Escape to the (cross) countrY

John Whitney dips his toes into cross-country skiing in Gstaad

This was bringing a whole new meaning to the idea of cross-training. I wasn’t just cross, either. Rattled, frustrated, you name it. My naïve assumption that, because I’d downhill skied in the past, I would take to crosscountry skiing without much fuss, was in tatters. It was going to take longer than the single day I had to get close to picking up the technique.

My teacher, Claude Frautschi, was an expert; photographer Henry wasn’t bad either, having finished the 54km Birkebeiner XC race in Lillehammer two years ago. I, meanwhile, was moving with all the grace of an inebriated daddy long legs. We were in Saanenmöser, just up the valley from Gstaad, on prime cross-country track. I’d opted for skate skiing, the most popular with cyclists.

The key to skating is coordination: Claude made the action – pushing the ski behind you at an angle and using both hand poles to propel forward (either with each ski movement or after every two) – look totally effortless. Unlike downhill skis, XC skis don’t have an edge to them that allows you to grip the snow, so controlling them is harder. Balance is also crucial, and you need to keep your body weight centred.

Claude insisted it was a very safe sport to practise, once you’re up to speed. “Torn hamstrings are the most common injury, particularly with cyclists who suffer from tight muscles,”

My short experience of the sport barely scratched the surface, but it left me hungry for more as I’d have to learn the fluent motion before I got any aerobic benefit for cycling out of it. XC doesn’t have the exhilaration of downhill, but it makes you work for the endorphin rush that old hands get from it. And if that doesn’t sound like road cycling, I’m not sure what does.