December 2008
The Fine Art of Skiing
Once a year, Cross Country Skier becomes your best source for art -- all sorts of fine art related to our favorite sport. Never before have we presented such a diverse collection of media and styles: oils, woodblock prints, fabric and fresco ... Read more >
Hidden Gem: Sylvania Wilderness Area
Sylvania Wilderness in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula is one of those places that keeps calling me back. Just about every year, I say to my wife and skiing buddies that, this winter, "we have to get back to Sylvania." Fortunately, last March we were able to answer that call.
Sylvania is not a high-profile destination area, nor is it even a sophisticated, well-appointed Nordic center. In its 18,000 acres there aren't even ... Read more >
Not even the best skiers can climb every hill with the diagonal stride. The alternatives, the herringbone and the side step, appear to be simple techniques, but, in fact, many skiers struggle to use them effectively.
The 28-year-old, originally from Vermontville, New York, ranks among the best Nordic combined athletes to ever compete for the United States. Yet his sport, which combines ski jumping and cross country racing, barely makes it on the radar screen of American athletics. 
It was Christmas in Calgary in 1972. I was seven years old. Christmas in our household was usually anticlimactic. Lots of hype and hard work with little delivery. Harsh but true. My mother was brilliant in preparing ice-cream-bucket-loads of treats and goodies for us to eat. This was perhaps her language of love, though I did not understand it at the time. She was too busy trying to be the perfect mom. For me.
In this Directory are members of the Cross Country Ski Areas Association. Whether it's called a cross country ski area, an outdoor center, an adventure center, a nordic center, a ski resort or a touring center; these places specialize in winter fun and invite you to their trails for the best cross country skiing and snowshoeing. .... 
Incorporating intensity into your training is a great way to improve your skiing. Ski training is based on the theory of stress and recovery. Intensity training stresses your body and breaks down your muscles, and recovery helps build your body back stronger than before. Knowing how to incorporate intensity into your training will help you use your training time more efficiently.
Skating is sexy, skating is fast and skating is easy! Endless articles on what to do and how to do it make it seem complicated, but it needn’t be. Skating is easy and fun when you follow these three steps: prepare, move over and extend. Let me explain.