I'm 34 years old and have never skied in my life. I'm thinking about going to Bariloche this winter with some friends who already know how, but I'm worried about being left out of activities. Realistically, how many days do I need to at least be able to go down a slope without dying trying?
Are you going to take lessons or would you prefer to learn with friends? Honestly, with formal classes at a ski school you can be comfortably going down green runs in 3-5 days, depending on how much you practice and how coordinated you are! At 34 there's no problem, age isn't a factor, but you do need decent instruction at the start because if you try to learn just with friends you'll end up with bad technique that's hard to fix later. My recommendation is that you book at least 3-4 days of private or group lessons when you arrive, that way you avoid the frustration and get up to speed quickly without worrying about falling behind.
Three or four days of intensive lessons and you'll be able to handle green runs without any drama, and in a week you'd be doing okay on blue runs. The thing is, at 34 there's no physical problem - skiing is learned pretty quickly once you get the hang of the basic braking and turning technique. The important thing is not to expect yourself to be an expert on the first day; use those first sessions to build confidence on easy slopes, and then you'll be able to enjoy it more with your friends without feeling out of place.
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