Downhill skiers by morning, The Adventure Kids
aka Debra C. Argen and Edward F. Nesta learn the art of cross-country
skiing, also called Nordic skiing, in the afternoon in Mont-Tremblant, Canada.
Adventurers that we are, if
there is something fun to do in an area that we are visiting, rest assured that
we will want to try it. Mont-Tremblant offers a wide variety of winter sports
activities and since we had only been cross-country skiing once before while we
were in Switzerland,
we were keen to experience this sport again. Although new to us, cross-country
skiing has its origins in Fennoscandian countries and dates back to prehistoric
times.
Learning the art of
cross-country skiing begins with the equipment, which is different from
downhill ski equipment in that the skis are narrower, and unlike downhill ski
equipment where the binding secures the entire boot to the ski, in cross-country
skiing the boot has a toe clip that clips into the front of the binding only,
allowing the heel to be free for movement. Since we did not have cross-country
ski equipment, we rented state-of-the-art Solomon equipment from Explore!, conveniently located in
the Pedestrian Village of
Mont-Tremblant.

Debra with cross-country skis
With equipment in hand, we
walked a short distance from the Pedestrian Village to the cross-country
trails, and this is where the fun began, as not only the equipment varies from
downhill skiing, the style of skiing is also different. There are two types of
styles of cross-country skiing, classic, and skating, and with our limited
knowledge, at times we used a combination of both, and also mixed in a bit of
downhill skiing techniques, which lead to interesting results.

Edward showing off his cross-country skills
It was late afternoon,
overcast, and a bit on the cold side, however we were comfortable as we had
dressed warmly with multiple layers and ski clothes. Although realistically, it
was about a 10-minute walk, carrying our skis and poles to the trails seemed
much longer with the equipment weighing us down, and by the time that we had
reached our destination, we were more than ready to put our skis on and begin
our adventure.

Debra in search of the chair lift
We donned our skis, and with
poles in hand, attempted the classic style of cross-country skiing, which uses
a kicking and gliding action, using our poles alternately to push us along the
flat terrain as we negotiated the grooved snow made by downhill skiers coming
down off the mountain. When we finally found the cross-country trails, also called
pistes, it was much easier, as the trails were two parallel tracks where we
were able to place our skis and get a good speed going by kicking and gliding
our skis along, that is, until the terrain changed to an incline. Skiing uphill
is much more challenging as we had to leave the grooves and climb with our skis
in a "vee" digging into the snow, which was definitely slow work for novice
cross-country skiers, although it did provide a great aerobic workout. Half-way
up our climb, Debra was longing for the comfort and ease of a ski lift to whisk
her to the top as in downhill skiing, however she stuck it out and made her way
to the top of the hill, albeit grumbling slightly under her breath.

Cross-country skiing - great exercise
By the time that we had reached
the plateau, we realized that we had dressed way too warmly, and shed our ski
hats with Edward donning a bandana against the wind, and Debra using a neck
warmer as a headband and pulling down the top of her ski-suit and tying it
around her waist as her heavy ski sweater was more than warm enough.

Cross-country dance - almost, but did not fall
We moved back to the parallel
tracks and were getting the hang of the sport when the terrain changed from
flat to a moderate, but steep for us, decline, and we left the tracks and made
our way to the center of the slope to ski, where alas we combined classic,
skate skiing where you shift your weight from one ski to another, and for good
measure added in a bit of downhill technique, forgetting that the heels of our
boots were not secured to our skis and had a few "whoops" moments along the
way, but somehow usually managing to maintain our balance and stay upright on
our skis, although Edward did take a fall, which he described as just taking a
rest in the middle of the slope.

Mid-slope rest stop
We continued learning the art
of cross-country skiing throughout the afternoon as it was fun, invigorating,
and great exercise, however, Debra, a downhill skier at heart, missed the ski
lifts. Edward enjoyed both, and we know that we will definitely be back out
cross-country skiing again.

Enjoying cross-country skiing and nature
For information on Explore! please visit the website: www.Tremblant.ca under Rentals and Lessons.
Explore!
1000 Chemin des Voyageurs
Mont-Tremblant, Québec, J8E 1T1
Canada
Telephone: +1-819-681-4684
Fax: +1-819-681-5947
Website: www.Tremblant.ca
Read other articles on Mont-Tremblant,
Canada in the Destinations,
Hotels
and Resorts, Restaurants,
Chefs'
Recipes (in English and in French), Spas,
and Adventures sections.
For information on Mont-Tremblant,
please visit the website: www.Tremblant.ca
For information on Porter Airlines, and where they fly, please visit the
website: www.FlyPorter.com.
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