But it hasn’t happened here, in Madison. I hardly ski. In fact, that’s too generous a statement. Basically I do not ski except in the most extraordinary of circumstances.
There are many reasons for it and I intend to explore hardly any of them. I will say this: when I moved to Wisconsin I’d have this conversation about skiing and I'd get all animated and I would shout with great exuberance “yes! yes! I do ski!” only to find out that the person was talking about cross country.
People who downhill don’t get people who crosscountry.
I mean, what’s the thrill? You want to walk through the woods, just walk through the woods. Why do you need boards and poles?
Still, I am loath to knock in any significant way this weekend’s extravaganza, geared to make Madison, yet again, the capital of year-round-fun: the “ski around the Square” event that took place yesterday and today.
Problem is: no snow. We are experiencing a January with weird weather.
But hey, I am in Madison, a city teeming with Scandinavian uff-da or uff–ya or some such thing, and so suddenly, there appear truckloads of snow piled all around the Capitol, so that anyone can clip on the boards and ski.
I myself did not.
I was plenty impressed with the people who went around and around and braved the dirty slushy snow, but somehow I failed to see the point. Then again, it could be that I’m suffering from my usual cross-country inertia and apathy, failing to see the glamour of swishing up and down a trampled, snow-laden path.
Plus I had a bunch of exams to finish grading. A nearby café with unlimited strong stuff of the caffeinated nature, served up until 1 am seemed like a much sounder idea.
green grass, gray snow...
...and a strong brew
That hardly seems a majestic sport under the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great event. This year's warm temperatures were a nice change from last year's sub-zero temp. We watched from the second story of Brocach over Irish Coffee. Good times.
ReplyDeleteCross Country Skiing just shouldn't be compared to down-hill. That's like comparing triathlon to sky-diving. It's not about the thrill. It's about getting your heart-rate up. It's about pushing yourself. It's about intensity. I like it. I hope the Capital Square Sprints continues in Madison. We've had too cold and too warm. Perhaps next year the temp will be just right.
asia: the glory was missing for me as well.
ReplyDeletedannynoonan: I know, I know, I see virtues of both as well. But I am more forgiving when there is a need to pile on artificially imported snow onto the slopes than in cross country. Somehow the latter has an association with forests and fresh snow trails. Seeing these guys slush away on that dirty strip around the Capitol seemed wrong. Though I am a total advocate of just about anything that gets your heart rate up!