The Hub Of The New England Nordic World Is In New Hampshire. We excitedly planned a weekend trip to Jackson, N.H., because it is a true Mecca for Nordic skiers. This is the quintessential New England Nordic (XC) skiing experience with the covered bridge, white steepled church, brookside trails, and the accompanying village with all of the trappings. Many of[Read More…]
You Do. Take A Lesson From A Pro. The vast majority of cross country (XC) skiers do not take XC ski lessons, but rather they start with friends or family, who are usually not trained to teach XC skiing. So, who needs XC ski lessons? Most of us do! Starting with the basics, a XC ski instructor can help a[Read More…]
A Little Planning Goes A Long Way To Ensure A Positive Experience. On a winter trail outing near my home, I ran into a neighbor and her granddaughter on snowshoes – and it was not going well for them. The kid was whining and uncomfortable and she headed back home (nearby) by herself. Grandma kept going and since she is[Read More…]
Skis, Dogs, Bikes. It Must Be Crested Butte. It sometimes feels like not much of the American West remains unspoiled, but the town of Crested Butte, CO, comes mighty close. It’s a ski town that used to be a mining community (gold and silver, then coal). Somehow it’s kept the serenity (population is pretty steady at around 1,700) and retained[Read More…]
What To Wear: Ditch The Parka. Often on the cross country (XC) ski trails the clothes that many of the uninitiated wear are malfunctioning…that is, they are dressed for downhill skiing wearing insulated ski jackets and pants, alpine ski gloves or mittens, and ski goggles. XC skiing is a form of recreation that involves moving and thus lighter clothing is[Read More…]
Try Before You Buy. Many XC ski areas conduct demo days to give skiers an opportunity to test drive the newest XC ski equipment. It’s a day when product suppliers’ branded tents and flags are flapping in the wind and company reps stand guard armed with knowledge of their wares. You might participate in a demo because you have outdated[Read More…]
Not XC’s Poor Cousin Anymore. Back in 1971, when I transferred winter affections from downhill to Nordic skiing (due to a spectacular fall in Austria, that racked up one knee and stripped off my nifty French-made Fusalp ski suit– but that’s another story), I tried snowshoeing too. After all, cross-country skis and snowshoes were both made of wood and quite[Read More…]
An Old Idea Updated With High Tech. The cross country ski waxless “skin” bases, use inserted mohair strips on the ski bottom, which are extremely effective for all temperatures and snow conditions. It is high performance waxless base technology for the classic skier, who prefers to use a waxless ski. The ski strips are like small climbing skins and they[Read More…]
OK, That Sounds Salacious But It’s Not. I kind of collect belts, from the 50-year-old hand-stitched inches-wide leather style with ornate Mexican silver buckle; to a contemporary pseudo-leather critter with multiple off-set holes; to a futuristic version (my favorite!) that grips, flatters, goes through airport security without setting off alarms, comes in colors – and keeps my pants up in[Read More…]
What Are The Vails and Aspens of XC? Ask the general public to name an alpine skiing “Mecca” — described as a location where people, who share a common interest, yearn to go — even those who don’t ski can come up with at least Aspen or Vail, if not Killington and Sun Valley. But mention the Gunflint Trail or[Read More…]
Move Up To New High Tech Equipment. Fresh winter air and outdoors in nature, where fun and fitness come together. Step on your cross country (XC) skis and go. You want good glide on the flat terrain, effective grip going up hills, and controlled turns down the hills. The XC ski equipment and clothing is designed for skiing on groomed[Read More…]
It’s Different, It’s Fun, It’s Accessible. So you’ve decided to try cross country skiing, You can call it cross country skiing, Nordic skiing, XC skiing, or ski touring – when trying cross country skiing the first few times it may be a totally new experience for you and it may take time for you to become confident. Experienced cross country[Read More…]
Is Fitness On Your Mind These Days?, Harriet’s Hip Advice, Exercise Hacks Book Review, Questions For You. The summer solstice has come and gone. On solstice day, a northeastern Siberian town located above the Arctic Circle, recorded 100.4 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic since records have been kept. In the East, an early summer heat wave[Read More…]
Over the past few weeks, we’ve received numerous emails from ski industry and other leaders supporting Black Lives Matter. Mike and I want to add our voices to this and to other expressions of social justice. Many of you will remember Bob Dylan’s 1964 song, “The Times They Are A Changin.” His anthem to social change and the consequences of[Read More…]
Based on the just completed SeniorsSkiing.com Reader Survey, 92% of you plan to go skiing next season. This, despite growing coronavirus concerns, especially within our age cohort. You also weighed in on the importance of preventive measures ski areas can take to control the virus: 86% of you consider continuous sanitizing in all public areas (e.g. dining, lodge, restrooms) to[Read More…]
