UKC

I would appreciate advice on the subject. I have 30 yrs downhill ski experience and would like to do some x-country. I am in the East Midlands just wonder where to learn best, Scotland, Norway or the Alps. I know there is the odd roller ski outlet I have even thought of buying that kit to get going and then go abroad. I would mainly like to get into the winter hills should I think of snow shoeing instead .I do lots of hiking.

In reply to Diddy:

might sound strange, but what do you mean by XC skiing ? it seems to cover a wide range of types of skiing & advice for eg skiing in prepared tracks or on light skating skis won't be much use if you're wanting to ski across the wilds of Norway.

In reply to Diddy:

Roller skis are ok for training on but not really that good to learn on as they're too easy to develop bad habits on. If conditions are good there are some good places in Scotland to learn.
http://www.slochd.co.uk/nordic.html
http://hnoc.nordicski.co.uk/
http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/visit/clashindarroch
http://www.aviemoreski.co.uk/glenmore-shop/hires/x-country-ski-hire/

If the snows thin then Norway is probably your best option but it's not cheap.

For getting into the hills you'll probably need something a bit more substantial than track skis but they're ideal to start on. If you think of it as a sliding scale with track skis at one end and heavy Telemark/Alpine touring skis at the other, your ideal ski will be somewhere along that scale. Only by trying different skis can you find your own ideal.

In reply to OwenM:

If s/he lives in the East Midlands s/he would be better advised to go to either Scandinavia or to central Europe (Jura, prealps, Alps etc) - Scotland can be great for all types of skiing but the chances of poor conditions and/or bad weather are much higher than elsewhere.

In reply to Diddy:

I would suggest a look at ski touring instead of cross country skiing for winter hillwalking use. They ski like downhill skis on the way down, but you can free the heel for walking up. You can teach yourself by googling it as you can already downhill ski. For a taster you can hire the kit at Aviemore or Braemar, or for a good beginners tour in the Alps look up the Silvretta traverse. And look at Doug's article on ukc!

In reply to Doug:

Well pardon me for expressing an opinion. I used to live in the East Midlands and often traveled to Scotland to ski. I did say if conditions were poor Norway would be better.

In reply to OwenM:
We visited Norway to XC ski for several years, mainly because the snow conditions are better, and the terrain suits it too. Huge open untouched undulating plateaus and valleys. Skiing down steep hills with XC skis can be dangerous if a front edge ploughs into deep snow.

Tried snow shoeing. It's hard work to get nowhere fast.
The Snow dome in Tamworth used to have a basic circuit for XC practice.

Venabu, Hoveringen as examples have prepared tracks (loypers) too.

In reply to Diddy:

See my post below. oops. I should have replied to you as the OP.

In reply to Diddy:

Ski touring through the wilds might take a bit of practice, but as long as you're not trying to go downhill too much on light gear, even that is sort of learnable as you go along. XC skiing, as in track skiing, is really rather straightforward. I used to live in Finland and although its not so popular these days with the kids, everyone does XC at some point, and normally its just parents or grandparents who take kids out at first! Skate technique is harder, but even that's learnable by doing also - being proper fit help a lot though with that! You could go on a winter city break to Helsinki, see the local art and culture and all that, AND ski everyday in the central park (really a forest that runs into the parks in the city centre). In good winters you can get on the tracks from just behind the main train station and should you wish ski right out into the countryside! All the tracks (mainly lit for night skiing) are provided by the council so totally free to use, you can hire kit in a few places too but buying a basic XC pack (big supermarkets and all sport shops) is very cheap compared to downhill gear. Loads of other place in Finland with 100s of kms of prepared tracks where you will have a more into the wilderness feel even if you are on a track.

If its proper wilderness ski trekking you want - consider Northern Sweden (Sarek and around), its stunning. North Norway is absolutely superb too but then you are getting into proper Ski Mountaineering mainly in places like Lyngen.

Thank you for all the good information.
I am a he and I mean ski touring. I learnt to ski in Scotland and went several years on the trot in the 80`s when the family were younger, then snow became a bit of rarity up there when we wanted to go therefore have been to France since.
Also I have been back to Scotland the last couple of years and I went to Aviemore and Braemar. I was considering elsewhere as conditions are more predictable. I wondered about the Huntly Centre up there to get going and ease of hiring equipment; though Helsinki sounds good and Glenmore Centre would be fine.

Two years ago coming out of the Ptarmigan restaurant in a near whiteout to ski the White Lady brought back some memories of the conditions there.

In reply to Diddy:

I'm still not quite certain what you are after! Basically the options are:

Nordic track - long skinny skis, no metal edges, no sidecut. Free heel floppy boots. Really needs prepared tracks to be fun. Very limited options in the UK (the 3/4 places listed by OwenM above, good conditions rare).

Nordic backcountry - shorter skis (but still thinner/longer than downhill), metal edges, some sidecut. Free heel boots but a bit beefier for controlling turns. More options in the UK, mainly east Highlands. Best suited to covering distances on undulating terrain without steep downhills.

Ski touring - skis more or less like downhill (though maybe lighter). Either alpine touring or telemark bindings and boots (the former is more popular these days). Best suited to skin up - ski down type routes without much flat terrain. Probably the most popular option in Scotland, with the most variety of routes and greatest availability of suitable conditions.