Getting Started

Roller Skiing: Training for Cross-Country Ski Season

by Dick Carlson

Hey, What’s That Guy Doing? His arms are flailing. His legs are swinging side to side. Poles? It looks like he’s cross-country skiing! He is — it’s roller skiing! While it is hard to duplicate the feel and the glide of skis across different types of snow, roller skiing comes pretty close to duplicating the mechanics of cross-country skiing without snow. It is generally done on paved surfaces or hard pack dirt roads and most of the equipment of cross-country skiing is the same, poles, bindings and boots. The skis however are very different — without snow, wheels provide the glide, and a ratchet on one wheel provides the “grip.”

Who Should and Shouldn’t? Roller skiing is not your “everyone can do it” type of sport like cycling, running or boating. As with skiing on real snow, roller skiing is a balance sport and aerobic exercise. It very nearly simulates the action of cross-country skiing on real snow. So, if you’re new to the sport of cross-country skiing on snow, you might want to get your ski legs so to speak (on real snow) first, before you begin roller skiing. This “snow” is pretty hard! However, any cross-country skier with some experience who is past the repeated fall down stage can benefit from roller skiing in the off-season.

The Benefits of Roller Skiing: From the body’s perspective, roller skiing is cross-country skiing! Muscles, nerves, balance sensors, breathing, brain, hand and eye coordination all respond to the demands of roller skiing much the same as skiing on snow. Cross-country skiing and roller skiing both burn calories faster than any other sporting activity.

Equipment Choices: Roller skis come in two basic types — the hard small elastomer or urethane wheel types and the larger rubber pneumatic tire types. In addition, like cross-country skis for skiing on snow — skiers can choose from classic, skate or combination roller skis. An accomplished skier might consider the speed and lightness of the urethane wheeled skis, but the newer pneumatic tire roller skis have very distinct advantages for most skiers. They are very smooth. They gobble up imperfections in the pavement and allow you to ski over broken pavement, cracks, small loose stones and even dirt roads. The speed reducer systems developed by Jenex work far better on the larger rubber tires than on the hard urethane wheels. Air pressure can be adjusted to allow variations to the speed — harder tires means faster travel, softer means slower. The smaller elastomer or urethane wheels are very hard — and very fast. But, small stones and uneven pavement can present a real problem and can cause unexpected falls. Jenex (makers of V2) has at least three models of pneumatic wheel roller skis, the Aero 150, the Aero 125, and the Nordixc (no ski boot required). These are all very user friendly and they can be equipped with speed reducers and — new for 2004 — an active brake. Another rubber wheel brand is Elpex from Sweden.

Most all roller skis require regular cross-country ski boots and bindings. I would recommend a good combination or skate boot. Regular poles can work for roller skiing and a quick change to a roller ferrule — the thing on the end with the metal point on it — is all you need. A regular ski pole with a carbide tip (needed to penetrate asphalt) will work without changing anything, but you run the risk of damaging your snow basket on the road.

A Word about Inline Skating: It is true you can get a great workout on inline skates and it is a great balance exercise. However it is not cross-country skiing-specific in many technique areas.

Where to Roller Ski: The best place to roller ski is on a scenic, flat to slightly rolling, and little used roads with wide shoulders and brand new pavement. Let me know when you find it! If you’re new to roller skiing: think flat. It is hard enough to get used to the equipment, concentrate on ski technique, traffic, the road surface and obstacles without having to negotiate big downhills. A large parking lot or bike path is a logical place to begin and learn the basics. Short of that you’ll have to get out on the roads with the cars. Find a wide shouldered road or a lonely country road. Avoid high traffic areas. Roller skis, even with speed reducers and brakes are still an inexact science. Stopping on a dime is not going to happen and turning is mostly step turns.

I’m Out Here, Now What? Start with the basics: push yourself along with your poles. Get used to the roller skis. See you really can’t stop… See, they really don’t turn… But after a short while experimenting with the speed reducers and outriggers (both options that I recommend), you’ll find yourself skiing along the road. It’s pretty neat and a lot of fun. After a while you can go fast. And once you’re comfortable, you can raise your heart rate, get a good workout and concentrate on ski technique improvement.

I use Aero 150’s from V2. These are combination skis with a ratchet wheel in the front. I mostly skate with them, but I have adjustable poles and do some of my workout skating and some of it is classic. For good classic technique practice — you may still have to wait for snow. The ratchet on roller skis is just too perfect a “grip” (this will promote a “late kick” in your classic technique) and most experts will say to limit your classic technique workouts on roller skis to kick double pole or just double poling.

Regarding Ski Technique: Most sports, especially those requiring skills and the mastery of techniques, require repetition to train muscles and nerves to perform as they should for the sport. Practice makes... You thought I was going to say perfect, but it’s permanent. Practice makes permanent. So, you better be doing it right, because every repetition is imprinting or hard wiring it into your body and mind. So, read the read, talk the talk, see the video — get good cross-country skiing technique drills going and you can improve your ski technique long before the season starts.

Safety, Safety, Safety! Be visible. If you go out near dusk and dark — wear reflective clothing and flashing red lights. I wear three lights most times! If it is really going to be dark — you will need a headlamp. There are great LED lights available now that are small, bright and long lasting. Make sure to roller ski with the same direction as traffic. If you’re just starting out — wear all the safety equipment — helmet, kneepads, elbow pads and wrist guards.

More Information: Here are some great websites to get you started: nordicskater.com, xcskiworld.com, and jenex.com to name a few. Finally, two local retailers demo or rent roller skis for you to try before you buy: Inside Edge in Queensbury and High Peaks Cyclery in Lake Placid.

Dick Carlson is an avid biker, runner and cross-country skier who lives in North River. He is the director of cross-country skiing and mountain biking at Garnet Hill Cross-Country Ski & Mountain Bike Center.

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