Let me just give you a brief history of my life on cross-country skis. Three years ago, I rented waxable skis in Sault Ste Marie, Canada; the rental shop neglected to tell me I would need wax. For three days I skied on bare planks, taking home black-blue-green knees and hips and a bruised ego. The following year, on a winter honeymoon in the Italian dolomites, I stood atop a hill for about an hour and a half, refusing to ski down to my husband at the bottom. I have skied a dozen times since, trying to conquer my fear of hills, trying not to take myself so seriously.
I don't know why I signed up for this year's Kortelopet; it just seemed the thing to do.
I fell once at the Birkebeiner extravaganza: in the parking lot, walking into the Telemark Lodge before the start of the race. I wasn't even wearing skis yet. I thought this may be a bad sign.
I took off in Wave 9 with the classic skiers, Mark and Tom in front of me. Within a kilometer they were skiing far ahead, and I was left alone on the beautiful course with thousands of other skiers. The sun came out; the sky turned purple; it started to snow. It was absolutely beautiful. I felt the intense trepidation at the top of each hill. I conferred with those around me about the hill we were about to face. "It's okay," said Kristin, a physician from Rochester, "It's tracked." We zoomed down together, and she told me this was her first year skiing.
Okay, I thought, if Kristin can do it, I can do it.
Atop another huge hill I met a man who told me, "Just steer your shoulders in the direction you want to go."
This was the single best instruction I have ever received for skiing. Suddenly, I was racing down hills as if I had grown up on skis. My legs were steady, my mind firm. I had no fear. Around 8K I started to get tired, around 15K my legs were burning, but I couldn't stop smiling - it was an absolutely perfect day, a perfect trail, and at the end I announced next year, I'm doing the whole Birkie.
Thank you to everyone who volunteers for the Birkebeiner - this is the best-organized long-distance race I have ever seen. Thank you to the folks who beat the drums, who hold out cups, who ring the cow bells. Thank you to the trail groomers. And thank you to our hosts, Tom and Sandy and Tom and Sue, who cook the meals, make the beds, and keep the irons hot. Toko Correction Wax is a godsend.
Posts
Wow, you're a wax techie already...irons? Toko Correction? I'm lucky enough to have the right texture of sticks and leaves on the base of my skis this time of year.
ReplyDeleteFunny story about Toko Correction wax...a few years back, our host Tom and his friends Howard and Mike were in the back of the bus on the way to the start line. The talk was of wax, everybody comparing notes. These three told everyone they were using Toko Correction wax - that was the only thing to use on such a day. By the end of the ride, word had reached the front of the bus, and everybody was bummed because they hadn't used Toko Correction. Little did they know...there's no such thing. You may as well go snipe hunting with a bag.
ReplyDeleteBut I hear sticks and leaves work just as well!