Cross Country

by Laurie Wells — January 8, 2007

I live in a beautiful town nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, so you would think we spend the short days of the year buried in the snow of a winter wonderland. That's not usually the case. It does snow here on and off through the early winter months, but mostly it's just cold and sunny and dry, and we drive into the mountains for any serious winter sports. But this year has been an exception. In the past few weeks, we have enjoyed two huge blizzards, making the town a veritable playground for winter activities. Never one to let an opportunity pass me by, I couldn't wait to get out and enjoy the fruits of Old Man Winter.

A few weeks earlier, on a routine scavenge of a local used sporting-goods store, my husband and I had stumbled across a pair of used double-camber, edged skis with bindings that fit my telemark ski boots (that's all fancy ski talk for cross-country skis that have edges, making it easier for you to turn) for only $52. While considering this hefty investment, good fortune smiled on us again, and we found another pair for only $8. Granted, both sets of skis were long past prime condition, but with a little tuning, they might just work.

After a few hours in the garage, sharpening edges and removing rust, Jason declared our bargain-basement finds ready for a test run. Now we just needed snow. As luck would have it, an upslope storm dumped over three feet of the white flaky stuff on our hamlet, and we had the perfect conditions to try out our new gear.

We loaded up our 11-month-old son in his cross-country ski sled, which looks like something straight out of a James Bond movie (it has a thick tinted cover that allows the little guy to stay bundled and cozy while he glides over the drifts) and headed out. As we started off, my giddiness at the privilege of skiing right from our front door was slightly tainted by the guilt of enjoying the multiple feet of snow that I knew was stranding people far from their holiday destinations. But all worries soon left my mind as we entered the pristine snow of the park near our home.

Cross-country skiing is so different from downhill skiing because you go slow enough to enjoy the scenery around you, and you work hard enough to feel like you've earned the solitude that accompanies a trip out into the winter open spaces.Your arms get as much of a workout as your legs, and you feel empowered by the kinetic flow of energy. When you finally get into a rhythm of gliding, you feel almost weightless. As I listened to the cadence of the skis swooshing over the snow and feasted on the breathtaking view of the sparkling landscape, I once again felt spoiled to live in such an amazing place and deeply humbled by the wintry beauty of it all.