Blue Cross Blue Shield Vermont: Cross-Country Skiing

This article is republished from our Winter 2005 issue of Vigor.

Cross-Country Skiing
By Pete Hartt

Vermonters and others blessed with greater than normal snowfall have enjoyed cross-country skiing for hundreds of years. While the sport’s popularity has waxed and waned, it has never been stronger than it is right now. More than 40 cross-country ski centers, including those in the impressive Catamount Trail System, dot the Vermont landscape today. In recent years, the sport has grown to support an array of equipment options, and even a variety of skiing styles, to choose from. For instance, the manufacture of wider “backcountry” skis has made ungroomed trails and remote areas more attractive to cross-country skiers.

Some aspects of the sport have not changed—among them its low cost and the health benefits it delivers to enthusiasts. Those factors combined make cross-country skiing perhaps the perfect winter fitness activity for many Vermonters.

The benefits of cross-country skiing are well-documented. Cross-country, or Nordic skiing, combines the skills of Alpine skiing, hiking and skating; it develops your coordination without high risk of serious injury.

“It’s a wonderful cardiovascular exercise,” Copley Hospital director of rehabilitation services Peter Cramer said. “You use such a large percentage of your muscle mass—your lower extremities for propulsion and support, your trunk for balance and support, and your upper extremities for propulsion.”

Another benefit, according to the former Johnson State College cross-country running coach and professor of health sciences, is that the sport allows participants to avoid some of the painful aspects of running.

“With running, there is impact, and in later years, we don’t tolerate that impact as well,” he said. “Cross-country skiing takes away the impact.”

There are two basic styles of cross-country skiing:


		•	In the “classical” style, skis remain parallel to each other. Skis contain wax or a ridged bottom pattern to allow for striding and gliding on the snow.
		•	When “skating,” the skier glides on one ski and angles out the other, using the edge to push forward.

In both styles, tall ski poles help the skier push and maintain balance. The exertion needed to move the poles adds to the scope of the workout. A competent recreational skier, in reasonable mid-winter condition, can cover 10 kilometers an hour—more if he or she is skating.

The two styles have obvious differences, but similar benefits. A cross-country skier uses muscles in the shoulders, back, chest, abdomen, buttocks and legs. Skiers can burn 600 to 900 calories per hour. Add in the psychological benefits from spending a few quiet hours in the woods or fields on a brisk winter day, and you have a sport that benefits the body and the soul.

“While the physiological benefits are clear, there is also a spiritual benefit,” Trapp Family Touring Center director of cross-country skiing Charlie Yerrick said. “It’s very helpful in clearing your head. I do some of my best thinking out in the woods.”

Perhaps the best way to try cross-country skiing is with lessons and rented equipment, both of which are widely available. Starting at an established ski touring center that offers a “learn to ski” package can offer a new skier a chance to judge a variety of equipment even as he or she develops necessary skills. Absolute beginners should plan on a few lessons—not only to learn the basic stride, but also to choose the right equipment and to practice the critical skills of going uphill easily and downhill safely.

“It’s a balance sport, so people who have biked or skated will find it easier,” Yerrick said. “There is a transitional period for people who have never been on snow—they don’t realize how slippery it is—but the basic stride is as natural as walking. After about one to four or five lessons, even the beginner will be at a point where he or she can enjoy the sport, and reap its fitness benefits.”

Cross-country skiing tips:

Ski with a friend for safety, especially as you go on long and longer outings. You’ll have help in case you run into trouble—plus it’s more fun.

After your initiation (trying a few different types of equipment via a rental program), look for used equipment at a local winter sports sale or second-hand shop. As folks strive to keep up with the latest styles, you might find bargains on last year’s fully functional equipment. Be sure to get the right equipment for your size, and the correct equipment for the type of skiing you are going to do, though.

Layer your clothing. You may start out feeling chilly, but your cross-country workout will quickly heat you up even in the coldest temperatures. On the other hand, going from sunny fields to shady forest can cool you off. Various layers will prevent you getting uncomfortably warm, while allowing you something to put on during rests to keep you from losing the heat.

Start slowly and gradually increase the time and distance of your excursions. Because cross-country skiing is such an easy, gliding motion, newcomers can be fooled into extending those initial outings too far. Remember as you travel away from your starting point that you will have to ski all the way back.

The farther away from groomed trails you travel, the greater care should be taken in planning the expedition. Pack some survival food and emergency supplies, along with at least one extra piece of dry, warm clothing. Don’t go out alone, and tell someone where you are planning to go, and when you should return. When you do return, check in.