A Day in the Life of an 80-year-old Skier

DAYTON—When her alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m., Carol Anderson, 80, rises, washes her face, makes her bed, empties the dishwasher, and then calls for the Ski Bluewood daily report. She is going skiing!

Breakfast is first. Then she dresses in long johns, a ski turtleneck, and very tight ski socks, carefully working them over her feet so there are no wrinkles. Then she starts loading the car, first with her skis, poles, and a small gear bag to the car. Helmet and goggles go into the car next.

She puts hand warmers inside her ski boots, rolls her ski pants into one boot, and a storage bag and buckle fastener into the other. Time to pull her hair back, clean her glasses, and add Fog Defender to the lenses. She downs an Aleve, slips into a fleece jacket, and pulls her ski pants on.

She loads the car with the rest of the gear – the CDs, iPhone, snack, water bottle, fleece hat, and a baseball hat- in case the sun blocks her view on the drive up to the mountain. The last things to be packed are her ski coat and ski boots.

Then, she is off for the half-hour drive up the mountain. She carefully watches for deer “who tend to commit suicide” by standing alongside the road and jumping out in front of cars.

When she arrives at the lodge parking lot, she unloads the gear, and slips on her coat, helmet, and goggles. She struggles to carry her skis, poles, and boots up eighteen metal stairs to the lodge. At her age, she says this sometimes means making two trips.

She can avoid the stairs by trudging up an incline through the snow and working her way around to the back of the lodge.

“Usually, the stairs are easier,” she says. “If I’m lucky, someone will come along, probably thinking I look pathetic (I do look pathetic) and carry my skis for me.”

Carol places her skis and poles on the crowded ski rack, taking the Velcro ski straps off and making sure they are secure.

She stores her helmet in a cubby and makes a bathroom stop, which means unzipping and unfastening all that clothing.

With that done, she removes her hiking boots, puts on the ski pants, zips the full-length side zippers, fastens the Velcro waist straps, and gets into her ski boots. Sometimes, she needs help clamping a buckle down.

Pinning her hair away from her face she secures an iPod to her jacket collar and pops in the earbuds. Getting into her coat, gloves, and helmet, she walks out the door on ski boot heels to retrieve her skis from the rack.

While standing on one leg, she kicks the snow off one boot and places it into a ski binding. Then, balancing on that ski, she scrapes snow off the other boot and pushes it down to snap into the second binding. She says sometimes it takes more than once to accomplish. All while standing on one leg and reaching behind to pull the legs of her pants up so they don’t get caught in the bindings.

She checks her watch. It is 9:15 a.m., and it’s time to make her way to the lift, where she is scooped onto a frost-covered, slippery lift chair. Riding to the top, she takes notice of the condition of the ski runs along the way.

She also thinks about various mishaps over the years and the wisdom of skiing at the age of eighty. Her thoughts always turn to the three men who shared her love of skiing and from whom she learned the most about it - fiancé Ted, husband Andy, and son Rob. Though they are gone now, she honors their memory every time she skis.

Finally, at the top, she hops off and is ready for action.

“I’m a little tentative at first,” she explains. “Then I trust my ‘miracle’ skis.”

Her professional-level skis use the latest design and materials, making it easier for her to continue skiing and improving her skills.

“My world really does seem to change once I move the skis,” she says. “It’s a feeling of complete freedom. When done correctly, it feels like I’m flying. Because I have music on, I also feel like I’m dancing.”

After ten or eleven exhilarating runs to the sound of ‘60s and ‘70s rock and roll, it is time to go home.

She returns to the car, dragging all her gear with her, and then drives home.

By the next morning, she is recharged and ready to do it all over again.

Why go through all that effort at her age?

“Because it is so darn much fun, and it makes me feel young again!” she quips. “I plan to keep on skiing as long as I can.”

Carol took lessons at Ski Bluewood, outside of Dayton, where she has done most of her skiing over the past forty-five years. She credits her instructors, friends, and family members for helping her become a skilled skier and for the improvements to ski equipment for her longevity.

Bluewood makes it easy for skiers to keep enjoying the sport with reduced ski-pass fees for seniors. This year, skiers between 65 and 69 can save $100 on an annual ski pass, and super seniors over 70 save $650 for a pass.