When and where did skiing start?

When is it too late to start skiing competitively?

• I am 21 years old, and I've been in a bit of a slump for these last few years. I used to ski all the time, and although I never competitively raced, I would do time trials and would consider myself a highly advanced skier. I conquered the toughtest mountains in my region, yet I never had the money to travel for skiing elsewhere. Then college happened and I all but stopped skiing because of certain circumstances. I miss it. A lot. Until college, it was always my dream to ski competitively. So when the chance arose, I registered for a small downhill race at my local resort. If I qualify, I'd move into the Finals in Vermont (Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge, for anyone wondering). I know it's not like a huge event that'll catapult me into the world of competitive skiing, but I do want to get into racing and I want to be good. I want to follow that dream and see where it takes me. But I'm also well aware of my age, and that there are 12 year olds that would kick my butt. It is something I'd be devoted to and work and train for. I'm just worried it's too late to start moving into real competitions.

• Answer:

  "How late is too late" depends on what you want. If you want to make a career out of skiing then it's near-necessary to be on skis at a young age (e.g. <5 ideally), racing in a club with good coaches before ~10, and training 5-6 days/week from Thanksgiving->Easter (with additional summer training camps) by the time you are ~15. These are rough figures but would describe the path nearly all top skiers follow. If you want to have a new fun hobby and get much better at skiing while you are at it, you can start whenever you want. Events like the Dew Challenge are for very occasional racers, however if you decide you want to make the sport more of a hobby then you can look into regional leagues with a regular racing schedule.