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Trying Cross-Country Skiing in Seefeld

·3 mins

I took a cross-country skiing course organized by the DNA Trails community in Seefeld (Langlaufschule Rückenwind Seefeld), which is about an hour away from Innsbruck by public transport.

What’s cross-country skiing? #

Cross-country skiing (XC) is part of Nordic skiing and is done on prepared tracks (“loipes”) or off-track in the backcountry. You move using a combination of leg push and pole push, with skis that allow you to go both uphill and downhill.

There are two main styles: classic (in parallel tracks) and skating (V-shaped, like ice skating).

Apparently, skiing for transport in snowy regions dates back several thousand years in northern Eurasia, especially Scandinavia and Russia. In the 19th century, it evolved into a sport in Norway and Sweden, with organized races and military patrol competitions. It became an Olympic sport for men in 1924 and for women in 1952 (interesting), and today there are multiple sprint, distance, and relay events.

Since it’s the Winter Olympics season right now, I looked up what kind of XC-related events will be happening in 2026.

The Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will host 12 XC events, with men and women racing the same distances for the first time (also interesting):

  • 10 km + 10 km skiathlon (half classic, half skate)
  • Classic sprints
  • 10 km freestyle individual events
  • 4 × 7.5 km relays (typically classic legs first, then skate)
  • 50 km mass-start classic

Equipment #

The funny thing is that the skis, boots, and poles are different for classic versus skating. (I genuinely don’t know how people in Austria own so much gear for everything.)

  • Skis: Longer and narrower than alpine skis.
  • Bindings and boots: Lightweight, with a flexible toe and free heel.
  • Poles: Longer than hiking poles — roughly shoulder height for classic, and almost up to your nose or chin for skating.

I loved how light the skis were, and the boots were surprisingly comfortable.

Summary #

First, we learned how to glide and put all our weight on one foot while pushing with the other — basically skating along the engraved tracks on both sides. It was really difficult to balance. The skis are so thin and wobbly, and you have to put a lot of pressure on the inner side of your feet. It didn’t help that I have flat feet and they would completely collapse inward.

It was also interesting how much core engagement it required. You really have to hold your core tight and not let your hips sink whenever you transfer weight from one leg to the other. I quickly realized this was a movement I’m not very good at — it highlighted a lot of weaknesses and things I’d need to train more. I do think it would complement my running really well, though.

It was very exhausting overall, especially going uphill. Going downhill felt quite insecure. A lot of people seemed to pick it up very naturally. I was definitely one of the worst ones — but I still really enjoyed it and would love to go again to improve.

I think it’s such an amazing activity on a nice sunny winter day. I’d especially love to try it in the woods next time, not just on a loipe.

I really enjoyed it. I met some wonderful people, and I genuinely love these community events. I think they’re amazing.