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Have never skied in my life before but find the thought of some kind of cross country skiing quite appealing.
No steep downhill nonsense as I'd more than likely break my neck, knowing me. Just interested in basic flat or gently undulating skiing where you can be on flat ground, or some gentle up hills and downhills.
What sort of skiing is this? There seems to be billions of types!? Telemark? Or just bog standard cross country? I see I can hire skis and boots etc for around £20 a day which sounds good to me. But what sort of thing do I hire and how easy is it to just go and learn yourself in some flat area/snowy woodland somewhere?
No steep downhill nonsense as I'd more than likely break my neck, knowing me. Just interested in basic flat or gently undulating skiing where you can be on flat ground, or some gentle up hills and downhills.
What sort of skiing is this? There seems to be billions of types!? Telemark? Or just bog standard cross country? I see I can hire skis and boots etc for around £20 a day which sounds good to me. But what sort of thing do I hire and how easy is it to just go and learn yourself in some flat area/snowy woodland somewhere?
In reply to SonyaD:
I've just posted similar on the thread about nordic skis - I had my first time ever on skis on saturday, on cross country skis, and it was very easy to pick up. We didn't have any lessons, just hired the skis and figured it out. Apart from the last hour when I was tired, I only fell over once all day! A splendid day out.
I've just posted similar on the thread about nordic skis - I had my first time ever on skis on saturday, on cross country skis, and it was very easy to pick up. We didn't have any lessons, just hired the skis and figured it out. Apart from the last hour when I was tired, I only fell over once all day! A splendid day out.
In reply to SonyaD:
I take your point but you really are missing out by avoiding mountain touring which you can basically do with Alpine Touring kit (like normal downhill skiing on the down hill but with a heel release for uphill) or telemark kit which is similar but your heel is free all the time. For both of these you put skins on the bottom to go up hill and the equipment is the beefiest of the travel type of skiing.
For Nordic/Cross Country, the equipment is much lighter and offers less support but is better for low level and tracks etc. This is as much about the travel and not about going downhill. Sometimes the skis have scales on the bottom for adhesion on ascents and you might also use a wax for grip.
I take your point but you really are missing out by avoiding mountain touring which you can basically do with Alpine Touring kit (like normal downhill skiing on the down hill but with a heel release for uphill) or telemark kit which is similar but your heel is free all the time. For both of these you put skins on the bottom to go up hill and the equipment is the beefiest of the travel type of skiing.
For Nordic/Cross Country, the equipment is much lighter and offers less support but is better for low level and tracks etc. This is as much about the travel and not about going downhill. Sometimes the skis have scales on the bottom for adhesion on ascents and you might also use a wax for grip.
In reply to Removed User: What sort of ski's did you hire Clare?
Want to go out and have some fun in the snow with RB quite soon (she's got a bouldering comp up in Aviemore) and thought we'd try some cross country skiing for a couple/few hours.
Want to go out and have some fun in the snow with RB quite soon (she's got a bouldering comp up in Aviemore) and thought we'd try some cross country skiing for a couple/few hours.
In reply to Donald M: Probably go out with RB though Donald so want to try something pretty basic and easy. Plus I've a torn meniscus in my knee just now so not sure it would appreciate *too* much skiing on top of all the climbing and walking I'm doing just now.
In reply to SonyaD:
These were the type where the binding is just for the toe, and the boot looks like a normal walking boot but with a mounting thing at the toe.
The tracks round Glenmore were beautiful! (and I think we bumped into Andy in the Ryvoan bothy but I was too shy to ask if it was really him - the ginger beard was a strong hint that it was, mind)
These were the type where the binding is just for the toe, and the boot looks like a normal walking boot but with a mounting thing at the toe.
The tracks round Glenmore were beautiful! (and I think we bumped into Andy in the Ryvoan bothy but I was too shy to ask if it was really him - the ginger beard was a strong hint that it was, mind)
In reply to SonyaD:
You should definitely give downhill a go, Sonya. It doesn't have to be about tear-arsing down the slope as fast as you can. As with cycling, the pleasure (or a lot of it) is in the sensation of controlled speed. But you don't have to be going at breakneck velocities to feel that. I can't afford to risk breakneck velocities with my knee, but I still have a great time bumbling my way down the slope.
And downhill isn't hard to pick up either. My climbing daughter-- Th, the one you've met at the wall-- has only been twice but the first time I just pointed her ski-tips down the nursery slope, and away she went. She's already aiming at Olympic gold. And daughter #1 (M) was also there today, having hardly ever skied at all before, and she just stood up on her skis and did it.
So give us a bell if you and R fancy it some time.
You should definitely give downhill a go, Sonya. It doesn't have to be about tear-arsing down the slope as fast as you can. As with cycling, the pleasure (or a lot of it) is in the sensation of controlled speed. But you don't have to be going at breakneck velocities to feel that. I can't afford to risk breakneck velocities with my knee, but I still have a great time bumbling my way down the slope.
And downhill isn't hard to pick up either. My climbing daughter-- Th, the one you've met at the wall-- has only been twice but the first time I just pointed her ski-tips down the nursery slope, and away she went. She's already aiming at Olympic gold. And daughter #1 (M) was also there today, having hardly ever skied at all before, and she just stood up on her skis and did it.
So give us a bell if you and R fancy it some time.
In reply to SonyaD: Go for it. I don't do downhill - too crowded, too fast, too commercial- but love the cross country trails round Aviemore. Conditions are superb just now. You can hire at the Glenmore shop and get a map of the trails. Just ask for cross country skis and they sort you out with light weight track skis. You can also hire at Slochd Ski centre which is quieter and £16 for the day. There are several good trails there. As others have said, if you have reasonable coordination you don't need any tuition. If hiring at Glenmore you might want to pick them up the evening before to avoid chaos on the ski road in the morning
In reply to abbeywall: Thankyou Aye not interested in downhill or pisted stuff in the slightest. Cross country trails are just the thing I'm looking for. Glenmore shop with map sounds perfect. Nice one.
In reply to Removed User: Thanks Clare. Think it sounds exactly what I want. Not sure if Andy was around Ryvoan recently but he has been working so may well have been. The beard is big, like real, real big and bushy, quite unmistakable really :oD Probably ice coated if the cold weather is anything to go by <sorry Andy, lol!>
In reply to Tim Chappell: Nah, not interested in downhill at all Tim. And these ski places are far too expensive! <I know from snowboarding>
RB has got the Scottish Bouldering Championships in Aviemore on the 16th so we're thinking of larking about on skis for a few hours the next day.
RB has got the Scottish Bouldering Championships in Aviemore on the 16th so we're thinking of larking about on skis for a few hours the next day.
In reply to SonyaD:
Come to that, I might have to have another go at this off-piste stuff. The last time I did anything like that was ski mountaineering in Canada. My boots were misery, and everyone else in the group was way faster than me because they did it every weekend and I'd never done it before... But I'd like to ski-mountaineer in Scotland. In principle!
Come to that, I might have to have another go at this off-piste stuff. The last time I did anything like that was ski mountaineering in Canada. My boots were misery, and everyone else in the group was way faster than me because they did it every weekend and I'd never done it before... But I'd like to ski-mountaineer in Scotland. In principle!
In reply to SonyaD:
You want cross country/nordic skis for skiing in the woods, and to get going is easy enough, but it takes a while to get very efficient and fast at it, something I haven't got the patience for yet.
It's very different to alpine or telemark skiing, but I recommend trying them for touring in scotland. It's a bit of a journey learning, financially as well as in effort, but having the option to ski around the hills is fantastic. For me, skiing into corries or down easy gullies is as rewarding and exciting as climbing. However, if you have dodgy knees, I would concentrate on getting them fixed first!
You want cross country/nordic skis for skiing in the woods, and to get going is easy enough, but it takes a while to get very efficient and fast at it, something I haven't got the patience for yet.
It's very different to alpine or telemark skiing, but I recommend trying them for touring in scotland. It's a bit of a journey learning, financially as well as in effort, but having the option to ski around the hills is fantastic. For me, skiing into corries or down easy gullies is as rewarding and exciting as climbing. However, if you have dodgy knees, I would concentrate on getting them fixed first!
In reply to Tim Chappell:
But I'd like to ski-mountaineer in Scotland. In principle!
Possibly worth noting that Braemar Mountain Sports and Mountain Spirit (Aviemore) will hire AT and Telemark gear. Also that nowhere else seems to...which is annoying given the current conditions on the Pentlands, Ochils, Southern Uplands etc!
But I'd like to ski-mountaineer in Scotland. In principle!
Possibly worth noting that Braemar Mountain Sports and Mountain Spirit (Aviemore) will hire AT and Telemark gear. Also that nowhere else seems to...which is annoying given the current conditions on the Pentlands, Ochils, Southern Uplands etc!
In reply to SonyaD: See how you get on with the cross country but I'll wager at least one Straclyde bank pound note, that you will enjoy it and get hooked. And that within a few goes you'll be thinking that touring sounds like it would be a good idea. And then there will be a frenetic purchasing of lessons, equipment and learning about slightly steeper slopes. Which will be followed by Shane Mcconkey videos and dreams of flying of cliffs with a base rig strapped on. And THEN you'll be sorry
In reply to SonyaD: Back in the late 70s someone (Karrimor ?) heavily promoted XC skiing in Britain with a slogan something like 'if you can walk you can ski' - more or less true although I suspect Andy would disagree
Get yourself to Bill's café at Glenmore & hire some skis for a couple of hours, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The only risk is that you'll enjoy so much you then want to ski on the hills proper & little by little you became a skimountaineer
Get yourself to Bill's café at Glenmore & hire some skis for a couple of hours, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The only risk is that you'll enjoy so much you then want to ski on the hills proper & little by little you became a skimountaineer
In reply to SonyaD: this is the time to be taking up nordic skiing, leather boots and skis with metal edges, dont bother with the real skinny lightweight things, they are for purpose made trails with tracks. I once did a slalom race with nordic skis, they are fine for downhill once you get used to them
In reply to Erik B: do they cut the trails around aviemore or is it just packed down snow on forestry roads? cutting trails on skinny skiis is/can be knackering
In reply to Sredni Vashtar: no idea mate
In reply to Sredni Vashtar and Erik: Sure I recall Ron mentioning trails around Aviemore somewhere, which I'm quite happy with for the time being. Tbh, I can't see myself getting into it seriously. Expensive equipment for a start, lessons expensive too! It's more something to while away a few hours in the snow with RB. I would seriously hurt myself if I took up ski mountaineering (although it does sound appealing!)
Well, if all the snow is still about on the 17th then I'll nip into Glenmore and ask for cross country ski's.
Erik, what is the difference between cross country ski's and nordic ski's?
Well, if all the snow is still about on the 17th then I'll nip into Glenmore and ask for cross country ski's.
Erik, what is the difference between cross country ski's and nordic ski's?
In reply to SonyaD: For christ sakes if you don't want to spend money then don't even hire cross country ski's - as I said, one thing will lead to the next...
In reply to SonyaD:
See the other thread on nordic skiing, but there's no single definition of XC skis, I suspect Erik means relatively narrow, double cambered skis with edges such as the Norwegians use for much of their skitouring but the term would also include narrow edgeless skis designed for use in cut tracks or for skating on pisted snow.
For me 'nordic skis' means anything with a freeheel binding but again I'm sure others would disagree
>
> Erik, what is the difference between cross country ski's and nordic ski's?
> Erik, what is the difference between cross country ski's and nordic ski's?
See the other thread on nordic skiing, but there's no single definition of XC skis, I suspect Erik means relatively narrow, double cambered skis with edges such as the Norwegians use for much of their skitouring but the term would also include narrow edgeless skis designed for use in cut tracks or for skating on pisted snow.
For me 'nordic skis' means anything with a freeheel binding but again I'm sure others would disagree
In reply to Doug:
I would agree, I would also consider touring skis to be permanently freeheel, ski mountaineering fixed or free, alpine permantently fixed. But, it is also down to person's interpretation of how they use the skis.
> (In reply to SonyaD)> For me 'nordic skis' means anything with a freeheel binding but again I'm sure others would disagree
I would agree, I would also consider touring skis to be permanently freeheel, ski mountaineering fixed or free, alpine permantently fixed. But, it is also down to person's interpretation of how they use the skis.
In reply to SonyaD:
There are tracks near huntly which I am pretty sure get cut.
http://hnoc.nordicski.org.uk/
However ski touring in the pentlands are just superb at the moment. 10 minute drive for powder skiing.
There are tracks near huntly which I am pretty sure get cut.
http://hnoc.nordicski.org.uk/
However ski touring in the pentlands are just superb at the moment. 10 minute drive for powder skiing.
In reply to SonyaD:
I took R and the wife to Slochd on Saturday for our first shot at XC skiing and it was brilliant. R typically picked it up in a few minutes and seemed really comfortable on the ski's. It took us adults a bit longer to get the hang of it though! Hire was £16 for adults and £14 for kids. The chap who runs the place is a bit eccentric but he knows his stuff. He said he could get me a full XC kit for about £150 and i think R was coming in at about £75.
We didn't need lessons, a friend of ours who has ski'd for a few years was there to give us a few pointers but that was all we needed. It was pretty straightforward to pick up and I got the impression that provided you stuck so the trails you'd be ok.
I took R and the wife to Slochd on Saturday for our first shot at XC skiing and it was brilliant. R typically picked it up in a few minutes and seemed really comfortable on the ski's. It took us adults a bit longer to get the hang of it though! Hire was £16 for adults and £14 for kids. The chap who runs the place is a bit eccentric but he knows his stuff. He said he could get me a full XC kit for about £150 and i think R was coming in at about £75.
We didn't need lessons, a friend of ours who has ski'd for a few years was there to give us a few pointers but that was all we needed. It was pretty straightforward to pick up and I got the impression that provided you stuck so the trails you'd be ok.
In reply to SonyaD: Glenmore lodge should have the orienteering map of the month, for somewhere in the local-ish area, if you want to add a bit more purpose to your trip out. Might be quite tricky to find some of them in the deeper snow though!
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