Nordic Skates - Who Needs Snow?

The basic tenet of the active outdoors lifestyle? You can’t control the weather.

Imagine, if every time you wanted to go cross-country skiing for example, you could order fresh snow, clear sunny (or moonlit) skies, moderate temperatures and no wind.

Sorry, doesn’t work that way. You have to have contingency plans: like being prepared for less-than-perfect weather. (Think: Gore-tex. . . ) Or, choose something else active and outdoors if you can’t do what you want.

Last winter, many Active Outdoors enthusiasts, myself among them, spent a lot of time grumbling about the general lack of snowcover in the northeast. I wanted to be cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and backcountry skiing. Instead I went hiking on icy trails and Telemarking on groomed ski slopes covered with man-made snow.

What everyone should have been doing was Nordic skating. Last season’s midwinter rains and hard freezes created absolutely perfect Nordic skating conditions.

Trouble is, I didn’t discover Nordic skating until the very last day of safe ice last season. I missed a whole winter of opportunities. I won’t make the same mistake year. Neither should you.

Nordic skating is exactly like Nordic skate skiing except you use long-bladed ice skates instead of short, skinny skis. You can even use the same boots, which, for me are super-comfortable Fischer S-5000 ( www.fischerskis.com ). Of course in skating, unlike skiing, you never have to climb any hills or negotiate your way back down them

The lightest Nordic skates attach to cross-country ski boots designed for skating skis. But if you don’t have skate boots, they have skates that work with hiking or Telemark ski boots. In any case, you have more ankle support than with hockey or figure skates, and your feet stay warmer

In my extremely limited experience, Nordic skates seem easier to use and safer than hockey or figure skates. You don’t seem inclined to fall over backwards as easily; your ankles don’t wobble as much.

Nordic skates glide easily and smoothly over rough ice, so you can skate on big lakes and rivers. Nordic skates are designed glide much farther with each push than conventional skates, which means you can travel great distances with less effort.

Unless the wind is blowing . . . Here’s a tip: skate upwind to start. You definitely don’t want to skate downwind thinking “this is easy” only to have to turn around and fight the wind all the way back.

Not surprisingly, Nordic skating got its start in Scandinavia, where gas is over $8 a gallon and human-powered winter sports are a way of life. It’s now popular in parts of Canada, and the upper midwest.

But it’s just getting started in the northeast where the hotbed of activity is the upper Connecticut River Valley and the big lakes of northern Vermont and central New Hampshire.

Jamie Hess is the driving force behind this growing sport, at least here in the northeast. His shop, Nordic Skater (866- 244-2570; www.Nordicskater.com  ) in Norwich, Vermont is a one-stop resource for the skates, safety gear and protective gear.

If you are interested in trying Nordic skating this winter, Hess demos at a number of events throughout the winter. These give people a chance to get on Nordic skates, free. Go to www.nordicskating.org  for a list.

If you’re dreaming of snow, and get ice instead, just adjust and go skating. Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out and enjoy!

ICE SAFETY

Ice is as fickle as the weather, and it pays to be cautious, especially early in the season.

Currents (particularly around narrow spots, bridges, inlets and outlets) can drastically affect the thickness and safety of ice above. Ice on a river can be several feet thick in one place, and eggshell thin only a few feet away.

If you hear the ice rumbling or see long cracks developing, don’t panic If the ice is thick enough to hold you safely, those rumblings are the sound of pressure being relieved as more ice forms.

Cracks that suddenly radiate outward from where you are standing are a different matter. Get back to thicker ice immediately.

Personally, I like the guidelines on the New Hampshire Fish and Game website ( www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/Fishing_PDFs/Safety_on_ice.pdf ). Minnesota also has good tips at www.fishandgame.com/icesafe.htm For the heavy-duty word on ice safety, check out www.crrel.usace.army.mil/ierd/ice_safety/safety.html 

Jamie Hess of Nordic Skater recommends skating with a group. At least two members should be carry rescue gear including a throw rope. Someone should have dry clothes in a waterproof bag inside a backpack.

Individuals should carry “Ice Claws” which hang around your neck and help you crawl back onto the ice if it breaks under you. Cheap insurance.

Testing the ice wherever it looks suspect can also help keep you safe. Hess also has heavy-duty skating poles, more rigid than ski poles, specifically designed to probe the strength of the ice.

Ice is also hard, and falling on it can hurt. The kneepads and wrist guards used for rollerblading are a good idea—at least while you are learning.

Until I get good at this, I’m wearing a ski or hockey helmet both for warmth and safety. Sure I’ll look like a geek. But I AM a geek who doesn’t take unnecessary chances . . .