On an unusually warm late February day in Oxford, the Oxbow Beer Garden’s groomed trails are filled with skiers of all ages.
The trails are open to skiers and snowshoers. About half a mile down the trail hidden in the woods sits the Hut, a little building that serves drinks to trekkers as they sit around campfires. Dozens of skis are leaned against trees as people gather together in ski boots.
Dave Macelhiney and his family are regulars at these trails. Sitting with friends around a campfire, he says part of the draw of Nordic skiing is its low barrier to entry compared to downhill skiing — both physically and financially.
“The equipment isn't all that super expensive and fairly low impact, and it's really just great to be outside and kind of shuffle right along. You're not kind of hitting double black diamonds. You're not fighting gravity, it's all good,” Macelhiney says.
To get started skiing, first you have to decide whether to ski classic or skate. In classic, your skis move parallel to each other, while skate skiing, like it sounds, uses diagonal movements closely resembling ice skating. Most beginners start with classic style. They each use slightly different equipment, but whichever you choose, you will need skis, poles, boots and the appropriate outerwear.
Nordic skiing’s accessibility is a large draw for many skiers, especially newcomers.
“It's certainly more affordable and accessible for people who might not be able to afford the upfront costs of going downhill skiing,” Dominic Bruni says outside the Hut in Oxford.
At Pratts Brook Park in Yarmouth, Geoff Shallaid walks his dogs with a friend on the snowy trails. Originally from Australia, Shallaid says he treasures having snow to ski on. He says he’s fallen in love with Nordic skiing since coming to the U.S. decades ago, even competing in ski marathons, picking the sport because it was easier on his knees and body than other forms of exercise.
“I think it's just a wonderful sport, and it's something you can do at least most of your life,” he says.
Back in Oxford, Cindy Talbot and her friend Cathy Hillman-Reed sit together at the Hut before getting back on the trail. They are both longtime skiers who often use the sport as a way to spend time with each other.
Talbot says she coached Nordic skiing at Falmouth Middle School for 12 years. She says skiing is a way for her to get outside and enjoy the long Maine winters.
“It's just so important to get out in the air and the sun and the outdoors in the winter. I think too many people that complain about winter, it's because they never get outside and enjoy it. And when you have a sport that you enjoy, or any kind of anything, even just walking, it just entirely changes your outlook,” Talbot says.
And her advice to new skiers: don’t feel like you have to commit right away.
“Just go someplace where they rent skis and and putter around a little bit and see how you like it,” she says.
