With a Little Help From My friends
By
Sky Barsch Gleiner
Posted March 6th, 2011
The first time I went cross-country skiing, I rented a pair of classical skis, probably meant for racing, that I took to some wooded trails in Groton. With a group of girlfriends—adventurous, but clueless—I followed a friend of a friend on the powder-laden trails. I was dressed in a non-wicking cotton sweatshirt and some old track pants; and used short, downhill poles—all in sheer oblivion. Worse, one of my friends was on skis that, unbeknownst to us, were skate skis.
Needless to say, most of the pictures from that day are of us on the ground, face planted or otherwise covered in powder. I was cold, frustrated, and if not for the company of people who like to laugh, I would have ditched out after a few minutes. I have one photo, however, that my mom keeps on her fridge. In the few seconds I was able to steady myself, someone managed to capture me with a huge smile on, cheeks rosy from the cold, hair crazy from the wet snow and exertion. My frustration was tempered with the beginnings of a passion.
Today, I find myself whizzing around the trails, at a molasses pace compared to “real” skiers, but Olympic pace compared to my beginning days. I even (barely) finished the Craftsbury 25k tour in 2009! My 2002 self would never have believed this day would come.
Now I am appreciative of what Nordic skiing provides: a chance to get some sun on my face in the deepest of winter, heart-pumping exercise that beats off the winter blues, time in nature, and an affordable way to spend time with my husband, friends, and dog. Its benefits are immeasurable to me, and I’m thankful I stuck with it to get to this point.
But what did it take to get here? Encouragement and advice from those who were more experienced. They helped me spend more time on skis, and gave me suggestions for great trails to check out, where exactly to plant the pole and better techniques for going up and down hills. I improved as I skied with better skiers, who were faster, braver and could ski for longer periods of time. (It also took my now-husband telling me on our first ski date that I was using downhill poles.)
That’s exactly the kind of encouragement and advice I want to provide with Vermont Sports. I realize there are many new and budding athletes who read this magazine, and I hope to give them what they need to get to the next level. Peter Bronski does a great job with this in his piece, Big Mountains, Little Snowhoes. These are snowshoe hikes around the Northeast that little ones can tackle, but not at the expense of boring their parents. Peter (who is the proud new father to his second little one) gives great information—like elevation, how long the hike is, and exactly where to begin. Leslie Wright, an impressive cyclist, shares tips for getting your bike tuned up for the season. It’s excellent, authoritative information that a newbie or an experienced cyclist can use.
We still strive to provide new and useful information for the most seasoned athletes—such as in Brian Mohr’s exhilarating piece on avalanches in the Northeast. Brian and his wife, Emily Johnson, are two backcountry experts, and though they live right in Moretown, they’ve traveled around the world. They provide a local as well as worldly perspective on the danger of avalanches and how you can educate yourself.
No matter where you fall on the outdoors scale—whether you’re clipping on skis for the first time, or flying down the powdery backcountry, there’s something in this issue of Vermont Sports for you. Consider us your encouraging, authoritative friend, here to help you get to the next level.
—Sky Barsch Gleiner
