Nordic Skiing

I have a very active friend, Janie Penfield.  During the summer months, we biked together once a week.  She is strong and fast, but she graciously rode with me as we talked and got to know each other.  While she bikes and runs and swims in the summer, she does Nordic skiing in the winter.  This week she sent me an invitation to try our Nordic skiing at a Women's Day at Sundance.  For only $30 you got a trail pass, equipment rental, and a ninety minute lesson.  Although it had been thirty years since I last did Nordic skiing, it seemed like a deal too good to pass up, so I went.

The day was beautiful.  The sun was shining and though it was chilly, I found myself working hard and not getting cold at all.  Cross country skiing requires lots of back and forth motion with your legs, and working your core to stay upright, but by the time we had finished the lesson, I felt like I knew what I should be doing.  Sort of.  I did two loops up in the mountains above Sundance, on a route called Middle Earth.  It was beautiful, challenging, and I was up to the task.  There were some fun downhill parts, and the second go round, Janie and her friend Leslie joined me.  They are expert skiers and were much faster, but they were kind to wait for me at the top of the hills.  By the end of three hours of skiing, I felt strong and capable.  By the end of the day, I felt somewhat tight, but I think spin class helped with my endurance and conditioning.  I think it likely that much less time than three decades will pass before I do it again.