Terje Mathisen wrote
there is just _NO_ _WAY_ we [in Norway] can make
people pay for the privilege of skating on a somewhat
better trail than what they can do for free anywhere else.

That same argument could have been made about France not so many years ago.
What I heard was that Les Saisies was the first ski center in France to
start charging a fee for using their groomed XC trails. Nowadays my
experience is that virtually every reputable ski center in France now
charges some trail fee. The best charge significantly more, and for me that
extra is often worth paying.

Of course there are many discounts for local season passes and student "snow
days". And I'd guess that hotel guests at resort town can get a free pass to
ski on that town's trails -- so it might seem to some visitors like the
skiing is "free".

If by "no way", Terje means that most people in Norway just take
cross-country skiing for granted, and they do not care enough about it to be
willing to ever pay for it -- then I'll have to take his word on that. I
can recognize that cross-country skiers in France have a passion for the
"joie de glisse nordique". Perhaps that comes from feeling the need to
_justify_ why they're choosing to do cross-country over against the great
lift-served downhill and backcountry mountain touring which France offers -
(similar situation in Italy). Or perhaps that passion is enhanced by being
required to choose to _pay_ for it.

Anyway the price of the ski trail pass in continental Europe is often less
than the cost of _driving_ a car from the city up to the ski center and
back. So for an intelligent skier the choice is not between skiing with cost
versus skiing without cost. It's rather a choice of
* good skiing for the cost of fuel and wear-and-tear on car plus time for
driving plus trail fee.
.. . . versus . . .
* inferior skiing for the cost of fuel and wear-and-tear on car and time for
driving.

Ken, as you probably realize from your frequent visits to Scandinavia . .
.

Actually I have not made many visits to Norway or Sweden. And not any,
after I discovered the quality of the skiing in France (and recently Italy).

Ken
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Terje Mathisen wrote
Ken Roberts wrote:
Terje Mathisen wrote
I have noticed that several places here in Norway seems to have heard
the
plea: "More skating trails!"

Norway is another country that ought to send a delegation to the Antholz
(Anterselva) biathlon center with the question: How can we duplicate this
back home?

I notice that the better cross-country skiing centers in France are
starting
to charge more _money_ for a single-day ski pass. At least one is over 8
Euros -- I paid it and had a delightful skiing experience. Charge more
money
and _deliver_ a substantially better skiing experience (grooming + fun
trail
design) for truly serious skiers. And offer discounts to families and
school
groups who come for a snow day.

(Actually that's 8 Euros is substantially less than what some good XC ski
centers in the US charge for a single-day ski pass)

Ken, as you probably realize from your frequent visits to Scandinavia,
there is just _NO_ _WAY_ we can make people pay for the privilege of
skating on a somewhat better trail than what they can do for free
anywhere else.

Terje

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