Cold Shot
Published January 11, 2010 | 
It’s wonderful. Everywhere, so white.
The river has frozen over. Not a soul on the ice.
Only me skating fast.
I’m speeding past trees, Leaving little lines in the ice,
Splitting, splitting sound, Silver heels spitting, spitting snow.
– Kate Bush
It’s not like you ever think you know everything. It’s just that sometimes it’s hard to go so far back to the beginning that you feel like you don’t know anything! That’s what it was like this weekend when we decided to give cross country skiing a go. Every single step I took during those first days of kayaking I am reliving with cross country skis, right down to being pretty sure the sales guy thinks I am much less athletic than I am capable of being. Oh well, some things never change. After a day on the trails I’m not sure this is my thing, but when it’s January in Wisconsin you’ve got to do something. - I wrote a bit more about day one on the skis here.
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5 Responses to Cold Shot
You’re going to love cross country skiing. Once you get the hang of it, you should plan a trip up to the north shore. We have over 400km of groomed trails up this way. Some of the views of Lake Superior can’t be beat.
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Great!! Good for you D. I hope you enjoy many more ski outings…. I have to agree about preferring to go downhill but it is good just to be out!!
Derrick, you mention downhill skiing so trying X-country should at least be easier for you than a person that has never seen skis, of any type.
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I used to downhill ski (great thrill) and discovered sea kayaking later.
However if you want to experience some of the thrill of DH skiing but still do it under your own steam, how about telemarking?
Don’t confuse it with “telemarketing” (a non outdoor activity
I no longer DH but exclusively telemark (not much lately since I have moved back to a subtropical place).
Telemarking is a blast. With skis similar to X-country, just fatter and sturdier, you could rip on downhill sloped better than DH skis, really.
Learning how to telemark is probably as difficult as learning how to kayak roll; to be good at it: like learning how to roll on your offside
If your part of the woods is frozen for part of the year (mine is not) telemarking could give you the fun-factor that DH does.
It does it for me: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnarlydog/3025498411/in/set-72157600724215182/
I have to agree with Gnarly on the tele skiing. Seems much more stable and natural than downhill. Lots of cross country and skate skiing opportunites as well. The SKOAC Renegades Kayak and ski racing team is on the snow and gearing up for the Vasaloppet. We even have stylish custom Kromer hats! I plan to stick to the skiing until the river thaws in April.