here, but it definately seems past the new "peak" when we have 16 year old kids throwing doubles. however, i'm spending a full month in summit county this winter. after skiing iowa since i was 12, i couldnt be more excited. i plan to progress a good deal over that month regardless of age.
 
wow im glad so many other people feel the way i do, im 24 and i didnt even start freestyle skiing till i was like 18 or 19, and i always sorta felt like i was to old to start, but this makes it all better
 
i think if you dont keep trying new things, you might get a little bored. hey look at jon olsson, i think hes almost 25 and hes leading the way in these crazy double flips.
 
i guess it also depends on the individual alot too.

i have a friend who owns a shop in my town, he is 33 and he started snowboarding when he was 21, and it wasnt till he was around 25 till he started getting into the whole park thing. and at 33 he can take more than i can at 19. he trows rodeo's and 9's in freeway all day. and he has taken some horrible falls, but he never seems to be affected by it. he has been skateboarding since he was like 10, literally every single day, and he still does, and in the winter he snowboards like 4 days a week (he still has to run his shop) so he is a really healthy fit guy and he progresses just as hard as any 23 year old

but there are some people who just naturally arent able to take as much abuse on their body. but for the most part, people usually can still kill it and progress a ton well into their 30's and even their 40's. look at some of the skaters like rodney mullen, he is 43 and still kills it more than most other skaters, he doesent do huge drops and stuff but he has his own style and it ends up being cooler than what, most 25 year olds in the sport are doing.

like i cant see tanner, jon, candide or any of them winning comps in their 40's with triple flatspins and 14's but i bet they are gonna be killing it in video's and stuff, and doing their own thing and mostly chilling and having fun.
 
I broke a few vertebrae last weekend backflipping a jump that was really not built for backward rotations. It made me realize that I should probably stop doing things that have a high probability of ending with crashes. It's a lot easier on the body at age 14 than at age 21 to huck yourself through the air and sorta hope you land on your feet.

With that said, I am going to land a 10 next season even if it kills me.
 
once your outta college then wouldnt that allow for alot more skiing? like if you live and work in a mountain town you can easily ski almost every day.
 
I am 22 and just started freestyle a few years ago. Through my first 5 this season and wanna progress sooo much. I feel like I am aging tho, my knees feel less stable and i feel like my right one will give out on the sloes one of these days.

Although im getting older and will graduate college in a year, I am stoked on skiing beyond belief. I may not be able to throw down like younger kids but I wanna progress in the BC as well at the park. Ive been doing more out of bounds stuff and learning more technical skiing. I recently hiked a mountain this last weekend and skiied it, in JULY. Great thing about living in Washington I can ski year around.

Basically I wanna join ski clubs and get into mountaineering as I get a career. Just progress and spend as much time outside as possible and in the snow. Now I gotta get crampons and an ice axe....
 
once you reach the age of 22, have a full time job, and become complacent in the life of adulthood, I think it becomes ridiculous that you are spinning on rails and hanging out in the park with tweeners and higschoolers(unless you are a pro)

There comes a time, where you have to sit back and look at what you are doing and realize how foolish it is for a professional (in something other than skiing) to be engaged in such frivolous activities.

Once I graduate from school, I plan on focusing of riding the entire mountain, schralping pow, and honing my switch skiing skills. Until then I have 3 more seasons of trying to become the best park rider I can be.

There is always an age to give up on the dream of getting sponsored and producing a good video segment, once you drop the pressures of progression, I feel like I will be able to enjoy skiing more.
 
dude.. progress as much as you can really but be sure to pay attention to stretching, rehabin what hurts correctly, and in the off season stay active.. also.. lay low and dont be going cork84975924 on the 60ft... you got bills to pay and landlords dont care that you broke your leg doing something they dont understand.. just remember to have fun out there and be stoked for all the kids doing what you use to do.me personally.. ive taken my skiing to the woods, trees, bumps, and concentrating on more style to 3's and stuff like that.
 
My dad is 51 and he always kind of complains about how boring it is just going up and down groomers with his friends. He enjoys just trying new stuff, just because he's simply getting bored. He's been trying some rails, boxes, and just practices carving switch. To him that's progression, finding new things to do on skis and having fun. Damn...I have a cool dad.
 
23 here and the most progression I have ever had has been the last two years. Not that I am good or anything but I can't even compare myself as a skier two years ago to now there is just to big of a gap.

Point is there is no reason to stop if your body still feels good and in my case I will probably continue for a few years after shit starts to hurt more.
 
My dad is 52 and he tried boxes and was hitting jumps this last season. Its pretty sweet, hes always been a real good skier but just never got into jumps.
 
i dont know about where you live, but half the people in the park i see are over like 21. park skiing is a young person's sport not a little kids sport. hell i think the older you are the cooler it is. seeing a 25 year old in the park is normal, but when you see a 40 year old in the park doing sweet stuff, its soooo much cooler.
 
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