68-yr. woman went to go snowboarding

[shootingstar]

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Search+called+missing+Japanese+woman+after+body+found+Grouse+Mountain/2788068/story.html

They found a dead tourist in the local mountain who wandered off course. She was snowboarding by herself.

Not knowing the sport much, I was abit surprised by the fact she was 68 yrs old but maybe she was snowboarding on more gentle hill??

How old can snowboarders be, assuming they are fit, agile, etc.?

[Bike Chick]

How sad:(:(

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Maybe she had a heart attack, or ran into a tree? The way I see it, she could have just as easily been 58 and somehow died while snowboarding alone. 68 is not so old that one shouldn't be snowboarding or skiing, biking, etc.
If she was doing something reckless or inappropriate for her skill level or her physical condition, well then that's another story, but I feel it's not necessarily connected with being 68.
For example, a beginner snowboarder of any age probably shouldn't be going out alone.

[Cataboo]

I'm currently in Colorado skiing and the slopes have several 70-80 year olds tearing down them... They like that the spring breakers are gone and the Colorado ski resorts give them cheap or free lift tickets because of their age.

Most of them can out ski me 'cause they've been skiing for a ton of years.

So... it's not inappropriate for a 68 year old to be snowboarding or skiing, snowboarding is supposed to be easier to pick up learn than skiing.

I was on the shuttle over to beaver creek and an older lady (70s?) in great shape was out for a day of skiing, a distinguished looking older man got on the bus, she greeted him and said something like who are you skiing with today, and he said something like "Why, you, of course" doing that old man twinkling smile thing. It was terribly cute.

[Grog]

I don't know about snowboarding, but my father-in-law who's now 66 was ripping some mighty waves while body surfing with my husband in Hawaii last month. No board needed - he was just amazing! He's never been interested in winter sports because he cycles too much, but if he was snowboarding he certainly would be doing stuff that I can only dream of.

I hope this lady didn't die of exposure, it got pretty cold around those days.

[SadieKate]

The way I see it, she could have just as easily been 58 and somehow died while snowboarding alone. 68 is not so old that one shouldn't be snowboarding or skiing, biking, etc.
If she was doing something reckless or inappropriate for her skill level or her physical condition, well then that's another story, but I feel it's not necessarily connected with being 68.That rates a big "hell, yes" from me.

[shootingstar]

I hope this lady didn't die of exposure, it got pretty cold around those days.

She might have died in the end like this.
It is tough as one grows alot older, that there's just less friends / acquaintances to do active stuff (outside of a structured group event) where having a buddy around in remote areas is helpful. Maybe her social circle didn't have friends interested in this type of stuff or vacation timing wasn't convenient.

Unless of course, one knows a whole range of people from different age groups. Or signs up for structured group event.

I know I'll get a whole lot of response from TE, where people will tell me (Please, you don't need to tell me. My cycling partner is 67. :)) that they know those who are mid 60's and up, who have sufficiently active friends that can go on vaction/do active stuff on the fly. Well, for now.

Life is not always so convenient all the time, to have even a distant friend/acquaintance to do active sports in riskier areas.

Recently, I was abit amazed to hear of one distant friend who lives in year-round on a mountain ski resort area and goes jogging regularily in their area daily. She doesn't even carry bear spray. She doesn't like jogging regularily with groups/friends, because she likes the freedom of running when she wants.

And there are bears that hang out in the area. Enough that they do creep up to homes and rummage around to get at garbage if they can. This is in the interior British Columbia where it is serious wilderness.

[Aquila]

I'm sorry for those she left behind.

But, I can't think of a better way to go than doing something outdoors. It's much better than my nightmare death, with alzheimers in a nursing home for years.

[PamNY]

Maybe she had a heart attack, or ran into a tree? The way I see it, she could have just as easily been 58 and somehow died while snowboarding alone. 68 is not so old that one shouldn't be snowboarding or skiing, biking, etc.
If she was doing something reckless or inappropriate for her skill level or her physical condition, well then that's another story, but I feel it's not necessarily connected with being 68.
For example, a beginner snowboarder of any age probably shouldn't be going out alone.

This sums up what I think very well.

As Shootingstar pointed out, perhaps she didn't have friends to go with her. That can happen at any age -- in fact, could likelier be a function of personality than age.

And I agree with Aquila -- better to die outdoor doing something you love than a lot of other ways I can think of.

[Melissa71]

That is so sad. I hope when I'm 68, I'm in good enough shape to keep going like that. I just hope she didn't suffer.

[cyclingqueen2k9]

Very sad, it's a real shame she was so far away from home. I have to say that it's nice she was active at her age though.

[badger]

hell, I know a 90 year old who still skis. Snowboarding's a relatively new sport so you don't see a whole lot of older people on snowboards, but you do see them.

Another Japanese exchange student went missing on Whistler a couple of years ago. She ended up going off piste and got lost. She was found in the valley in the creek :(

One thing an instructor once told me was if you ever find yourself off-course, go UP a mountain, not down as most instinctively tend to do.

[PamNY]

One thing an instructor once told me was if you ever find yourself off-course, go UP a mountain, not down as most instinctively tend to do.

Does that apply just to skiing? I would think you'd go down if hiking (to find civilization).

I reread this story and noted that the woman was described as not properly dressed for the conditions. That is far more important than age.

[badger]

Does that apply just to skiing? I would think you'd go down if hiking (to find civilization).

I reread this story and noted that the woman was described as not properly dressed for the conditions. That is far more important than age.

Yeah, I'd imagine it's probably best applied to skiing/snowboarding. If you were hiking I guess the best advice if you find yourself lost is to just stay put rather than wandering around.

They were saying that this story is a harsh reminder that it's spring-like in Vancouver but still very much winter up in the mountains.

[Tuckervill]

There's something fishy about this story. She said she was going snowboarding, but they don't say she actually had a snowboard. And she wasn't dressed for it. She's Japanese. Maybe she committed suicide. Maybe she had some dementia or something and died of exposure.

Karen