The Mystique of Cross-Country Skiing in California Author’s Note: This article “The Mystique of Cross-Country Skiing in California.” That book is available in English as a book/ebook and also as an ebookin Chinese. Parallel coverage on Northern California occurs in my latest travel guidebook/ebook Northern California History Travel Adventures: 35 Suggested Trips. All my travel guidebooks/ebooks on California can be seen on my Amazon Author Page. By Lee Foster Soft, thick flakes of snow, falling at the rate of three inches an hour, greeted me as I skied cross-country along the Aspen Forest Trail at Bear Valley in California’s Sierra. The aspen and pine trees of the forest assumed a magical appearance, aspen branches stark against the white and pine branches bent almost vertical with the heavy snow. The grey sky of this major storm proved inviting, warm, and perfectly quiet, rather than ominous. Only the crunch of my skis, gripping the snow in the touring track, broke the complete stillness of the forest. In the good company of my two children, Karin and Paul, I savored the moment. For moments such as this, I knew, I had made cross-country skiing my winter sport of choice. I was not alone in choosing this sport. Cross-country or “Nordic” resorts flourish in the current winter sports travel picture across America, while downhill or “alpine” ski growth is flat. Industry observers estimate that there are about 10.7 million downhill skiers, 3.5 million cross-country skiers. After skiing at all the major cross- country resorts in California, added to my cross-country skiing in three other western states, I finally asked myself: what is the mystique of this sport that makes it so attractive? A pleasing mix of solitude and sociability characterizes the experience. While skiing along, I’ve had wonderful talks with my children and other companions. One afternoon, Glenn Jobe, who then ran the Tahoe-Donner cross-country resort, regaled me with his cross-country exploits in the 1980 Olympics, while we skied. Yet the sport also promises solitude. You can ski alone or withdraw for a time into yourself while skiing with others. Encounters are purposeful, rather than the accidental meeting while waiting in line for a ski lift in downhill skiing. The people you meet when cross-country skiing, in lessons or on the trails, tend to be a friendly lot. A fitness element also appeals to me in cross-country. As a jogger who enjoys a couple miles of moderate running each evening, the prospect of skiing through the snow and forest environment is enticing. With cross-country I continue my fitness trajectory in a new mode. The dance-like elegance of a skilled cross-country expert is a pleasure to watch as the skier glides along set trails with relative ease, moving up hills with only a fraction of the effort required in walking. The fitness boom, such a part of modern American culture, will surely carry cross-country forward. As in other fitness activities, I proceed self-propelled, with all the ensuing joy of control that such an act entails.? SPORT FOR ALL Cross-country delights me as a lifetime sport, safe for all ages. Though hardly geriatric, I’ve realized in recent years that I fell into the older group among the downhill set. If you’ve ever been hit from behind by an out-of-control hot dogger in downhill, as I have, then cross-country suddenly looks more appealing. I want to ski forever, without injury, in a stress-free environment. Cross-country delivers on such a wish. You can ski with comrades across the generations in this sport. If you can walk, you can ski cross-country, though lessons on correct technique for efficient gliding movement are highly recommended. This is a gentle sport, allowing you to set the pace. There’s plenty of excitement and speed, if you want it, in the version of cross-country called skating, using shorter skis. Moreover, each cross-country touring region has its “black,” meaning steep, downhills, so thrills are possible. But for the touring skier, who enjoys an outing without the need for extensive vertiginous descents, flat “green” trails and intermediate “blue” trails suffice. Cross-country offers a relaxed milieu, while downhill can sometimes become a carnival. I also enjoy the dramatic winter environments that cross-country puts me in. For example, I have skied out to Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome at Yosemite and stayed overnight in a small bunkhouse. Anyone in the public can do this, but only if you cross-country ski 10.7 miles to the Point. The winter vistas in Yosemite, from Sentinel Dome, are panoramic and spectacular. Many other inviting areas of the California Sierra became accessible through cross-country. Potential places to explore are not limited by the sharp slopes required for downhill skiing. The wilderness region around Bear Valley, the back-of-the-mountain skiing at Royal Gorge, and the lovely National Forest land in the Hope Valley are among my favorite memories. Moreover, I long to ski many new areas around the country. On my future list is urban cross-country skiing around the lakes in Minneapolis. You don’t need mountains for cross-country. All areas of the country that enjoy good snow can be cross-country environs. When will I have a chance to ski from B&B to B&B in the White Mountains of New Hampshire? Cross-country in delicate, wild environments also pleases because it is such a minimum-impact sport. You ski along efficiently on the top of the snow, causing no environmental damage. All trace of your tracks, in fact, will disappear with the spring melt. EQUIPMENT Advances in the equipment for cross-country have lured me and others into the sport. The late 1970s invention of waxless skis, with the skis gripping the snow through scale-like ridges on the bottoms, has made the sport hassle-free. This advance is particularly relevant to California skiing, where snow conditions can change frequently, requiring a change of waxes. An expert will still enjoy the slightly-higher performance of waxed skis, but the beginning and intermediate skier doesn’t need to be troubled with this nuance. Boot bindings have also improved, allowing easier snap in and out, with more boot control over the slim skis. At the resort-operator level, machines that groom the trails have improved, cutting tracks that allow cross-country skiers to glide through the forest. Cross-country ski resorts have also resolved a troublesome issue that ravaged the sport in the mid 1980s. The traditional touring skier was confronted with a new style of skating skier, fighting for the same narrow trail. Skating skiers use shorter skis and proceed with the motion of a speed-skater in ice skating. The solution has been to groom a 14-foot-wide trail with a skating lane of compacted snow and a double set of touring tracks. Finally, cross-country offers major economies both in equipment and in trail fees. My equipment package at a sporting goods store, REI, cost $158 for skis, bindings, poles, and boots. Downhill would have cost substantially more, especially for the boots. Trail fees for downhill skiing now soar astronomically. A day at Squaw Valley downhill costs beyond $45, but a day at the most expensive and elaborate cross- country resort, Royal Gorge, costs about $15. Inherent economies in the cross- country concept will keep the price of the sport relatively low. Cross-country does not require a steep slope or any mechanized towing device to get participants up hills. Some publicly owned lands, such as Yosemite, have elaborate track systems and no trail fee charge. Though I enjoy the track skiing of a resort (or Yosemite), the cross-country skier who prefers economies and a style of no-track skiing can use National Forest roads and trails. California has organized a Snow Park permit system that allows parking in choice National Forest areas of the Sierra. I have no wish to become apostolic about cross-country skiing. But someday, perhaps you will cross-country through the forest, as I have, and watch a quiet drama as a mound of snow cascades off a pine tree branch, near the top of the tree, and then proceeds, like an avalanche, down the tree, cleaning off the snow from the entire tree. Or perhaps you will observe, as I have, the antics of a coyote hunting voles in the deep snow. Or maybe you will encounter the winter splendor of Yosemite’s Half Dome and El Capitan from the elevated position of Sentinel Dome, accessible only to the cross-country skier. The sport offers many quiet and revealing moments, which tell a skier about the environment and about himself. After a few such moments you will understand why many outdoor enthusiasts enjoy this sport of self-propelled movement in a winter environment. *** CALIFORNIA’S MAJOR CROSS-COUNTRY SKI RESORTS by Lee Foster After skiing at the major cross-country resorts in California, I personally recommend each of them. Each is different in subtle ways, just as good bottles of Chardonnay will show nuances of taste. All these resorts offer groomed trails with separate space for touring skiers, who like set tracks, and skating skiers, who need a compacted, flat ski surface. All the resorts offer lessons, which are strongly recommended. Cross-country skiing is neither hard nor a cinch. Beginning skiers will find that a good lesson prevents the cultivation of bad skiing habits. Good cross-country skiing technique means more efficient skier movement, increasing the pleasure of the sport.