10 Reasons to Love Cross-Country Skiing

There are many reasons to love cross-country skiing, but I’ve narrowed it down to ten. Read below to find out why.

1. Efficient Cross-Country Ski

Cross-country skiing can be a slow, medium, or fast-paced activity. I love cross-country skiing as it’s easier to accomplish many kilometres in a day compared to hiking. If the conditions are excellent, meaning your skis glide well in the tracks and the snow doesn’t stick to your skis, you can go fast and for an extended duration. It’s awesome to be active and go a long distance while cross-country skiing. In the picture above, my average speed was 5.3 km/h. I did 13.16 km in two and a half hours. I wasn’t pushing myself like crazy to go super-fast. The conditions allowed for a great ski. You can experience this as well. Nature is zipping by you as the brisk air fills your lungs and you take in the fresh air.

On this day, I started from the Waskehegan staging area, on the west side of the park. There are three other parking areas as well. Islet Lake and Central locations can be accessed from the south, while Blackfoot is reached from the northeast. This park offers one hundred and seventy kilometres of recreational use. At Cooking Lake – Blackfoot Provincial Recreational Area, warm-up shelters are located throughout the park. These are nice places to catch a breather and eat lunch if you need a place to warm up. You can check out the extensive Cooking Lake – Blackfoot Provincial Recreational Area winter map, for more information.

2. I Love Cross-Country Skiing to Spend Time With Family

Gorgeous Area for Cross-Country Skiing

Lake Louise is a gorgeous area that provides an abundance of snow for cross-country skiing. I love cross-country skiing there because there are so many different trails and places to explore with my family. They have trails that go up and down to create excitement. It’s a fantastic place to explore and build memories together with family members. An assortment of loops offers a variety of distances, depending on how far you want to venture out. This makes it possible for one parent to ski a smaller loop with children while the other parent manages a longer loop.

In my family, it is always my enthusiastic mother doing extra loops and meeting up with us again. In the Lake Louise area, it’s easy to ski additional loops of varying difficulty to keep your day interesting. The 1A north of Lake Louise is a wonderful place to start and practice as a novice skier if you’re looking for a mostly flat road that is track set. It’s also a fantastic place for skate skiers. Some skiers cross the Great Divide into British Columbia and ski its complete length of 20 km return. There is one substantial hill going down to the Great Divide.

Fluffy Snow

I love cross-country skiing here. The scenery is absolutely beautiful! What an awesome way to exercise while enjoying the fluffy snow around you. It’s an excellent place to start as a beginner or to go as an expert skier. You can bring lunch and snacks in a day pack if you go for a full day. Parking near the Château Lake Louise parking lot is an option. The trails are track set for classic skiing behind Château Lake Louise and near the parking lot, as they are narrow and don’t allow enough space for skate skiing.

Moraine Lake Road

The Moraine Lake Road parking lot is also an option, as the road is closed in the winter. A small parking area is on the left as you turn in near the outhouse. The winter trails along Moraine Lake Road offer a destination for skate skiers and classical skiers. The trails connect between the two mentioned parking lots. You can choose to ski towards Moraine Lake and back, approximately sixteen kilometres round trip. After eight kilometres, you arrive at the top of a hill where the track setting stops. Turn around to avoid an avalanche slope. If you choose to proceed, make sure to take personal responsibility and have avalanche training.

3. Different Levels of Difficulty

The third reason that I love cross-country skiing, is that I can keep my day interesting by selecting different trails that vary in terrain and difficulty. The difficulty ratings will be indicated by green, blue, and black trails (shown on the map above). This is important to know as it will serve to help you decide where to go. Depending on your cross-country skiing skill level, you might want to ski all types of trails or stick to one colour.

Generally, the greens indicate easy flat terrain with small hills. Blue involves some steep hills, while blacks include steeper, more challenging sections with sharp corners over the course of the trails. If you’re like my mom and I, you’ll seek the black trails that provide a downhill at some point. The more downhills, even though they can be steep, provide us with the most joy. I normally scream WOOHOOO when going downhill. If you ever hear someone yelling in excitement, it might just be me.

The Lake Louise area provides many “blue”, rolling trails creating some excitement for experts like ourselves. If you’re still working on keeping your skis in the tracks, bumpy trails could cause anxiety or an unforeseen crash. Some of the trails are narrow, which doesn’t allow for much space to create a pizza with your skis while going downhill, making it difficult to stop or slow down. If you’re brave and know that practicing those trickier trails will help to improve, go for it! Use at your own risk. It’s wise to work your way up to more challenging trails as you gain confidence.

4. Crisp Fresh Air

My family and I made our way up to Stanley Mitchell Hut. It’s a twenty-eight-kilometre trip one way. My family and I are not fast enough while skiing with backpacks to make it to the hut in one day. We opted to stay in the day-use shelter overnight, at the end of the Takakkaw Falls road. We stored our pots, mattresses, and extra gear in the storage bins and only carried the required items to the ACC (Alpine Club of Canada) hut, the following day. The Stanley Mitchell Hut is in the backcountry to the northwest of Takakkaw Falls.

Making our way up the mountain approaching our accommodations, we could feel the crisp fresh air going up our nostrils and into our lungs. I love cross-country skiing for the beautiful crystal-clear views with no pollution in sight. It’s so tranquil with a limited number of people around. You get to enjoy the scenery by looking at the snow layered on the branches. We cross-country skied with backpacks when the temperature was -20 degrees C and we could feel the brisk morning air catch our breath. There is nothing more peaceful than being secluded away from the city and enjoying the company of my family.

5. Change of Scenery Close to Home

I love cross-country skiing to a great degree. I’m thankful that Chickakoo Lake Recreational Area (a thirty-minute drive) and Cooking Lake – Blackfoot Provincial Recreational Area (a forty-five-minute drive) are easily accessible for Kris and I to go skiing together. It’s not a far drive and allows for a change of scenery close to home. Chickakoo Lake Recreational Area allows three hours of skiing without repeating the same trail twice. It makes for a fantastic morning or afternoon adventure.

As mentioned earlier, Cooking Lake – Blackfoot Provincial Recreational Area offers one hundred and seventy kilometres of skiing; the trail options are endless for one day. Many different loops can be chosen, depending on what level of difficulty you want. I like to do one big loop in a day, starting at around ten in the morning. I bring my lunch and eat it while sitting on my MEC seat cushion. It keeps me warm and away from the snow. We normally end around one or two in the afternoon, making it a productive and accomplished ski. The change of scenery and fresh air encourage my muscles to keep going and going. Kris, being less enthusiastic than myself, normally encourages us to turn around and go back, reminding me that we still need energy for the return trip (sometimes I forget that).

6. Affordable Compared to Downhill Skiing

Don’t get me wrong, I love downhill skiing but if I want to go skiing on a regular basis, downhill skiing is less affordable than cross-country skiing. That’s why I love cross-country skiing. We are privileged that it’s free at Chickakoo Lake Recreational Area and Cooking Lake – Blackfoot Provincial Recreational Area.

There is a $7 daily rate for adults or $55 for an adult season pass at Strathcona Wilderness Centre. It’s quite reasonable. Check out their site here, for more information. Kananaskis has implemented a Kananaskis Conservation Pass, as of June 1, 2021. It now costs $90 annually to register up to two vehicles from the same address. This applies if you choose to park your vehicle in either Kananaskis Country or Bow Valley. For more information, check out their site, here. If you want to cross-country ski in Peter Lougheed Park, the Conservation Pass annual cost applies here as well. Check out the map, to see if this destination is plausible.

Even where certain costs apply, it’s still much cheaper than a day of downhill skiing. I appreciate that it’s an affordable activity for a regular exercise that I enjoy.

7. Love Cross-Country Skiing for the Joy it Brings

People are generally friendly and say hi with a big smile when cross-country skiing. It doesn’t matter the location of the ski; everyone seems in a happy mood. After going uphill, even though it can be challenging with conditions that might be slippery or sticky, it’s encouraging and satisfying that the job was accomplished with perseverance. A flat trail can be rewarding to experience a fast glide as you move forward. We are at various skill levels of skiing and it’s wonderful to see people encouraging each other and having conversations.

I love cross-country skiing because there is a sense of community on the trails, whether you know each other or not. People ask about trail conditions or how their day is going. Interacting with each other is awesome! There is an abundance of joy to be had when cross-country skiing. Yes, it can be tricky and frustrating. But in life, the challenges we persevere through make these experiences the most rewarding.

8. Flat Workout

You don’t need mountain steepness to get a workout. A flat trail can get you gliding and put you at a fast pace creating a wonderful workout. So much scenery can change from moment to moment. If you get a few small hills, that’s awesome. It can add to your excitement for the day.

I was initially under the impression that I needed a steep mountain to climb up and ski down to get a workout. That’s not the case. You can exercise on the flats with a few minor hills. A workout can still happen, even if you’re not in the mountains, resulting in a quick pace. It’s more important to focus on the company, or the solitude and the fresh air, away from the city.

As you can see in the picture above, the track is set on one side of the trail for classical skiers at Chickakoo Lake Recreational Area. Be on the lookout for other skiers. This type of track setting allows for people walking to walk on the side, while not destroying the tracks for classical skiers. This permits multi-purpose use of the trails.

9. Adventures into the Deep Woods

I love cross-country skiing in the backcountry, far away from the city. We explore new territory with family on different multiple-day adventures. It’s awesome to have a home base in the woods where you can venture off on day trips cross-country skiing and reconnecting with family members. In the evening, you can talk and play games together. You might meet different people from all around the world. Interesting conversations develop when everyone is back from their ski adventure, gathered around the dinner table.

Elk Lakes Cabin, where I was heading in the picture above, is an ACC (Alpine Club of Canada) hut, meaning that some amenities are provided. They include propane, stove, and sleeping pads. Firewood is available to cut and then burn in the wood stove as the heat source. This allows a few comforts from home. The bathroom is an outhouse. Make sure to bring your own toilet paper. Water is carried from the creek or by melting snow. You’ll be required to supply your own sleeping bag and clothes.

The cabin located in British Columbia, is accessible with a three-to-four-hour cross-country ski from the Elk Pass trailhead in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. As you can tell by the picture, it was a bit chilly outside when we ventured there. I wore my Buff Multifunctional Headwear, as a neck warmer, available in case my cheeks and chin got cold. Check out the Review: Chaos Multi Tubular Headwear – Unisex to get yours today.

It costs $25/person to book a spot to spend the night at the cabin.

10. Love Cross-Country Skiing With No Line Ups

The wonderful thing about cross-country skiing is that there will never be a lineup to start your ski journey or throughout your day. Instead, it’s possible to head on the adventure when you’re ready. There is a lot of space to travel at your own speed. At times, the trails can be congested with people but when there’s space to do so, skiers will pass each other and shortly after, the crowds will disperse. The trails can be busy on the main sections but tend to be less busy on side trails, where you might only see skiers occasionally.

In Panorama, it’s quite busy near the cross-country check-in and then the traffic thins out the further away you venture from the ski hills. It might become busy in the warmup shelters. People rotate rather quickly in and out of there, ready to continue skiing.

I love cross-country skiing in Panorama for its diverse scenery. They have a variety of ski trails to suit all levels, so go explore.

Final Thoughts

I hope this encourages you to get outside and develop a love for cross-country skiing. There are so many benefits and it’s a fantastic way to spend time outside with your partner. Breathe in the fresh air in the mountains, enjoy a change of scenery and different levels of difficulty on the trails. Enjoy the sense of accomplishment and the joy it brings when you feel happy while doing it. Embrace the flat parts to speed up your pace and get a good workout. If you’re feeling ambitious and want to get away from the city, go into a hut for a wonderful time relaxing. There are many benefits to cross-country skiing, so get out there and get moving!

Additional Links

• XC Skiing Near me
• What are the Benefits of Skiing?
• Happy and Warm X-Country Ski
• Cross-Country Skiing La Féclaz
• 6 Stocking Stuffers for X-Country Skiers