“Anyone who can walk can enjoy recreational cross-country skiing. This activity can also become very demanding, when practiced over long distances or when you accelerate the pace,” underlines Laurent Bourgoin, coordinator of the cross-country skiing activity at Sentiers du Moulin. According to him, Nordic walking in the forest allows you to warm up your muscles and prepare your body for taking up this sport.
“Cross-country skiing is one of the most joint-friendly aerobic sports. It uses the muscles of both the upper and lower body, then promotes motor skills and physical literacy learned from several sports,” indicates Claude Alexandre Carpentier, general director of Ski de fond Québec, who is delighted to see grandparents skiing. with their grandchildren.
Choosing a day when the conditions are favorable, not setting out on too long a slope, going with friends, bringing a change of clothes and bringing a thermos of hot chocolate and a snack will encourage beginner skiers to repeat the experience.
“They don’t see the time passing, and they don’t know it, but they are progressing,” notes Vincent Ruel, cross-country skiing ambassador and former athlete who has been doing it for thirty years.
A cross-country skiing outing brings together young and old.
Photo provided by Sentiers du Moulin/Nick Dignard
TAKE A CLASS
The introductory and advanced courses allow you to master the technique and the feeling of sliding, then to gain confidence.
Particularly during descents, the skis are placed in a “tart or snow plow” position and on the occasion of ascents “at a mouse or duck’s pace, shortening the strides a little on the toes”, indicates Mr. Ruel. , who also suggests observing good skiers around to learn by imitating them.
Moreover, it can be educational to join a group of cross-country skiers of all levels during free gatherings like those offered by Le Coureur Nordique, on the Plains of Abraham, in order to benefit from the expertise of coaches and other more seasoned athletes.
APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT
While you’re getting to grips with the sport and confirming your love for it, ski rental is the best option. An advisor will then be able to guide the apprentice founder towards equipment suitable for him. To do this, he will have to reveal as much information as possible about his physical condition, explains Mr. Bourgoin. Having pain, lacking balance, not liking speed are some of the information to reveal in addition to your height, weight, etc., in order to determine the length, width and camber of the skis, the height of the poles , the size of the boots, etc.
“If waxing puts you off, opt for skin skis, which require very little maintenance and are suitable for most snow conditions,” says Mr. Carpentier. These require “no preparation, you get on your skis and go outside to play,” says Mr. Bourgoin.
Renting allows you to confirm your love for the sport before purchasing your own equipment.
Photo provided by Sentiers du Moulin/Nick Dignard
INCREASE THE CADENCE
Mr. Bourgoin suggests starting with the classic step, consisting of sliding one ski after the other, to discover the sensations of sliding, before taming the skate step, this one more technical and intense.
“As with all learning, we start with the basics then increase the intensity, with better confidence and better mastery of the practice. The wonderful thing about cross-country skiing is that this activity is suitable for all types of practice, whether contemplative, leisure, sporting or elite,” underlines Mr. Carpentier.
Many apprentice cross-country skiers learn classic cross-country skiing before learning how to skate.
Photo provided by Sentiers du Moulin/Nick Dignard
Favoring easy green trails at the start, at a reasonable distance so as not to return too tired, will allow you to “stay on a positive note, to have fun, to feel no worse for a first outing and to have want to do more,” says Mr. Ruel. Depending on one’s abilities, longer, higher level trails can be covered.
And this is how cross-country skiing will come into your white season.
According to Mr. Ruel, this sport is a “great way to spend a wonderful winter, to escape from daily stresses, to enjoy the present moment” and to be amazed by the landscapes.
“There’s no one in a bad mood, everyone is cheerful and social when cross-country skiing,” he says.
Everyone is in a good mood on the slopes!
Photo provided by Ski de fond Québec
DRESS APPROPRIATELY
“The main mistake people make who come to rent skis is that they are overdressed. After ten minutes, they are hot, wet and no longer have any pleasure,” says Mr. Bourgoin. He therefore advises to favor multi-layering, that is to say a sweat-wicking underwear to always feel dry, a second layer in merino wool to keep the heat, then a shell against the wind and the cold. Mittens and merino wool socks will protect the extremities, without forgetting to “wear a tuque and a neck warmer, because it is through the head that we lose the most heat,” adds Mr. Carpentier.
Then when it’s time to return, Mr. Ruel advises “quickly changing into dry clothes so that après-ski is also pleasant”.