Roller Skiing and Nordic Walking

I'm totally hooked on the Swenor Finstep Cap Classic Roller Skis. These super smooth roller skis even come with a slight Nordic camber. These roller skis are light years ahead of classis roller skis made of aluminum.

The Salomon  S-LAB SKIATHLON is my favorite roller ski and cross country ski boots. WOW. Best boots ever. Even with my weird feet they all skied great right out of the box.

My favorite Nordic Walking Poles are the original SWIX VIP's from Lillehammer, Norway and made exclusively for us here at WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System. All of our SWIX and EXEL Nordic Walking Poles are equipped with durable metal tips and removable rubber tips/paws that act as shock absorbers and silencers on pavement.

And when it comes to roller skiing my favorite poles are my SWIX CT1's - equipped with special SWIX "road" ferrules (metal tips) that hold a sharp point even when pounding down the pavement.

The similarities between roller skiing and Nordic Walking are many. The most important however is the simple fact that durable one-piece poles that are sized correctly prove to be lighter, stronger and much more dependable than cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles that tend to rattle, vibrate, gradually collapse or collapse unexpectedly. Skiers also use dependable one-piece poles while ski walking and hill bounding with poles - they would never considering heavy collapsible poles.

Skiers ski with one-piece poles because collapsible poles don't hold up and are a hassle. The same goes for hiking, trekking and Nordic Walking - one-piece poles will always prove to be superior to cheap/flimsy collapsible poles.

North America Nordic Opener – coming to Traverse City, Michigan, Saturday, Oct. 22nd

The 1^st cross country ski race of the season in North America - A Michigan Cup Nordic Ski Race!

You don’t have to go to Australia to ski this time of year. The Vasa Ski Club and Brick Wheels invite you to welcome the upcoming ski season in style by skiing on Zamboni snow! That’s right – a ski trail will be created with snow from local ice rinks for first tracks in October! Also take advantage of hot deals on Nordic ski equipment at our inaugural cross country and telemark Ski Swap.

The local Vasa Ski Club (VSC) is partnering with Brick Wheels to host the Second Annual Nordic Fest on Saturday, October 22, 9 am–4 pm. The Fest includes on snow skiing, party with food, beverages and entertainment and a cross country Ski Swap including new and gently used equipment - skis, poles, bindings and boots. Brick Wheels will have new gear discounted too!

This Nordic Fest will take place at Brick Wheels. The event will be great fun, with something for everyone including the first ski race in North America for the 2011/2012 season. Racers will ski on an oval ski track constructed by the VSC.

Skiers from across the state will have a chance to participate in the first Michigan Cup Race of the season from 10am - Noon. $5 race fee will support VSC programs including the Junior Program and We Ski Program. The public is invited to ski for free on the snowy track from 12–7 pm. Enjoy the Vasa Ski Club Season Kick-off Party with food, beverages and music from 4–7 pm.

The weekend concludes on October 23 with a roller ski clinic led by the former Nordic coach of the University of Utah, Eli Brown at 11 am at Brick Wheels.

More details can be found below and at www.vasaskiclub.com  and www.brickwheels.com , plus on the NordicSkiRacer web site: http://www.nordicskiracer.com

For SWIX Race Wax Recommendations: WWW.SWIXRACING.US

* photo credit: Pete Edwards, WWW.SKIWALKING.COM LLC and the American Nordic Walking System

Nordic Walking Is A Great Way To Get Ready For Ski Season - Downhill and Cross Country (Alpine and Nordic)

The launch of the 2008-2009 cross country ski season in Leelanau County was on Monday, November 17th! The classic skiing couldn't have been better. We skied in our own tracks and didn't have any sticking or clumping problems on the bottoms or sides of our skies thanks to having our skies stored all summer with a thick coat of SWIX Base Prep Wax and a fresh application of liquid ski wax applied tip to tail - SWIX Violet Glide (F7LE - liquid glide).

Cross country skiing, also called Nordic Skiing, is one of several "Nordic Sports" including Nordic Walking, Nordic Running, Nordic Snowshoeing and Nordic Blading. After Nordic Walking since last ski season ended it was really great to be back on snow and skiing. Nordic Walking is the next best thing to skiing. Walking with poles has proven once again to be a great way to get ready for ski season. For more info about Nordic Walking contact The American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM .

Fresh snow on top of wet grass and/or leaves can create a waxing problem, but proper base preparation can ensure more FUN skiing and eliminate the hassle of dealing with skis that ice up during tricky conditions.

SWIX Violet Glide (F7LE - liquid glide) works great on skate skis, waxable classic skis and no-wax classic skis when temps are below freezing. Apply tip to tail (including fishscale and step-type no-wax bases). Allow time to dry (a few minutes). Cork in. For colder temps try SWIX Blue Glide (F6LE - liquid glide). For temps at or above 32 degrees use SWIX Red Glide (F8LE - liquid glide). For more wax info please check out the SWIX Wax Wizard: http://www.swixschool.com/web_tysk/wizard2.html?langInput=lang2&menuInput=subM2

MY NEW SALOMON CROSS COUNTRY (NORDIC) SKI BOOTS HAVE ARRIVED!

SALOMON S-LAB CARBON SKIATHLON CROSS COUNTRY SKI BOOTS

My wife knows it is fall and ski season is around the corner when I'm spotted walking around the house in my new ski boots. My favorite classic cross country boots are my S-Lab Carbon Classics. My favorite skate boots are my S-Lab Carbon Skates. And now I'm hoping my new Skiathlon Boots will be my favorite teaching boots. I'll be able to change from skate to classic skis without having to change boots - sounds pretty good if jumping back and forth from teaching classic and skate lessons.

All of my Salomon cross country skis are equipped with the Pilot System so my new Skiathlon boots will work great with ALL of my skis. Sounds almost to good to be true. The new Skiathlon boots are the ultimate combi boots and actually designed for "Pursuit" cross country ski races. These boots are designed to handle classic cross country skiing with a soft flex under the ball of the foot while maintaining torsional stiffness for skating. The cuff is a softer material than the skate boot and offers a slightly lower profile for a wider range of motion. This Pursuit Racing Boot supposedly doubles as an excellent boot for coaches. The Salomon Skiathlon Boots have all of Salomon's top-end features: Carbon heel cup, sensifit compression fit, speedlace, one-piece carbon sole and more.

As and I'm sitting here typing this all I can say is they are super comfortable and I'll be dreaming of snow tonight.

For more info about Salomon Ski Equipment: http://www.salomonsports.com/US/#/nordic

If you are looking for a great way to get ready for ski season or know someone that could benefit from Nordic Walking Poles check out: The American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM

Think SNOW!