Got my first pair of skis at about age 6 or 7, a pair of wood XC skis with bindings that "fit" any hiking boot. While I switched to mostly Alpine skiing a couple years later, I've nearly always had cross country skis in my quiver. Got into XC skate skiing in 89-90 season, and started re-learning classic technique a few years later. Finally feel proficient at both techniques after many clinics with some retired world cup skiers. Tried out biathlon once - lots of fun, but can't justify another rifle and hard to find biathlon courses in this part of the world (Reno, NV).
I don't know if you ever followed World Cup Nordic skiing, the reining World Cup Overall XC champion for 3 years now, going on 4 - Jessie Diggins is from Afton, Minnesota. Jessie is the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in Cross Country, and first American woman to win the overall World Cup. Another fun fact - the 2020 World Cup finals were scheduled for Wirth Park in Minneapolis, before the season-ending Covid Fiasco. Was hoping to go to that one, as my wife's cousins (twice removed) were world cup skiers at the time (their mom was her childhood best friend in western MN).
I don't think I'll be taking up X-country skiing anytime soon, but I have been learning German to challenge my brain. Also to speak to the locals. They overwhelmingly speak excellent English but in my experience are patient with my German. (I, too, am better at Spanish and found it easier on my American tongue - and I was able to employ both chatting with a Guatemalen transplant to Munich).
May I suggest taking your culinary and Teutonic linguistic journey to Südtirol? Imagine if you could take great things about Germany, Austria and Italy, and add them to a much older culture (Ladin), and you have Südtirol/Alto-Adige. You won't need any Italian, they overwhelmingly speak German.
The foods are spectacular and I'd love to see your take.
This resonates. I used to race XC. When skis had to be waxed perfectly. (Yeah, I'm THAT old) Truly a discipline of mind over lungs and muscle. Harder than competitive swimming because you're not buoyant, but using every muscle group. And I sold XC skis to beginners who had no idea what it really took. In CO, where there is very little prepared track.
So yes. Time to dig in. And resist inertia. Got to dig in. Get my ass in shape again. Maybe go hunt some snowshoe hare at +10,000 feet on skis, as I used to do. Or, maybe slower on snowshoes -- I am over 70 now. 😉
I've been learning to cross-country ski for 30 years now, still have trouble on the downhills.. ha.
Going to attempt a 25k race in March, will wait for everyone else to start, expect to finish last so might as well start there.. xc ski is like swimming, mostly technique and learning as an adult is startlingly difficult. but, still trying..
"Staying sharp physically, mentally, and yes, emotionally, opens us all up to possibility."
I love this so much, especially because I think that third one gets neglected most of the time when we talk about what it means to *stay sharp*. In many ways I feel it's harder to continue to grow *emotionally* than in other ways -- along other things, because we praise & reward it less, and because our growth in that arena is often less immediately clear & obvious, so we largely only realize how profoundly it serves us when we're confronted with a tough situation we realize we could not have navigated as skillfully or gracefully in the past.
Thanks for continuing to share this journey with us. It keeps helping me on mine, too.
Thank you Hank, for some strange reason I feel this message was intended just for me to read today. I have neglected the mental rest for many years, not taking time for myself thinking I don't have the time to spare but now I'm backed into a corner at the verge of loosing everything I thought was important to me because of it. Let the healing and restart begin...
Thanks for that bit of motivation. As I sat here reading this I thought of a few good things to do on this last day of primitive weapons hunting season in OH.
Got my first pair of skis at about age 6 or 7, a pair of wood XC skis with bindings that "fit" any hiking boot. While I switched to mostly Alpine skiing a couple years later, I've nearly always had cross country skis in my quiver. Got into XC skate skiing in 89-90 season, and started re-learning classic technique a few years later. Finally feel proficient at both techniques after many clinics with some retired world cup skiers. Tried out biathlon once - lots of fun, but can't justify another rifle and hard to find biathlon courses in this part of the world (Reno, NV).
I don't know if you ever followed World Cup Nordic skiing, the reining World Cup Overall XC champion for 3 years now, going on 4 - Jessie Diggins is from Afton, Minnesota. Jessie is the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in Cross Country, and first American woman to win the overall World Cup. Another fun fact - the 2020 World Cup finals were scheduled for Wirth Park in Minneapolis, before the season-ending Covid Fiasco. Was hoping to go to that one, as my wife's cousins (twice removed) were world cup skiers at the time (their mom was her childhood best friend in western MN).
Have fun with your new adventures -
Ah, the best XC skiers in the world crash on downhills. Just keep going downhill, sketchy or not you'll get used to it.
Good luck with the birkie. That's a lot o' skiin'.
That'll be 2027, I hope!
Wirklich gut!
I don't think I'll be taking up X-country skiing anytime soon, but I have been learning German to challenge my brain. Also to speak to the locals. They overwhelmingly speak excellent English but in my experience are patient with my German. (I, too, am better at Spanish and found it easier on my American tongue - and I was able to employ both chatting with a Guatemalen transplant to Munich).
May I suggest taking your culinary and Teutonic linguistic journey to Südtirol? Imagine if you could take great things about Germany, Austria and Italy, and add them to a much older culture (Ladin), and you have Südtirol/Alto-Adige. You won't need any Italian, they overwhelmingly speak German.
The foods are spectacular and I'd love to see your take.
Ooooh, great idea! I think I'd love it there.
Hank,
This resonates. I used to race XC. When skis had to be waxed perfectly. (Yeah, I'm THAT old) Truly a discipline of mind over lungs and muscle. Harder than competitive swimming because you're not buoyant, but using every muscle group. And I sold XC skis to beginners who had no idea what it really took. In CO, where there is very little prepared track.
So yes. Time to dig in. And resist inertia. Got to dig in. Get my ass in shape again. Maybe go hunt some snowshoe hare at +10,000 feet on skis, as I used to do. Or, maybe slower on snowshoes -- I am over 70 now. 😉
I've been learning to cross-country ski for 30 years now, still have trouble on the downhills.. ha.
Going to attempt a 25k race in March, will wait for everyone else to start, expect to finish last so might as well start there.. xc ski is like swimming, mostly technique and learning as an adult is startlingly difficult. but, still trying..
Effing thank you. Been leaning into some new things, edging out of some very comfortable ruts, and hadn't thought to enunciate what I was getting at.
"Staying sharp physically, mentally, and yes, emotionally, opens us all up to possibility."
I love this so much, especially because I think that third one gets neglected most of the time when we talk about what it means to *stay sharp*. In many ways I feel it's harder to continue to grow *emotionally* than in other ways -- along other things, because we praise & reward it less, and because our growth in that arena is often less immediately clear & obvious, so we largely only realize how profoundly it serves us when we're confronted with a tough situation we realize we could not have navigated as skillfully or gracefully in the past.
Thanks for continuing to share this journey with us. It keeps helping me on mine, too.
Thank you Hank, for some strange reason I feel this message was intended just for me to read today. I have neglected the mental rest for many years, not taking time for myself thinking I don't have the time to spare but now I'm backed into a corner at the verge of loosing everything I thought was important to me because of it. Let the healing and restart begin...
The more you do, the more you do. The less you do the less you do.
Truth.
Thank you, Hank, for this epiphany on this 6th of January.
Gute Reise. After the German dinner at 7-Acre Dairy you're off to a good start in deine deutsche Küche.
Gettin there!
Interesting insight into some of what makes you tick. Good message.
Birkie this year is, unfortunately, the same weekend as Pheasant Fest.
Hmmm. Pheasant Fest?? Where/when if you please.
MSP 2/20-22
Thank you
Bummer. But next year, I'd skip PFest for the Birkie.
If you need a place to crash, we live on the ski trail in Seeley.
I think I will have double coffee this morning, I have a few things I want to go after. 😁 Great piece.
Thanks for that bit of motivation. As I sat here reading this I thought of a few good things to do on this last day of primitive weapons hunting season in OH.
"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials"-Seneca