If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
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. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
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. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
exploiting the head loop in V1 skate | Ken Roberts | Nordic Skiing | 1 | December 29th 03 12:59 PM |
what I got from the New Skate | Ken Roberts | Nordic Skiing | 15 | December 27th 03 08:28 PM |
New Borowski Skate Tape out | Gene Goldenfeld | Nordic Skiing | 1 | December 24th 03 03:26 AM |
what was 'the New Skate' ? | Ken Roberts | Nordic Skiing | 21 | December 18th 03 02:33 PM |
taking skate skis very high | Ken Roberts | Nordic Skiing | 5 | September 8th 03 10:36 PM |