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  1. #1
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    Learning to ice skate at mid 50's. Stupid ass idea?

    I grew up in southern California - surfing, skateboards, weekend ski trips to mammoth.. Never ice skating. Ice went into our drinks or on ankle sprains.

    So I marry a gal from back east who was literally on ice skates while learning how to walk. Fast forward record scratch - we have kids, move to a cold climate, and she's happily back on ice skates. But we have kids she can skate with, while I watch, and everyone's cool with the arrangement.

    A couple of years ago the kids go off to school, and the skates go off with the daughter back east. But wife wants to skate again, and she announces yesterday that she bought herself some nice skates. But she doesn't have anyone to go skating with. That's where I come in.. Is it incredibly stupid to consider learning how to skate at 55+? I'm in decent shape, have good athletic ability and pretty good balance from decades of surfing and skateboards, but I hate falling on ice - that shit is fucking hard and it fucking hurts.

    So should a guy in his mid 50's, with the usual residual sports and construction career related injuries get on ice skates, or not be stupid and be happy continuing to put the ice in my cocktails and not under my feet? How do I learn how to skate? With the chair like the kids?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by I Skied Bandini Mountain View Post
    I grew up in southern California - surfing, skateboards, weekend ski trips to mammoth.. Never ice skating. Ice went into our drinks or on ankle sprains.

    So I marry a gal from back east who was literally on ice skates while learning how to walk. Fast forward record scratch - we have kids, move to a cold climate, and she's happily back on ice skates. But we have kids she can skate with, while I watch, and everyone's cool with the arrangement.

    A couple of years ago the kids go off to school, and the skates go off with the daughter back east. But wife wants to skate again, and she announces yesterday that she bought herself some nice skates. But she doesn't have anyone to go skating with. That's where I come in.. Is it incredibly stupid to consider learning how to skate at 55+? I'm in decent shape, have good athletic ability and pretty good balance from decades of surfing and skateboards, but I hate falling on ice - that shit is fucking hard and it fucking hurts.

    So should a guy in his mid 50's, with the usual residual sports and construction career related injuries get on ice skates, or not be stupid and be happy continuing to put the ice in my cocktails and not under my feet? How do I learn how to skate? With the chair like the kids?
    I have no advice to give but I would encourage to try so I can learn from what will undoubtedly be a successful ice-capade. My 6 and 8yo daughters have been hounding me to learn with them as they have started to show an interest, but growing up in VA we were lucky to have winters cold enough to freeze the ponds on our farm. I'm 39 and it doesn't "feel" too old but after watching our building maintenance guy break a hip bone skating with his grandkid last winter I'm hesitant. I assume I'll just have to swallow my pride and learn with the plastic walker-type things the kids use.
    "They don't think it be like it is, but it do."

  3. #3
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    Let us know how it goes the first time you check wifey into the boards.
    Live Free or Die

  4. #4
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    If you don't do it now, you'll be 1 year older when you do.
    "timberridge is terminally vapid" -- a fortune cookie in Yueyang

  5. #5
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    Figure skates have shorter blades and the toe tines help. Hockey skates are faster. It's not a difficult sport with similarities to skiing.

  6. #6
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    Unable to advise without pics of wife.
    I've concluded that DJSapp was never DJSapp, and Not DJSapp is also not DJSapp, so that means he's telling the truth now and he was lying before.

  7. #7
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    I think you'll find it pretty easy if you just relax, but if you're all tense and tight it'll probably hurt. Ice is hard and hurts if you fall straight down like a sack of potatoes but if you're moving and you fall you'll slide and be fine, so don't just stand there all nervous and shit, start moving.

  8. #8
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    Since you likely have good balance being that you've surfed, skateboarded, skied, etc., you shouldn't have too much trouble with ice skating. First time on the rink was with some friends who rented the local rink for an hour so we could play hockey. We were all used to inline, so ice came super easy. IMO, if you don't have weak little glass ankles and a decent sense of balance, ice skating's pretty easy. Especially if you're planning on just casually taking some laps around the rink.

    I think what hurts people the most is when they're too timid their first time out on the ice. Although there's no shame in hanging out by the wall your first time around, I think when people are too timid they get themselves in a very awkward, unnatural stance, which probably doesn't help them from their inevitable slip toward the ice. Oh, yeah, you can totally wear some butt pads or something if you're really worried about nailing your tailbone. Haha. Just like in skiing, you gotta balance on your bones, and have a natural stance just the same.

  9. #9
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    Obviously the risk of injury is higher at 55 than 15 but not prohibitive. I played a little hockey in HS and college, then played a little pond hockey when I was 55. When you fall on your ass at 21 your ass hurts. When you fall on your ass at 55 every part of your body hurts. If you do decide to do it make sure your skates are sharp--dull rental skates are dangerous, and I would advise lessons. A lot of skating is not intuitive. I took a skating as a PE class in college and it made a huge difference in my skating.
    Also, if you buy skates buy hockey skates. Speed skates will hurt you and figure skates . . . well you know.

  10. #10
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    basic skating is pretty easy, is she asking you to do like a couples routine or something?

    j'ai des grands instants de lucididididididididi

  11. #11
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    If you've got XC ski boots get some skate blades for them. fun out on open ice lakes/etc, not so much for rinks but imo rinks are often boring just going round and round and round.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4matic View Post
    Figure skates have shorter blades and the toe tines help. Hockey skates are faster. It's not a difficult sport with similarities to skiing.
    I forgot about you and the figure skates.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by iceman View Post
    I think you'll find it pretty easy if you just relax, but if you're all tense and tight it'll probably hurt. Ice is hard and hurts if you fall straight down like a sack of potatoes but if you're moving and you fall you'll slide and be fine, so don't just stand there all nervous and shit, start moving.
    Thank you! That's it. Was trying to figure out how to say that, but that's it in a nutshell.

  14. #14
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    Go learn by yourself. No pressure.

  15. #15
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    if you're considering some protective gear opt-in on the hockey elbow pads - yeah they're bulky and yeah falling on your knees also hurts (so you could consider protecting those as well - even with softer mountain bike knee pads or construction knee pads that would go under regular clothing) but falling backwards onto your elbows is from a further height

  16. #16
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    When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something." Rep. John Lewis


    Kindness is a bridge between all people

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  17. #17
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    Maybe get a pair of hockey pants that have padding in the hips.

    You never know when it would be handy to know how to skate:


  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJSapp View Post
    Unable to advise without pics of wife.
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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by AdironRider View Post
    Let us know how it goes the first time you check wifey into the boards.
    She'd smoke me if that's how I decided to play.

  20. #20
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    stop being a pussy
    Took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to change this shit

  21. #21
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    You'll shoot your eye out.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmg97 View Post
    stop being a pussy
    If I wanted to hear that I'd just stay at home.

  23. #23
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    Often you'll see people skating on rental stuff and their skates (blade angle) are rolled inward. Poor fit or under-tightened for starters and hard to control skates with that shit. Agree with hockey skates and get the right fit. Blades under a solid sole and rigid ankle support won't take too long to figure out. Likely you'll hit ice a few times but teaches one what not to do. Not that hard to make progress with decent skates and a few pointers. Kinda like skiing in that falling backwards just means your body position needs to be on top of the blades, not on the back seat. At 55, ice is more brutal as you may discover.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by I Skied Bandini Mountain View Post
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    that's worth falling on your ass on frozen water a few times. I'd skate it.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by KQ View Post
    Check out this righteous kicksled I saw in Finland!

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