Many Northwoods summer cyclists will be fat biking when the snow falls, but should you focus on cross country skiing instead? While different sports, there is plenty of overlap in the fitness it takes as well as being two great ways to enjoy the beautiful winter. Here we check in with Chris, Sally, Jens, & Jamie on why they focus on cross country skiing in the winter.
As a year-round cycling publication, we certainly get excited about fat biking when winter comes. In some ways, fat biking is still a new sport. Let's just remember back to before 2005 when the Surly Pugsley was the first mass produced fat bike. Before that, winter cycling on soft snow was all but impossible. We love fat biking and look forward to it every year.
But is there a case for forgoing the fat bike and switching to xc skiing in the winter?
Many cyclists switch from biking to skiing in the winter and they do it for different reasons.
Today we're chatting with Chris Stindt, Sally Meyer, Jens Brabbit, and Jamie Mannion who all bike in the summer but primarily switch to XC skiing in the winter.
Here's why they switch to XC skiing and why you might consider doing the same:
Chris Stindt
I have shared my cycling journey, but one thing I haven't really talked about is how I made cycling my full identity, including spending winters alone in my basement on a bike trainer. It was legitimately bad for my mental health, and I dreaded winter. In La Crosse we have an amazing year-round outdoor community, and my endurance mentor Jamie gave me a pair of skis to try. I crashed, broke the boot and hung them up. I had no idea what I was missing out on. Eventually I decided to commit to trying, and bought a decent setup.
It took some adjusting, but I truly fell in love with skiing.
The amazing community here means I have folks to roller ski with in the fall, and ski with all winter. I get outside, get socialization, have fun, and come into the spring refreshed and ready to ride a bike again. The only thing I'd do differently is start sooner, and possibly buy a place in Cable. I finally understand those who ride all summer but identify as skiers first!
Sally Meyer
I’ve always been a bit of a fitness nut, but in 2016 I got my first set of nordic skate skis thinking, “how hard can it be?!” Well, if you’ve ever tried to learn skate skiing you know it’s actually a really difficult sport to get the hang of. I had young kids at the time and didn’t know a thing about trail conditions so my first couple of winters on the skis were rough and I was terrible!
I signed up for my first Birkie event in 2018 and no-showed because I just didn’t have the confidence yet.
After my third pregnancy and watching a couple friends ski their “virtual Korte” during covid I decided to put in the time to figure out this sport. Finally, in 2022 (yes, 6 years after my ski purchase!) I skied my first Birkie Tour & Prince Haakon. And in 2023 my first Sisu, Ski de She, Pre-Birkie & Kortelopet. To say I was hooked is an understatement! I’m always working on my technique, but I’ll ski out of wave 1 in my 2025 Kortelopet and I can’t wait. There are so many things to love about the sport and being outside in the winter is definitely at the top. Nordic skiing is a fun and challenging full body endurance activity that will have you coming out of winter in the best shape. An unexpected love for me with skiing has been exploring new-to-me nordic trail systems and the confidence it’s built to know that I can go anywhere and enjoy my favorite activity.
The community of skiers is the absolute best and as soon as you fall in love with the sport you realize winter is way too short.
Learning to ski has also made me realize how important it is to keep trying new things in life, especially during middle age, because we are not done learning & growing and you never know when you’ll find a new thing in life that lights you up.
The steep learning curve to skate skiing makes it even more rewarding when you are finally gliding down the trails and tucking to take a downhill at top speed.
If it feels hard, you’re doing it right. Just keep going!
Jens Brabbit
Living in the Midwest allows me to embrace all the seasons. Much of what brings me joy in cycling is the camaraderie and friendships while exploring together. Nordic skiing allows me to do the same. I have always felt the nordic ski community is and encouraging and friendly group.
Jamie Mannion
I grew up in Missouri but have always been fond of winter. Ice hockey was a favorite sport of mine as a young gster. After college I took up triathlons and bike racing. Winters were spent running, swimming, and on a trainer. We moved to Vermont and my loving wife gifted me with a pair of skate skis she had found at a garage sale. I was thrilled. I had heard that xc skiers were some of the most fit people on the planet and I longed to explore their world. My technique was poor, but that was part of the allure.
To apply my base fitness to a sport that was new and challenging was a joy. I loved skiing through the woods in the early morning before most others were even awake.
I became a part of a dedicated community of like minded Nordic ski folks and have never looked back.
It is still my favorite sport 37 years later.
I am still learning nuances and love sharing the sport with others. I hear people bemoan winter, but I am a member of that “secret society” that yearns for and embraces all that winter gifts us. I feel bad for those who will never know the pleasure of skiing at pace through a moonlit forest on a crisp winter morning. I am so fortunate to have found this life-sport and to have the good health to enjoy it!
