XC Skiing-- slightly north of mainstream

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Cross country skiers, or 'nordies', are some of the tougest, strangest, and most fun people that I have ever come across. Of course, being one, I have encountered quite a few. They're quirky and competitive, have a habit of going to bed early, keeping elaborate training logs, and love to run in the mountains for hours every sunday. And the nordie women are known to do all of those activities and more, wearing a very vibrant shade of pink.

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[Photo Credit: Matt Whitcomb] This is a camp with the US and Canadian ski teams, getting work done on the glacier this summer. One Olympic Gold Medalist, one World Champs Silver medalist, the fastest girls in North America, and a whole lot of pink!

Yes, we train a lot. We train on a glacier in the summer so that we can train more (snow causes less wear and tear on the body compared to dryland workouts), and we rollerski daringly down roads without any brakes. It is hard, frustrating, painful, and extremely fun. Our bodies complain often, but feeling yourself adapt to such difficult conditions is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced. When you have a good day and are genuinely excited to run up a mountain, when it feels good to push yourself and your competition over the top of a hill, when you know that its hard work but are sure that you can handle it, that's when being a skier is the best thing in the world.

In general, skiing is not something Americans are interested in watching. It doesn't cater to our 20 second attention spans, it's cold outside if you want to see it in person, and there aren't any scantily clad cheerleaders. But we miss something by dismissing it on those grounds. There is a kind of perfection acheived in laying out every ounce of energy that you have in order to catch a competitor in the finish. Seeing people skiing their hearts out always gives me goosebumps. I know it's partially because I am a skier who knows how hard it is to take yourself to that level of effort, but it's also because there is something inherently special about it. Anything that people are willing to absolutely give give their all for has a kind of magic, an amount of meaning, because of of their effort. And I think that mainstream america could stand to appreciate that more.

I know I am probably blogging to the choir here, there are a lot of womens sports that deserve more attention, but I just wanted to try and explain what makes my sport so special and why I love it. Not just because I love rollerskiing down fast hills (I really do, my teammates think I am nuts, but it's extremely exhilirating), but truly because of the thrill of trying absolutely as hard as you can with every fiber of your body. Nothing is more rewarding.

Here is a link to a video of my teammate, Kikkan Randall, as she won a world cup sprint last winter. The commentary is in Norwegian (a sad fact of life for XC ski fans, english commentary isn't easy to find), but you can see the strength and tactics that she uses to come out on top!

Sprint Ladies Final Liberec 2011 - Kikkan Randall wins - YouTube

I hope this strikes a chord with some fellow female endurance athletes out there, and piques some curiosity about my ridiculously cold, hard, and awesome sport. thanks for reading!

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