NORDIC SKIING CATCHES ON AT BC SKI RESORTS

If cycling is the new golf, Nordic skiing is the new running. To judge by the results of an informal Georgia Straight survey of trends at snow-sport resorts in B.C. this winter, that certainly appears to be the case.

Golfing’s numbers have been in decline since the mid-1990s, while participation in cycling events, such as the B.C. Bike Race and GranFondo Whistler, has mushroomed. This is particularly true for those in the 30-to-50 age range. Cross-country skiing, as well as snowshoeing, has benefited from a similar demographic shift away from running.

As with cycling, the move to Nordic has been driven, at least in part, by affordability. In cross-country skiing’s case, safety has also emerged as a major factor. Whistler writer Michel Beaudry recently wrote in Pique that because of the fear of being injured, middle-aged and older skiers and snowboarders are abandoning alpine for the more carefree pleasures of a Nordic outing. Case in point: the devastating injuries sustained by his brother-in-law, former Vancouver city councillor Peter Ladner, who was struck by an out-of-control downhill skier and suffered two broken legs. An equally compelling reason is that as runners’ knees give out from pounding the pavement, a gentler glide on soft snow offers a less stressful aerobic workout...

Article Link:  http://www.straight.com/life/361236/nordic-skiing-catches-bc-ski-resorts