Cross-country skiing exercises: Skating for beginners

After my first training lesson with Andrea Grossegger, I had a really good feeling concerning my cross-country skiing skills. However, the first time I tried alone, it seemed like I forgot everything Andrea teached me. Am I really completely untalented?

Back to the basics

Maybe I was a little bit naive, when starting cross-country skiing. Of course my body did not remember all the techniques, which Andrea had teached me. I should not expect that I am able to cross-country ski like Christina Rieder or Julian Eberhard, after just one one lesson. I tried to repeat the exercises, which Andrea showed me and tried to get a feeling for the small skis. Together with my colleague Steffi, I collected some tips for you how to refresh you cross-country skiing technique, after a long time of not practising it. This is ideal for beginners and advanced enthusiasts. ;-) 

#1 Cross-country skiing without poles, use your arms

This exercise focuses mainly on the legs. You get a good feeling for skating and you train your balance and the right posture of your legs. 

#2 Cross-country skiing with the poles behind your back - in front of your face - above your head

It is really important that your upper body stays straight and does not move. The poles should be held stable and should not move from side to side - then also your upper body is stable. With this exercise you train your posture and balance. 

#3 Shoving with both your poles at the same time when being at the classic course

When you want to get quicker, you have to shove with both your ski poles at the same time. With this exercise you get real quick and you do not need so much energy. 

#4 Siitonen-Steps

This technique has been invented by Pauli Siitonen, that's the reason why the exercise is called Siitonen-steps. This exercise also trains your legs. With one leg you stand in the classic course and with the other you train skating. 

#5 Skating with just one pole

This exercise teaches you how to use your poles and what to do with you hands. Do the exercise with both of your hands. You will see that one side is easier than the other. 

#6 How to use your hands and poles

As soon as you start cross-country skiing you will soon find out how to use your hands and poles. Especially when there is a hill to ascent or descent. With the right technique, cross-country skiing will be no problem for you. 

#7 Slowing down

While descending, you can get very fast on your cross-country skis - it is recommended to know how to slow down. 

We wish you a lot of fun while exercising and training and maybe we see each other on our cross-country skiing courses in Saalfelden Leogang! 😊

 

All pictures and videos in this article were made with the GoPro Hero9.