Home |
| Back Issues |
| Message Boards |
| Calendar of Events |
| Race Results |
| Current Weather |
Advertise |
| Free Issue |
| Subscribe |
| Distributors |
| About Us |
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
Improving Your Classical & Skating Technique
By John
Borel & Julie Stanistreet
Cross country skiing,
whether it is classical or skating, on groomed trails or in the woods,
is a lot like floating. It is great exercise for your body and mind, and
the feeling that accompanies those smooth, balanced glides is hard to
match with any other activity. If you work on improving your skills, your
enjoyment of the sport will increase exponentially!
 |
| Alec Davis demonstrates good classical cross-country ski technique. Source: Lapland Lake |
Classical Skiing
As an intermediate
cross-country skier, you would like to improve your general performance
and break some bad habits in the classic or diagonal stride techniques.
You can achieve that goal with a bit of self-examination, observing other
good skiers, practicing some skills, and increasing your mileage on the
trails. As far as destinations, any ski trail works but a groomed trail
at a cross-country ski area offers optimum conditions.
Here are two common
problems that classical skiers encounter and some solutions that can be
implemented to overcome them.
The first problem
is improperly using your ski poles. This happens when the skier grips
the poles improperly, or holds them high and to the side, or in front
for balance.
The basics:
The hand fits up through the strap loop, then down on top of the strap,
gripping the pole only lightly with thumb and forefinger. The pole is
used for propelling yourself forward, and your arms should swing from
the shoulder (not elbow). Try skiing without poles to practice the correct
motion.
For single-stride poling: Swing a leg and the opposite arm in a cross-lateral
relationship just as in walking or running. Keep the hands low and the
poles angled back, with the baskets planted well behind the feet. The
arms should move parallel to and in the direction of travel. The body
takes an athletic position: a relaxed position with your center of mass
(hips) positioned over the supporting foot.
For double-poling
motion: Swing arms from the shoulders to propel yourself forward down
the track. Practicing this motion is an excellent way to experience gliding
and balancing on both skis, also useful in uneven terrain. The movement
begins with a falling forward motion from the ankles, the center of body
mass moves forward while both arms are swung forward simultaneously with
the poles and planted in front or even with the feet. Most of the power
is generated by the weight of your upper body compressing downward and
pushing back on the ski poles. The movement ends with a natural follow-through
of the arms and shoulders. Hands should pass the legs below the knees.
Gliding is also
very important. Focus on getting a longer glide by getting over the
ski better. Practice with long, slow glides before shifting to the other
ski. If you are balanced on your ski, notice where your hip is. As in
all types of skiing, your hip needs to be over your foot, and your center
of gravity goes with it to maintain a long glide.
 |
| Julie Stanistreet displays proper downhill wedge positioning. Source: Garnet Hill |
The second problem
is poor speed control when skiing downhill. The skier stiffens, holds
hands and poles up in front of chest, may pull elbows up and out in an
imitation snowplow, hoping that the legs will follow.
The basics:
Practice straight runs down small hills to refine the basic body position
as you work to become more confident with speed. Keep your skis hip width
apart for stability. Distribute your weight evenly on the foot, with the
body aligned and centered over the skis. You might liken the position
to riding a bicycle, with ankles, knees and hips flexed in an athletic
position, and arms and hands in a relaxed position in front of the waist.
Don't bend forward; this changes your center so it is not over your feet.
Experiment with different body positions until you find that centered
"sweet spot" over your skis.
Moving into a
wedge or snowplow position. As you move into a wedge, keep the same
basic body position. If you maintain your center mass over your feet,
with flexed legs and your back straight, you will be able to keep the
pressure on your skis to maintain the wedge position down any slope. With
your skis in a wedge position, roll your knees inward to edge your skis—don't
roll your ankles. If your wedge isn't working to slow you down, chances
are you need to move your knees in and get those skis on the inside edge
more. If your skis cross, it's probably because you have let up on your
heel pressure—make sure you are not leaning forward.
Experiment with different degrees of edging and pressure until the skis
are under YOUR control. Sinking your upper body gives you a wider wedge
and more braking power; standing taller will cause your skis to come out
of the wedge.
If you have a solid wedge, turning the skis comes easy. There are three
elements involved in turning: pressure, edging, and foot rotation. Increase
the pressure and edging on the outside ski, and add some actual steering
of that foot, and you'll get around those turns. If you aren't turning
well, one or more of these three things isn't happening, and you need
to work with them. Once again, the centered position is very important!
 |
| Julie Stanistreet using proper skate cross-country skiing technique. Source: Garnet Hill |
Skate Skiing
So, you've
been skate skiing a while. You decided it looked so easy and graceful,
and you've been diligently working at it for a year, maybe two—or
maybe you just took it up this year. You're getting the hang of it, and
you feel like a pro when you are skating on flat terrain or on slight
downhills. But what goes down must come up! It looks so easy when you
see those experts flying by as you slog uphill, trying to muscle your
way up, wishing you had your classical skis on—just for this one
hill!
This is a common
scenario for the intermediate skate skier. What it comes down to is what
you learned in your very first skate ski lesson. What? You didn't take
one? That could be half the problem right there. There are some fundamental
skills involved that can make or break you. Skate skiing can get rather
complex; you've got balance, weight transfer, balance, body position,
pushoff, balance, poling, timing of poling, balance, timing of pushoff,
and did I say balance? That's a lot to think about all at once.
A ski lesson can
be extremely helpful to isolate your specific problems and identify solutions.
First off, get
rid of the poles. If you want to improve your skating, humble yourself
and go back to the basics. Make sure you commit 100% of your weight onto
your gliding ski. How do you know if you are? If you can get on that ski
and stay on it until the ski stops, then you are committed. If you fall
back onto that other ski, you're not. There are no cutting corners with
skating; it's unforgiving.
Practice gliding.
A great drill is to take a nice wide, flat skating lane, and practice
long, slow glides all the way across the lane before shifting to the other
ski. Don't shift to that other ski until you are ready to make the shift.
If you are balanced on your ski, notice where your hip is. As in all types
of skiing, your hip needs to be over your foot, and your center of gravity
goes with it. If it's not, there's no way you're going to be able to maintain
a long glide. When going downhill, improve your dynamic balance by skiing
on one ski as much as you can.
It's all in the
hips! What do those long, balanced glides have to do with bogging
down on the hills? Everything, it's all in the hips. If your hip is over
the gliding ski (i.e. you're not straddling the skis), you're going to
be pushing off on a completely weighted ski. That translates into strong
pushoffs and skis that keep gliding up the hill. Conversely, strong pushoffs
translate to better weight transfer and hips over the ski. It's no fair
trying to make it up with just your arm muscles. Practice with no poles,
going up small hills until you get it right. Ski without poles regularly
to fine-tune your technique.
What about the
poles? Common problems with poling are lifting the arms too high and
too wide, both of which cause you to lose efficiency, and you know that
efficiency matters in skating. I'm not going to go into details about
the V-1 skate, V-2 skate, V-2 alternate, etc. You can learn those by watching
the videos or taking a lesson. But as an intermediate skater, you should
know the diagonal skate and the V-1, and be starting to play with the
other maneuvers as well as transitions. Also work on skate turns; it's
an excellent way to improve balance.
Skating is about
all this and a whole lot more, and in my mind, it's the next best thing
to flying. Don't get frustrated and give up; rather, get some help and
practice, practice, and you, too, can look like a pro!
When all is said
and done, the essence of skiing is that it's a fun way to enjoy the outdoors.
The better you can ski, the more fun you will have. Be sure to savor the
unique relationship between you, your skis, and the snow. Finally, learn
from observing good skiers, ski faster to expose your weaknesses, and
visualize yourself moving forward effortlessly!
John
Borel lives in Saratoga Springs and is a ski instructor at Lapland Lake
Cross Country Ski Center in Northville. He avidly enjoys cross country
skiing, bicycling, hiking, running, and canoeing.
Julie
Stanistreet lives in North River and is the ski school director at Garnet
Hill XC Ski Center in North River. She is a whitewater guide in the summer,
and enjoys kayaking, mountain biking, and sharing the outdoors with her
three children.
©2000-2003 Adirondack Sports & Fitness. All rights reserved.