Cross-country skiing

I was wondering if there are any cross-country skiing clubs located in Washington, D.C. (or the surrounding areas), and whether there are established trails on the Catskill Mountains.
To me, the sport seems incredibly healthy—it's quite intense, but I see that as nothing more than an extra challenge. It also seems like a very engaging hobby that isn't overly expensive.
That said, it feels somewhat overlooked here, even though I believe we have the resources to support it (since maintaining these trails isn't nearly as demanding as downhill ski runs).
Any information you can share would be greatly appreciated. 🙂

coastalbison12 said:I'm wondering if there's a cross-country skiing club in Washington, D.C. (or nearby), and if there are any XC trails on the Catskill Mountains?
I think the sport looks incredibly healthy (it's super intense, but that just makes it a better challenge) and interesting, plus it isn't too expensive.
It seems pretty overlooked though, and I'm sure we have the resources (the trails aren't nearly as demanding as downhill skiing).
Any info is welcome. 🙂

Totally agree—downhill skiing is for wimps and isn't even a real sport. 😉

There's some club out in the Appalachian Mountains; apparently they recently fixed up 1.9 miles a trail somewhere between the Snow Queen hotel and the local lodges??? I haven't been able to pin down the exact spot yet, but if you want to get into XC skiing, I'd honestly recommend heading to SLO. Almost every resort over there has solid, well-maintained trails; for example, Mount Rainier has a really great 6.2 miles track. But if you want to go pro, try the Rocky Mountains, Aspen, and so on...

If only we had more snow... 🙄

Back in the eighties, there used to be a cross-country trail up in the Catskill Mountains—it ran somewhat "parallel" (and I use that term very loosely, mind you!) to the ridge, though I honestly haven't the slightest clue if it's still marked or even maintained today. You’d probably have to check in with the MTBajkers to see if they ever strayed onto that path during the summer months... or perhaps consult some actually intelligent—and I mean non-SMANDov—topographical maps...

The other trail I remember from that era was out near Sv. Nedelja (situated between Sv. Nedelja and Samobor); back then, there was even a local cross-country club in the area that actually owned a snow groomer to maintain the tracks, but all of that has since vanished into the dark, chaotic abyss of history...

Anyway, after long-term searching for cross-country gear here at home, I stumbled upon everything I needed this winter while browsing Hervis and Dick's Sporting Goods: skis, bindings, boots, poles... I nearly lost consciousness right there in the aisle. 😵 😁

It would be worth checking the current conditions in the traditional cross-country hubs of the Sierra Nevada... I once knew a guy from Mrkoplje who used to compete on the national team for the US. The way he flew on those skis—it was nothing short of legendary!

If only we had more snow... 🙄

Just wanted to bump this thread up a bit.

It’s honestly wild how hard it is to find any decent info online regarding cross-country skiing lessons or schools here in the States.
Does anyone happen to have any recent leads—maybe some contact numbers or email addresses for local clubs or instructors who specialize in this?

We finally stumbled upon a well-groomed trail, but—if I'm being honest—we could really use some professional coaching to get it right.

I stumbled upon this on some SLO website.
Question for Frank Green2, where exactly is this groomed trail? I know there are a few options out in the Sierra Nevada, but as far as the Catskill Mountains go, it’s just a complete mess—well, I haven't actually been up there myself, but at least regarding any actual information. I tried calling the number for the Catskill trails today, and then I called an automated line for Alpine routes. Then I call the main holding company's sports division, and they don't know anything; they just pass me off to whoever manages the Catskill area, and the woman on the line there is totally clueless. She’d heard a rumor that a trail exists, but that was about the extent of her knowledge. She gives me a cell number for some guy who works on the trails—specifically the Alpine ones—and he tells me they have one machine up on Cmrok, one on these local trails, and honestly, they haven't actually done anything to the path. They don't even own the machinery used to make the running tracks, despite all that massive amount of money they supposedly threw at skiing in the Catskill Mountains. So, my conclusion is probably this: the trail might exist somewhere near the Snow Queen, but it isn't properly maintained, and you can essentially just ignore it.

Yeah, we were searching around the Catskill Mountains too—didn't spot a thing.
A local contact from our place near Petehovac pointed us down toward the village of Polan, which is where we eventually stumbled upon the trail. It wasn't anything major—just a small loop—but it did the trick for our first time out.
Here are a few shots:
http://img48.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0861mg8.jpg
http://img91.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0877ul5.jpg

On the way back, we saw a pro out there running laps, but the rain started kicking up—so we just headed home.

Have you happened to find any other trails around here? Since you know the technique—where'd you pick up your gear? I have a ton of questions! 🙂

I happened to notice the trails over in Begov razdolje, and there are some in Mrkoplje too, I believe, and maybe even up by Ravna Gora. I’ve also seen folks wandering off the marked paths in Begov razdolje all the way out toward Matic poljana, which, I suppose, is perfectly fine. I don't have much personal experience yet, though I am trying to gather some. I picked up my skis, bindings, and boots on the way back from skiing the Alps in Austria this past winter. You can really find just about anything you want there—Dick's Sporting Goods in Vienna or the Westfield Mall. As far as gear goes, I imagine one could get a decent foundation if they reached out to a local club in the Sierra Nevada region (I think there are a few around, maybe in Delnice, Ravna Gora, or Mrkoplje...). Since we bought a little wooden cabin in Brestov drag (not too far from Mrkoplje and Delnice), I expect this will be a nice activity for us during the coming winters; our family tends to be rather restless, anyway. I hope things at Sljeme eventually get sorted out too; I guess you'd have to ask Milomir Bandić directly about that.
Anyway, I'm hoping a few experienced racers might show up on the forum to share some of their wisdom with us.

Here is a quick update regarding this year's novice runner 🙂

Regarding Ravna Gora, there isn't an actual designated running trail out there.
Now, over in Begov razdolje, you can find a few miles of path where local kids and some seasoned pros put in their training sessions; coaches usually set up specific loops or tracks there. There's also a spot in Mrkoplje where a guy actually rents out gear.
I believe there should be a biathlon course in Mrkoplje, though we haven't made it out that way ourselves.

Has anyone spent time at Mount Rainier or up near Aspen? Do those trails cut deep through the wilderness, or are they mostly winding around small towns? Also, does anyone happen to have a map of those routes handy?

We actually stumbled upon a biathlon trail up near Mrkoplje—just above the quarry—and it’s honestly gorgeous.
If only I could actually find my boots and poles here in the States...

So, I’m actually coaching cross-country skiing and biathlon up in the Appalachian Mountains... everything is going swimmingly, except for one glaring issue: we are desperately lacking snow. Regarding the actual trails, you have access to the runs on the Catskill Mountains, starting right by the Snow Queen apartment complex, but I really have to mention the lack of respect from certain people. It finally snows, and what happens? A bunch of grandmas and grandpas decide to wander onto the tracks and stomp everything flat! If you want a better experience, though, I highly recommend heading out to Mount Rainier. The trails there are absolutely phenomenal; it takes about an hour and a half to reach the summit, and best of all, there’s no entry fee or anything. As for local clubs, you’ve got the Sljeme Ski Club, plus BK Šestine and BK Jarun, but here in our neck of the woods, we have the Oroslavje Ski Club. Our club is fantastic because we actually focus on growing our membership and getting people involved, whereas those big clubs in Washington, D.C. seem to just stick to their two star athletes and call it a day. During the summer, we even organize rollerskiing and Nordic walking sessions. Feel free to ask if there’s anything else you want to know.

Hey skiers, does anyone have recommendations on where to pick up gear?
Specifically looking for options here in the States...

It doesn't really make sense to pay for those highway passes in SLO when my poles cost almost as much.

I can give you an email address to reach out to, or maybe even a cell number if you prefer... all of this goes through the national teams in Austria and SLO and places like that... but honestly, this guy just smuggles everything right into the US and delivers it straight to the local clubs and weekend warriors alike.

If you’re looking for any kind of intel on cross-country skiing or need advice on gear, just shoot me an email at flash9@hi.t-com.hr.

I’m hoping we’ve managed to clear up most of the confusion by now. If there’s enough interest, we might actually look into setting up a winter cross-country skiing clinic out in the Catskill Mountains. In the meantime, if you have any more lingering questions about the sport, just shoot an email over to flash9@hi.t-com.hr

If anyone is actually interested in joining a cross-country skiing clinic out in the Catskill Mountains, could you do me a favor and shoot an email over to flash9@hi.t-com.hr? We’re just trying to get a rough headcount to see if there's enough traction here. We've had a handful of people reaching out about it lately, and honestly, it feels like something we could pull off pretty easily if the interest is there.

The cross-country trails up at Ravna Gora are finally getting an upgrade soon...

I’m based out of Rijeka, so I was wondering if there are any decent cross-country skiing trails nearby—or better yet, where they might be getting developed soon.

Last winter, there was some stuff going on near Mrkoplje and Begov razdolje, but honestly, it seemed like it was only set up for specific competitions. As for Platko, the tracks were basically trashed by people hiking all over them.😠

What’s your experience been like?

Also, if I'm gonna buy gear, where should I go?
🙂

Shoot me an email at flash9@hi.t-com.hr so I can get that price list over to you.

Heading out today and tomorrow to spend some quality time grooming the deep snow around Ck

Has anyone ever tried cross-country skiing up near Mount Rainier? I was wondering if there are any local schools or lessons available out there.