Friday, January 4, 2008

OH the Joy, OH the Pain!!

I went to Chapin again and found conditions just MARVELOUS, but what do I know. Again I watched others ski and tried to pick up a bit here and there. I kept running across the same tall guy who was just flying. He was doing loops in the time I could go about 500'. Believe me when is say I was being passed by grandma and her grandkids, but I didnt mind.

There is really something special and fluid about the Skate style of cross country skiing. I am glad at the young age of 42 I finally decided to try it. Its only tough because i am going it alone when I should wait for lessons. But I was really proud of how I got on with it today.

Chapin is so hilly that you end up climbing so much. The technique that i think is best suited to that is called Offset. Its fun to do and fun to watch someone good at it, but its a lot harder to climb then it looks. The people whom appear to me to have the technique mastered make it look effortless and the people trying to go fast make it look just that-Fast!!

The other technique (which I neglected to see the difference until tonight on YoutTube) is called One Ski and its for flat land. No wonder I struggled to ski on flats using offset. Well that and the fact I have all of 2 hours of practice in so far. I am sure later on I'll think about this post and go-what a dork!!


Now its been a few hours since Ive arrived home and the aches and twisted knee, etc. are starting to rear there ugly head. It might be time to pop a couple Aleve's. I skid for an hour and forty minutes, way too long for the first time. Boy am I going to be sore tomorrow.

Check out the video of a pro using One Ski till he hits the grade then switches to Off Set.

No comments: