“I like cross country skiing”, my husband, Brian whispered to me while we were sitting in the living room - which is good, seeing as how we are going to Mont Ste Anne this weekend with friends.
He was whispering because he was admitting I was right, when I kept telling him that he would like it. I already knew he did because he was skiing on his own, working on technique and going on the occasional ski trip with me, plus, he is a natural athlete and had a short learning curve. How could he not?
He says I am not aware of the getting used to it (working hard) part, since I started skiing early; everything feels easier when you’re a kid. My love for Nordic skiing is ingrained. My parents had my sister, Jen and me on skis pretty much shortly after we could walk. We went through the BKL in western Vermont (traveling out of town to do so) and then raced through High School. The towns we lived in, first in VT and then NH were more alpine proponents than cross country and didn’t really have youth nordic programs, and we didn’t alpine. So, our friends didn’t quite get it. Of course, the picture they had in their head was shuffling through a flat wind blown field, so yeah, that’s not much fun. That's not what we did, we skied the groomed ups and downs of Putney and Mountain Top, then Storrs Pond/Oak Hill. After college I moved to the Mt. Washington Valley, and was kind of floored with its’ 6(!) nordic areas, and the nordic programs in the schools. I started meeting a large number of people who… got it.
I get excited when people discover cross country for what we, dear blog reader, already know it is; so much freakin’ fun! Not to mention healthy, I feel great after a ski. Brian is a practical guy, he sees it as something we can do well into our later years…I hadn’t really thought about it that way. My sister and brother-in-law are thinking about getting skis for the atv/snowmobile trails behind their house on the coast of Maine and I am giddy giving them equipment recommendations. I want other people to love the sport as much as I do, and skiing with people who get it, makes it that much better!
-Amy
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There are lots of things we do that others "don't get". My husband and I both share a love of cross country skiing and just skiied at Great Glen for the first time Dec. 29, 30 & 31st. We have been going to Vermont (skiing at Trapp Family Lodge) since Christmas season of 1995/96. We liked it so much that we added a second trip in February of each year if conditions permit. We are very disappointed when conditions are not what we would like during our short "window of opportunity" such as this past season. We left Vermont in despair on Monday the 29th as the fields there were bare. It didn't look like there was much snow forcast for the next few days. As we were driving through Gorham, NH we noticed that there seemed to be quite a bit of snow and decided to drive up Route 16 to see how far away the Great Glen Trails were - not very far as we discovered. We had to be shuttled across the road that first day but after getting a bit more snow the next day everything was fine. We were really pleased with our experience, from the trails, the lodge staff and the staff at the Royalty Inn where we stayed. It is nice to know we have an alternative when we need one.
ReplyDeleteWe also have talked about doing more skiing when we retire- I am 55 and my husband is 56. This sounds great - I just hope our health is good enough to be able to do so. I am always encouraged when I see people who are our age or older out on the trails.
Even though we don't have any friends at this time who could keep up to us on the trails (either not in shape or don't have the interest), it is great to have a partner who enjoys the sport as well and keep you moving at times when you think you've had enough!
Happy skiing from a couple from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Nice post Amy! I am with you, I love that Ryan and I can ski and hike and run together. It makes those activities and all our experiences out in the woods so much better, as we can enjoy them with someone who "gets it" too! And it means we don't sit on the couch very often, because one of us is usually motivated to get out the door :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Amy!!! I was lucky enough to start cross country skiing when I met Carl. We both "got it" at the same time, and it became a real passion. One of my best memories is skiing the Howard Eaton trail to Lone Star Geyser in Yellowstone with Carl. He loved that trail so much we would ski it every day we were there, no matter how far we had gone on other trails. No one else on the trail . . .unless you count the bison we woke up. . .we would ski circles around Lone Star, waiting for it to do its thing. It isn't on a regular schedule like the more popular Old Faithful, but what a show it puts on way up on the hill above the lodge, especially in the winter. Better than fireworks!!!
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