It's all sliding on snow...

One afternoon last week I stopped at the ski shop to grab a pair of skis, poke around, hang out and add some more items to my mental wish list. I started talking with a fellow ski bum who works there. We were chatting about the lack of snow, boring conditions and how we stay interested during the times when the skiing isn't spectacular. She told me she went out snowboarding last week. I was kind of surprised but it wasn't total disbelief. It got me thinking about my brief and fairly lackluster career as a snowboarder. As much as I would like to add some challenge and excitement this season, I don't think snowboarding is the answer for me. I can still ride a snowboard but I'm not at that point, not yet anyway. 

Later in our conversation we were talking about different ways of sliding on snow. I was talking about how I grew up as an alpine skier, snowboarded briefly(mostly because I thought it was cool), went back to alpine and eventually found my calling as a telemark skier. She started telling me that she recently had been Nordic(cross country) skiing a lot lately and I told her that I had never been. This is where she made a point that was worth thinking  a lot about. I don't remember exactly how she put it but it was somewhere along the lines of, "If sliding on snow is that much a part of your life, why shouldn't you be able to do it all.". This had me thinking...

There was a few hours in my schedule today and I was headed over to Pico to run some laps on the Outpost. I knew it was going to be small bumps with icy patches in between and it would be a struggle to keep it fun after 5 or 6 runs. On my way there, the conversation from last week popped into my head, "Why shouldn't you be able to do it all?". Yep, I am going cross country skiing today! A quick u-turn and I'm headed to Mountain Meadows....

The folks at Base Camp Outfitters/Mountain Meadows hooked me up with a set up, gave me a quick rundown on what to do and I was off. Now I've been standing on skis and sliding on snow pretty much since I could walk but this was different. I almost fell down as soon as took my first step! It was a lot like trying to play hockey on the most dull skates imaginable with them untied. I forged ahead, figuring it out as I went. I probably only skied 3 miles today but I went downhill, I went uphill, and I went around the lake. It was a great workout, I was shedding layers every 100 yards until all i had left was a t shirt. The skis were returned and I went on my way with a new found respect for Nordic skiing. Will I be at it again tomorrow? Probably not, mainly because it is snowing and the mountain will be more fun. However, I am intrigued and my ego won't allow me to be just mediocre at something. I will learn to be a proficient Nordic skier! 

"Why shouldn't I be able to do it all?"