ILLUSTRATION
ADAM HOWLING
there aren’t many sports
that make you feel
like Michael Jackson. Outside 80s-style
street dance, few athletes have need for
the moonwalk. Few, that is, except for the
cross-country skier.
As a downhill enthusiast, I’ve often made fun of the
dancing action required by the skinny skis and heel-
raise-and-push movement of the Nordic classic
style. Yet, here I am out in the snowy wilds of Voss,
90 minutes from Bergen, attempting this move.
There are good reasons for looking silly, however. The
latest scientific studies show Nordic skiing is one of the
best sports for health. One at Ball State University, in
Indiana, found that a group of 80-year-old cross-
country skiers had up to twice the cardiovascular
and muscular fitness of a control group.
Another, looking at skiers taking part in
Sweden’s Vasaloppet, an annual cross-
country race, found they were
significantly more likely to live longer.
Indeed
Langrenn
– as cross-country
is known in Norway, is
thought to be key to that country’s long-living
population. There’s nothing your typical
Nordmann
likes more than to hole up in his cabin and go sliding off
across the wintry landscape.
This month, 16,000 of themwill descend on
Lillehammer for the annual 54km Birkebeinerrennet
cross-country ski marathon. For the beginner, however,
the place to be is Voss. Traversing its 74km of pisted,
signposted trails gives one a real taste of isolation.
“Cross-country is a low-key, low-impact sport,” says
Einar, who’s been teaching here for 30 years. “It’s great
for beginners, those with joint issues and older people.”
No ski lifts are required, use of the trails is free and
it’s easier to pick up than downhill. It might take a few
days to become proficient enough to ‘run’ (move
forward continually on skis), and to fully
appreciate the lung-busting and muscle-
burning demands of the sport, but once
you have, the benefits are many: a
stronger core, a quieter mind and the
best moonwalk on the dance floor.
For more, see
flydrivenorway.co.uk
No ski lifts
are required, use of
the trails is free and it’s
easier to pick up
than downhill
0 9 8
V I E W P O I N T S
“Dancing on ice”
Nordic skiing is considered downhill’s poor relation by many, but the health
benefits are extraordinary, says
Lucy Fry,
who went for a taster
W I T N E S S
T H E F I T N E S S
B E R G E N
