Cross Country Skiing

dshalbert

I am having a major bout of cabin fever and it's suppose to snow AGAIN this Saturday, so I have decided to grab my 16 years old "I'm so bored" stepgrand son who lives with us and try cross country skiing.

I'm in Chicago and there is a place near the lake that rents the skiis for $5.00. I got inspired by watching the Olympics and seeing those cross country skiiers nearly drop dead after finishing the race. I'm like, "shoot, I can do that!" :laugh: . Since my major challenge will be standing up and staying up I figured it should give me a good work out and get us out of the house, because clearly this snow is not going away anytime soon.

If anyone out there has any tips for first time cross courty skiiers that are about to wing it, I'd be glad to hear from you.

concordancia

As long as the snow conditions are right and the course is relatively flat, it is pretty easy to get the hang of.

To go up hill, walk duck footed, with your toes turned out a bit. The hard part is learning to do this without getting those enormously long skis tangled up in each other.

If you wear snow pants, don't put your glasses in the pocket by the knees just because they are steaming over...Definitely don't then go for your first downhill ski lesson the next day without any glasses at all.

Resolve2B

Good topic, D!!

I bought skiis 2 years ago and haven't used them. Last winter we had little snow and this winter it's been too freakin' cold to want to spend time outdoors.

I've NEVER skiied either. I tried to find a place to get lessons (Milwaukee) but couldn't come up with any place. We have a park near us with a trail that I've been thinking to try. I THINK I will love it when I get out and get the hang of it.

If you don't mind my tagging your thread, I'd also love to know just what people wear. I keep hearing "dress in layers" but then what do you do with the layers that come off? Wear a back pack? Tie around your waist?

Would love a description from skiiers of exactly WHAT they wear, head to toe and how they manage the "peeling".

dshalbert

As long as the snow conditions are right and the course is relatively flat, it is pretty easy to get the hang of.

To go up hill, walk duck footed, with your toes turned out a bit. The hard part is learning to do this without getting those enormously long skis tangled up in each other.

If you wear snow pants, don't put your glasses in the pocket by the knees just because they are steaming over...Definitely don't then go for your first downhill ski lesson the next day without any glasses at all.

Good advise! The trail I'll be using is pretty flat. Thanks!

dshalbert

Good topic, D!!

I bought skiis 2 years ago and haven't used them. Last winter we had little snow and this winter it's been too freakin' cold to want to spend time outdoors.

I've NEVER skiied either. I tried to find a place to get lessons (Milwaukee) but couldn't come up with any place. We have a park near us with a trail that I've been thinking to try. I THINK I will love it when I get out and get the hang of it.

If you don't mind my tagging your thread, I'd also love to know just what people wear. I keep hearing "dress in layers" but then what do you do with the layers that come off? Wear a back pack? Tie around your waist?

Would love a description from skiiers of exactly WHAT they wear, head to toe and how they manage the "peeling".

Hey 2B Great questions! It's suppose to "warm up" to the high 20's on Saturday so I'm sure I'll be sweating in all of those layers. I'll let you know how we cope.

concordancia

I wore ski pants with leggings or long johns underneath, a long sleeved tshirt topped with a sweat shirt or jacket on top and good snow mittens. You should feel cold when you step outside, that will go a way in a couple of minutes. It isn't like downhill skiing where half your time is sitting down suspended in the air with the wind rushing under your bum.

I was skiing from home and I knew that if I stopped at all, it was in the cabin in the woods, not to have lunch.

It is also quite feasible to cross country ski with a back pack, though.

Buddhasmiracle

The folks from where you rent them will fit you with skis and poles based upon your weight and height, and in all probability the rental skis will be "waxless." Like any other winter sport, dress in layers. Use your poles to pick yourself up and for now, avoid slopes (unless you want to practice picking youself up!). You really work up alot of steam xcountry skiing! It's a great sport to get into, and I hope you enjoy it!!

bwogilvie

This video is slow-paced but it's an excellent introduction to some basics of XC skiing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqb09bLVdoM

The PDF guide linked from this page is also useful:
http://prnt4u.com/nhntech1.htm

Have fun! XC skiing is great, once you get the hang of it.

dshalbert

Great advice everyone! I'll check out that video, BW!

trail_rnr

I XC ski a lot (usually 3x a week in the wintertime). One of the reasons I love it is because it feels much like running (and I love running). That said, if you are a runner, wear what you wear running. You will warm up fast, and if you wear heavy pants and a heavy jacket you will be dying! For temps in the single digits to mid-teens, I will wear thin XC ski pants with a thin pair of wool longjohns underneath, a LS lightweight wool undershirt, a thin fleece vest, and a light (but not super light) jacket. For teens into the 20s, I will lose the thin fleece vest, might replace the undershirt with a lighter one, and will wear long compression shorts under my pants rather than long johns. I always wear thin wool socks. For cold temps, I wear a thin wool beanie but if it is warmer I just wear an earband. My cold weather gloves are mittens + a liner and if it is warmer I have some lightly insulated gloves that I wear. Always wear mittens or gloves, even if it's warm. They will protect your hands if you fall.

Have fun!

dshalbert

I went cross country skiing with my grandson this morning and it was so much fun! Why haven't I tried this sooner? Thanks everyone for your tips! Trail_rnr, you were dead on about what to wear. We did the layers and were quite comfortable. We were not cold at all and it was around 20 degrees F , by Lake Michigan. We were pretty sweaty when we were done. What a great way to start the weekend. I must say I was also quite happy with the calorie burn you get as well :happy:

hei_ma_ma

Yeah! I love skiing. I learned to cross country ski long ago as a munchkin and I really think it's the best winter exercise. There are a lot of good tutorial videos on YouTube. My number one tip for any beginner is to transfer your weight from side to side - that is, you must commit 100% of your body weight to each foot every time you stride. That is the secret of successful cross country skiing. The videos show it better than I can explain it. Once you have a handle on weight transfer you can fly!