Let's Go Skiing

Welp, it's been a while, and a very ... interesting... fall in Saskatchewan. I was quite busy with work and some online horticulture classes from September through November, and of course Sudden Winter and the Second Wave and my grandma going into the hospital basically walloped us all at once which wasn't good for the ol' mental health. Slowly but surely I am getting used to the reality of COVID winter and making some plans for how to survive the next several months until we can all get vaccinated.

I have previously posted some winter survival strategies which are coincidentally fairly pandemic-proof as well, and plan to participate in similar activities this winter (also, getting winter tires on my bike right now). And last week, we finally got around to doing something I've wanted to for several years: cross country skiing.

I actually used to xc ski quite a bit as a kid with my dad, but then became a teenager and grew out of my ski boots and just didn't want to keep going. (It's not that I was too cool, I assure you I was very very very not cool.) I believe the last time I xc skied was in grade 10 Wellness (the version of gym class where they teach you all the grownup sports like curling and skiing and golf), almost exactly 20 years ago. I always enjoyed it and it is honestly a bit of a mystery as to why I stopped.

So, we were invited to go skiing last Friday at the Holiday Park Golf Course in Saskatoon by one of Brahm's friends who skis quite often. We rented ours from Escape Sports. We did not stretch beforehand, and did two loops, which appears to be about 7km total.

It was really fun and enjoyable and we will definitely do it again, but this was nearly a week ago and I am JUST beginning to not be debilitatingly sore.

I have heard that skis are sold out everywhere because everyone is getting into it this winter since it's a naturally physically distant activity. I don't know if that is true or not but I am 100% in support of more people doing outside stuff in the winter because it's been a great mental health survival strategy for me in recent years. Some advice to fellow n00bs to xc skiing this winter:

1. Stretch your upper leg, groin, and hip muscles very well before you go for the first time (try runner's lunge)
2. Watch a video or two about How To Ski, as it took me almost 5km in to remember the mechanics of it all
3. Maybe just start with a short 1km outing and work your way up to allow your body gets used to the skiing muscles being used

These sound a little tongue-in-cheek but I am serious. Both Brahm and I are in decent shape due to a lot of walking, cycling, and yoga (me) / weight training (him); if we were not it is very possible that we could have injured ourselves. Please don't add preventable musculoskeletal injuries to your COVID winter list of worries!

Here is a list of the public ski trails in Saskatoon!