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Never too old for adventures


In my post " Too old for adventure ? " I wrote about Doris Matyasovich, a competitive MTB ( mountain biking ) racer, who started racing at age 45, and continued way into her late 60 ( she was 67 at the time of the article)...

This post on Biking Bis shows amazing stats !:
According to The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa online survey ( summer 2010), 7% of the RAGBRAI cyclists were 65 or older. The average age of the Adventure Cycling Association's members is the mid-40s, with a spread of ages from the 20s to the 70s and occasionally the 80s. Although the Outdoor Industry Foundation reports that 27% of the bike riders in the US are 45 or older...
OK, we get it, old folks love biking. But what about something more extreme ?

Meet Poul Rasmussen from Denmark. His passion - kiteboarding. And his only ...85 ! He learned to kiteboard early in his 80's and absolutely loved it. He is so passionate about this sport that he can be found kiteboarding in below-freezing weather, and actively encourages other seniors to try it. He states in his interview that "50 - 60 years of age is nothing! Go live your life and I bet that you'll live longer and have more fun."




There aren’t too many 80+ surfer dudes in the world. But since 1940, John Zabotocky has been riding Hawaiian waves in Waikiki, and at 89, he was still a regular beachboy surfer.

It's not unusual to see people skiing or snowboarding in their late 50's , but skateboarding ?
Donna Vano, 56, holds three Guinness World Records as the Oldest Inline Vert Skater in the World, the Most Gold Medals in the USASA in all 5 disciplines, and the Oldest Female Amateur Snowboarder Competing in Pro Tours in the Superpipe. When Donna is not competing, you can find her at home, skating on the 11-foot ramp in her backyard.

Is climbing Everest on your Bucket List ? Don't be discouraged by the danger of climbing this mountain ( and the price you'll have to pay to climb it). The oldest person to have climbed Mount Everest is a Nepalese Sherpa called Min Bahadur Sherchan. He was 76 years and 340 days old when he reached the summit.

Still trying to find courage to take that leap of faith and try skydiving ? Frank Moody was 101 when he did it !



Young adults dominate the thrill seekers, but older people are jumping in as well. Skydiving, hang gliding, rock climbing, mountaineering, bungee jumping, white-water rafting, scuba diving and other extreme sports have all shown huge increases in participation.

Just because your body is starting to make funny noises and your kids have their own kids, it does not mean you are getting old. You still have plenty to do before the nursing home comes to claim you. Just don’t let that term life insurance agent know !

Are there any "extreme adventures" you think you are too old for ? Other than age ( and fear) is there anything else that stops you from trying something adventurous ?

2 comments:

MyLifeOutdoors said...

After years of skiing I once decicded to try Snowboarding after riding up the lift with an 80 year old woman that made it look easy. I was 19 and caught my downhill edge so many times I felt like I had been run over by a bus. I never tried snowboarding again and gained even more respect for the old lady.

ExtraHyperActive said...

Some of my co-workers at the Summit of Snoqualmie ( ski/snowboard instructors) are in their late 50s...
It's amazing how great they are !