How to learn cross-country skiing in one hour

New year, new sport

Already in 2020, I wanted to learn cross-country skiing together with some of my colleagues to participate in the Business Charity Run, which took place in the context of the ski marathon. But unfortunately, it was cancelled and my trip to the cross-country skiing courses was also cancelled. So I posponed it to the winter of 2021. I rented the equipment and booked a cross-country skiing lesson. And here we go!

An unsure affair

At the Nordic Park at lake Ritzensee in Saalfelden, I met Andrea Grossegger, cross-country skiing guide and biathlon trainer. I was really motivated and put on my cross-country skis. However, after a few seconds, I had to admit that this didn't feel very good. Unsurely, I looked at Andrea. But she only said: "Don't worry, in one hour it will look very different."

Rethinking completely

I was sure to be in completely good hands. We started with some exercises to warm up. We mainly streched the inside of our thigs and the shoulders. As with any other sport - the warm up is a crucial part of cross-country skiing. After the warm up, we started with a few exercises. First of all, we focused on the obvious thing I’d got wrong - the position of my skis. From my experience of alpine skiing, I was used to keeping my skis parallel. Unlike in alpine skiing, however, in cross-country skiing the skis form a V-shape. So far, so good.

Posture, balance, coordination

In the first exercise, we put the poles aside and concentrated on our legs. Cross-country skiing reminded me of ice skating. The skis are positioned in a V-shape, and you have to push off forwards in the direction of the skis. When pushing off, you have to apply pressure with your toes to make use of the edges of the skis. That sounds really complicated, but once you’re standing on your own skis, you’ll know what I mean. It’s also important to keep your knees slightly bent and not shift your weight onto your hips. As soon as my legs were working the way we’d imagined, Andrea showed me how to use the poles properly. I adopted the classic skiing stance and learnt how to use them. Once I’d got the hang of using them properly, I realised that cross-country skiing is a full-body workout. It improves your posture, balance and coordination. And it’s incredibly tiring! The best bit, though, is the feeling afterwards, when you can feel your muscles working and the adrenaline coursing through your body. That makes it well worth giving it a go!

Don't forget to smile

Don't get me wrong: I would have never felt so good without the help of Andrea. Without her I would have gone home after ten minutes and I would definitely have never tried cross-country skiing again. However, with a lot of patience and humor Andrea, former world championship medal winner, motivated me. She showed me my mistakes and gave me tips on how I can improve my technique. I have never laughed so hard, as I have in this hour with Andrea. And one thing is for sure - If you like something and have fun, you can learn it a lot easier. And now I'm off to practice, because my technique is still far from perfect. 

Isn't there something missing?

Yes, there is definitely something missing. Because when you search for cross-country skiing online, you find several articles, in which techniques are explained, called one-act technique, 2-1, 1-1, the technique how to guide your hands and so on. But honestly - there are so many techniques, I am not quite sure how any of these work. How should I know? I have only had one training lesson. I am really content that I do not fall every 10 seconds. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to learning all these techniques in my next lesson. Then I can tell you about them. And maybe one time I can cross-country ski as good as my colleague Steffi.