Christy
Angel Diva
Because some of us have been discussing Nordic clothes and gear, I thought I'd post the trip report of my maiden solo voyage.
I had a classic Nordic lesson last year in Sun Valley (using rental gear), then spent time after skiing on my own, and it was marvelous. I think I fell once going down a small hill, but that was it. I felt like I learned the basics and was all set to to be on my own going forward. This past few days we went to Washington's Methow Valley (which has a huge Nordic trail system) and stayed at Sun Mountain Lodge, which has trails right out the door. I had bought my own set of skis (Rossi Evo XC60 Posigrip).
Methow Valley trail system info, if anyone is interested: https://www.methowtrails.org/
The first fun part was that I'd forgotten how to click into the bindings (or maybe these are different than the ones I used before? I had to pull up a video. You have to turn the toepiece 90 degrees to get in and out. Luckily I thought to do this in our hotel room.
I confidentially bypassed the beginner area and practice track and headed to the start of the main green trail, ready for a full day of effortless skiing. I put my skis on and almost immediately fell down. I remember last year thinking these skinny skis were slippery when I first put them on, but WHOA! Mine are so slippery (they had fresh wax too). I did not remember how to get up and meanwhile there is another woman that's been unable to get up since I arrived on the scene, and she's fighting with her husband while down on the ground, so I took my skis off, stood up, put them back on, looked at the down slope of the green trail, and turned around and headed back to the beginner area. So there I practice shuffling around on their flat tracks, herringbone-ing up the little practice hill, and going down the practice hill. I do the 1/4 mile practice loop and pronounce myself good to go though this is much trickier than I remember.
The green trail leading away from the lodge and out into the larger trail system, while indeed a gentle grade, doesn't have a flat bit anywhere. It's all downhill leaving the lodge area. I fall a number of times going down the hill. I realize I have no idea how to control my speed when in the track going down. I guess I'll be watching some videos on this! I practice being outside of the tracks and snowplowing. That seems to work okay.
Luckily I have a lot of company. There were other beginners falling as well. It was an interesting mix of people--I heard a lot of different languages and generally got the impression there were a lot of foreign born tech workers and their families trying out the sport on this holiday weekend. One young woman was crying. I also saw a blind skier, in the tracks, with his wife (presumably) close to his side outside the tracks. That was humbling.
I gradually got better though I probably fell 6 times (and not gracefully either. Once I landed on my stomach). I went in for lunch, thought about it, then decided to snowshoe in the afternoon. (My husband went to the small non-profit downhill area to ski). I think next time I go out I will have another lesson. I don't understand why it was so easy for me last time and so hard this time. Maybe the rental skis were easier to ski; maybe I just need instruction on slopes. The Sun Valley Nordic Center, in retrospect, is on a golf course, so really I just skied around a golf course last year (my instructor told me that locals would never ski there, they go on the larger trail system in the valley). The hills were tiny bumps, not sustained downhills. My SIL told me she has found different conditions make a huge difference so there's that too.
So maybe not the best start, but it was a gorgeous day and gorgeous scenery, and Sun Mountain Lodge was a wonderful getaway. Hopefully I will improve and will be back to conquer the rest of the green trails up here, at least.
Sunrise view from our room:
I had a classic Nordic lesson last year in Sun Valley (using rental gear), then spent time after skiing on my own, and it was marvelous. I think I fell once going down a small hill, but that was it. I felt like I learned the basics and was all set to to be on my own going forward. This past few days we went to Washington's Methow Valley (which has a huge Nordic trail system) and stayed at Sun Mountain Lodge, which has trails right out the door. I had bought my own set of skis (Rossi Evo XC60 Posigrip).
Methow Valley trail system info, if anyone is interested: https://www.methowtrails.org/
The first fun part was that I'd forgotten how to click into the bindings (or maybe these are different than the ones I used before? I had to pull up a video. You have to turn the toepiece 90 degrees to get in and out. Luckily I thought to do this in our hotel room.
I confidentially bypassed the beginner area and practice track and headed to the start of the main green trail, ready for a full day of effortless skiing. I put my skis on and almost immediately fell down. I remember last year thinking these skinny skis were slippery when I first put them on, but WHOA! Mine are so slippery (they had fresh wax too). I did not remember how to get up and meanwhile there is another woman that's been unable to get up since I arrived on the scene, and she's fighting with her husband while down on the ground, so I took my skis off, stood up, put them back on, looked at the down slope of the green trail, and turned around and headed back to the beginner area. So there I practice shuffling around on their flat tracks, herringbone-ing up the little practice hill, and going down the practice hill. I do the 1/4 mile practice loop and pronounce myself good to go though this is much trickier than I remember.
The green trail leading away from the lodge and out into the larger trail system, while indeed a gentle grade, doesn't have a flat bit anywhere. It's all downhill leaving the lodge area. I fall a number of times going down the hill. I realize I have no idea how to control my speed when in the track going down. I guess I'll be watching some videos on this! I practice being outside of the tracks and snowplowing. That seems to work okay.
Luckily I have a lot of company. There were other beginners falling as well. It was an interesting mix of people--I heard a lot of different languages and generally got the impression there were a lot of foreign born tech workers and their families trying out the sport on this holiday weekend. One young woman was crying. I also saw a blind skier, in the tracks, with his wife (presumably) close to his side outside the tracks. That was humbling.
I gradually got better though I probably fell 6 times (and not gracefully either. Once I landed on my stomach). I went in for lunch, thought about it, then decided to snowshoe in the afternoon. (My husband went to the small non-profit downhill area to ski). I think next time I go out I will have another lesson. I don't understand why it was so easy for me last time and so hard this time. Maybe the rental skis were easier to ski; maybe I just need instruction on slopes. The Sun Valley Nordic Center, in retrospect, is on a golf course, so really I just skied around a golf course last year (my instructor told me that locals would never ski there, they go on the larger trail system in the valley). The hills were tiny bumps, not sustained downhills. My SIL told me she has found different conditions make a huge difference so there's that too.
So maybe not the best start, but it was a gorgeous day and gorgeous scenery, and Sun Mountain Lodge was a wonderful getaway. Hopefully I will improve and will be back to conquer the rest of the green trails up here, at least.
Sunrise view from our room: