Nothing Beats Skiing In The Streets

It is not often that one looks out the window from the Leverett towers or any other dorm and sees several people strapping on skis with wheels and then taking off using ski poles. It is even stranger when you see a large group of individuals, all doing this in unison down the street.

This was a scene that has presented itself to countless individuals during the course of this week and has undoubtedly raised some thoughts of bewilderment.

However, the simple explanation to this somewhat puzzling situation is that it is the start of the Harvard Nordic Ski Team’s conditioning.

Unlike other teams that have easier times accessing facilities that will help them train, both skiing squads have to resort to comparatively unorthodox means in order to practice in the mountain-less Cambridge terrain.

First, it is important to understand that there are two main forms of skiing. Alpine or downhill skiing is what people are most familiar with, whereas Nordic or cross-country skiing is a form that is probably less known.

In comparison to its foot-based counterpart, cross-country running, Nordic skiing tends to be longer. A Nordic ski race can range anywhere from 5 to 20 km.

Predictably, due to the distinctive nature of each form, both Alpine and Nordic demand radically different methods of conditioning and training that the Crimson ski team is currently undertaking.

Nordic skiing, unlike Alpine, emphasizes endurance, and the team’s preparation certainly emphasizes that.

“Our training tends to be long endurance work,” said Harvard Nordic coach Chris City ’94. “Last weekend, for example, we were out roller skiing for about 2-3 hours. And our workouts tend to be one hour or more, five to six days a week.”

In the absence of snow, the Nordic team is doing what many other teams and cross-country ski enthusiasts do: they adapt to the weather. Roller skiing is the best form of dry-land training as the workout most closely simulates the motions of actual skiing.

“Roller skis are just like regular skis,” Nordic captain Cara Sprague said. “Its just that they are cut much more shorter and made a little more stiffer and you stick wheels on them,” she added. “The general idea is that one could work the exact same muscles that one would be using if you were skiing on snow.”

Alpine skiers don’t undergo the same training for that reason. Alpine skiing is more about short bursts of energy rather than endurance, and the Alpine team’s exercises are tailored specifically to that.

The Alpine team’s regiment includes weightlifting, core work, and the unique practice of single leg and double leg jumps off the stadium seats in order to condition for the centripetal force that occurs during turns on the course.

“We do work that focuses on balancing and coordination to help players understand how their body moves in space” explained Harvard Alpine coach Tim Mitchell.

In addition to the stark differences between the two forms of skiing, another thing that should impress Crimson faithful is the optimistic fervor with which members of the Nordic ski team speak about the upcoming season.

“I’m very optimistic about the team,” City said. “We are returning almost all of our girl skiers. We had a pretty historic team last season in terms of performance. I expect that we can at least return to that or even build on it during the season.”

When speaking about the prospects of the male side of the team City was similarly optimistic.

“On the guy side we have two promising freshmen who can compliment the other players, so we should see a significant jump.”

That jump will only come with consistent practice, and contrary to common belief, college-level skiing doesn’t end in the absence of snow.

“There is a saying that skiers are made in the summer”, quipped City, “and what I’m seeing is that most did the work over the summer and are continuing the work during the offseason.”