If anyone ever tells you that if you can downhill ski you can cross-country ski, they’re lying – I found this out very quickly as I went careening down my first hill on cross-country skis.

ca-reen

verb
  1. 1.
    NORTH AMERICAN
    move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way in a specified direction.
    “an electric golf cart careened around the corner”
  2. 2.
    turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning, caulking, or repair.
    https://www.google.com/search?q=careen&rlz=1C5CHFA_enCA918CA918&oq=careen&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j0l5j69i60l2.1891j1j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

Yup, that pretty much sums it up. The part about “moving swiftly in an uncontrolled way in a specified direction”… not the part about the ship. Just making sure that’s clear.

Nothing about cross-country skiing is even remotely the same as downhill skiing other than you have two skis strapped to your feet. Not the way you use your poles, not the way you use your skis to turn and not the way you stop yourself – these are all important skills you should have to ensure you don’t end up falling flat on your face with your sun glasses full of snow. I found this out the hard way the moment I was slammed face first into the snow like a fly-swatter. Luckily, the only thing hurt was my pride and I was able to finish our route for the day with only a few minor difficulties. Despite all the drama, I still had an amazing day up in the mountains and the sun.

By now you might be wondering why I decided to take up cross-country skiing in the first place. I’ve been a downhill skier for quite some time and since moving back to the CR area I’ve been wanting to ski more. However, between my full university course load and family responsibilities, I just haven’t been making running a priority like I should and I just don’t have the leg strength required to make a day of downhill skiing worthwhile. Although I would say cross-country skiing is an excellent workout, you just aren’t using your legs like you do when you downhill which means I can go farther. Secondly, being back in CR means I get to see my Mama more! She invested in cross-country skis a few years ago and I thought it would be something fun we could do together. Luckily both our schedules allow us to go most Tuesdays mornings while the kids are in school.

When we were required to document a free inquiry topic of our choosing for our Technology and Innovation in Education class,  it seemed like a no-brainer that I would document my experience learning to cross country ski. Despite the minor injuries sustained to my pride on my first day of cross-country skiing,  I’m looking forward to learning something new, forcing my self to get up the mountain as much as possible and having this to look back on to see my progress. Hope you enjoy following along with me on this journey!