you can learn at any age, there was/is a guy in the states who learnt at 60. it all depends what you want/expect to do on a board.
the problem with ‘modern’ skating is that it has a very narrow focus, i.e. ride in a straight line, ollie up/down/onto something and do an impossibly hard trick. i admire the technical ability of these guys, but i could go on long and hard about the ollie being a terrible thing to happen to skateboarding.
that said, the beauty of skating in the last 10 years has been the resurgence of older guys and it has led to a massive increase of choice.
the point of my ramble is that you do not have to ollie, nor ride a generic board that you can’t tell back from front, has tiny rock hard wheels and cannot turn for toffee.
if i want to cruise hills (on my doorstep are two 2 mile downhills) i pull out a 42 or maybe 36 fibreflex set up with carvey trucks and soft sticky wheels. they are like riding a snowboard, you compress the deck into the turn and ride the rebound energy out. if its a park or bowls then a 36 park board. some times we get out the cones and run slalom. there’s just so much choice.
if anyone wants some info on what is around these days, drop me an email and i’ll send you some links. its a great time to be an old git on a board, and as sports goes its dirt cheap!