If you are a Nordic regular you've seen "them" streaking by with the ease and grace of a ballet performer as you stride and glide along in the track set. The "them" is skate skiers. If you are not a Nordic skier and are asking "What is skate skiing?" Chances are you have watched this type of skiing during the Olympics. It looks a bit like ice skating with poles. If you are a Nordic skier and familiar with "classic" technique you have probably seen skate skiing first hand. Perhaps you curse them, maybe you stand in awe but you have to agree it sure looks great. As a skate skiing addict, I can confirm skate skiing is fun, exciting and arguably the best work out available during the winter.

There is an old adage that says "if you can walk you can ski" but it could be re-worded to "If you can ski or skate you can skate ski." I often hear comments like "Oh I'd like to skate ski but it seems so easy until you try it!" Well, it is easy but not at first. If you have ever attempted to skate on your classic equipment chances are it was quite difficult and not that much fun. Proper equipment is important to enjoying skate skiing. Higher boots with ankle support and short lightweight skies designed for glide make learning much easier. In a quick survey of new skate skiers it seems that most people need at least two or three "tries" before they "get it" and are hooked. If you can, rent or borrow the gear so you have the best chance to learn. Better yet take a lesson or at least go with a friend who can ski. The learning curve is steep and if you can stick it out it only gets better. When asked about his first time skate skiing my friend Marcus replied "I hated it, I hated the fact it was so hard and I was so bad at it but I was determined and now I love it."

Why is skate skiing such a good aerobic activity? It uses all you major muscle group legs, arm, back and abdominals. In fact skate skiing burns up to 30% more calories than classic Nordic skiing, up to almost 900 calories per hour. Try doing that on an exercise bike or treadmill. Best of all skate skiing gets you outside and requires enough energy that getting cold is the least of your worries. Skate skiing is so low impact it is very joint friendly. Think more work out with less strain. If you are intrigued or even mildly curious come in and chat with us. Here are a few links to check out in the meantime.

Hello Wild Rockers! Freshly fallen snow can only mean one thing: winter is here, and here to stay! We have many upcoming events to take advantage of the fluffy white stuff.

Mount St. Louis - Moonstone

On the eastern end of Georgian Bay, Mt. St. Louis gets some of the earliest snow of the season. Come out with us, Sunday December 9, 2007 to scratch your riding itch. Book your spot on our bus now. $ 75 ($65 for youth aged 6-12) includes travel to and from the hill, as well as your lift pass. The bus leaves Peterborough Armoires (George and McDonnell) 7am, and returns at 6:30pm. Please show up 30 minutes early to ensure prompt departure, and pack food and meals for the day. There is also a full cafeteria at the hill. Equipment bags are strongly recommended. Rentals are available at Mt St Louis - Moonstone.

An information letter and release waiver are available at the Wild Rock front cash.

Bike Clinics

An Advanced clinic will be running Wednesdays January 16, 23 and 30 in the New Year. Cost is $75, due in full upon registration.

Map and Compass

Wild Rock will be hosting a Map and Compass clinic, occasional Wednesdays, at 6pm, based on interest. Cost is $12 and will cover reading a topographical map, setting your compass' declination and general navigational tips and tricks. Leave your name and number, and a Wild Rock staff member will call you back when a class is ready to run.

Skijøring

This year, we have again partnered with All Creatures, Great and Small for Skijøring clinics. Our Learn to Pull Session, was huge success, and we are already looking towards our Introduction to Skijøring Clinic, Sunday January 13, Noon-3pm. To register, contact All Creatures, Great and Small at 755-0416.

Pool Sessions

This year, Kawartha White Water Paddlers, in partnership with Wild Rock, will be organizing winter pool sessions this season. For more information, or to sign up for the club or pool sessions, contact Cale and Stephanie at (705) 639-2303 or email them at kawartha_whitewater_paddlers@hotmail.com

Pool sessions will run Saturdays, 7-8:30pm: Jan 12, 19, 26; Feb 2, 9, 23; March 1, 8, 15, 22, at the Trent Athletics Centre Pool. Cost is: $10/person for a single night; $75/person/season.

Wax Clinics

A properly tuned pair of skis or snowboard can increase your efficiency by as much as 30%!!!!

And the right wax is the easiest way to optimise this. Come out to one of our Glide Wax Clinics to learn the best ways to apply hot wax to your Nordic Skate  or your snowboard. $10, 6pm December 11th at Wild Rock.

Look for our Nordic Kick Wax Clinics in the New Year!

 

Kieran

Recent trends in outdoor equipment design have been to create gear in a more sustainable manner. There has been an acceptance that whatever we do will have some impact, but we can and should minimize our footprint. This school of thought has yielded some surprising results. The latest to hit the shelves of Wild Rock is a new daypack from Osprey called the Circuit. Similar in idea to their Focus pack, it sports a great padded laptop sleeve.

What makes the Circuit truly unique from it's predecessor is that it's made from 70 percent recycled materials by content, and is also recyclable. The main body fabric, webbing, binding, zipper tabs, zipper pulls and buckles are made from 100 percent recycled materials (The spacer mesh and stretch-woven pocket materials are made from 55-60% recycled content). Whereas traditional packs were usually made from virgin petroleum products, the Circuit's fabric is made from recycled plastics (typically from beverage bottles that would otherwise be destined for the landfill).

This pack just won Outside Magazine's "Green Gear of the Year" award, and is one of six packs from Osprey's new Resource series. Notable features include a padded lap-top sleeve, 32 Litres of internal storage, 5 external pockets, a mutitude of internal organizers (2 of them with zippered closures), and a slot to run either a hydration tube or media headphones through. The typical Osprey comfort and fit also come included. The Circuit is as sharp looking as it is comfy, so you can shop responsibly while still looking good. We will have more of the packs from the Resource series coming to Wild Rock in the Spring, so stay tuned!

The Banff Film Festival returns to
Peterborough! The first night is sold out!

 

We still have tickets for Friday January 18 at
Showplace.

 

Tickets are $15 at Wild Rock.

 

See the trailer from last year.

 

Find out more at the Festival site.