Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
NEARLY TWENTY residents ventured outside their comfort zones Sunday afternoon to try some cross country skiing. Hosted by ABR Ski Trails and Team Gogebic Cross Country Ski team. The 'Learn to Ski' afternoon included equipment fitting, trail passes and instruction by Team Gogebic, all of which was free. Novice skiers ranged from two years old all the way up to adults. Elise, one of the youngest skiers, leads the pack during some of the basic instructions to cross country skiing.
By KELSEY HANSEN
Ironwood - The warmer temperatures made Sunday the perfect day to learn to ski during an event held at ABR Ski Trails.
The day was free to local residents and was an opportunity to try cross-country skiing and sample the trails.
All instruction was given by the Team Gogebic cross-country ski team.
"It's a great opportunity for the teenagers on the team to be able to teach someone else to ski and to give back," said Eric Anderson, owner of ABR.
The team, led by certified coaches Ken Hazel and Jackie Powers, worked with the novice skiers ranging from as young as 2 all the way up to adults.
A total of 17 people took part in the class.
They were all fitted with ski equipment for the day and trail passes.
Team Gogebic was able to split everyone into smaller groups and offer better instruction to everyone, which included the basics to classic-style skiing.
Classic - which is the more traditional form - is done in deeply grooved tracks that run parallel to each other. The other type of cross-country skiing is known as skate skiing.
Team Gogebic taught the beginner skiers how to balance, kick and glide, herringbone up steep hills, stop or slow down and many other skills needed to cross-country ski.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the few shrieks in the beginning turned into laughing and cheering as people got the hang of it.
