Usually in cases like this I like to do research, or take lessons, or you know go with someone who knows what they are doing. Well it turns out this is not how Eric does things. We literally stormed out of work, went to REI and rented ourselves some classic style skies, whatever that means. We went with classic because that is was the guy the day before recommended to us. We gathered up our skis and drove to Kincaid Park.
Now before I post any photos I have to say this. It is fun, but also very challenging to rent any sort of equipment and test it out the moment you want to use it. Meaning, we didn't look at the skies or boots until we were on the trail ready to use them. That makes things that are normally easy, very difficult. It took me about 40 minutes to get the bloody skis on! For anyone that has cross country skied before they know...this is very simple. They just snap on...little did I know that was the case. I kept pressing the release button to put the buggers on! After 40 minutes they magically were on my feet and we began or adventure.
At first thought, not so bad. It is very intuitive and easy to do...on second thought however, hills suck! Both up and down ended with me on my ass and very sore. And what is with those damn grooves? Everytime I would go downhill one ski would end up in one, I would cross legs (not a good feeling) and end up on my shoulder! The pain usually ended with me laughing, but still....damn. But being as I was on this adventure with Eric, we kept pressing on, ending up on intermediate trails and going down steeper and larger hills.
As you can see I was smiling by the end on the night. It was fun to get out and do something different and I did feel like a kid again playing in the snow. Sadly, all my pictures are dark and hard to see due to the whole out late and having a camera without a flash. However, this will not be my last post about our Anchorage adventures in December and cross country skiing. We got out 2 more times before we left Anchorage and I want to post about those (including an incident that involved crushing a perfectly good apple!). Also, I purchased some really kick-ass swag while I was in ANC and will be attempting my first few gear reviews....Happy Trails!
I love x-country skiing but it is definitely a workout! I think going downhill in those suckers is the toughest though because they don't really have any edges and stopping is...well...really hard!! Glad you had such a great time :)
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to try cross country skiing. It sounds fun! The only drawback is I hate the cold. I guess I would just have to get the right gear. At least now I know how to get the skis/boots on:)
ReplyDeleteI would recommend gearing up well, but not too much or you over heat! Oh and I wouldn't recommend tights if you are starting out, not comfy for falling!
ReplyDeleteI have only cross-country skied once....I remember it being a SEVERE workout and hating every second of it....I think now (in my old age haha) I'd like it a lot more.
ReplyDeleteSounds awesome! I have always wanted to try it! Glad you had fun!!
ReplyDeleteI must be out of touch, because I didn't know who Fat Bastard is. I had to Google him. LOL! Thanks for helping me keep in the loop...and I'm gonna find that mojo!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI used to do cross country skiing as a girl and I loved it! I haven't done it in years though. Looking forward to reading more of your blog!
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun! I think I would enjoy this much more than downhill skiing.
ReplyDeleteOh I love cross country skiing. I rented a pair from my gym for like $5 last winter when it snowed.
ReplyDeletecross country skiing is HARD!!! i prefer downhill, less work.
ReplyDeleteI've never gone cross country skiing before, but I'm doing a "new to you" cross-training challenge and I want to try it as one of my new activities! (If we ever get snow in Western New York).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment on my blog! I posted a response but in case you don't see it, here's basically what I said. We didn't swim the entire distance at the same time, but we could have if we wanted to. We broke it up a little bit, but the overall time was including our short rest breaks between the sets.