Previous studies have shown that resistance training induces remarkable changes in tendon mechanical and structural properties, and suggest that these adaptations are mostly driven by the increased strain (1). One sporting activity that presents the peculiarity of imposing an almost constant strain upon the patellar tendon is alpine skiing. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of this type of exercise on the tendon mechanical and material properties in older adults. We hypothesised that the strain imposed by the near-constant flexion of the knee joint would stimulate patellar tendon metabolism, resulting in functional adaptations similar to those observed with resistance training or high-impact exercise. Twenty-two older males and females (67 ± 2 yr) underwent twelve weeks of guided skiing training, 2-3 times a week (total skiing days = 28.5 ± 2.6), each session lasting approximately 3.5 hours. An age-matched, inactive group (n = 20, 67 ± 4 yr) served as control. The cross-sectional area (CSA), mechanical (stiffness) and material (Young’s modulus) properties of the patellar tendon were estimated in vivo with combined ultrasonography scanning and dynamometry. After training, the mean tendon CSA of the skiing group did not change significantly. However, stiffness and Young’s modulus both increased (respectively, 14% and 12%, P < 0.01). While the observed tendon adaptations were found to be independent of body mass and skiing level, the statistical analysis revealed an interaction effect between training and sex for stiffness (P < 0.05), with similar yet non-significant trends for modulus. No significant changes were found in the control group. These data demonstrate that the tendon strain induced by alpine skiing constitutes a sufficient stimulus to elicit significant changes in patellar tendon tissue composition in older subjects. Moreover, the present differences between the increase in stiffness of males (+19%) and females (+9%) are consistent with previous observations on the effect of acute loading on collagen fractional synthesis rate in young subjects (2). Importantly, these findings constitute the first evidence of a sex-related blunted response in tendon functional adaptations to training.