XC Ski (Lake Elmo) 1:05:00 [3]
shoes: Skate ski
w Chris
Good thing I went with a gentle expert; I pretty much forgot everything I learned last year. Like what? Well.....simple things like
do I use the short ski boots or tall ski boots for Skate?
(I did remember short skis, long poles)
Which one was called V1, which one V2?
How do I take my skis off?
as well as more complicated things, like
How do I balance?
How do I get the nerve to pick up my feet after speeding down a slope, when I get "foot paralysis" and would almost rather hit a tree than risk picking up a foot?
How far is too far to lean over before splatting on the ground.....
And.... really anything that has to do with good form.
Chris just set a good example, went along ahead and had fun, didn't go so fast I got discouraged nor did he let me wallow in my nerves. So within about 10 minutes I realized again that this is a fun sport, got some balance back. Chris answered questions, gave me some pointers... but not so much that I got confused and feeling like I was playing Twister while skiing. Just enough tips. My instructors last year liked to give me five things at once..... way more than I could handle.
We didn't go far or fast, hills weren't big up or down. But it takes twice as much effort to do anything when you use all your muscles all the time... which newbies seem to do at everything. So after an hour, I saw my steep learning curve start to head to a downwards slope and called it quits. More skiing to come for sure. It's good to have snow.