Cross country skiing is a great way to get outside in the winter and exercise. If you live in an area that is blessed with lots of powdered snow than there are many opportunities for cross country skiing.
Can you cross country ski anywhere? You can ski particularly after a fresh snowfall in public parks, certain golf courses, public trails, along the perimeter of frozen lakes, alpine areas, crown land, snowmobile multi use trails and groomed ski trails. The only areas you cannot ski is where it is unsafe to do so such as where ice over water is too thin and across privately owned land where trespassing is not permitted. Breaking trail over fresh snow is more difficult than skiing on broken or groomed trails.
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#1 Public Parks and Trails
If you notice on the weather report that there will be a snow storm you can get your ski gear ready ahead of time. You want to get out as soon as the fresh snow has accumulated on the ground. In many public areas such as parks and trails if you get out early you many be able to enjoy fresh powdered snow without any footprints or dog prints in it. You will need to break trail if you are first, but if you do a loop you can easily make a second pass back over your own trail. In this way you will be able to enjoy a fresh ski even in the middle of a large city.
During summer it is good to take note of various trails around your area. Try to imagine how they will look covered with snow. Many of these trails may be busy during the summer months but be nearly empty in winter.
There are some parks that convert their roads to cross country ski routes in winter. An example of this is in Gatineau park near Ottawa, Ontario Canada. This area has hundreds of miles of roads that the Government/city allows to completely snow over in the winter. There are also many marked hiking trails that one can explore on skis. These trails are at varying levels of difficulty from novice to advanced. To access the majority of these trails you need to pay for a usage pass. There are cabins and yurts that you can rent to be able to enjoy the winter months more.
#2 Crown Land Or Public Land
Crown Land in Canada is public land that is held by the Federal or Provincial government. This land is available for anyone to use for skiing. In summer some of these areas may be bog, swamp, forest or otherwise impassible. In the winter the ground becomes firm and the snow elevates you above the forest brush making travel easier by using cross country skis.
The challenge with skiing on crown land is access. There may not be anywhere to park your car, so it is good to do some research before heading to the area. You may find a place to park close by giving you access to the area.
In the US the laws for using publicly owned land held by the Government is pretty much the same as in Canada.
#3 Private Land
Cross country skiing on privately owned land in Canada and the US is a gray area. Technically, you cannot trespass on privately owned land in many areas unless you are accessing hunting or fishing grounds or if there is a personal agreement or an agreement with an organization to access the land for recreational use. Even if this is the case, areas differ concerning trespassing laws and each property owner may react differently to people crossing their land.
It is obvious that in a typical city you cannot just ski across someones property. There are isolated rural areas on the other hand where crown land may intersect or boarder privately owned lands. Houses and buildings may be non existent and these lands may appear to be hardly used. In most cases if you need to ski across this sort of land to access crown land no one will really care about it. However, winter camping, having fires or other uses would not be proper since the land is owned by someone. Of course there may be no trespassing signs up in these areas or it may be locally understood not to cross these privately owned lands and in these cases the property owners wishes should be respected.
#4 Multi Use Snowmobile Trails
In many areas snowmobile organizations have tirelessly worked with private land owners to be able to cross their properties. In some areas there may be hundreds of kilometers of often times groomed trails. In most cases at least in Canada and the US, these trails are multi use and can be used by cross country skiers. It doesn’t hurt to double check with local snowmobile organizations to see what sort of access they will allow.
It is important to keep in mind that snowmobiler’s pay a fee for land access and that they also cover the cost of trail grooming. All skiers should respect this fact and get out of the way of any snowmobiler’s that are passing by. These trail networks are gold for the cross country skier to explore and enjoy the outdoors. They also allow the skier to access areas that may be typically inaccessible otherwise.
#5 Frozen Lakes
Snow covered frozen lakes is another area where a person can get out and ski. Of course it is very important to make sure that the ice is thick enough before venturing out on the ice. It is a good practice to hug the shoreline when skiing. Then if there is a problem you are close to the shore and most likely are skiing over shallow water.
Frozen Lakes can provide solitude and an open area to enjoy skiing. It is important to avoid areas where there is a known current such as river mouths or around bridges, since these areas freeze over more slowly than still water.
#6 Golf Courses
During winter some cross country activities are held on golf courses. These provide a nice quiet open area to ski.
#7 Alpine Areas
Backcountry skiing in alpine areas is becoming more and more popular. Backcountry ski systems are specifically designed for these environments. They are ski’s that allow you to climb these ski hills on your own power. Then once you reach the summit the ski’s and bindings provide the support and strength of a downhill ski.
Some downhill ski resorts also provide areas for backcountry skiing and then there are areas that are completely isolated and away from any resorts.
#8 Ski Resorts
Ski resorts are places where you can often find lodging and that have areas completely devoted to cross country skiing. These areas often have groomed trails or at least already broken in trails where you can enjoy cross country skiing.
Skiing In Fresh Deep Snow
Skiing in fresh deep snow can be accomplished by any style of ski. Some ski’s though are better suited for breaking trail. These ski’s tend to be wider and shorter allowing for better riding on top of the snow. For tracking on already broken trails just a classic sized ski such as touring will allow you to glide inside of these trails. There is also a sport ski style which is called skate skiing and this utilizes a completely different technique than traditional skiing.
Whats The Point Of Cross Country Skiing?
Cross country skiing is an invigorating and serene activity. It is pure pleasure to be able to glide on top of the snow. It is also a very effective way to travel long distances over snow. If combined with winter camping, cross country skiing helps you to get to your campsite and allows you to access many areas for winter activities. Cross county skiing is excellent exercise since it gives you a full body workout. An average sized person that weighs 150lbs can burn up to 460 calories per hour, depending on how fast and the type of terrain that they are skiing over.