Progressing in your mid 20's

I'm 23 and I have no drive to "progress" or improve in any way beyond what's necessary for me to enjoy myself while I'm skiing. And I don't have to be all that great at it to have fun. But then I've never had any real drive like that, so maybe I'm the only one.
 
You just try to say anything and everything that get a rise out of people on this site. I doubt you actually believe the stuff you say.
 
Wow, some pretty awesome/inspiring posts in this thread.

What it really comes down to I think, is the fact that I wish I was 16 again with the mentality and what I have learned, now being 25, but don't we all? I still have the drive and passion as I did when I was 16. Its awesome to feel so alive on the mountain, and skiing for yourself cause u aboslutely love it.

Living in the city and being a "weekender" sucks, and that definitely depresses me. Having to ski a packed mountain and be 9-5er during the week.

Its all good, I love my life right now, I just miss being able to ski 4 days a week and living free with no worries.

But Im going to keep doing my thing, just like everyone else on this thread, becasue we love freeskiin, and its who we are.

 
you have to realize that your still really only 25, you cant be saying i wish i was 16 when your 25, its like hardly any difference.
and you know all the old dudes over 50 are the ones saying "dang i wish i was 25 again"
its just silly to be 25 and thinking your old. your probaby gonna realize in like 30 years that that was a very wierd thing to think.

 
i'm 26, do freestyle ski since 98 or something like that, and i can say i'm not so crazy than few years ago, because of injuries. I agree with Cedric, when you become older sometimes you need to slow down, take a sit and just look at the others playing on a jump, only because you don't feel good an safe about it.

But i think i still progress, learn some switch tricks this winter, learn some switch up and pretzels combos on rails too, but i think for me, here in France, Progression is clearly into powder and BC skiing...
 
im just gonna use my dad for an example here, to him park is dumb. i agree. we both hate the park. but we spend as much time as possible pushing our off piste limits, y,know cliffs, open bowls etc. hes 54 and shreds pow.
 
I will be 28 this fall also but I think you're over-reacting to this old age thing. I took some of the hardest bails of my life last year trying to learn new stuff with out any serious injury.

That being siad it does take longer to recover than it used to and i think flexibility and strength are more important than they used to be. I also agree with whoever said that sometimes you have to evaluate whether its really woth it. I mean I will always ski park as long as I'm able but last year was the first time I held back from some tricks because I was afraid of injury. I love learning new tricks and progressing but I think I may start focusing more on style and rails than big inverted tricks.
 
my brother is 27 he throws down in the park even when hes completely banged up, definatly a huge inspiration for me.
 
i just turned 25 towards the end of last season, while i have been on the mountain my whole life i stopped skiing when i was 13 to snowboard, just this past february i bought some twin tips and started skiing again, it was fucking amazing, however after just three days on them i am trying to profress as much as possible, from throwing 3's down on day two to shooting for huge fives on day three, not landing any fives but bustin my ass and getting back up and trying again, some people have the motivation to always get better on the mountain, i hope i am still able to throw down huge airs when i am 40
 
First off, this thread is awesome. Glad to see there are other people my age (i'm 25) on this site still out there killing it, and I agree with what everyone is saying.

My opinion: Progression only stops when you want it to stop, and just because you aren't a durable teenager any more doesn't mean you have to stop learning new things. Me for example, I started to venture away from the park (because i'm not invincible anymore) and rode nothing but big mountain / BC stuff all this past year. It was new ground for me, and I still pushed myself super hard like I did when I was riding 100% park, and I definitely learned a ton and became a much better skier.

But whatever it is you ski, or want to get better at: just keep pushing yourself, ride with a good crew who will push you too, and you can see that even that you're getting older, you can have even more fun than someone who is 16. Plus since you've been around this sport for much longer than all these kids, I'm sure you're like me, and have a higher appreciation of how far this sport has come over the years, and it's nice to have been a part of that.

... the other option is to start passing on the knowledge from over the years. I'm upset nobody really knows how to Kang anymore, someone has to teach these kids!!

 
I am just 20 but I still feel like an old man riding in the park with 14-16 year old kids. After breaking myself year after year after year I just cant ski park that hard any more. When I was 15 I was a hucker just like the rest of those kids but not so much any more. I still think I had my most progressive year yet and it was pretty much all powder skiing.
 
Don't be afraid to wear pads as you age - I couldn't give a shit if the little park rats think its funny - I just crack another beer and laugh right back.
 
well I guess I am late 20s not mid at 27 but still progressing, tough to not keep pushing it, just have to throttle back sometimes and make smart choices like Ced mentioned...and ski more pow.
 
In the backcountry, I feel like you're in your prime in your 20s and 30s. A 16 year old can probably land on their head in the park and walk away from it better than somebody who is 28. But that 28 year old probably has more sheer strength and experience needed to stomp a 50 foot cliff.
 
well into my 20's and still trying new things! i just feel like a kid again any time i'm up in the mountains. just be safe but still push yourself, and as someone else in this thread posted... just progress to the point where you can just shred & have fun.

and about your age, you're still young dude! my life is filled with responsibility right now and i still need to work my ass off i want to get any skiing done next season. so just hang in there, work hard and soon enough good things will come to you. that's what i do!

very good thread by the way..
 
"dont drink & ski"

foolish comments, having a bag fool of beers on the mountains when riding all day with a group of friends is the best way to go by the end of the day your group sounds like a recycling bin, as long as you stay in control and dont overdo it, i have had some of my best days when drinking and skiing bc i just dont give a fuck at that point in time,

also note this is not for daytrippers, only those staying at a hotel very close to the mountain

flame away but that is just my opinion
 
no flamin here...being 23 now, i enjoy just smokin and drinkin while cruisin laps through the park. Some days its all about progressing but most of my days i am on the mountain just out for a good time with the homies
 
exactly, i go to have fun with my boys, usually we just chill and always havin a blast, however on days we drink and cruise are the days i go the biggest in the park and throw down as hard as i can, but usually we freeride and just fux around all over the mtn
 
everyone is saying that at close to 30 you just wanna chill and cruise the park. well im only 19 and i dont, and ive never worried about trying super crazy shit. my usualy day is just goofing around in the park, still trying to learn new stuff, but only stuff thats steezy and fun. im never gonna be the competitive type of skier doing sw 12's and double's and shit, i just couldnt enjoy that and i hate watching people do it.

i can switch 7 cork 7, 9, 360 switchup, 630 off, do pretzels and all that shit, so im not amazing or anything, but good enough, like i could be comfortable not getting any better but just getting more progressive. but i do want to learn rodeo's and do a switch 10 just to say i did it. but really all you guys close to 30 are saying you feel old cause your not hucking yourself? just relax and have fun, i never huck myself or do anything that isnt fun, but thats just how i am. i could take huge falls and shit, but i just dont care for being a badass, id rather just chill and cruize, and im hoping ill be able to do that into my 40's

really you cant bitch about your age if your in your 20's your still a little kid in any 50 year old's eyes. maybe when you start getting close to 30 you take a little longer to recover, but that doesnt mean shit, you can still have tons of fun and go big. 20 anything is still young in any sport, skateboarding, snowboarding, bmx, mx, etc.... all have pro's well into their 30's killing it harder than the guy's in their 20's.

look at seth, he did a 100 ft. double front at what? 34? if your only 27 you have nothing to bitch about.
 
Duuuuuudes this is such a sick thread!!! I have to agree with most, once you reach a certain age it does become difficult to progress and stuff in your own head especially with all the shit going on in you and your friends lives. I have been pushing it for years now, and I'm no 1080 thrower, I've always been into the more tech/style aspect of it all, then 2 summers ago I got jumped by a gang in downtown Ottawa and just pounded. I woke up in the hospital needing 48 stitches to my face/head, broken jaw, collapsed septums, broken ribs and they herniated 3 discs in my back. I went from riding 200 days a year to zero. I didn't know what to do with myself.

This year knowing surgery was coming I rode pretty hard. Some days were good others weren't. One badish landing off the 40ft and I would spend the rest of the day drinking beers alone while my buddies all skied. What I noticed most was that I was just salivating at the mouth to progress back to were I was before the accident, and more, while all my bros are just like "meh" and none of them really care about anything. They all have real jobs, everyone is getting married, buying houses they don't have time or want to come to the hill 3-4 days a week and just shred the gnar.

I just had my surgery 2 weeks ago and I am soooo bloody stoked. I'm on here more now then I ever have been. All I can think about is skiing next season. I just wish I could rip you all you cats cause you are all wicked!!!! I've been feeling down about my age 26 for like 2 seasons now, and I really shouldn't I have another 30 years of killer riding to do, so thank you all!

Cheers and jus' keep fuckin' givin'r eh!
 
living life how you want it, and living life to the fullest is only human, but not to all. If progression is a feeling you love then why not keep pushing yourself, skiing to me will always create the feelings of fun, joy, love, passion, creativity and style. your mind can only be so overwhelmed with what is being done to survive and live in the concrete jungle... its just a healthy release.
 
I hear ya man. My friends fuckin flake out on skiing to stay out late and drink. They think im weird to wanna go to bed early and get up to shred some powder. I got a few friends who get in a relationship and just stop skiing or boarding. Its depressing. My brother met his girl in December, he never rode after New Years.

I have been dating a girl for about 16 months and I still shread every fuckin chance I get. You bet your ass I don't waste ski days for a girl. Its depressing to see that people give up the mountain to party or settle down. Fuck that, you can incorporate skiing into your life no matter what. Ill never slow down!
 
I'm only 21, but I'm married and have a 6 month old daughter. This year I landed my first switch 7 & I'm looking forward to learning some new stuff this year, but I'm also already realizing that if I want to ski for the rest of my life, I'm going to have to start working on getting really good at the things I can already do as opposed to learning new things. My grandparents are 71 and they are still skiing. I'd much rather be able to ski into my 70s and know a few less tricks that I won't even be able to do in another 10 years. I am also really looking forward to teaching my daughter this stuff in several years.
 
yeah i got friends who would rather "party" than ski. its pretty gay. thats why i dont drink or smoke and i dont ever plan to. ive "partied" and gotten drunk a couple times and it just makes me feel like a piece of shit, so i dont do it at all any more.
the worst part is that people call sitting around and drinking beer all night is partying. and 99% of the time thats what my friends do, they just sit around and drink just to be drunk and do absolutely nothing, i find it sad that people have to be drunk to enjoy themselves.
its not partying, its being drunk, and being a piece of shit, partying is having fun, dancing, and doing shit, drinking doesnt even have to be a part of it.
like i hate it when people ask me if i went to that party last night, and i say no. and they think i just sit at home all day doing nothing, like they think being drunk is the only fun thing to do, if its winter im skiing, going to bed early, or if i dont go to bed early i am hitting urban or something.

it pisses me off when my friends wake up at like 1 in the afternoon and dont want to ski, or if they do get up early cause they just wanna chill and smoke weed all day. then they tell me i need to enjoy life and drink and shit. i just dont get it. i honestly dont get why people enjoy feeling like shit and getting drunk off their ass and throwing up and shit.
and like beer pong and shotgunning beers, really, how is that fun, like "look at me, i can stab a hole in this beer and drink it fast, arent i badass? look at me everybody!" seriously ive played beer pong several times, ive gotten drunk several times and i just feel like a fag and a piece of shit, so no more for me, ever.
 
My issue here is not my age (27) as much as my time in the mountains being so limited now. Full time job, wife, house in the city makes it harder to get days. I go almost every sunday, but between bad snow, being tired from other stuff, and riding powder, I've lost a lot in the park. While ski-bumming after college I tore my rotator cuff, and in a separate crash broke my collarbone. Medical bills really suck, not to mention the down time...

I do feel sad now and then about ratcheting back on tricks and size of jumps, but I kick ass riding powder now, where I used to suck. I also appreciate just getting out more, and working on my style as opposed to always looking to that next trick. There are plenty of lower risk tricks to learn that are really fun too, different butters, presses on rails, pretzels and the like. Stuff can look good even on small features. Realize you're not competing against anyone in the park, and just have fun.
 
It's funny hearing worries about going downhill after 25. You're still a puppy with a lot of good years left if you take care of yourself. As many have said, it's more about keeping the mental drive. Some lose it, some don't. Kelly Slater is at the very top of his game right now at age 36. Laird Hamilton is about 43. Danny Way might be 35. Seth is 34 or 35 and didn't even get inverted until he was in his late 20s. Then he throws a 130' double front at age 34.

You may not be spinning cork 9s off a 70' table at age 35 because the hard hits take more of a toll, but the game is far from over. What you end up doing is growing smarter and putting all those years of experience into looking at a mountain better and picking steeper landings.

It's kind of like sex. At 22, you think you're a stallion and that you know everything and every way to please a chick. At 32, you look back on when you were 22 and realize you were a fool and new little, but you just couldn't see it yet.
 
my mid-20s progression is skinning and post-holing up for the reward of untouched lines rather than scrambling up the park to hit on rail 10 times in a row like a teenager.

 
Unless you are the best skier on the whole planet, there is always room for personal progression. ALWAYS.
 
Don't feel so bad, i'm older than you and just switched to skiing last season. Used to inline (ALOT!!!!) and I am contemplating going to camp this summer and hopefully learn rodeo flips. used to pull misty's and fakie mistys (switch) on skates so should be alright at this I hope. I'm on my friend's trampoline like once or twice a week, and an learning alot. Do I dream of being sponsored, no, do i want to make money, no...... for once in my life a sport I participate in is just fun to me, i don't try and achieve anything outside of my own gratification. I work, go to school (for my 2nd degree), have a GF, and have several bills to pay and maintain insane through the roof credit. For now, i'm set, and completely happy, well except the fact it's 5am and I can't freakin' sleep.
 
At 25, i'm not so much about progression but more about having an incredible time when I get to ski.

5 years ago there wouldn't be too many guys ripping around on twins and in some ways it was better like that..now there are 13 year olds throwing down who knows what, so the gap between age and skill has definitely widened..perhaps that is a reason why i'm not so much about the progression these days?..

I'll still hit the parks when the snow is shithouse, and i'm not about to go and buy carve skis, but I like to ski all over the mountain now with my mates..great times.
 
im 24 and last winter i didnt ski thanks to two acl surgeries. the injuries are making me feel like progression doesnt need to stop but it does need to be changed in a way. no more am i going to just throw myself off trying to learn a new trick. its all about taking your time and responding to your body
 
Shit dude, do you hangout with my friends? Haha sounds EXACTLY like them to a T. They call me a fuckin pussy whenever I hangout and tell them im not drinking. They play beer pong all night and think they are hardasses when they win. Its ridiculous and yes they smoke weed and don't do shit the next day.

I am the fuckin pussy for skiing all winter, getting ripped at the gym, hanging out with my girlfriends and other outdoor stuff. They flip me shit for rather hangout with my gf then spend a night watching them play beerpong and shotgunning beers. Fuck that.
 
this is why you need to incorporate more beer with skiing. I mean.....beer is to skiing what peanut butter is to jelly, right? But being a plain drunk is just absurd, and I agree..... just drinking and partying is a great time, BUT being a drunk is a waste of time. I kept it for the weekends (and certain weeknights with no studying to do) while I was at college, might be why I was one of the few of my friends that graduated.
 
yeah i really dont have much of a problem with drinking, its the reason people do it that i dont like. like ill drink if it tastes good, like when i was in mexico id drink all the pina colada's and shit, just cause they taste good. but i wouldnt drink 10 of them in an hour and get drunk off my ass.
i guess to me alcohol is just like any other beverage, if it tastes good ill drink it. but just like any other beverage i only really need one, maybe too and im quenched. i dont do it so i can feel like shit and look cool to my buddies. and i really dont like the taste of beer so i hardly ever drink. id say i average a drink every 6 months just cause its not that often when i can get something fruity and good.

the whole thing that pisses me off about drinking is mostly how cool people think they are for doing it. like when my friends shotgun a beer and slam it on their head or something afterwards like they are a complete badass for being able to perform a normal everyday human function like breathing. and when i tell the only type of alcohol ill have is if its in something like a smoothie or something fruity, they get all pissed. like thier normal response is something like "why do you want bitch drinks dude, thats so gay, drink beer like a man" like it actually takes balls to drink a beer or something.

not drinking just makes me happy. like its a good feeling knowing that i dont need to dumb myself down and be in a shitty state to be happy. im perfectly happy how i am and i see no reason to change and its the best feeling ever. plus not drinking just allows you to do so much more, like just to get outside more and be alot more active.
 
I am the same way. I could really careless anymore. I will never be as good as the new kids coming up but that does not bother me in the least. haha it is so strange. People talk about all these new skiers I know basically nothing about. Like no offense to Wallish, but I seriously have no idea who he is and people talk about him all the time. Sort of sad maybe that I really don't know....but I guess I just don't care about any of that anymore......Give me fun times, good snow, good friends, and I am set, and I am only 21 too. I don't even by ski movies anymore....

 
I thought you did that shit on purpose for sure you fucker! Haha- might come home this weekend instead of goin to chicago!
 
The most frustrating thing to me is the fact that I look at these kids and go "Damn, these little shredders don't know how good they goit it"

Think about what terrain parks were like from '98-'01, they were SOOOOO much more underdeveloped. I remember there being alot of poorly made jumps, and maybe 2-3 rails in the park with a horrible lips onto the rail. (east coast parks that is) Parks now adays are so unbelievable, everything is mint, with pro park builders, at almost every mountain now.

I am not making excuses for myself at all, but damn, these kids are shredding on the most pro level elements and are really getting to progress their talents at such a young age. Lets not forget about how awesome equipment is now, so light, so responsive.

The kids today, I love seeing them kill it and throw flips onto rails and shit, I get so happy seeing so much progression and seeing what the younger generation is doing now.

I think I am just jealous of the fact I cant be 14 years old anymore, huck myself, have my mom take care of me when I get hurt, and then do it all over again in a few days. Man, being young was awesome.

 
I think you just stated what was in my head, but I didn't know how to say it, hahahahahaaha. yeah i remember when the terrain park was just jumps, and rails and boxes were never even thought of. Then on top of that.... skiers weren't even allowed in there.
 
And this all from a guy who can shred harder than anyone on here big mtn....ha ha at 28 I love getting out there and charging still, yet there is always that little birdy saying you gotta be at work tomorrow...Wait a min sometimes it is work out there....oh well....I do however live vicariously through some of the athletes I ski with in the park, if only I was young again...
 
yea there are tons of kids that feel that they are over the hill with skiing, but in reality those people where and are the pioneers of some of the first generations of free skiing. just think about how many young kids see you shredding through the park and say "that was real dope" and that being the first time they have seen anything like it.

now you think of how quick the response to something you enjoy is.... real quick, especially today when kids have the freedoms to do whatever knowing they have less responsibilities. I like seeing the unstoppable progression in young kids, but what i love even more is older dudes shredding GNAR!
 
I started skiing at 18 and have progressed very quickly since day one. Now, at 22 I just landed my first serious sponsor and hope to get a few more this up coming season. At the end of this past season i landed my first double flip and plan on learning a few more this year. For the most part, its all a mindset to me. Having been skateboarding my whole life, I look up to guys like tony hawk, mike vallely, danny way, and all the other pioneers of skateboarding that are all still goin strong. As long as you stay fit and keep that young at heart mentality there should be no stopping you.
 
^Horrific fail. I even cut out most of my text.

Here's the appropriate vid link for the topic under discussion.

http://www.visit4info.com/preview-flash.cfm?vm=0&type=2&adid=60863

There may well come a point where you feel like you can't take the big shit in the park. That, to me, sounds like all the encouragement you need to dedicate yourself to the backcountry. You can never stop progressing in this domain- you can never have too much experience and knowledge in the backcountry. The best mountain guides are the oldest. They may be old but they know their shit the best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top