The Joy of Nordic Skiing

Steve Hindman on His Skinny Skis

I sat down with DeAnne Gabriel and Steve Hindman, two professional nordic ski instructors, back in February to do a Travel Fun interview. They shared a wagonload of tips about cross country skiing from how and where to do it in and around Telluride, Colorado to recommendations for first timers.

As we approach the end of the alpine ski season here in Telluride, I thought I’d post the interview below as a podcast since April and May provide many great opportunities for heading out to embrace the glide.

Demonstrating Good Form

Oh Yeah

DeAnne, the nordic guru at Bootdoctors (where you can rent or buy XC ski gear), talks about the “finesse and grace” of nordic skiing. She recently tried alpine skiing which prompted her to say she found “the burley-ness of alpine skis to be one of the differences between alpine and nordic skiing.” DeAnne also emphasizes the fact that you can do nordic skiing whenever you want. “The nordic trails never close,” she says. “You can do it by the full moon.”

As author of the book Cross Country Skiing:  Building Skills for Fun and Fitness, Steve draws on a wealth of knowledge about how to best enhance your nordic experience. And as a ski instructor with the Telluride Ski and Snowboard School, he’s able to size up the similarities and differences between nordic and alpine skiing very well.

For first timers, Steve suggests some instruction. “An hour of lessons will save you a season of frustration,” he says. “Start somewhere flat…where you’re willing to get on the ski and let it glide,” he recommends.

Steve also points out how cross country skiing—which includes classic skiing and skate skiing—is customizable to the person’s desired adventure whether they want to do a day-long tour or a short workout. He talks about the different XC skiing locales in and around Telluride, including Town Park, the Valley Floor and Priest and Trout Lake. In addition to groomed areas, there you’ll find “Lots of opportunities for low-angle off track cruising.”

I encourage you to listen to the end of the interview to gain a good sense of this more affordable and more serene skiing option that even the school kids of Telluride are now enjoying thanks largely to DeAnne. Steve and DeAnne have inspired me to pull out my skinny skis and I’m sure they’ll do the same for you.

The Power Glide

Visit the Telluride Nordic Association for grooming reports, maps and other pertinent information. I also recommend you check out Steve’s sites:  SkiwithSteve.com and NordicSkiTips.com. In addition to XC rentals and sales, Bootdoctors provides a shuttle to the outlying XC areas of Telluride on a per need basis during the season.

Click on the play button below to listen to my half-hour interview with DeAnne Gabriel and Steve Hindman on nordic skiing.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download