The swish-swish of my skis sliding over the snow, the
freshness of the crisp winter air as I breathe deeply in rhythm with my
strides, and the brightness of the low winter sun in the distance—these are
some of the secret pleasures of getting out on my cross-country skis each
winter.
“But isn’t it cold?” people ask, shivering at the very
thought. Of course it is, but there are some tricks to dealing with the cold
that I’ve learned in 35 years of skiing. In fact, I usually finish a ski as
warm and sweaty as if I’d just played a game of basketball in the gym. Plus,
I’ve gotten my daily dose of sunshine, which is important for Vitamin D
production, especially in winter. Touring around the trails also invariably
lifts my spirits and helps me acclimate to the season. Cross-country skiing
gets the heart thumping and is an important part of enjoying winter and
establishing lifelong habits of good health.
Cross-country
skiing is a great family activity. My parents—natives of North Dakota and
Minnesota—taught me how to cross-country ski when I was eight years old. I have
fond memories of looking for Easter eggs on skis during an overnight ski trip
in Utah and watching the Northern Lights from the ski trails in Alaska. My two
sons were born in Fairbanks, and I made sure to get them out on skis as soon as
they could stand up.
When I was thinking about relocating to my birthplace of
Fargo after 40 years of living out west and north in Alaska, I made sure to
bring my skis with me for the job interview, so I could check out the
cross-country skiing. The trail system next to the Red River of the North made
a great impression, as did the collegial professors in the English department
at North Dakota State University, who accompanied me on the ski trails.
During my first winter back in Fargo, I discovered that the
Fargo Parks department has a dedicated trail maintenance crew that does a top
job of maintaining three separate trails along the river to serve different
users: the plowed bike path for walkers and winter cyclists, the smoothly
packed trail for skate skiers, and finally, on the trail closest to the river,
the set tracks for classical cross-country skiers.
In addition to the trails by the river, there is also a trail
system at Edgewood golf course, where the Prairie’s Edge Nordic Ski Club and
the Fargo Park District (www.fargoparks.com)
hold ski lessons and fun races. While my children took lessons with more
experienced skiers, I volunteered to help the newer skiers learn to ski. One of
the great joys in my life is to introduce people to the wonderful sport of
cross-country skiing.
Another highlight of last winter was taking my sons on their
first moonlight ski by the river.
They were surprised that they could see well enough to navigate the
trails and were amazed to see their shadows on the snow. One of the most
exciting outings was a trip to Maplelag, a cross-country ski resort in
Minnesota, where my younger son made it to the bottom of “Suicide Hill” without
falling—a big boost to his confidence.
It was a sad day during the spring flood, when I saw an ice
floe with two parallel ski tracks float by my house, because then I knew the
ski season was really over! To make it through to the next ski season, I began
writing a proposal for an after-school ski program at Clara Barton elementary
school. I’m looking forward to another fun winter of cross-country skiing with
family and friends. (615 words)
Name:
Kelly Sassi
Age:
43
Hometown:
Fargo, North Dakota
Ski
Club: Prairie’s Edge Nordic Ski Club (PENS)
http://myweb.cableone.net/jcprmp/PENShome.htm
Occupation:
Assistant Professor of English and Education, North
Dakota State University
Career
Highlights:
1984 Fairbanks Regional
champion, high school cross-country skiing
1989-91 Middle school ski coach
1992 3rd place
Iditasport, a 200-mile race on the Iditarod trail in Alaska each February
1997 High school ski coach
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