Anyone who can walk can cross-country ski. Indeed these days cross-country sit-skis have been developed for physically challenged skiers. Suite101 spoke with Julia Tregaskis-Allen, a cross-country ski instructor for Track and Trail, based in the French Alps. "Anyone can do it!" she exclaims. "You see little kids from 2 years old, you see 80-year-olds going for a shuffle, so you can do it as energetically as you like."
For fitness enthusiasts, classic cross-country skiing or skating are popular sports for winter cross training providing an exceptional form of endurance training.
Cross-country Skating
Skating or patinoire as it is known in French is like ice skating on skis. The technique involves gliding forward applying weight alternately to each leg. The skis slide in a slightly open (duck-footed) diagonal or herringbone action. Skating requires good balance and is generally more difficult to learn. A solid classic skiing technique is recommended. Read more about getting started in Cross-country Skiing Basics.
In the 1970s an Olympic competitor jumped out of the track and finished a cross-country race by skating through to the finish line. At the time there were no rules prohibiting this but it was considered an illegal manoeuvre. As a result a new cross-country technique was officially born.
Skating requires slightly different equipment to classic skiing. Shorter skis allow for shorter strides and greater agility. Boots have a more supportive cuff around the ankle than a classic cross-country ski.
Tregaskis-Allen recommends taking a lesson for first time cross-country skiers especially for those who have never skied before. “To give you the confidence to slide if you’ve never slid on skis before, and if you’ve never stopped a pair of skis before.”
5 Cross-country Skiing Tips for Beginners
"Number one, get a lesson,” says Tregaskis-Allen Then in that lesson my five tips would be . . ."
- "Encourage people to ski without their poles to gain good balance. Not worry about where they are going, walk around in a small area to gain balance."
- "Experience a sliding feeling (in and out of the pressed trail)."
- "Gain a stopping feeling."
- "Achieve a good basic body position."
- "At the end of an hour’s lesson people should achieve a 3 - 5 km journey."
Keys to Improving Cross-country Skiing
- Mileage. Obvious as it may sound the best way to improve at cross-country skiing is to get out there and do it.
- Join a cross-country skiing club in a local alpine area.
- Maintain a moderate fitness level. Exercise that simulates cross-country skiing and uses similar muscle groups include: walking, running, ice skating, roller blading. Any regular aerobic exercise will assist with achieving a base level of fitness.
- Enter a cross-country skiing competition. Most well populated centres for cross-country skiing host annual or more frequent cross-country skiing events. These can be used as an ultimate goal for cross-country training or they can be fun social events.
Cross-country tracks and trails may be shared by a large cross section of the community from serious athletes to elderly recreational skiers, pregnant women and mothers or fathers towing their off-spring in an enclosed pulka or sled, and whole families can enjoy a cross-country outing.
