Skate Ski at Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Center

Skate Ski at Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Center

I introduced my best friend, Dot Ferneyhough, to cross country skiing many years ago and now she is an avid cross country skier. Every winter you can find Dot and her husband Dave ski skating at Tahoe Donner Cross Country ski center almost every day. Today Dot is my guest blogger talking about her love for this sport. Enjoy Dot’s story!

After a couple of ACL knee surgeries, I bought my husband a pair of skate skis. I told him that I was done taking care of him during those surgeries. Don’t get me wrong, I do love him with all my heart. We have been together almost 40 years. The machine that helped move his knee 24 hours a day for several days was heavy and I had to carry it upstairs for bedtime and downstairs for day time and his demands for a drink, the phone and filling up the ice cooler machine that runs cold water to his knee, was too much work! That was about 10 years ago.

Until he got the skating technique, I suffered through his whining like, “I should be skiing downhill, this is too hard.” It took him a couple of seasons to get the technique of ski skating and now he leaves me in the dust. Although, lately, I am getting more fit and am able to keep up with him.

We have been skiing at the Nordic center in Tahoe Donner for many years. I look forward to the winter in the Sierras because of skate ski. Tahoe Donner Cross Country ski center offers over 100 km of beautifully groomed trails. The sport is being discovered by more and more people, judging by the number of cars in the parking lot plus those that spill over onto the roadside, especially at the weekends. Even so, the trails are not crowded and sometimes I feel that I have them all to myself!

We are blessed with kids who were in the Far West Nordic Ski team and when they left for college, we inherited all their skis. So on any day of the week, at any given  temperature range, we have skis waxed and ready to go!

Winter 2010-2011, was bumper year snow wise, and the big signs were almost covered. This  winter the staff at the Nordic center did a great job at grooming  what little snow we had. Every night, we watch the thermometer – if it freezes overnight, skate skiing would be excellent. We try to get over to Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Center before the temperature goes over 1 deg centigrade.  My husband has the final say on which colored wax to ski on.

Last weekend, the snow was awesome. We were able to ski off trail, along the creek in Euer Valley. On Saturday, we followed what looked like goose “foot” prints and came upon a pair of Canadian geese. On Sunday, the pair flew over us and glided to a landing near the creek and promptly went swimming. With the sun shining, a beautiful pair of geese swimming in the creek, the right snow conditions and the correct glide, what more can a girl ask for?

Dot’s story is a great testimonial to the winter sport of cross country skiing. If you want more information about Tahoe Donner four season resort with its great amenities, call or text Ann at 530-545-3458.