Entries by Roger Lohr

Make More Tracks: XCSkiResorts.com Saw Boost

Increased Interest In Nordic Makes XC Site A Place For Information. XCSkiResorts.com was established in 2003 as a major source of information for recreational and travel-oriented cross country skiers and snowshoers and it entered uncharted waters when the pandemic hit. Would anyone want to travel to go cross country skiing? According to site founder and […]

Make More Tracks: Sustainable XC Ski Resorts

[Please consider supporting SeniorsSkiing.com with a donation. We appreciate your help. Click here.] [Editor Note: This article first appeared in XCSkiResorts.com.] Many cross country (XC) ski areas operate in an environmentally-friendly manner, and some of these operators, who are exemplars using the most sustainable practices, are models of sustainability in the effort to combat climate […]

Make More Tracks: XC Ski Injuries And How To Avoid Them

Either Falls Or Pre-Existing Conditions Can Cause Problems. [Please consider supporting SeniorsSkiing.com with a donation. We appreciate your help. Click here.] Cross country (XC) skiing is a sport with a very low incidence of injuries for a number of reasons. It’s a low impact sport with low sliding speed, plus the free heel allows twisting […]

Make More Tracks: Milestones In XC Skiing

From Wooden Skis, Wax, And Pine Tar Bases To High Tech Equipment in 50 years. Since the time that wooden skis were found in a peat bog in Sweden dating to 2,000 BC, there have been many milestones that brought XC skiing to where it is today. In the USA, the forefathers of cross-country skiing […]

Editorial: Why Cross-Country Skiing?

[Editor Note: Roger Lohr is SeniorsSkiing.com’s Nordic Editor and publisher of XCSkiResorts.com] The Older I Get, The More I Love Cross Country Skiing. I love the sensation of gliding on the snow through the forest, being outdoors in nature. I can smell the fragrance of the trees. I can hear the bubbling brook and the […]

Make More Tracks: Hidden Gems Of Nordic Skiing

[Editor Note: This article first appeared in XCSkiResorts.com.] Less Known, Excellent XC Destinations To Explore. With torrent of people hitting the trails and the outdoors across the country, XCSkiResorts.com wanted to give a shout out to hidden gem destinations for cross country (XC) skiing this winter. There may very well be an overflow of skiers […]

Make More Tracks: XC Boost Coming?

Is This A Surge Season For Nordic? Will the upcoming cross country (XC) season fulfill the hoped-for surge projected by many in the industry? The COVID pandemic has some projecting a coming boom similar to the bicycle industry, which saw such a surge of sales and activity last spring. The kids were not in school, […]

How To Choose An XC Ski Vacation Destination

So Many Choices, How To Decide? In general, xc skiers select their winter xc ski destination resorts using some rating system of how xc ski areas perform in eight categories of criteria including trail quality and grooming, scenery, food quality, staff friendliness and service, the ski lodge facility and family issues. There is a great […]

Fat Biking At Nordic Ski Areas

Fat Biking Is A Combo Of XC and Cycling: What A Workout! Fat bikes, dubbed the “Hummers of the two-wheelers’ world” in the Wall Street Journal are proliferating where there are more than 150 cross country (XC) ski areas that have fat bikes available to use on snow covered trails. These specially-made bicycles that accommodate […]

Resort Review: Woodstock Inn, VT

The Venerable Inn Has Historic Roots In Ski History. The Woodstock Inn & Resort is one of Vermont’s true gems for travelers. It offers warm New England hospitality amidst an atmosphere of country elegance and year round recreation. Resort facilities include the new 10,000 square-foot Spa, the Resort’s Nordic Center, Suicide Six alpine ski area, the Resort’s […]

Resort Review: Jackson, NH and The White Mountains

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 […]

Who Needs XC Lessons?

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 […]

Taking The Grandkids Snowshoeing

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 […]

Dressing For Nordic

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 […]

Take Advantage Of An XC Demo Day

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 […]

New Gear For XC: Skin Skis

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 […]

The Meccas Of Cross-Country Skiing

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 […]

The Skinny On Recreational Nordic Ski Gear

Move Up To New High Tech Equipment. As a part of the cross country ski industry for more than three decades, I had to qualify my response when SeniorsSkiing asked me about new cross country (XC) ski equipment. There was an unknown research source in the 1990’s that proclaimed, in general, owners of XC ski […]

Tips On Starting Nordic Skiing

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 […]

Nordic Walking Burns More Calories

If You’re Going For A Walk, Bring Those Poles. Easy, Accessible Efficient. Staying active outdoors during the COVID-19 virus crisis is easy and very accessible with Nordic walking, which is a fitness activity that combines walking with specially designed poles to engage the upper body muscles. Like cross country skiing, the poles are used to […]

If Snow, Then XC

XC Offers Outdoors, Social Distancing, Exercise, Relaxation.  Go If You Have Snow. Editor Note: This article was first published in XCSkiResorts.com.  Thanks to publisher Roger Lohr for allowing us to reprint it. There have been plenty of COVID-19 perspectives and statements from alpine skiing-oriented associates such as ski area operators, marketers and media, product suppliers, […]

SeniorsSkiing Guide: Historic Dartmouth SkiWay

Big Mountain Fun And Small Mountain Friendly With History All Around. Dartmouth Skiway in Lyme Center, NH was founded in 1956. After six decades the ski area has recently hired only the fourth director in its history. Mark Adamczyk who was the director of outdoor adventure at the Winter Park Resort in Colorado will replace […]