Strap on some skis and enjoy the trails
There’s no feeling quite like gliding along a groomed or broken trail, alone or with other people, listening to the whisper of waxed skis against packed snow.
It’s a sound Jim Spurrell has been hearing almost his entire life. In addition to his own passion for cross-country skiing, Spurrell is a long-time coach. The Tremont, N.S. man was named coach of the year by Special Olympics Nova Scotia, as he coached Dylan Taylor to gold at the Special Olympics Winter Games in March 2020.
“As a kid, just getting old downhill skis, strapping them on and going from there to the old three pins to just getting out in the woods,” he says. “We had to cut our own trails. If I wanted to ski, I’d have to make the track and ski in it to get any sort of trail to go on consistently. You just slug your way through and cut trail and enjoy.”
Nova Scotia doesn’t have the ideal ski conditions found in the North, but it does have a dedicated skiing community that has worked hard to make the sport accessible for as much of the winter as possible. In order to combat our unpredictable temperatures and erratic snowfall, facilities like the Paragon Golf and Country Club in Kingston, N.S. have been creating artificial groomed trails, cross-country skiing’s answer to artificial rinks.
“I'm spoiled now. We went out today and we just skied on this groomed trail, felt really spoiled,” says Spurrell, who is seeing more people out than ever.
“I was pretty surprised how many cars were in the parking lot out at Paragon, and even more surprised to see how many ski tracks there were out on the golf course. I’d never seen that before, and we’ve been skiing there for years.”
On the surface, cross-country skiing might look more intimidating than snowshoeing or sledding. It definitely requires some instruction, but most people can pick it up easily. The easiest place to start orienting yourself is the Cross Country Nova Scotia website. There, you’ll find a general guide for new skiers, a list of trails and conditions, as well as a directory for local ski clubs. It can be intimidating to try out a new activity, but most cross-country skiers are thrilled to help new people discover the sport. Another resource Spurrell recommends are local recreation departments. Many have equipment rentals available.
As far as getting skis of your own, skis obey the basic rules of any sports equipment. Topof-the-line gear is sticker-shock expensive, but it is easy to find used gear online or at thrift stores that will be perfectly fine for a Sunday ski. In a winter full of indoors and uncertainty, Spurrell believes it's important to take advantage of our relative pandemic good fortune.
“It’s good family activity to take advantage of all of the opportunities that we’ve got, especially in the time of a pandemic like this,” he says. “We’re just really fortunate that we’re able to get out and do all of these things and don’t have to be stuck in a lockdown situation.”