Extreme Sports

Cross Country Ski Racing. Once again snow making and snow shoveling was in the mix for the second race of the 2011 US Cross Country Ski Championships in Rumford, Maine. Just the day before racers walked the course wondering whether race organizers could move enough snow fast enough to get the race course ready. The original race course was adjusted to a modified course due to lack of snow. But the race organizers pulled it off and the ski racers waxed up their classic skis for a 10K and 15K race for women and men on January 5th.

The women’s 10k race finished in just over a half an hour. The women raced four laps around the 2.5km loop. Sadie Bjornsen of Alaska Pacific University took the gold, finishing in 32:09.9 minutes. Silver was captured by Morgan Smyth (Park City, UT) just 31 seconds behind Bjornsen and the U.S. Ski Team’s Morgan Arritola (Fairfield, ID) took the bronze finishing in 32:58.5 minutes. Bjornsen finished third in the first race of the event. Snow conditions were tricky and the nordic skiers really had to stay on their wax to get a good kick. But the wax and the conditions were right for Alaska Pacific University skiers who took multiple podium positions.

The men’s 15k classic race was six laps of 2.5km rolling hills. Lars Flora finished in first place with a time of 43:29.1 seconds. teammate James Southam finished in second, just 18.4 seconds behind first. Third place was captured by David Norris of Fairbanks, AK. Most of the cross country ski racers enjoyed the short loop.  Read more...

Cross Country Skiing, also know as nordic skiing or xc skiing requires some basic equipment that one can either rent or purchase. For the recreational cross country skiier looking to tour in their backyard or at a local cross country ski touring center, the beginner will need xc touring skis, boots, bindings and poles. Unlike alpine skiing, nordic skis are attached to the binding by only the toe, allowing the boot to flex as you are propelled forward. The cross country skis are narrower and lighter than their alpine cousin, and ski pole lenght is typically longer.

The sport of cross country skiing has two main techniques – classic skiing and skate skiing. The recreational user generally begins with the classic method, which is what most people typically have seen, using the diagnol stride. Classic cross country skiing for the beginner is a bit like walking or running. The skis are propelled forward by putting your weight on one leg and pushing forward with the heals down. The poles swing opposite the skis. Classic cross country skiing depends upon keeping your knees and ankel flexible, keeping your weight over one ski at a time, and putting the heel down first on the forward ski so you can engage the “kick zone” – where the wax or fish scales are located, and get enough traction to propel yourself forward. At first ski touring may require a bit more balance, since the ski bindings are fairly flexible and the heel is not attached to the ski. With enough practice, cross country skiing becomes easy and will allow you to get away from the crowds and into some beautiful winter scenery. For the beginning cross country skiier, taking a cross country ski lesson is well worth it.  Read more...

Cross country skiing opportunities in California can be found in both Southern California and Northern California. Southern California cross country ski trails are a bit less predictable for snow conditions than the Northern California cross country ski trails. In Southern California the cross country skier can find groomed trails at the Rim Nordic Ski Area in Running Springs, CA which is part of the San Bernardino Mountains. This area, situated near Big Bear, gets snow, but check with the xc ski area first to make sure there is enough of the white stuff to ski on. The Los Padres National Forest, also in Southern California offers cross country skiing, just north of Los Angeles.

Northern California is the cross country skier’s paradise for XC skiing. One of the premier locations for skiing is Mammoth Lakes, California. A cross country skier in Mammoth can ski on both groomed nordic trails as well as backcountry multi-use trails. Tamarack cross country ski area offers more than 35 miles of groomed trails, and is situated in the Lakes Basin area of Mammoth. The nordic ski trails are groomed daily. Cross country skis can be rented or purchased from Brian’s Bicycles and Cross Country Skis tel. (760) 924-8566, situated in town. Brian has been in business for over 30 years and offers great service. Groomed by the Forest Service, the Obsidian Dome cross country ski area offers free xc skiing and is situated 13 miles north of Mammoth Lakes on Highway 395. The Forest Service also grooms over 100 miles of multi-use trails throughout the Mammoth Lakes region. These trails are groomed weekly, and can be used by recreational xc skiers, snowmobilers, and those loving to show shoe. Mammoth Lakes gets considerable amounts of snow during the winter season and snow conditions are reliable.  Read more...

Cross country mountain biking is cross country at its finest. Where free riders and downhill bikers use four wheel bikes and ski lifts to get them to their destination, cross country bikers get to the top of the mountain by the ride. Though free riding is very popular, the life vein of the sport has always been cross country biking.

Just as cross country riders are a different breed, the bikes they ride are as well. The cross country bike is completely different in many ways from other types of mountain riding bikes. The premise for cross country riders is speed. Everything about their bikes revolve with the idea of making the bikes faster and faster. Bikes used in cross country mountain biking can be fully rigid frame, hardtails, or even full suspension frames. Through the years, the cross over to full suspension has become very popular.

The weight difference between free ride bikes and cross country bikes are considerable. You’ll be extremely hard pressed to find a bike that weighs more than 24 pounds, and even that weight can be heavy. Free ride bkes weigh close to 40 pounds, which makes the difference in weight pretty close.

If you’ve never tried cross country mountain biking, you’ll probably find it to be a break from the ordinary. Even though this type of biking involves trails, it’s normally the type of terrain that beginners wouldn’t want to ride. Involving hills and rough terrain, cross country biking offers quite the rush.

For mountain bikers everywhere, cross country is the way to go. It offers you a new assortment of bikes, new areas to bike, and a new twist to  mountain biking as you know it. If you’ve been looking for a mountain biking rush, cross country mountain biking is what you need to be experiencing.  Read more...

Now that you have decided to try cross country skiing, you start wondering what equipment to buy and where to buy them. Looking for cross country skis for sale is easy if you know where to look. The hard part about buying cross country skis from these outlets is determining which skis are best for you. Here are some tips on how you can find the right cross country skis to buy and where you can find them.

Bargain and Used Cross Country Skis

If you are new to the sport of cross country skiing, it would probably be best if you purchased used skis and get used to the sport first before you buy brand new cross country skis. Here are some places where you can find used cross country skis for sale:

- One of the most common places you can find used cross country skis that you can buy at low prices are auction sites online. There are a number of skiers who have new cross country skis for the season and wish to sell their old skis on these sites and you can get these at cheap prices.

- Try signing up as a member on cross country skiing forums or any forum site on skiing. These sites usually have rooms where people can post their old cross country skis for sale. You can also post on these forums that you are looking to buy used cross country skis at a low price.

- Did you know that ski equipment rental shops also sell some of their old items whenever new ones come in during the start of the skiing season? These rental shops often sell these used equipment at very low prices and a lot of these items are still pretty well maintained and in good condition.  Read more...