Cross-country skiing sees jump in popularity this winter, local club says

While downhill ski runs like Chicopee remain closed during the current stay-at-home measures, a local cross-country ski club says they've seen a huge spike in interest this winter.

Eva Sanz-Sole is a volunteer and member at the Waterloo Region Nordic Sports Club.

Last year at the end of the season, the club had about 170 members. This year, mid-season, there are 260.

"There are definitely a lot of new people, new faces that we see at the ski club. And they come perhaps because they skied when they were kids with their parents or have never been on skis or as an alternative to downhill skiing," Sanz-Sole said in an interview on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition.

Some people think it may be a lot like walking on long sticks, but she says there's a technique of push and glide. Even young skiers can be seen "speeding up those hills, flying down the hills, really enjoying the skiing."

"The more you can glide, I guess, the less you have to work," she said. 

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Where to go

The Grand River Conservation Authority has three parks set up for cross-country skiing: Laurel Creek in Waterloo, Shade's Mill in Cambridge and Pinehurst near Paris. The authority grooms trails but is not renting equipment this year.

It's a great way to get exercise alone or with the whole family, Sanz-Sole said. Some parents will ski while pulling their children along on a toboggan or carrying them on their backs. 

In non-COVID times, Sanz-Sole noted, people can take a class to learn how to cross-country ski and rent equipment. There are no equipment rentals right now.

The club offers groomed trails to members, although one hiccup this year is people walking and snowshoeing on those trails. The club has posted signs asking people not to do that.

The club maintains 3.5 km of trails at the Rockway Golf Course.

"I think my favourite downhill is called the Woohoo," Sanz-Sole said. "It's pretty fast."

Listen to the interview with Eva Sanz-Sole: