With snow coating the ground, Saturday night was a perfect time to go cross-country skiing.
That night, my girlfriend Laura and I practiced this type of skiing for the first time this winter. I reacquainted myself with the sport by gliding on one leg along the driveway, holding the poles a short distance away from me on each side and pushing off with the other foot.
After several trips across the driveway, I felt comfortable enough to try gliding down the sidewalk, brushing aside several branches in my way.
You can travel on cross-country skis in quite a few types of locations, from trails at resorts to your own backyard.
“Cross-country skiing encompasses several styles, from touring or racing on groomed ski tracks to gliding through deep backcountry snow,” Geoff Irons wrote in an article on REI.com.
Laura and I are familiar with skiing on tracks, having taken a lesson at the Weston Ski Track and, more recently, having gone to Stowe, Vermont for the trails at the Von Trapp Lodge (named for the famous family in “The Sound of Music”). We also did backcountry skiing in Stowe.
For those who prefer tracks, there are plenty of possible destinations — not only in Vermont or New Hampshire, but also right here in Massachusetts, such as Weston.
If you like to go off the beaten path, you can cross-country ski pretty much anywhere, as long as there’s snow. Golf courses, football fields, parks ”¦ there are plenty of surfaces that make for great cross-country skiing out there.
Whether you take the track or backcountry route, your options can include renting skis, poles and boots, or bringing the gear yourself. In the latter case, this probably means being able to fit them onto your car.
The style of cross-country skiing you prefer will likely determine the length and weight of your skis, according to Irons’ article. For those who take to the trails, use touring skis, which Irons describes as “generally longer, narrower and lighter than metal-edge skis.” Irons writes that metal-edge skis are “heavier but more suitable for out-of-track terrain.”
No matter your preference, it sounds like we’ll have ample time to explore our options this winter.
“It could be a lengthy ski season as well with cold expected to keep snow in place through February and into March,” AccuWeather.com meteorologist Meghan Evans wrote in an article.
Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].
