Why travel? (was If you could skate anywhere)

Cross-country skiing on groomed trails doesn't vary all that much across
regions (and countries?) -- assuming there's enough snow (and if you do
classic striding, assuming you know how to use klister). I mean the actual
skiing itself, not the kinds of trees alonside. In each major XC skiing
region, there are some hilly trails and some gentle trails, some interesting
trail networks and some boring trail networks.

Unlike backcountry ski touring on ungroomed snow off trails, where the
differences in snow and terrain make a big difference to the equipment and
techniques chosen (and to whether it's worth doing at all) -- because
there's no trail design and grooming to mitigate those differences. Like the
difference between backcountry ski touring in most of the northeastern U.S.
mountains versus most of the Rockies and Cascades and Sierra mountains in
the west is enormous. So travel really matters for backcountry skiing.
Similarly it matters for non-racer downhill skiers who enjoy skiing
ungroomed snow, for similar reasons -- which is why lots of avid Northeast
U.S. downhill skiers make an annual winter airline pilgrimage to the Western
U.S.

Pre-season travel to a place known to have reliable early snow makes sense
for serious XC skiers who don't live near early snow, especially racers who
can afford to pay for another edge against the competition. Like one year in
the first week of December I went to week-long race camp at Silver Star /
Sovereign Lakes BC, and had a great time there -- but now I'm not so
interested in racing.

But mid-season travel for XC seems like getting on an airplane to play
tennis. Tennis courts are not all that different from region to region. So
presumably traveling tennis players are looking for something else other
than tennis courts -- and I think makes sense for traveling XC skiers too:
some other goal of the trip other than different XC ski trails.

For me the "something else" is backcountry ski touring in steep mountains.
So for me the first question about all these "Top 10" lists of XC ski places
is "Does it have world-class backcountry mountain skiing close by". And
immediately two-thirds of any list just gets thrown away. I do most of my
western U.S. XC skiing around Salt Lake (but normally not at Soldier
Hollow) -- not because Salt Lake belongs on any Top 10 XC list, but because
of the world-class backcountry skiing (and world-class lift-served downhill)
there.

See a different culture and nationality is the "something else" that works
for many XC ski travelers. The western U.S. XC ski towns don't work for me
on that (except maybe Salt Lake City, in its unique way?) Like for me Bend
Oregon mostly seems like another copy of American suburbia. So for many XC
ski travelers the answer to "Why travel?" leads to:
Go to Europe.

Ken

Each to his own Ken. If I want to go backcountry I can just put on my skis
and head up the mountain behind my house. Why travel for that? If I want
to ski groomed trails I have to get in the car and travel for at least 20
minutes.

Scott

"Ken Roberts" wrote in message
...
Cross-country skiing on groomed trails doesn't vary all that much across
regions (and countries?) -- assuming there's enough snow (and if you do
classic striding, assuming you know how to use klister). I mean the actual
skiing itself, not the kinds of trees alonside. In each major XC skiing
region, there are some hilly trails and some gentle trails, some
interesting trail networks and some boring trail networks.

Unlike backcountry ski touring on ungroomed snow off trails, where the
differences in snow and terrain make a big difference to the equipment and
techniques chosen (and to whether it's worth doing at all) -- because
there's no trail design and grooming to mitigate those differences. Like
the difference between backcountry ski touring in most of the northeastern
U.S. mountains versus most of the Rockies and Cascades and Sierra
mountains in the west is enormous. So travel really matters for
backcountry skiing. Similarly it matters for non-racer downhill skiers who
enjoy skiing ungroomed snow, for similar reasons -- which is why lots of
avid Northeast U.S. downhill skiers make an annual winter airline
pilgrimage to the Western U.S.

Pre-season travel to a place known to have reliable early snow makes sense
for serious XC skiers who don't live near early snow, especially racers
who can afford to pay for another edge against the competition. Like one
year in the first week of December I went to week-long race camp at Silver
Star / Sovereign Lakes BC, and had a great time there -- but now I'm not
so interested in racing.

But mid-season travel for XC seems like getting on an airplane to play
tennis. Tennis courts are not all that different from region to region. So
presumably traveling tennis players are looking for something else other
than tennis courts -- and I think makes sense for traveling XC skiers too:
some other goal of the trip other than different XC ski trails.

For me the "something else" is backcountry ski touring in steep mountains.
So for me the first question about all these "Top 10" lists of XC ski
places is "Does it have world-class backcountry mountain skiing close by".
And immediately two-thirds of any list just gets thrown away. I do most of
my western U.S. XC skiing around Salt Lake (but normally not at Soldier
Hollow) -- not because Salt Lake belongs on any Top 10 XC list, but
because of the world-class backcountry skiing (and world-class lift-served
downhill) there.

See a different culture and nationality is the "something else" that works
for many XC ski travelers. The western U.S. XC ski towns don't work for me
on that (except maybe Salt Lake City, in its unique way?) Like for me Bend
Oregon mostly seems like another copy of American suburbia. So for many XC
ski travelers the answer to "Why travel?" leads to:
Go to Europe.

Ken

Scott Elliot wrote
If I want to go backcountry I can just put on my skis and head up the
mountain behind my house.

Publicly gloating about your choice of where to live?
OK Scott you're entitled to that.

I agree that lots of truly serious backcountry skiers have chosen a place to
live so that they do not need to get on an airplane to find what they love.

But I have skied with a significant number of backcountry and downhill
skiers who live in places with good opportunities, yet still also put
themselves and their skis on airplanes to enjoy different kinds of
backcountry and lift-served off-piste snow, and different mountain terrain.
And I know lots more of those kinds of skiers who get on airplanes than I do
groomed-track cross-country skiers.

Ken

P.S. But more and more of my backcountry ski partners are discovering the
joys of ski-skating.

Scott Elliot wrote:
Each to his own Ken. If I want to go backcountry I can just put on my skis
and head up the mountain behind my house. Why travel for that? If I want
to ski groomed trails I have to get in the car and travel for at least 20
minutes.

Scott

Yes, some enjoy skiing the same trails and the same loops day after day
and month after month.

Others like Ken (and myself) enjoy experiencing new places and meeting
new people. I can find wild snow a 30 or 40 minute drive from home and
groomed XC trails 2 hours away. However, skiing cold dry snow in the
Canadian Rockies, sking between Yellowstone geysers and a couple of
bison and trying pickled herrings and brown goat cheese for breakfast
before a 25 km ski to the next hut makes getting on a plane worthwhile.

Some of my friends into citizen races enjoy traveling to Masters World
Cup events or ASM series events. Check out AXCS events:
http://www.xcskiworld.com/axcs/events.htm
You might find a reason to travel somewhere to ski.

As you put it, to each his own.

Edgar

Ken Roberts wrote:
Cross-country skiing on groomed trails doesn't vary all that much across
regions (and countries?) -- assuming there's enough snow (and if you do
classic striding, assuming you know how to use klister). I mean the actual
skiing itself, not the kinds of trees alonside. In each major XC skiing
region, there are some hilly trails and some gentle trails, some interesting
trail networks and some boring trail networks.

Unlike backcountry ski touring on ungroomed snow off trails, where the
differences in snow and terrain make a big difference to the equipment and
techniques chosen (and to whether it's worth doing at all) -- because
there's no trail design and grooming to mitigate those differences. Like the
difference between backcountry ski touring in most of the northeastern U.S.
mountains versus most of the Rockies and Cascades and Sierra mountains in
the west is enormous. So travel really matters for backcountry skiing.
Similarly it matters for non-racer downhill skiers who enjoy skiing
ungroomed snow, for similar reasons -- which is why lots of avid Northeast
U.S. downhill skiers make an annual winter airline pilgrimage to the Western
U.S.

Pre-season travel to a place known to have reliable early snow makes sense
for serious XC skiers who don't live near early snow, especially racers who
can afford to pay for another edge against the competition. Like one year in
the first week of December I went to week-long race camp at Silver Star /
Sovereign Lakes BC, and had a great time there -- but now I'm not so
interested in racing.

But mid-season travel for XC seems like getting on an airplane to play
tennis. Tennis courts are not all that different from region to region. So
presumably traveling tennis players are looking for something else other
than tennis courts -- and I think makes sense for traveling XC skiers too:
some other goal of the trip other than different XC ski trails.

For me the "something else" is backcountry ski touring in steep mountains.
So for me the first question about all these "Top 10" lists of XC ski places
is "Does it have world-class backcountry mountain skiing close by". And
immediately two-thirds of any list just gets thrown away. I do most of my
western U.S. XC skiing around Salt Lake (but normally not at Soldier
Hollow) -- not because Salt Lake belongs on any Top 10 XC list, but because
of the world-class backcountry skiing (and world-class lift-served downhill)
there.

See a different culture and nationality is the "something else" that works
for many XC ski travelers. The western U.S. XC ski towns don't work for me
on that (except maybe Salt Lake City, in its unique way?) Like for me Bend
Oregon mostly seems like another copy of American suburbia. So for many XC
ski travelers the answer to "Why travel?" leads to:
Go to Europe.

Ken



why travel? I posted the original, original question, so I'll tell you
some of our reasons.

1- I live in Wash. DC, so I usually have to travel to ski, it's just a
question of how far.
2- it's fun to see new places
3- I am going with other people: one lives in seattle, WA, and another
lives in NYC, so we have to travel just to meet up.
4- An excuse to go off with the guys and leave the family at home.
5- Some of the guys may want to do some telemark or alpine skiing and
the telemark options inside the Beltway are very limited.
6- being able to plan a trip in advance to a place with reliable snow is
a big plus (unlike, for example, west virginia, or new jersey)- even
in-season.

-marc

Sounds like you've got way more than enough reasons to travel, Marc.

Marc wrote
1- I live in Wash. DC, so I usually have to travel to ski, it's just a
question of how far.

I think very few people who live so far from reliable snow have
cross-country skiing as their main kind of snow-gliding sport.

So in my "original post" about "Why travel?", I was thinking mainly about
cross-country skiers who already live within reasonable weekend-driving
range of some reasonably good cross-country skiing.

2- it's fun to see new places
3- I am going with other people: one lives in seattle, WA, and another
lives in NYC, so we have to travel just to meet up.
4- An excuse to go off with the guys and leave the family at home.
5- Some of the guys may want to do some telemark or alpine skiing and the
telemark options inside the Beltway are very limited.
6- being able to plan a trip in advance to a place with reliable snow is a
big plus (unlike, for example, west virginia, or new jersey)- even
in-season.

Ken Roberts wrote:
Sounds like you've got way more than enough reasons to travel, Marc.

Marc wrote

1- I live in Wash. DC, so I usually have to travel to ski, it's just a
question of how far.


I think very few people who live so far from reliable snow have
cross-country skiing as their main kind of snow-gliding sport.

So in my "original post" about "Why travel?", I was thinking mainly about
cross-country skiers who already live within reasonable weekend-driving
range of some reasonably good cross-country skiing.

yeah- it's far from optimal.

but I still love to do it when I can. I do live within reasonable
weekend driving of reasonably good XC skiing, though- Whitegrass, WV (4
hrs away, average 150" per year snowfall). if I didn't have a wife and
kids it would be easier to head out there more frequently. but as it
stands- skiing some is better than not at all.

I do sort of wish I lived somewhere where I could ski regularly.

marc