Due to some foolish lockdown idea, I have a 100km race in the arctic circle next March, with a 30km cross country ski section. Having never tried cross country skiing, I figured it’s probably a good idea to get some prior exposure to it.
My plan is to get some lessons when in the mountains next but I want to know how long could it take to get OK at cross country skiing, could I do a 3 hr private then spend a few hours on my own to try get some sort of technique and speed?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Is it classic or skating?
I would always suggest skiing a bit before doing lessons, but not too much that you start to ingrain bad habits which will be hard to break. You will get more out of your first lesson if you can actually stand on skis and move forward.
If you are close to London you could get some lessons on rollerskis at Hyde park or Dorney wood, see rollerski.co.uk
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
This is what it says on the site
Quote:
The cross-country trails we will use will be suitable for ‘skating’ or ‘classic’ cross-country skiing and if you have your own equipment, you may select either. If you don’t have any equipment (and if you are not really sure what the difference is) don’t worry either! Included in your entry is the rental of standard ‘classic’ cross-country skiing equipment. This is the easiest form of cross-country skiing and consists of a groomed track where your skis slot into 2 parallel grooves, not dissimilar to a train track. The motion is pleasant and you will be able to cover good distances as you glide silently through the forest.
@Little Martin, my wife and I did similar to what you propose, ie a 3 hour lesson, and felt confident enough to go out and do the black XC loop at le praz on our own.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Little Martin, I had a go with a mate who gave me some instruction, I think a short private lesson to get familiar would be all you need. It is odd not having edges and it takes a while to get used to the different equipment. Loads of fun and be prepared to fall over
I did 1.5 hours in the morning and then 1.5 hours in the afternoon. I then spent an hour in a hot bath to ease the pain!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Little Martin wrote:
So probably classic
30km is quite a long way on classic skis. There is a big difference between shuffling a few km around a loipe on a sunny winter's day and covering 30km at a reasonable speed, especially as part of a 100km race. Classic is the harder technique to do efficiently so you may be better skating that distance. It probably depends a bit on how fit you are too.
There was a guy on youtube who managed the 90km Vasaloppet after a month's training.
I don't recall if he got cut in the end or made the whole 90k (can't watch videos as I'm at work). Werner is a top skier and athlete so had something of a head start... although he'd be more aerodynamic if he could close his mouth
Are there any time cut offs?
After all it is free
After all it is free
So no time cut offs, so just take your time if you aren’t interested in winning, which obviously I am
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
What are the other legs?
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
20km snow shoe, 30km cross country, 50km fat bike, spread over three days
@Little Martin, you could try some Nordic walking lessons to get used to the stretch you need for efficient Classic propulsion. Easier training opportunities too - all you need is the poles and some open
spaces.
Interesting combo of disciplines - sounds a lot of fun!
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Thanks for the link.
20km snow shoe is quite a lot but then again it is just walking / running.
I assume the ski is relatively flat as it is on Norwegian trails. You could just shuffle around on classic skis if you are reasonably fit without any prior experience, it wouldn't be efficient but if you can run 5 miles you'd almost certainly get around 30km.
Have you got access to any classic cross country skis? If you don't mind looking foolish you can take them out on a football pitch on a rainy day and try them out for balance etc. Or even on damp sand, by the shoreline is best (don't use your own skis for this).
This guy has good technique already, the danger is the sand offers much more grip than snow (especially icy snow) so it is hard to work on your "kick" - that is the moment you transfer weight onto a single ski and push down and back, engaging the grip zone of the ski in order to propel yourself forward... it is the difference between striding and shuffling. Notice the difference with running, the foot doesn't come too far forward, the lower leg/ankle is relatively closed with weight towards the front of the foot. If you push your striding foot too far forwards you wont get good grip.
You can also practice this technique just running with poles which a lot of cross country skiers do over the summer.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I think not too many lessons. You do need good technique for that distance and you also need to be able to manage going down hills, which isn't that easy. Got a really bad tailbone injury last year going downhill
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