I’m referring to age of course. I’m 25 and have skied a fair amount in my life. Is it too late in life to try for competitive alpine skiing with the hope of making it to the more prestigious competitions?
Well, I suppose if I’m motivated enough I can do anything right? Thank you all for your insight. Here’s to trying something new and dreaming big. Who knows, I could be the oldest skier to make the u.s. olympic team!
You can certainly get into competitive skiing. There are Master’s races all over the US for people over 21. There is also NASTAR, which is open to people of all ages and abilites. As for high-level competition, I’d say it’s unlikely but not impossible. The level of skiing at races like US Nationals, Nor-Ams, World Cup, etc, is very, very high. All those athletes started competing at a young age, probably around 4 year to maybe 10 years old at the latest. BUT, there are plenty of opportunities for you to race, compete, have fun and improve. I would see if there is a Master’s training club near you so you can run gates. There may be some races in your area. Also look into NASTAR. There are also racing camps you can attend where you can learn to race. There are some at Mt Hood in the summer and some in the fall in Chile and Copper Mountain in Colorado. Going to a camp is a great way to get some intense coaching and run a lot of gates. You would definitely improve your skiing and learn a lot about racing.