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In the spring and summer, I love being outside. In the winter, I hibernate.
Brother John Grover doesn’t. He looks forward to cold winter days with freshly fallen snow. Those are the best days for cross-country skiing.
Grover works at the computer center at Saint Mary’s University, where he also teaches a cross-country skiing course. He’s been cross-country skiing for 40 years.
Wednesday, I decided to come out of hibernation and have Grover teach me the basics of the sport.
Cross-country skiing always seemed fun. And I knew it was a huge calorie burner. But where do you go? How do you do it? What do you need?
I was about to find out.
My car said it was 11 degrees. A bank’s sign said 8 degrees. My body said it was cold — way too cold to be outside.
Grover said it was a good day for skiing.
“The best is when it’s 20 degrees or below,” Grover said.
That’s because if it’s too warm, the snow gets wet and there will be more suction with your skis. Grover once skied a race when it was 25 below zero.
“You just dress warm,” he said.
EquipmentGrover told me to wear layers. Since I usually hibernate, I didn’t have lots of options for clothing. I wore jeans, a hat, scarf, turtleneck sweater and heavy winter jacket.
Grover recommends wearing polypropylene material or something that will keep moisture away from you. Wool also is good because it will keep you warm but not soak up water.
Grover still has his first pair of skis and boots. The skis were much heavier, longer and wider than the lightweight ones made today.
All you need to get started is a pair of skis, poles and ski boots. There’s a ski shop inside SMU’s Kulas-Connaughty Power House building where you can rent the equipment for just $7 from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. It’s a pretty affordable alternative to buying a lift ticket at a ski resort.
If you want to buy your own equipment, Grover says, you can get the best deals at the end of the ski season. Last year, he got new ski boots for $60, marked down from $130. You can get them new for as little as $30 or $40, though. You also might want to check at stores that sell used equipment for a good deal.
Skis can be found for less than $100.
Shorter skis are best for beginners. They’re less likely to get all crossed up as you learn to maneuver in them. My shoe size is usually a 7, but for ski boots it’s a 39. (Most boots are made in Europe, so measurements are metric.)
Strategy and techniqueThe pole should come to your armpits or higher. Your hands fit in straps at the top of the poles. Grover says it’s best to push with the strap rather than the pole. Otherwise, your forearm will get tense and you will get tired. It also cuts off circulation to your fingers and makes you get colder faster.
You want to angle the poles behind you to help push, using your opposite hand and foot.
“It’s a lot like walking,” Grover said.
After a few pointers in the shop, it was time to hit the snow. We walked toward SMU’s softball fields, where the trails start. SMU has six miles of trails that wind through the bluffs.
Grover instructed me to put my skis in the track. Brother Jerome Rademacher tends the trails, taking time to make tracks for skiers to use.
If you’re going on land where there are no tracks, you can make your own. It is more strenuous, though, so it’s nice that the tracks are already there, especially for a beginner like me.
The skis feel pretty clumsy at first. It’s hard to get used to them being attached. You also have to get used to your hands being looped in the straps of the poles.
Grover showed me how to move by pushing myself forward while angling the poles behind me. It was pretty easy and fun — it’s not often that we glide. It’s best to go slow when you’re a beginner. Every time I tried speeding up, it was wobble city.
My face got a bit cold, but the rest of my body warmed in a hurry. It would have been better to have some kind of snowpants rather than jeans, though.
Other skiers flew by me, but Grover said more experienced skiers will get out of the way of beginners.
As the Winona Senior High School cross-country team glided by, they made the coolest swooshing noise. It was rhythmic.
Grover showed me how to maneuver up and down a hill, but I wasn’t ready for that yet. Plus, he said it would be better to try hills after a fresh snow. The snow has gotten packed down, making it pretty slick and fast — two things I’m not yet.
Why ski?Grover skis as often as he can and is planning on doing the American Birkebeiner 55 KM in Hayward, Wis., in February. It will be his 31st time. More than 7,000 skiers compete each year, with Grover and other Winonans making the annual trek.
“I love being outdoors. This is the best exercise there is.”
When it gets warm, he’ll spend time in his garden or biking. He wishes more people would brave the outdoors and try cross-country skiing.
“It beats sitting inside watching TV,” he said.
Grover is right. Plus, it’s an awesome workout that uses all your muscle groups. You can burn 512 to 656 calories an hour while cross-country skiing, according to the Mayo Clinic.
And once you get moving, you warm up in a hurry.
Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t gotten around to doing? Share your story with Käri Knutson at kknutson @winonadailynews.com or (507) 453-3523.
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