To our warm-weather forumites who have never tried the sport, you haven't died a thousand deaths until you have tried cross country skiing.

I had a surreal flashback of 28 years ago triggered by catching glimpses of the biathlon races at the Turin games on the plasmas at the resort I work at this evening.

I did XC skiing as a gym elective while a junior in high school back in Wisconsin as a skinny and reasonably fit 17-year old during the winter. Needless to say, I hurt like a wounded animal days a week for 4 weeks!

Why is it so tough? Besides the freezing temperatures of winter, you are using your arms, churning your legs, wearing heavy clothing, as well as supporting your body weight the whole time and you don't get to coast much at all when you're tired like in cycling (the mole hair on the bottom of skis causes alot of drag).

XC skiing is like riding out of the saddle all of the time!

No sport in the world burns more calories/hour - it's been documented and is why alot of the exercise machines at the gym are patterned after the activity.

I can still feel the pain after all of these years.
No thank you!
Bikes are cool for this 45 year-old carcass...