Compared to the speed and exhilaration of downhill skiing, I used to think cross-country was a touch boring but I've changed my tune. In this stay-at-home year of Covid I've gotten a taste for the sport. In fact I love it!
When you get in a groove with those light-weight skinny skis and boots as comfortable as old slippers, the rythmical swinging of arms and striding of legs feels like a smooth-running machine. They say it's a perfect workout, your body's in motion from top to bottom.
When the sky is blue and the frost is sitting on the trees, in our town it's only a 5-minute drive from your couch to forgetting all the bad news of the day.
Swift Current city employees are grooming trails on our Chinook Golf Course and setting the tracks that keep your feet in line like two happy little bobsleds. On a perfect day the sun makes a thin glaze on the tracks and you can glide along to your heart's content.
After our enormous snowfall last November we didn't wait for trails to be groomed, we just plowed through the snow in our neighborhood park and skied in the streets. Makes you feel like a kid!
Prairie light is at it's golden best in the late-afternoon and there's time for a little shadow-skiing before we head home for happy hour.
No wonder the sports stores are sold out of equipment. Cross-country skiing fits the contours of the prairies and there's no need to shell out $120 for a lift ticket.
I have to mention there is the possibility of trips and slips, but the falls are usually small and uneventful. We've had a few but nothing that kept us down. But be forewarned.
There's no age limit so it's never too late to start. Marie is a spry 96 here!
So if you can beg, borrow, or buy some skis, you might want to pack your thermos of tea and join us at Chinook.
