Cross-country skiing — explained!
There are different types of skiing and no two forms of skiing are similar to each other. It requires ardent practice and proper skills to master each one of them to go about any adventure down the slope that you set your heart on. Cross-country skiing is primarily a means of locomotion followed by the locals who reside and live in snow-clad mountains.
In typical alpine skiing, the snow boots will be attached to the ski on both the toe and heel parts. But in cross-country skiing, the boots will rather be only attached to the toe thus making it easier for the skier to walk the snowy path just like that. This will thus enable the skier to walk through different terrains without having the need for a downward momentum each time around.
Cross-country skiing is also commonly referred to as Nordic skiing or skis touring since it is more common in Norway and there are even inscriptions dated as early as 4000 years ago where there was a man standing on top of what looked like a ski. But as simple as they might seem from a surface level, there are a lot of underlying physics, techniques, and life-saving tips that you should be knowing in prior before you dive in head-first. It is advisable to try this type of skiing only after at least a year of continuous exposure to skiing down the lifts.
What is cross-country skiing?
Cross-country skiing is actually very less demanding and the gear used here is actually lighter and cheaper than what you conventionally use for alpine skiing. Skiis come in different lengths but professionals usually prefer the short and mid-length ones.
Picking up the right gear according to the terrain is also important to help you glide through the slopes in a lot better fashion. For maintained courses, you can go with skiis that are light, thin, and fast. You’d need a backcountry ski if you’re blazing through your own trails. These are comparatively thicker and heavier which is used to displace any amount of snow and give you that push you need.
When it comes to the boots, they’re lighter while also being less block-like compared to alpine boots.
Always remember that sunglasses, gloves, and layers of clothes are all something you should definitely pay attention to before you go on your first ski vacation. All these are something you’ll be learning yourself if you choose to enroll in ski courses that are custom developed for you.
Cross-country skiing techniques to note:
When it comes to cross-country skiing, there are different styles that are associated with the sport. Classic skiing and ski skating are the two major ones to note. In the classic style, you plant one of the skiis down and push it back to gain momentum to propel forward with the other ski. The pole you have in hand will also help you with the push while also pushing you further.
Ski skating on the other hand resembles a movement similar to rollerblading where you keep pushing both skis away from each other. When you go about gliding steeper slopes, hills, or regions, you should be going with something called a herringbone technique. This involves the ski being arranged into a v shape where the professional has to walk uphill by planting the edges of the ski on the inside into the snow.
Always jump head-first into any skiing activity of choice after proper practice. There are a lot of ski schools in Austria like Go2Snow that are curating individual-specific courses for you to understand both the theoretical and practical aspects of any type of skiing.
Tips to note before your first cross-country skiing experience!
Skiing is a sport that requires a lot of practice, patience, skills, and the most perfect techniques. The first thing you should be concentrating on is maintaining your fitness levels on par. There is a greater need for better balance, overall coordination, aerobic capacity, and muscle endurance are all required when you do Nordic skiing.
While alpine skiing might come in handy to anyone who practices it in just a week or so, cross-country skiing takes a lot more practice than that. You need to pick up tricks to slow down, take turns, avoid obstacles and even control your overall movement. There are different patterns of techniques, rhythms, and motions that you should be training yourself to understand, remember, and master. You’ll be feeling done with all the huffing and puffing if you don’t train yourself to improve your endurance levels before going about the activity.
The overall sport is calorie intensive and it is the reason why a lot of gyms have Nordic skiing machines for gym-goers to practice indoors. If you have a long journey planned ahead of you, be prepared with any ski school prior to learning all the techniques the professional way.
Remember to always position your upper body forward and your knees and ankles flexed while skiing. The advantage of cross-country skiing is that there is no one right way to do it. This makes it all the more rewarding and experimental for adventure enthusiasts who want to explore.
If you ask us ‘what is cross-country skiing?’, we’d tell you just this. It’s an activity that is a must try at least once in a lifetime before your lungs and legs give up on you!
