Cross country skiing/Nordic skiing/#nordorking

[Andy sti]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

That looks like so much fun...

Is XC skiing the same gear-intensive rabbit hole as bikes? Has to be

Hmm, does three sets of skate skis and two sets of classic skis count as gear intensive? Oh, plus the various wax and stuff.

[thwart]

Just posted in another thread about riding a bunch this winter... but that means none whatsoever of this so far. So this pic is from a couple of yrs ago.

Skiis are 25+ yrs old, have had to re-glue the base layers on both. Yet they still work great with the right wax... defaulting to blue for most conditions here.

They have never seen klister wax, and never will.

[natan]

Found ungroomed trail at Van Hoevenberg XC, Lake Placid. It was winter paradise there yesterday.

[paredown]

You guys are making me homesick and nostalgic--I used to XC and downhill, and haven't done either for at least 40 years (hurts me to write that)... If you would have told me that I would stop either when I was in my 20s I would have laughed at you.

XC is absolutely an absolutely great workout--and if you are racing, it is great way to maintain (and improve) fitness over the winter months. I seem to recall that my kinesiology buddies telling me that the fittest athletes they tested were XC racers--they beat out the cyclists by a small margin.

I may have to think about picking up a set of garage sale skis and getting back out.

[AngryScientist]

i'd like to give it a try this winter. there are some great trails up at the Mohonk area.

how steep is the learning curve?

Is it common to rent XC skis?

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

i'd like to give it a try this winter. there are some great trails up at the Mohonk area.

how steep is the learning curve?

Is it common to rent XC skis?

It's not too hard to learn the basics of traditional (diagonal) skiing but you will want to start by going with someone who skis well and can teach you.
I have taught a few people and found that if you can ice skate, you are going to do fine Nordic skiing.
I don't know if you will have nordic ski rental places down by you. We have one right outside Cooperstown.
We're about the same height and weight. I have some oldies but goodies I would be happy to pass along next time I see you.

[Cornfed]

Best, least cost, full body workout on land. Plus no waiting in lift lines or parking lots, no $100+ lift tickets, no crowds, no expensive, heavy equipment. I even simplified my XC life down to one pair of waxless skis. Sure, I can't go everywhere or do everything, but for 90% of my skiing I can park and be skiing in 5 minutes and ski for as long as my body lets me. Heaven.

And +1 on Yellowstone on skis. Bucket-list amazing.

[teleguy57]

Originally Posted by thwart

Just posted in another thread about riding a bunch this winter... but that means none whatsoever of this so far. So this pic is from a couple of yrs ago.

Skiis are 25+ yrs old, have had to re-glue the base layers on both. Yet they still work great with the right wax... defaulting to blue for most conditions here.

They have never seen klister wax, and never will.

Landsems! I have a pair, last time I pulled them out my buddy said "hey, the 90s want their skis back!"

Just spent a few days up in Marquette MI with 10" of new snow on day two it was magical. Even more magically, my wife actually told me I should buy new skis and boots -- really! Was in a shop checking out gear as I've always been a classic guy and with biathlon I really need to be skating. I hadn't planned to buy a set, but she was pretty adamant I should do it....

Need to take her into the bike shop with me more often

PS. Working on skating with 5" new stuff on top of groomed is not the best ideas, especially when the classic tracks were pristine. But when you have new gear...

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by steveandbarb1

Equipment hounds, still massively less. Sell one bike and probably, with shopping skills, end up with 3 good pairs of skiis (skate, traditional (perhaps metal edge, and waxless) Wax is more of a time intensive effort than cost unless you want to begin playing around with florocarbons. Outfit - same as you winter biking stuff, except dress bit lighter..

Those pictures were a dagger in me a bit, where we live now little snow, and my back and other issues won't do more than shuffle. Most memerable trip was Yellowstone in winter, snowcats bring you inside and drop off so you see this beautiful national park way it should be seen.

I am in the planning stages of a Yellowstone trip for us next winter.
For you and the other poster who have done this....do you remember where you were exactly? Mammoth Hot Springs area or Old Faithful Snow Lodge area?
(I'm guessing Old Faithful based on the snowcat) but would love to hear more about your experience.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by teleguy57

Landsems! I have a pair, last time I pulled them out my buddy said "hey, the 90s want their skis back!"

Just spent a few days up in Marquette MI with 10" of new snow on day two it was magical. Even more magically, my wife actually told me I should buy new skis and boots -- really! Was in a shop checking out gear as I've always been a classic guy and with biathlon I really need to be skating. I hadn't planned to buy a set, but she was pretty adamant I should do it....

Need to take her into the bike shop with me more often

PS. Working on skating with 5" new stuff on top of groomed is not the best ideas, especially when the classic tracks were pristine. But when you have new gear...

Yep, Landsems. Great minds think alike... well at least they did 25-30 years ago.

You are a lucky dog. Pristine classic skiing tracks, 5” of new snow, and a wife who thinks you need new skis.

[zero85ZEN]

Living in Indianapolis, I miss Michigan (where I grew up) in the winter. Nordic skiing was my meditation for many years when I taught alpine skiing full time in Michigan and then Colorado.
I have to settle for rollerskiing now when I need to scratch that itch. But it’s better than nothing.

[TiminVA]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

i'd like to give it a try this winter. there are some great trails up at the Mohonk area.

how steep is the learning curve?

Is it common to rent XC skis?

Surprisingly, there is a outdoor shop near me that rents XC skis for the two days a year we have enough snow. I've only been a handful of times, but the learning curve is not bad at all. I'm obviously not great at it, probably barely decent, but 2 hours on XC skis feels like 6 on the bike. We have a rail trail in town that is great when the snow is deep enough and a golf course off of it if you want some hills. I was downhill skier for years and quickly found out it's not even remotely the same.

[crankles]

Just look at the gorgeous corduroy!!!! Is that Meissner?
Spent xmas skating in Bear Valley. Conditions were perfect...except for the altitude. Nothing like doing your first sessions of the season at 7K ft. Ugh.

Originally Posted by Andy sti

Cycling and skiing go well together. Cold weather and crappy roads mean it's time to break out the skinny skis. It's great training and blast to do. If you have access to ski trails I'd highly recommend you get out and give it a try.

I typically ski long duration/distances on the weekend and ride the trainer during the week. It's been a great way for me to train during the winter and keeps me fairly fit.

If you have any good ski trails, photos, training tips, etc post them up.

Some pics from this winter and last winter.

[crankles]

Went to School in th UP. Skiied for Michigan Tech. Was a nordic Skiers Dream. Tech had their own groomed trails and Calumet had a 16K loop of lit trails. (we are talking early 80s). Could Ski everyday from Halloween to Easter. Man I was fit back then.

Originally Posted by fignon's barber

Used to nordic ski at a pretty decent level when I lived in Michigan, both classic and skating(formerly was a real hockey player so skating was easy). A typical winter training day was an hour of indoor cycling with specific goals, then 3-4 hours on skiing. Come March, I was flying on the bike. Tips? Don't wear too many clothes and it's never too cold to ski. You generate so much heat from skiing, it's crazy. I always felt most comfortable when the temp was zero F or lower ( I think the lowest temp I skied in was a wind chill of -75). I see you do skating (nice skis, by the way). A great core workout is to hop in the classic track, and do preset intervals (15-30 minutes) of double poling only. You can't cheat, because skating skis have no grip.

[buddybikes]

Originally Posted by CNY rider

I am in the planning stages of a Yellowstone trip for us next winter.
For you and the other poster who have done this....do you remember where you were exactly? Mammoth Hot Springs area or Old Faithful Snow Lodge area?
(I'm guessing Old Faithful based on the snowcat) but would love to hear more about your experience.

Our experience was probably older than many of you alive, 1987? Mammoth Hot Springs. Old Faithful was mostly snowmobilers. Snocats in from there. We did rent a snowmobile for a day to visit Old Faithful and the lake. Also best experience was getting a guide and going into some backcountry, was a first attempt at telemark skiing, amazing in the high country. We used skins to climb, probably 1200ft, play in the snow then a long decent. Did it at Christmas, but would recommend late in season (early March) to get more daylight and bit milder temps.

Brought backcountry skis and boots, Fischer E99's