| Quite often, people ask me about the difference | | | | the boots bend at the toe and the bindings allow |
| between downhill and cross-country skiing or | | | | the heel to move. |
| between alpine skiing and nordic skiing. This always | | | | Which brings us to the difference between alpine |
| seems strange to me. Growing up in Vermont as | | | | skiing and nordic skiing. |
| the son of a ski instructor and ski coach, I | | | | Nordic skiing is a technique where the toe is firmly |
| thought humans were born with the ability to tell | | | | fixed to the ski, but the heel is free to move. |
| pleasure from pain, sweet from sour, and of | | | | There are basically four forms of nordic skiing: |
| course, alpine from nordic. But then I moved to | | | | telemark, classic cross-country, cross-country |
| California, where this knowledge seems less | | | | skate skiing and nordic jumping, where skiers |
| common. Yesterday someone asked me again, so | | | | jump for distance rather than doing tricks. There |
| now I'm writing it down. | | | | are no telemark events in the Olympics, but the |
| The difference between downhill skiing and | | | | other nordic events are represented. In addition, |
| cross-country skiing is pretty simple. | | | | biathalon combines cross-country skiing with |
| Cross-country involves propelling yourself across | | | | marksmanship and is an Olympic event. |
| rolling terrain under your own power. Downhill | | | | Alpine skiing by contrast uses a binding that fixes |
| skiing, by contrast, involves somehow getting to | | | | both the toe and the heel to the ski (though it |
| the top of a big hill and then turning around and | | | | releases in event of a fall or other strong force). |
| skiing, well, downhill. | | | | There's really just one form of alpine skiing, but |
| Cross-country skiing is done on light, skinny skis | | | | there's a lot of variation, including several Olympic |
| attached to light, flexible boots. There are two | | | | events. For the Vancouver Games in 2010, those |
| major forms of cross-country skiing. Classic | | | | events are slalom, giant slalom, super G, and |
| cross-country is sort of like running, though with a | | | | downhill for racing, as well as moguls, aerials and |
| longer, shuffling stride. Cross-country skate skiing | | | | ski cross for freestyle (though actually, ski cross |
| is, not surprisingly, more like ice skating, where | | | | is a race; are you confused yet?). Most forms of |
| the skier pushes from side to side. | | | | alpine skiing are considered downhill skiing, but |
| Downhill skiing usually involves much wider skis | | | | alpine touring (also known as AT or |
| and much heavier, stiffer boots. In the larger | | | | Randonée skiing) involves climbing up |
| majority of cases, it involves taking a ski lift up, | | | | under your own power before you get to ski |
| and then sliding back down. Some of us, though, | | | | down. |
| climb up under our own power using "climbing | | | | So, as you can see, downhill includes both alpine |
| skins", a material with a one-way plush that you | | | | and nordic forms of skiing, and nordic includes |
| can stick on your skis for the climb up and | | | | both cross-country and downhill forms of skiing. |
| remove for the descent. | | | | So it is not quite true that nordic is synonymous |
| There are also two major forms of downhill skiing: | | | | with cross-country. The most important thing to |
| alpine and telemark, also known as "nordic | | | | remember is that all forms of skiing are great fun |
| downhill". It used to be that there were huge | | | | and if you already do one type of skiing, trying |
| differences in the equipment and telemark gear | | | | another will really help out your major sport. Find |
| resembled heavy-duty cross-country gear. Now | | | | an instructor and go have some fun! |
| it's more similar to alpine equipment, except that | | | | |