In the News

Cross-country Skiing Can be Easy on the Environment and on You
date posted: February 10 2004

By John Cobourn, Water Resource Specialist,
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; and
Michael Hogan, Owner, Integrated Environmental

While many people might think first of alpine or downhill skiing when they think about winter recreation, cross-country skiing has been around longer and is still extremely popular. Long before ski lifts were invented in the 20th century, people used skis as a mode of recreation and transportation in areas with snowy winters. Today, groomed cross-country or “Nordic” ski resorts are almost as numerous as downhill ski resorts.

While there are different types of cross-country skiing, the basic definition generally includes the concept of moving by ones own power over the countryside, both up and down hills, using relatively lightweight skis that make walking easy. Equipment generally allows for an attachment of the boot at the toe only, so the heel lifts freely. Because the boot is not completely locked down on the ski, and skiers usually don’t ski so fast, serious leg injuries are less common among cross-country skiers than among downhill skiers.

Cross-country ski resorts can usually be established with less environmental impacts than new alpine resorts. Because the sport is “muscle-powered,” mountainside habitat does not need to be disturbed by trail clearing, ski lift excavation and construction. If vigorous vegetation is not re-established in cleared areas, bare soil can create the potential for severe soil erosion, leading to sedimentation of streams and lakes. In addition, ski lifts and snow-making require machinery and pumps that consume fossil fuel-based energy and result in adverse air quality impacts.

Cross-country resorts often use existing roads that during the summer might be trafficked by motorized vehicles of all types, runners, hikers, mountain bikers, and others. Research has shown that dirt roads often contribute a great deal of the erosion in a watershed. So, while cross-country skiing is usually much less resource-intensive, it is just as important to be vigilant about protecting water quality from these roads as it is on any downhill trail.

One of the appeals of cross-country skiing is the lack of the noise, crowds, and mechanization found at most alpine resorts. The more one practices, the farther out into the wild one can travel. There is a meditative quality about gliding over the snow, through the forest, on a smooth, sinuous ski trail. For many cross-country skiers, there is an added pleasure of being out in the mountains in real winter weather. For some, even snowstorms become a thrill, as they navigate through the wind and blowing snow under their own power. Though challenging, this kind of experience can also be safe at cross-country ski areas, which are patrolled and free of avalanche danger. If you go off the trails into the backcountry, make sure someone knows where you are headed and when you are supposed to return. Thoreau joked about this kind of recreation at Walden Pond, calling himself a “self-appointed inspector of snowstorms.”

Cross-country skiing is great exercise, but it is not necessarily difficult or demanding. Beginners starting out on a level, groomed trail find it easy to learn the basics in a couple of hours. Skis with a “fish scale” pattern on the bottom allow traction for walking up hills and gliding down. Right away, the beginner can get out in the woods and enjoy the peace and quiet.

For people who enjoy aerobic exercise, cross-country skiing provides unbeatable workout possibilities coupled with the excitement of speed and maneuverability over the snow. As skiers progress in skill, they can learn two different techniques—the classical or “kick and glide” technique and skating. Both require patience and practice to master, but they are so much fun that many people are enchanted with the challenge. To glide swiftly over flat trails and even up hills is exhilarating. And, after reaching the top of a mountain under ones own power, the downhills are especially rewarding.

Advanced skiers can enjoy high tech gear for different types of skiing. Skaters and classical technique skiers can buy extremely lightweight skis and poles designed for ski racing. Skiers who like to ski off-trail in the backcountry choose sturdier equipment. Ski mountaineers sometimes fasten climbing skins to the ski bottoms for climbing a peak and then remove the skins for the joy of telemark skiing back down.

There are ski races almost every week of the winter for cross-country enthusiasts. Two of the most popular are the Great Ski Race in early March, a fundraiser for the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team, and the Echo to Kirkwood Race later in March, a fundraiser for the Eldorado Nordic Search and Rescue Team.

If you would like to learn about cross-country ski resorts throughout the Sierra, go to the bottom of the home page of www.farwestnordic.org, click on “Contacts and Links,” and then click on “Resorts.”

Watch for “The Lake Tahoe Report” on KOLO-TV News Channel 8 Tuesdays at 5 p.m. to learn more. “The Lake Tahoe Report” is a collaborative effort of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, UC Davis and the USDA Forest Service. For more information, contact Heather Segale, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 832-4138, or logon to www.lteec.org or www.unce.unr.edu.