Tuesday, November 28, 2006
The Low Down on Cross-Country Skiing (the perfect complimentary activity for Nordic Walkers)
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Following my recent announcement of the planned Nordic Walking News "Cross Country Skiing holiday / vacation" (beginners through expert skiers) to Norway in February 2007, I have received a number of enquiries from people asking for more information about Cross-Country Skiing.
Note: Some people have asked me why I have started to promote 'cross-country skiing' on a 'Nordic Walking' website? The answer is that although until recently my own focus has been Nordic Walking, the fact of the matter is that Nordic Walking is just 'one' discipline under the bigger 'umbrella' of 'Nordic Fitness'. Nordic Fitness includes: Nordic Blading ('inline' skating with poles), Nordic Hill Walking (or Nordic Off-Road Walking), Snowshoeing (with poles), Nordic Winter Walking and last but not least 'Nordic Skiing' (Cross-country skiing or XC-Skiing)...
Of course it should also be mentioned that Nordic Walking and XC-skiing go hand in hand as the perfect combination of complimentary activities. The activity of Fitness Walking with Poles (Nordic Walking) started out as an activity practiced by cross-country skiers during the snow free seasons many moons ago.
For sometime now I have been liasing with fellow INWA Nordic Walking Instructor Stuart Montgomery who is a Director of XCuk Ltd, a company that specializes in XC-Skiing holiday / vacation to Norway. As a result I have now chosen Stuart's company to provide our XC-Skiing holday / vaction for this coming February.
Full details and online booking form are available at:
http://www.nordicfitnessonline.com/blue/nordicskiing/nordicskiing.htm
Beyond the holiday / vacation, both Stuart and myself are convinced that there is huge potential for 'cross-over' between Nordic Walking (one of the fastest growing sports in the world at this time) and XC-Skiing (an Olympic Sport). Hence why I am keen to promote both activities (as well as the other Nordic Fitness disciplines of course) on this website.
Here's the article:
What is Cross Country Skiing?
Cross Country Skiing (aka Nordic Skiing or XC Skiing) is, in the opinion of many exercise physiologists and researchers, the world's best aerobic fitness activity. The sport involves simultaneous use of arms and legs utilizing ski equipment including boots, poles, and skis.
The primary functional difference between Cross Country Skiing (XC) and alpine (downhill) skiing is that in XC skiing, the skier is attached to the ski only with the toe of the boot--with the heel "free". In alpine skiing, the entire foot is attached to the ski. The free heel allows a XC skier to climb, descend and traverse terrain making the sport a truly "cross country" activity. In alpine skiing and snowboarding, the participant is limited to the range of downhill slope.
With origins in Scandinavia 4000-4500 years ago, Cross Country Skiing has come a long way from being the sole method of transportation for snow and ice-bound Northerners. You can Cross Country Ski on every continent on Earth and in many island nations at Cross Country Ski Centers featuring prepared tracks as well as off-track in parks, woods, mountains--just about anywhere! Competition in Cross Country Skiing spans the globe with a third of all the Winter Olympic medals being awarded in Cross Country Skiing and the other Nordic sports.
To read the rest of this article please go to:
http://www.xcskiworld.com/beginners.htm
Following my recent announcement of the planned Nordic Walking News "Cross Country Skiing holiday / vacation" (beginners through expert skiers) to Norway in February 2007, I have received a number of enquiries from people asking for more information about Cross-Country Skiing.
Note: Some people have asked me why I have started to promote 'cross-country skiing' on a 'Nordic Walking' website? The answer is that although until recently my own focus has been Nordic Walking, the fact of the matter is that Nordic Walking is just 'one' discipline under the bigger 'umbrella' of 'Nordic Fitness'. Nordic Fitness includes: Nordic Blading ('inline' skating with poles), Nordic Hill Walking (or Nordic Off-Road Walking), Snowshoeing (with poles), Nordic Winter Walking and last but not least 'Nordic Skiing' (Cross-country skiing or XC-Skiing)...
Of course it should also be mentioned that Nordic Walking and XC-skiing go hand in hand as the perfect combination of complimentary activities. The activity of Fitness Walking with Poles (Nordic Walking) started out as an activity practiced by cross-country skiers during the snow free seasons many moons ago.
For sometime now I have been liasing with fellow INWA Nordic Walking Instructor Stuart Montgomery who is a Director of XCuk Ltd, a company that specializes in XC-Skiing holiday / vacation to Norway. As a result I have now chosen Stuart's company to provide our XC-Skiing holday / vaction for this coming February.
Full details and online booking form are available at:
http://www.nordicfitnessonline.com/blue/nordicskiing/nordicskiing.htm
Beyond the holiday / vacation, both Stuart and myself are convinced that there is huge potential for 'cross-over' between Nordic Walking (one of the fastest growing sports in the world at this time) and XC-Skiing (an Olympic Sport). Hence why I am keen to promote both activities (as well as the other Nordic Fitness disciplines of course) on this website.
Here's the article:
What is Cross Country Skiing?
Cross Country Skiing (aka Nordic Skiing or XC Skiing) is, in the opinion of many exercise physiologists and researchers, the world's best aerobic fitness activity. The sport involves simultaneous use of arms and legs utilizing ski equipment including boots, poles, and skis.
The primary functional difference between Cross Country Skiing (XC) and alpine (downhill) skiing is that in XC skiing, the skier is attached to the ski only with the toe of the boot--with the heel "free". In alpine skiing, the entire foot is attached to the ski. The free heel allows a XC skier to climb, descend and traverse terrain making the sport a truly "cross country" activity. In alpine skiing and snowboarding, the participant is limited to the range of downhill slope.
With origins in Scandinavia 4000-4500 years ago, Cross Country Skiing has come a long way from being the sole method of transportation for snow and ice-bound Northerners. You can Cross Country Ski on every continent on Earth and in many island nations at Cross Country Ski Centers featuring prepared tracks as well as off-track in parks, woods, mountains--just about anywhere! Competition in Cross Country Skiing spans the globe with a third of all the Winter Olympic medals being awarded in Cross Country Skiing and the other Nordic sports.
To read the rest of this article please go to:
http://www.xcskiworld.com/beginners.htm
