Customer Reviews

The Cross-Country Primer

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The Cross-Country Primer targets the beginner or less athletic skier. Nice layout and simple explainations reasonably priced. Avid or strong skiers might want to keep looking.

I read several books when starting Nordic skiing this winter, and this one was by far the most useful. It describes all the basic manuevers and gives several exercises for each. The best feature is that it lists the common errors in each technique and how to correct them. I learned that in the diagonal stride, my slipping was caused by waiting too long to push off; the solution is to push off when the feet are side by side. My problems with the herringbone were solved with two tips: watch the top of the hill, think of stepping up the hill rather than side-to-side.

The primer is more aptly named 'introduction to the sport of nordic skiing' because it focuses on the need of those starting out. The technical content is not nearly rigorous enough for a sport or racer class of skier.

I've been cross country skiing for years, but still learned a lot by reading this book. My skiing has much improved and I highly recommend this book for both beginners and for "old dogs".