We've had some very cold weather and not much snow -- and conditions should be good for nordic skating on some of the New England sites.  Here's what one website says about the sport:

Wild about Winter
I wish I had a river so long, I would teach my feet to fly ...
I wish I had a river I could skate away on. -- Joni Mitchell

"There's magic in a broad expanse of natural ice. It invites you to put on your skates and start exploring. You glide along effortlessly at superhuman speeds. Ice skating has to be the most efficient form of human transportation ever invented.

In northern Europe, especially Holland and Sweden, recreational lake and canal skating are national obsessions. But in the USA, hockey and figure skating are the obsessions. Everyone goes to the rink, and outdoor skating is a well-kept secret. This site is your introduction to the sport of cross-country ice skating in the United States and Canada.

Every winter, here in northern New England, ice forms on the small lakes and ponds in November or December. By January, the big lakes and most rivers are frozen too. The ice grows thicker and stronger through the winter, sometimes reaching a depth of three feet. Snowmobiles, ATVs and pickup trucks roar across the ice, and villages of ice fishing shacks appear overnight. Then, beginning in mid-March, the warm sunshine triggers the slow melting process that climaxes with "ice-out" in April.

If the ice is strong enough to support a fully-loaded dump truck, why don't more people skate outdoors? Because the ice is often buried under a blanket of snow.  But when a hard freeze comes in on the heels of a midwinter rain, the lakes and rivers are transformed into a skater's paradise. Sometimes the smooth ice only lasts a day or two, sometimes it lasts for weeks." 

One of the popular spots for nordic skating in Vermont is Lake Morey.  In the next two months, they will host a number of skating workshops.  Here's how they describe them:

Experience the centuries-old art of Scandinavian-style cross country ice skating across a frozen lake. Learn how to select the right equipment for you, and how to skate safely and efficiently (without getting tired) across all types of ice surfaces - hard and soft, smooth and rough, snow-covered and snow-free. Learn the basics of ice safety, including how to use a nordic skating pole to test the strength of the ice. By the end of the workshop you will have the necessary skills to skate on groomed ice and participate in"wild skating" tours. Workshop fee $30. Register online or call (802) 649-3939.

 Is this your winter to try nordic skating?  Bring your cross-country boots, get fitted, take a workshop, and see why this sport is getting so popular.

 photo from nordicskating.org

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