3 Sisters 7 Days

I guess this year – or should I say, season – I am trying new winter sports.  I have been snowboarding for over 10 years and that, until now, has been the extent of my winter sporting. This season, I  tried snowshoeing, and last week was my first “go” at cross country skiing.

Okay, the last time I put skis on my feet, I think I was about twelve years old and hated every minute of it.  I lasted the day, and the whole time, I couldn’t understand the “fun” in the sport. All I wanted to do was strap my feet into a snowboard…six years later I finally got the snowboard.

Anyway, back to cross country skiing.  It was harder than I expected, but it wasn’t too difficult.  It was another version of snowshoeing and hiking with some hills. I did fall a lot, and I did do a lot of snow plowing, which worked some of the time; when the poles or the skis didn’t stop me, I just went for the ground.

I kept trying to use the same motion as running…move arms and legs in unison and BAM I should be good.  Nope, there is much more to it.  First of all, my feet were on skis the width of an Oreo and I had to use poles while coordinating my feet/skis.  Second, going up hill was ridiculous. I ended up making a “V”  and virtually walking up the hills hoping to not slide back down.  As soon as I got off the hills, and the up/down rotation, I was good to go. I actually enjoyed skiing on the flat surface and taking in the scenery that Breckenridge has to offer.  The best part of the day was that I kept moving enough that I didn’t get cold

So, yes this sport is something I would probably do again, and it’s a great cross training sport…I was tight the next day, that’s for sure. Tomorrow: Snowboarding at Monarch.