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Is 34 too old to learn how to skateboard.

Half century here and I still ride my longboard. Great exercise, and a really fun way to explore the trails. If you longboard, a couple of pieces of advice:

1. Wear a helmet
2. Don't skate faster than you can run.

On that second point, that means avoid really long hills where you'll pick up too much speed. Short hills and bowl like areas where you go down and then up to slow you back down are fun. But one time I was on a long slope, kept gaining speed, and finally realized I'd better bail now or spend some time in the hospital. So I jumped off and when my feet hit I'd never run so fast in my life just from my body's inertia. I managed to slow down and stop without injury, but it was scary. Mostly I stick to fairly flat, paved trails when long boarding now.

If you're talking the shorter trick style boards, it's a little scary riding flow when you're older but you can do it. Again, wear a helmet. I went to an "old timer's" event at a local skate shop/skatepark with my son a couple of years ago. It was a blast. There were a lot of 30 & 40 somethings there, some with their kids, some just enjoying it solo. I probably had more fun watching the kids learn and chuckling at the other dads looking as awkward as me that actually skating, but hey we were all laughing together and just enjoying it. If you have a local skate shop that puts on a grey hair event, that's a good time to check it out without having to feel self conscious about your age.
 

Valkyria

Banned
Go for it!

I'm 32. Around the time I turned 30 I started loosing weight (25 Kg,55 lbs) I bought a scooter Like this, I thought that I was too old, but after trying it I had so much fun. Now I use it daily to go to work (3.2 Km) and I couldn't care less what other people think.
Last year I learned how to ride a bike, and this year I have been going to the ice ring and the roller disco with my wife to skate. She is my same age and she joined rolling skating classes a little later that I bought the scooter.

I have always wanted to skate, and now I'm feeling confident, so maybe I would buy a long board, I just want to cruise, not doing tricks.

We are not that old OP, keep your head cool and I'm sure you can do it and enjoy your time with it.
 

Samstrike

Member
34 is not too old for learning a new thing and it's in fact not old at all. People who are 30+ and blame all their problem on being too old make me laugh! I'm 31 and two years ago I was obese and in the worst shape of my life. Today i'm in the best shape of my life, weight 110 lbs less and do weight lifting/cardio 4 times a week. If you want to do something and don't have a medical condition you can do it.
 

PaulBizkit

Member
VAeA885.jpg

Just as expected, well done, gaf
 

mazillion

Member
It's not too late to learn at your age but just be careful. You can't afford to take the falls that teenagers can, you're more likely to injure yourself. This is going to sound funny but you're going to want to know how to fall properly because if you try to break your fall with your arms in a bad position you could snap something. Just google "how to fall safely on a skateboard" or something and you'll find all you need to know.

I'm only 25 and i'm already having issues with my joints when I skate. I also had muscle imbalances in my core from skating only in regular stance for 18 years so I had to switch to goofy stance, if you plan to skate for long term try to skate switch as much as you do regular.
 

Kid Ying

Member
I'm 30 and asked the same question, but went with it. First thing that happened was that i've fell down and hurt my back.

I gave up after that. Hahaha. But go with it.
 

Sandoval

Member
Don't worry about tricks, just learn to get from point A to point B for a few months. When you start, try using knee/elbow pads. I never did, but I was a teenager when I was learning. Falling was never a big deal back in the day, but now that I'm older I find myself spending a few weeks getting over bumps that wouldn't have phased me as a kid.

Oh, and be sure to stretch. Also don't jam your foot to slow yourself when going down hill. My right knee is totally fucked because I lived at the top of a huge hill and was too stupid just to walk down it.

Oh... consider yourself warned about speed wobbles. They're the precursor to a gnarly fall-- not that you can do anything about it once they start.
 
Yes its too fucking old, and not because embarassment. Your body will not hold up. I ate shit last year at 29 and my shoulder is still bugging me.
Wasnt even that bad of a spill.
 

Glix

Member
I'm really excited for the follow up thread.

"34 IS too old to skateboard"

With a gruesome, gory, photo spread.

OP - Fuck any of that noise about being embarrassed, or being associated with kids. Do what you like.

That being said, you will probably hurt yourself pretty badly.
 
:lol Love all the insecure people in this thread making fun of the OP for wanting to learn to do something. Pretty incredible how insecure some people are.

34 definitely isn't old, I wouldn't push yourself too much though and wear pads at least in the beginning until you get the feel for it. Needlessly injuring yourself to impress teenagers is lame.
 

Metalgus

Banned
Wear a helmet. I had a friend who died when he was 30. Fell off a skateboard, hit his head, his brain started swelling and he was dead a day later.

Damn. Sorry to hear about that. I'm contemplating picking up skateboard as well (mid-30 here), mainly for transportation and I gotta admit I wasn't thinking about getting a helmet. Your story sure makes a strong case for wearing it. I'll get one for sure.

Edit : I'll add an unrelated question here for the skateboarders: can I ride with a backpack? It would contain my work laptop as well as my packed lunch.
 

Youngfossil

Neo Member
Yes its too fucking old, and not because embarassment. Your body will not hold up. I ate shit last year at 29 and my shoulder is still bugging me.
Wasnt even that bad of a spill.

I skate a snowboard pretty regularly (32). Stop being ignorant people. He can do what he wants. Pain is part of the game whether your 13, 23 or 33.
 
You lot have (mostly) made me feel optimistic about this :D i am going to overload on the safetly gear though haha.

Helmet, wrist guards, elbow and kneepads and you're good. Try to find a park with quarter pipes and embankments and learn to cruise around and ride the transition.

I wouldn't try to learn flip tricks or grinds on street right off the bat. You're more likely to get injured trying to learn that stuff from scratch and in our 30's even the little stuff hangs around nagging us.

Learning transition (ramp) skating is easier on your joints and will train your balance pretty quickly. It's also a great cardio workout. And if you're worried about others perception of you, transition skaters tend to be older guys, so it won't be weird at all.

Don't mess around with halfpipes or big bowls though. Not for beginners.
 

red731

Member
:lol Love all the insecure people in this thread making fun of the OP for wanting to learn to do something. Pretty incredible how insecure some people are.

34 definitely isn't old, I wouldn't push yourself too much though and wear pads at least in the beginning until you get the feel for it. Needlessly injuring yourself to impress teenagers is lame.

Tell me about it.

All these "how do you do fellow kids" posts and the praise they get.

You are never old for anything you set your mind to. At least you'll be out in the world and not sitting posting memes.
 
DONT LISTEN TO THESE OLD FARTS AND YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPERS

If you want to learn something at your age, do it. Show everyone how it's done 👍🏽
 

Cc23830

Member
Thanks guys. I appreciate all of the advice. And the motivation.

Ill be going down tomorrow and buying a board :D
 

TheMan

Member
In theory you could always learn. In practice, your skater peers are gonna be 10 to 20 years younger and you might look like a creep. If you have a creeper moustache or pedo glasses, take care of those first bro.
 
Well if you still look pretty young you're set.

If you look kinda old then see third post lol

Tbh it's how much you really care about what society thinks. If you care a lot about what people think, I wouldn't do it. If you don't, go nuts and enjoy!

And a bit of perspective - what's the range of ages you've seen for people skiing or snowboarding?

You have one of the best indoor skateparks in the world on your doorstep:

https://www.mounthawkeskatepark.com/

That tempt you some more?


Even better - they likely have adult lessons too
 
In theory you could always learn. In practice, your skater peers are gonna be 10 to 20 years younger and you might look like a creep. If you have a creeper moustache or pedo glasses, take care of those first bro.

Nah. There's tons of skaters that still skate into their 30's.
 
Dude! Go for it!
I'm 33 and I have still skate and do downhill skateboarding.
If you feel a bit self conscious I would recommend trying to skate around town on a normal skateboard with softer wheels to get your feel for the board up to par.
After that get some park wheels and learn to pump in the bowl.

Also I know this isn't everyone cup of tea but longboarding is great fun and very easy too learn.


Some advice on pad.
Always use a helmet.
Crashpants are great after 30.
Knee and elbow pads work good.
 
Day 1.

I fell off. But only after an hour or two and i loved it.
Cool - Might sound odd but you will need to learn how to fall properly. It's not foolproof and it won't work with every slam and fall but its kinda like a roll where you spread any impact out through your shoulders as you roll. You should develop an instinct to when you are about to fall and bail too.

But I would caution a bit as your body wont take impacts quite as well as a 16-20 year old, especially when you're learning. Slow and steady. Start with finding your stance (Goofy or Regular), pushing off (don't worry if you start off pushing mongo ie pushing with your front foot), carving both ways (toes and heels, toes and heels! Try loosening/tightening your trucks until you find your personal sweet-spot. New trucks/rubbers will be very stiff for a good while) and coming to a stop.

Don't even think about Ollies, manuals or anything else until you can do those things above competently.

Most of all though - enjoy your time!
 
Don't do this. You're old, and it's a lot harder to heal from injuries. And have you been to a skate park recently? Do you really want hang out with 12 year olds? Do you really want to be seen as a guy that hangs out with preteens.

There are other active hobbies outdoor hobbies associated with an older crowd. Start rock climbing or something.

Hanging out with 12 year olds isn't a requirement of skateboarding.
 
...I'm contemplating picking up skateboard as well (mid-30 here), mainly for transportation...

Edit : I'll add an unrelated question here for the skateboarders: can I ride with a backpack? It would contain my work laptop as well as my packed lunch.
Go for a longboard if transportation is your primary reason. Your typical longboard has much larger wheels and is less likely to get hung up on a small rocks or a crack in the road/sidewalk. Plus, the wheels being further apart gives it more stability.

And yes, you can ride with a backpack.
 

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
Go for a longboard if transportation is your primary reason. Your typical longboard has much larger wheels and is less likely to get hung up on a small rocks or a crack in the road/sidewalk. Plus, the wheels being further apart gives it more stability.

And yes, you can ride with a backpack.

You can get a cruiser as well, which is near the same size as a popsicle board but with the bigger wheels, and a lot easier to carry around when you need to.
 
I'm 39 and will start skating again when my little boy wants to in a few years time. I can still skate and ice skate, pull wheelies on a mountain bike, and surf. I ain't gonna stop.

Christ, 39 is sod all.
 

jdstorm

Banned
Damn. Sorry to hear about that. I'm contemplating picking up skateboard as well (mid-30 here), mainly for transportation and I gotta admit I wasn't thinking about getting a helmet. Your story sure makes a strong case for wearing it. I'll get one for sure.

Edit : I'll add an unrelated question here for the skateboarders: can I ride with a backpack? It would contain my work laptop as well as my packed lunch.

Quite easily. It changes your center of gravity a little but its not too major.

Probably practice without it first though. Skating can be tricky until you have developed the required stabalizing muscles.
 

louie

Member
I'll be 30 next year and still skate. I would 100% recommend it.

Some thoughts though:

- Always warm up your body and stretch before getting on your board. A skateboard can and will throw your body very suddenly, and when that happens you'll be thankful not to be cold and stiff. I even pulled a muscle a few weeks ago simply from pushing to aggressively without warming up.
- As the other posters have pointed out - you'll hurt yourself. It's a fact. So make peace with that now and overcome it. You'll probably take a slam or two at first, but then when you get comfortable riding it'll change to shin/feet cuts and bruises as you learn flip tricks. I promise though after awhile you'll be used to them and you'll be able to just power through.
- Accept limitations. A lot of things in skateboarding, like handrails or stair sets for example, require extensive experience and come with massive injury risks.
- Know that overcoming the mental barrier is just as important as the physical. Every trick is scary at first. Skateboarding is the hardest hobby I've ever had, but because of this the reward and feeling of accomplishment after landing a trick is out of this world.

I hope they don't scare you off. Seriously though, go for it and have fun!
 

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
Just be safe and don't push yourself out of your comfort zone. Definately get something for your wrists.

You don't want to be in a position where you need to heal for a few months and not able to do anything because you wanted to prove something.

I've had 2 friends with some really bad injuries. Now they got metal screws in their wrists/elbows.

I myself stopped because I tried to push myself and I hurt my knee (though I didn't require hospital as my friends) as I laid there in the middle of the skate park I thought I can't afford to not be able to work.

That said I will always have a love and respect for skating. It's really great fun. If I were to do it again, now in my early 40s I would be very careful about it.
 

Cc23830

Member
Just a small update. After a few weeks i came off pretty hard. Torn a ligament on my rotator cuff. Been off work for 3 weeks so far and shoulder is still painful, not good for a mechanic. Goodtimes 😂 on the plus side i have now purchased a adult scooter to get around on.
 

BANGS

Banned
I'm 32 and just got into skating. I suck, I'm downright horrible. I can barely ollie without rolling an ankle...

But I'm also in horrible shape, might be alot easier for you...
 

greepoman

Member
Is 34 too old, of course not!! Lol at thinking 34 is some ancient age! You'll be fine, I say go for it!!

More like lol at the OPs update pretty confirming he was too old. Tore a rotator cuff which could adversely affect his job as a mechanic for a long time. Know a couple people with torn rotator cuff that didn't heal properly (not uncommon even with surgery). Wish you luck healing OP.
 
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