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I'm A Cross Country Skier! Well, Kind of...


There is about a foot of snow on the ground.  The daily forecast for the next week is in the single digits.  I could just stay inside and read or watch TV.  Or I could cross country ski in my free time. I pick the later!

On Friday, my sweet husband bought me my own cross country skis and boots, which we found for a pretty sweet deal at Play it Again Sports.  I was so excited to go out and try my skis for the first time on Saturday, but it was a little trickier than I thought it would be. Everything I have learned from ice skating, and everything I have trained my muscles to do on the ice had to be pushed aside. 

For example:
--You learn in skating to NOT skate with your toe picks.  This is like the biggest no-no.  But in touring cross country skis, you glide in a straight line and you DO push off with your toes.  At first I wasn't using my toes when I was skiing, and Marshall was like,"push with your toes!" and I would respond, "I can't!"  It was really funny!

--In skating, your blade is only slightly longer than your foot. So you can cross you feet whenever you want without getting tangled up.  Not so easy to cross your feet when you're wearing skis that are 180cm long! 


I fell down so many times, but I couldn't help but laugh each time.  I skied better today (Monday), but I fell over more than on Saturday.  I think that was because I was trying a little bit harder, which caused me to lose my balance a little more often.  We are so lucky to have Creamer's Field directly in our backyard, which allows me to go out and ski whenever I desire, without having to travel. 

So when the snow falls and temperatures get a little chilly, I will embrace it, grab my skis and scarf and mittens, and go into my backyard and enjoy beautiful Alaska! (And maybe when it gets colder than -20 degrees F will I choose to stay inside instead of going out).

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  1. MabelNovember 6, 2012 at 8:34 AM

    Oh that looks fun. I always wanted to try that and downhill skiing!

    --Liz

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike and Marisa ComptonNovember 8, 2012 at 11:51 AM

    LOL I love you two. I can just see the both of you out there trying to get you to ski. the "I can't!" conversation cracked me up. Miss you both!

    ReplyDelete

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