Talk to me about cross country skiing and snowshoeingplease!

[Renthead Mommy]

It is flat here. Most places very flat (excpet for the wonderful sledding hill/field our backyard is attached to!). Dayton also has a wonderful park system with great biking/walking paths and open areas. I'd love to get us out and doing things this winter and take advantage of the 4th season while we still have it.

 

I'm thinking we would enjoy cross country sking. What do I need to know? I know it's a good workout, but is it hard on your knees? Can you do it if you are overweight? Would snow shoeing be better? What about CC skiing with 10yo?

I'm hoping if we do this I can pick up used skis at Play it Again Sports, but will used work okay or do skis wear out? What do I need to know about boots? Are the boots the same as downhill? (Hoping not as I found those VERY uncomfortable, but that was also 30 years ago.)

 

Thank you.

[Wendi]

We've done cross country skiing once. It is definitely a good workout! For me, the hardest part was getting up (I feel down a few times). I'm pretty sure the boots are different from downhill skiing boots.

 

I have tried to talk my family into snowshoeing, but dh would rather ski downhill, and ds would rather go sledding. (We live in Phoenix and go up to Flagstaff to play in the snow.)

 

Wendi

[Mama Geek]

We went cross country skiing several times while living in AK. Yes you can do it being overweight. It took me a little longer to get the hang of it, but it wasn't to bad. Buy the skis used and buy the boots new to fit the bindings on the skis. Do they groom any of the trails for cross country skiing because that makes it easier. If they don't you might consider something between a cross country ski and a back country ski. The back country skis are a little wider and brake snow easier. Lots of fun, great exercise and I was too chicken and out of shape to try downhill skiing.

[bolt.]

Snow shoing is a lot like walking with heavy / awkward shoes. The shoes spread the weight and help you not sink into the snow. The hard work in snow shoing is in lifting the shoes up and down... which sounds like knee work.

 

Cross country skiing is more like skating in straight lines -- especially if your paths are track-set. It takes more balance, and you get moving and gliding quite quickly. It takes longer than snowshoing to get the hang of it, but most people can at least shuffle along right away. The work out of cross country skiing is cardio, similar to walking extra-brisk for long distances -- but you actually go a lot faster than you would at an extra-brisk walk pace.

 

I don't think x-country skiing is hard on the knees, unless you need to go down a lot of hills that require a strong snowplow position (where you point the toes of the skis together and set your feet apart -- to slow down).

 

Being overweight makes most cardio work harder, but I can't see a specific impact on skiing as a skill.

 

Adults and 10 year olds could both easily learn to x-country ski with a little practice and maybe a few you-tube videos.

 

X-country skis vary, and some work better than others. Also you need poles, and usually special boots that clip into the ski bindings (some kids skis have bindings that grip regular snow boots though). Some types of skis require wax (wooden ones) and some do not (fiberglass, I think) so, on a whole skiing would have a greater start up cost.

 

Used skis are often better than new skis... if you like wood (I do). Pay attention to something called 'camber' (sp?). X-country skis are not supposed to be flat to the floor, or flat together in a pair. they are supposed to bow up under the foot and have some 'bounce'. When you stand on them, they shouldn't be strong enough to resist being pushed down, but you should not be able to, say, squeeze the pair together with one hand.

 

X-country boots are *nothing* like downhill boots. They are more like light semi-waterproof hiking boots. The ankle must bend, so the boots are either low (like runners) or have a soft upper part. They have special fasteners built into the toe -- old ones differ from newer ones, so make sure your boots match the type of binding that your skis have. You would want to wear two socks (per foot) when skiing (usually a thin one and a wooly one) to prevent blisters so bear that in mind when trying on boots. The boots do wear out, especially along the line where they bend under the toes. Check carefully.

 

Sizing:

 

Skis -- stand flat and raise your arm straight above your head. The tip of the ski that is your size should hit as high as your wrist, or a little shorter for a beginner.

 

Poles -- same position, should rest within your arm pit.

 

(Snowshoe, you just buy the shoes as far as I know, so it would be cheaper and less complicated -- but much more like a slow tromp through the woods than fun like skiing.)

[Renthead Mommy]

You would want to wear two socks (per foot)

 

Thank you. Very helpful.

 

The above quote cracked me up. Especially since about three hours this was the conversation with my son:

 

ME: "We are leaving. You need to go find two shoes and one sock."

 

Husband: "Two shoes and a SECOND sock. Don't tell my you already have one sock. You need to end with two socks."

 

Me: "Why does it seem we are always telling him he need two socks? Isn't that just a given? Do most people have to explain to their kid they need two socks? And why does ours so often have just one on?"

 

 

So yeah, stuck me as especially funny tonight.

[AFwife Claire]

We started cross-country skiing when we were stationed in Colorado, but we also did it when we were stationed at WP. Downtown somewhere--Triangle Park maybe?--had really nice groomed trails after big snows. It was a lot of fun!

 

Dh wrecked his knees at USAFA, so he can't downhill ski anymore, but x-country skiing has been okay for him. It is a good workout!

 

Funny story--we moved here to VA 8 years ago, and we have not had tons of x-country skiing opportunities, plus it seems like I've been pregnant or had a newborn most winters we've been here! Two years ago we had several huge snowstorms, and tons of snow, so dh and I got our skiis out of the basement storage room and skiied around our neighborhood. Our kids, especially the younger ones, were just like, "WHERE did you guys get those things?!" I was happy to remind them that Daddy and I actually had a life together and did lots of fun things without them, especially before there were so many of them, LOL. It would be tons of fun to get more pairs of skiis and do some skiing with our older kids. I would think 10 would be a great age to learn!

[Dory]

We went cross country skiing several times while living in AK. Yes you can do it being overweight. It took me a little longer to get the hang of it, but it wasn't to bad. Buy the skis used and buy the boots new to fit the bindings on the skis. Do they groom any of the trails for cross country skiing because that makes it easier. If they don't you might consider something between a cross country ski and a back country ski. The back country skis are a little wider and brake snow easier. Lots of fun, great exercise and I was too chicken and out of shape to try downhill skiing.

 

This. Also, I thought I'd add, that I have been cross country skiing since I was 10 and LOVE it. I haven't managed to get out the last few winters and I probably won't this winter either, but it used to be the only thing I liked being outside for during the winter. It's a GREAT workout and not hard on the knees at all. Groomed trails definitely make things easier. In the town I used to live in, they had trails all around the town and numerous people did it as a hobby. Being overweight shouldn't be a problem.