Village Squire, 1979-01, Page 10Of the latter it seems that there are three variations. There are
those who's idea of fun is to bundle up warm and straddle a
noisy, smelly snowmobile while they roar through the
countryside. There are those who spend Targe amounts of money
buying equipment for downhill skiing, spend a lot of money
travelling to a ski resort where they spend a lot of money renting
a room and then spend most of their time lining up at the bottom
of a ski tow so they can be taken to the top of the mountain for a
quick trip down so they can line up to ascend again, and then
those who are content to snap on a pair of cross-country skis and
slip out of their backyard and into the country.
There's a certain amount of fad to all winter sports and while
the first two kinds of people have had their day earlier in the
game, the latest popular sport is the cross-country kick. I have a
natural aversion to fads and so, even though I had thought of
taking up the sport long before it became so popular I almost
resisted last year when I finally got around to buying the
equipment. Thank goodness I didn't.
Western Ontario is almost perfectly suited to this latest fad
sport, especially for those of us who live in the country or in
small towns. With the growing concern about noise and property
damage by careless snowmobilers, the freedom these machines
once had is declining. Yet if you live near the edge of town or in
the country, you can still put on your skis and in minutes be in
the free open spaces. With the good farming land that is either
flat or gently rolling, there is little local opportunity for downhill
skiing. Ski trips become major occasions and at best, weekend
outings. Cross country skiing may not be as thrilling with speed
and danger but it can be undertaken without taking any major
trips and even in the evenings after work.
There's a lot of talk about how inexpensive the sport of
cross-country skiing is and compared to other winter sports it is.
You can't get a snowmobile for much less than S1500 these days.
Downhill ski -equipment is expensive with even the boots costing
more than a whole package of cross-country equipment. And
then there are the tow fees, travel costs and accommodation.
Even equipping a youngster for hockey these days can be a major
strain on the budget.
Still it's going to cost some money to take up this
newly -popular old sport. Good skis, boots and poles will likely
cost in the neighbourhood of 5100 for each person, not an amount
one would like to throw away carelessly. But the nice thing about
cross-country skiing is that this is about the last money you have
to spend. Oh there's plenty of opportunity to spend more. The
businessmen have come up with all kinds of ways to pry more
money out of you. If you're fashion conscious, you can get into
special, fashionable cross-country ski clothing. In a recent
mail-order catalogue these went at S58 for a women's suit and
S48 for a men's suit. Then there are special ski socks at S12 a
pair, and cross country ski gloves at S15 a pair. You could get
into these but you don't have too. Special clothing may be
needed for downhillers who face icy winds and long periods of
inactivity but not for cross country skiing. Your old winter
clothing will do well enough. In fact the problem you're liable to
run into is being too hot. Cross country skiing is fun. but it's also
strenuous and you can work up a lot of heat in a short while.
This activity is both the good and the bad part about
cross-country skiing. If you're the kind of person who doesn't
like exertion, stick to your snowmobile. On the other hand, if
you'd like to get some exercise there aren't many nicer ways to
get it.
While there is hard work involved in cross country skiing the
feeling of working hard is lessened by the smooth, gliding
feeling one gets from the glide and kick movements. The
exertion of going up hill is relieved by the ease of going down the
other side.
It takes little time for a reasonably athletic person to catch on
to the special rhythm needed for cross country skiing. Still
there's plenty of scope left for improvement. Years of
specialization go into people interested in competive
cross-country skiing. The thing about the sport is that it allows
people to take it at their own level. You can get as involved as far
Gerrard's
SHOPPING CENTRES:
Goderich, Clinton, Mitchell
YOUR IN -TOWN
SHOPPING CENTRE:;
AssuAu_
JP4WLJAJL?Y'
All Winter
Lines &
Prices
Slashed
STARTS THURSDAY, JAN. 11
oE�
WINTER STORE HOURS:
Mon., Tues., Thurs., & Sat.
9-6
Wed., 9-12:30
Fri., 9-9
January 1979. Village Squire 7