l am 51 and this is my first time on skis, l used to water ski, we are taking private lessons when we get there, is there any exercises l should be doing now to get ready?

Wow u r lucky first time. l used to go to steamboat, never got ot be a really good skier, though. They will probably have a school for u there, where they will teach u how to snow plow ski. Even if u have never skied, u will only need two or three hours of instruction to snow plow, stopping & turning is easy, u will be able to handle all the ''Green-coded slopes''. Buy ski clothes, Gortex if u can afford it, dont try skiing in ur blue jeans cuz ya WILL be falling down, & u dont really want to get wet & miserable early in the day. Have fun.

Depending on where you are now, you may need to adjust to the altitude. Breckenridge is almost 10,000 feet in elevation. The lessons will be vital, otherwise just do normal stretching, and drink plenty of water while you are there.

If you used to do water skiing then you will find that turning on the snow is the same as on water. When you become a bit better at it to stop you do a quick turn. However, when you start skiing you do not have your skis in a parallel position as when you become a bit better. Your teacher will probably tell you to keep the tip close to each other and the ends apart -like the two sides of a triangle but not crossing. To stop you bring the tips closer together.

Just make sure you are stretched out, and expect to be sore the next day. as for stopping push your feet outwards a little and bring the front tips in together, but dont cross them.

Listen to ur instructor, they r trained to teach u to ski. Snow & water skiing both involve balance. Snow skiing u have no rope to lean back against, so u must stand tall in ur boots & flex ur joints. General body conditioning, will help, u should expect sore muscles that u did not know u had, these r only used when skiing. Talk to ur instructor about all of ur apprehensions. Most will have heard & solved them before.
Go easy the first 2 days, practice on the green runs, ride the beginner lifts, have fun. This is a social sport as much as a snow sport.
Jim.