I love ice skating and cross-country skiing. Put the two together and you've got skate skiing. It's a really intense workout, but once you get the rhythm down you can move quickly and gracefully through the snow. Check out this video to see what it looks like.
Skate skiing is great if you think cross-country skiing is too slow or boring. Instead of just sloshing along on your skis, you kick off diagonally and glide forward just like ice skating. It's not easy to learn because it requires more balance, coordination, and strength, but with patience and lots of practice, you'll be able to learn the basics of skate-skiing techniques. It's a total body workout, and if you love downhill skiing, skate skiing is a great way to enjoy Winter without having to pay for expensive lift tickets.
Fit's Tips: If you're interested in trying skate skiing, contact your local ski resort or Winter activity center to see if you can rent some equipment. The boots, skis, and poles are a little different than what you use for cross-country skiing, and renting them will cost around $20. I also recommend taking a lesson your first time. A one-hour lesson will cost around $25 for a group and about $50 for a private.
Nica
Alexander McQueen
Fornarina
Isn't this what you do on an ou run when you are going to slow to start with and run outta gas
1I didn't know it was a sport!
And skiiers can do this, but you end up "skating" pass the poor boarders who have to resort to taking one of their bindings off and trug along...
2It's hard. I need a lot more upper body strength than I have at the moment, my arms get in my way and I also need more power. I have plenty of leg and core strength, but not power. Very different. Not quite sure who decided it was a good idea to ski uphill.
3That's not a bad video but not the greatest, look for the people in racing kits who are cyclists and triathletes cross-training in the off season.
4I grew up skate skiing as part of my high school xc ski team. It's kind of amazing because the ratio is 75% upper body, 25% legs. It's really fast, really intense, and really fun. But also really exhausting. Once you get a rhythm down though the high is hard to beat.
5I want to try this!
6Since I'm a figure skater and hate downhill skiing, I've been dying to try this. It looks so great! Alas, it will have to wait until next winter when I'm not pregnant. Living in CO also should make it easy to find a good place to try it.
7There are TONS of places in CO. Depending on where you are, some places like Boulder (actually, it's the Nordic clubs) even groom parks so that's really convenient. Plus places like REI, Outdoor Divas and Women's Quest hold clinics with resorts and the resorts will have clinics and women's days (Eldora's is Wednesday). Lots of options.
8susanec, I'm in a south Denver suburb, but can get to most of the resorts with nordic centers pretty easily. My husband skis, so I can just tag along. I will definitely look into it next year. Can't wait!
9Sounds intense! I figure skated competitively, so I always got major leg workouts (not that skating isn't generally a whole-body experience) but I've never been any good at skiing down hills. (Even the bunny hill... that's how bad I am!) But this looks doable - relatively flat surfaces
10Schnappycat, perfect. Winterpark has Devil's Thumb, which is where Women's Quest does a lot of their clinics. I'm obviously in the area too
11Well, susantec, it's a hugely long story, but I had a bad snowmobile accident (causing injury) at Winter Park a few years ago, and will not be going back. I wasn't treated well by the outfitter or the company I worked for and still have bad feelings about it all. But otherwise, I'm sure I can find another place to skate ski.
Thanks for the suggestions!
12Yikes! Eldora is great, we go there a lot since it's close and it has varied terrain (plus the nordic/alpine choice is nice). But there are lots of options...Sounds like you have awhile.
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