On the Subject of Cross-Country Skiing

This came about as some other homeschooling parents and I were talking about cross-country skiing.  One thing led to another in my mind.  Here's what I came up with.

The topic of cross-country skiing came up yesterday afternoon while some of us were passing the time in Princess Park.  For those who may not be aware of what we have around here and are interested in going skiing, here's some information from my perspective.

First, if you are new to x-c skiing or quite rusty, take a lesson.  Group lessons are the most inexpensive way to go.  There are kids' programmes (and organizations, like Jackrabbits), but I'm not terribly familiar w/enrollment info, etc.  I'm sure some google searches could help you pull up specific information.

To my knowledge, Cypress is the only one of the three ski hills here on the North Shore that offers groomed x-c ski trails and quite likely x-c trails at all.  Our family only tried to ski there once, but my understanding is that the trails are nice, but challenging w/lots of ups and downs.  We plan to ski there "regularly" this winter as we included this in our "Silver Pass" for skiing at Cypress - I think it was a $50 add-on fee. 

We ski primarily at Whistler Olympic Park in Callaghan Valley (about 15 minutes before Whistler itself) because as my volunteer perk there, our family skis for free.  It also has some incredible terrain and trails which makes sense given that it was the site for the 2010 Olympic's nordic events.  The grooming and network of trails is simply outstanding; we're incredibly lucky to have access to them.  I'm pretty much in awe every time I'm there.

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                           I can't believe there's actually a photo of me skiing w/the kids!

There are a number of "fairly" level trails, but it's impossible to not have at least a few small hills.  And there are lots of trails w/rolling hills as well as ones with quite steep hills.  I have scarred Keaton and Elena by making them ascend one of the steepest when they were first starting out.  Alas, this wasn't a one-time event, either - we did it multiple times because it was the only trail I knew of at the time where we could bring our dog.  Yes, there were tears!  (It would take us upwards of an hour to go around it.  Imagine my surprise the first time I had the chance to ski it on my own - about 15 minutes!)

Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) is an incredible resource.  Funding comes from Whistler Sports Legacies which has the primary mission of "growing sport".  In this case, it means getting people/kids involved in winter sports.  Day passes are around $20 for adults, I believe.  Rentals are around the same, probably a bit more.  Kids cost less.  Compared to downhill/alpine skiing, nordic skiing is a bargain.  And there's little, if any, waiting in line.  I was skiing around an empty trail last winter the same time a neighbour was standing in a 2+ hour lift line up at Whistler that went down to Starbucks in the village.  Or something like that.

There are also numerous snowshoeing trails at WOP.  If your child (or you) is interested in marksmanship, there's biathlon - that's skiing fast, but maintaining your heart rate, then coming into the firing range and shooting 5 times w/a .22 rifle at a twoonie-sized target (again, or something like that).  I have aspirations Keaton will take to that, but the window is closing.

There is also a fun sledding hill: 

And playing in massive snowbanks:

 

 In addition to these activities, WOP was - and is - where ski jumping takes place.  If you look wicked close, you'll see a ski jumper landing her jump:
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 As homeschoolers, the day lodge is a fabulous place to hang out:

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                                   (This was lifted from one of their recent Facebook posts.)

And here is Keaton hard at work this morning:

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 It's early in the season, but outside of holiday weeks, weekdays are still pretty quiet. 

Also notable at WOP is beginning December 13, they have $5 Wednesdays.  All of the normal charges are $5 - ski passes, ski rentals, and pasta dinners.  I believe this runs from 4 PM to 9 PM.  We've done it a handful of times, but will also be doing it somewhat "regularly" this winter now that my schedule is freed up : )  I have the kids wear their pajamas as their base layers and wear rain pants and jackets over.  When we get home, it's simply a matter of taking off their outer wear and putting them to bed.  (They are usually asleep by the time we get home.) 

[Note:  These were the prices last year.  They may very well be the same this year, but if they're more, they won't be much more.  Also, they will be experimenting with Friday nights in January and February.]

I will be going up most weeks at least once, if not twice, as I have my volunteer stints to get in.  I will quite happily go up with you and show you around so you don't have to figure stuff out yourself - Where do you park?  Where's ski rental? How do I sign up for a lesson?, and so on.  Obviously, I'm quite partial to the Olympic Park.  But I repeat, it's an incredible venue.  It's world-class.  It really is.

After Cypress and Whistler Olympic Park, there's Lost Lake up in Whistler.  I've never made it past Callaghan Valley to get up to Lost Lake, but these are the Zappa mountain bike trails, so they should be superb, too.  My understanding is beginner lessons are a bit challenging there.

Oh, also in Callaghan Valley is the original nordic centre, Callaghan Country.  The turn-off to Callaghan Country is about 100 metres before the entrance to WOP.  Callaghan Country is a more "traditional" centre with a lodge (that I've never been to, but would like to visit).  Grooming is fairly hit-or-miss; they simply don't have the financial backing WOP has to maintain trails.  One trail fee allows you to ski both Callaghan Country and Whistler Olympic Park trails.  Because I'm always trying to squeeze in a hard ski, I stick to the well-groomed WOP trails.

British Columbia apparently has a tremendous number of cross-country skiing venues.  I've only been to three (technically four, but I really can’t count Cypress).  I have dreams of visiting many more of them, but that won't be any time soon. 

The next closest place after the above is Dakota Ridge on the Sunshine Coast.  This has to be the most visually stunning nordic centre in all of BC:

A four year-old Elena skiing where there's an ocean backdrop.  Vancouver Island w/it's snow-capped mountain are in the background.  To me, this was unbelievable.

Dakota Ridge is a community/volunteer run operation.  The trail system is sort of short, but the views make visiting there well worth it.  If anyone is up for a trip there this winter (it's a right as you pass through Wilson Creek, I believe), I'm game.  There is also plenty of snowshoeing.  The third-best thing about Dakota Ridge (#1 = views; #2 = grooming and trails) is it's donation-funded, i.e. it's super-affordable.  Should you need to rent skis, Alpha Adventures in Wilson Creek has them.  It's a forestry road up to the trails and requires at least 4-wheel drive if not chains.  Alpha Adventures offers a shuttle; I have a 4X4 pick-up that seats up to 6 : )

In my opinion, because of Dakota Ridge's character, it's best to hold out for a blue bird day.

Finally, in my limited scope of BC's x-c offerings, Sovereign Lake is to-die-for.  After the kids have moved out and are on their own, you may find me living up there in a little cabin as a hermit every winter.  Or sooner, if Larissa tires of me ; )

The conditions - the snow - is simply extraordinary at Sovereign Lake.  The Canadian National team (I hear even the silly Americans, too!) train here early in the season as it offers the best snow.  And I can say "silly Americans" because I am one ; )

Sovereign Lake is in Vernon adjacent to Silverstar.  In fact, you can ride a lift to the top of Silverstar and access Sovereign Lake.  Yes, that's right:  You can do a primarily downhill x-c run.  We (OK, I) thought this would be a wonderful Wescott Family Adventure two years ago:
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Unfortunately, I hadn't properly treated the bottom of Larissa's skis.  The new snowfall (late season, so a bit sticky) stuck to the bottom of her skis, eliminating any glide.  We had to stop frequently to scrape it off.  She's smiling in the photo, but I was well on my way to becoming a hermit that day!

Anyway, the gist of this all is, if you have a hankering to do any x-c skiing, go for it!  And if you'd like some support, be in touch!


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Finally, some additional info and reasons to go x-c skiing:

• Cross-country ski venues are not the scenes downhill areas - they are pretty down to earth places.
• While lycra is popular among some nordic skiers, pretty much anything goes.
• Wearing wool creates a "throwback" look and is never out of style ; )
• Bringing your own lunch to eat in a nordic centre's day lodge will garner nods of approval.
• Craiglist is an excellent place to get cross country skis and related equipment, but it's not foolproof - you need to know something.  Personally, avoid any skis with "3-pin bindings" - these aren't necessarily, but probably ancient.  "Waxless" skis may have their bases worn off and thus won't work.  That said, if you are just starting out, you will probably want to keep it simple and use waxless skis. Figure out what kind of cross country skiing you'll be doing (probably start off "classic" skiing if you're new to it), figure out what size skis, poles, and boots you'll need, then look for something w/newer versions of bindings (NNN, SNS, etc.)  MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE BOOTS THAT MATCH YOUR SKIS' BINDING SYSTEM.  You can figure out sizing by doing a google search for that, too, something like "how to determine cross country ski lengths" perhaps.
• Again, if you're new to cross-country skiing, start with classic skiing.  You can learn some of the fundamentals while you get used to skinny skis, then eventually use that muscle memory to learn skate skiing, which requires more technique.  Skate skiing can be wicked fast, though, and is well worth learning!
• You will use a bunch of calories, so dress in layers, not all bundled up like you would be riding a chair lift.
• Cross-country skiing is more than just great exercise, it's getting out in some beautiful places and breathing in some wonderful fresh air.  Or gasping for air if you've really pushed yourself ; )