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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“Aren’t Groomed Trails Free?” There are at least three unfortunate stereotypes that are really important to the cross country ski world: “If you can walk, you can cross country ski” “Oh, it looks like so much work!” “It’s free, right?” Meaning: Well, I heard it was free, so I expect it to be free. Okay, […]
Here’s What The Experts Say. Let’s say you want to learn how to cross-country ski relatively quickly and easily: How to move with grace and minimal effort, develop endurance, and enjoy what you’re doing from the git-go. Well, it’s going to take time on skis to develop that self-assurance, balance, and muscle memory (though kids […]
To Make The Switch To Cross-Country, Please Start With A Lesson And These Tips. In the early 1970s, in a visionary but totally wrong-headed move, the fledgling Nordic ski industry declared that, “If you can walk, you can cross-country ski.” It would have been a lot more helpful to say, “If you can walk, you […]
Groomed XC Trails Are Becoming More Prevalent; Does That Ruin The Aesthetics Of The Sport? For the past 50 years or so, there’s been a generally amicable debate whether cross-country skiing on machine-groomed trails is preferable to making your own way over the fields and through the woods. The argument has a lot of angles, […]
‘Shoes Have Come A Long Way. Have You Looked Lately? 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 ski suit—but that’s another story), I also tried snowshoeing. After all, cross-country skis and snowshoes were […]