Chainlinkrs who XC ski?

time to dust of your kick zone!

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Permalink Reply by yaj 7.4 on December 22, 2009 at 6:37am
Yipee. I'm digging my skis out of my storage area tonight. Then you'll find me & my yellow lab swishing around Humboldt Park.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 22, 2009 at 7:53am
I'm waiting for enough snow. Not quite there yet. If we get enough, I'll be out in Ridge Park later, maybe Dan Ryan Woods.
Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on December 22, 2009 at 10:43am
I took a spin on my thrift store skis in Palmer Square Park this morning.
The snow was pretty sweet!

John Greenfield

Clark said:
Hi Anne,
Skate or classical? Do you prefer groomed ski trails, or ungroomed hiking trails winding through the woods?

I like to take the South Shore over to Dune Park; a rustic ski trail starts two blocks from the station that winds through the National Lakeshore for miles. You can usually count on decent skied-in tracks so you're not breaking trail as you ski. Then you can catch the South Shore back to Illinois from the Beverly Shores station, so you get a point-to-point ski experience.

Then next month we're going up to Minocqua Winter Park for a couple of days to enjoy their meticulous grooming on their 70+km of ski trails. Lots of good snow, ski areas, instruction and ski shops in northern Wisconsin and the UP. I'd almost rather do ski vacations there than out West. But before I go I check current midwest ski conditions at the Skinny Ski website.
Permalink Reply by Tim M Hovey on December 22, 2009 at 10:52am
i'll take out my touring ski's around town a couple of times a season just for the fun of it. mostly i use them for approaches when ice climbing. more often then not i run an AT setup for touring and/or backcountry skiing in colorado's indian peaks or rmnp. i'll hit boyne once or twice and colorado resorts once or twice as well.
Permalink Reply by Anne on December 22, 2009 at 10:54am
only learned classic so far, just shuffling around on the Lakefront! I've only been on a groomed trail once (ha!) up in Rockford. Otherwise I like the convenience of just jumping out onto the lakefront for a quick workout.

Clark said:
Hi Anne,
Skate or classical? Do you prefer groomed ski trails, or ungroomed hiking trails winding through the woods?

I like to take the South Shore over to Dune Park; a rustic ski trail starts two blocks from the station that winds through the National Lakeshore for miles. You can usually count on decent skied-in tracks so you're not breaking trail as you ski. Then you can catch the South Shore back to Illinois from the Beverly Shores station, so you get a point-to-point ski experience.

Then next month we're going up to Minocqua Winter Park for a couple of days to enjoy their meticulous grooming on their 70+km of ski trails. Lots of good snow, ski areas, instruction and ski shops in northern Wisconsin and the UP. I'd almost rather do ski vacations there than out West. But before I go I check current midwest ski conditions at the Skinny Ski website.
Permalink Reply by Tom Moeller on December 22, 2009 at 2:44pm
Tom Moeller said:
Clark said:

I like to take the South Shore over to Dune Park; a rustic ski trail starts two blocks from the station that winds through the National Lakeshore for miles. You can usually count on decent skied-in tracks so you're not breaking trail as you ski. Then you can catch the South Shore back to Illinois from the Beverly Shores station, so you get a point-to-point ski experience.

Hey, I don't ski much anymore (a couple pairs of waxable skis gathering dust in the garage) but I'm only 3 miles from these trails. Let me know if you need a ski report. I do snowshoe on them. Not enough snow yet.
Permalink Reply by Jared on December 22, 2009 at 5:21pm
I'd like to try cross country skiing but don't own a car or skis. Anywhere that rents them that's accessible by transit? I'm guessing you can't take them on the train.
Permalink Reply by payton on December 22, 2009 at 7:05pm
For rentals, try REI on Halsted. I'm going to do snowshoeing before the winter is done...
Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on December 26, 2009 at 10:32am
I was hoping to start XC skiing up here on Milwaukee's lake shore , but lack of snow and recuperation from eye surgery are holding me back for now. Not long after I moved to my current address, somebody chucked a perfectly good pair of Polar Star XC skis to the curb. I found some bamboo poles at Purple Heart for $2 and got some gently used boots and 75mm 3-pin bindings at Play-It- Again Sports for less than $40. Once my ophthamologist gives me a green light, I'd like to learn from a more experienced skiier here in Milwaukee.
Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on December 28, 2009 at 11:09am
Sometimes, a new skier on a very limited budget like myself needs to resort to used equipment in order to get into the sport. My first bike in Milwaukee was a 3-speed Chicago-made Schwinn Traveler, which got me around Milwaukee. Had I not bought that Schwinn for $50 from Chris' Cyclery on 35th & Villard in Milwaukee, I possibly wouldn't ever been riding. Play-It-Again Sports may not have the most recent equipment, but it has people who have knowledge of the sport and can set up a novice fairly well.
Permalink Reply by Brian Bird on December 29, 2009 at 2:15pm
Merramac-Baraboo above the Cheddar Curtain in the next few weeks. An odd day trip to Berrien Springs MI north of the INMI border every third week or so. For shorter travel, anywhere in the Chesterton IN snow belt once it starts getting ramped up. Or stay home and wait for a big blizzard.
Permalink Reply by Amy Y on December 29, 2009 at 2:20pm
I am interested in this too, after the New Years. But I also don't have the equipment and know absolutely nothing about it.
can you name specific places or stores that sell decent equipment for reasonable price? I am not sure whether I will be sticking with cross-country skiing, so I'd prefer not to spend a load on it (or if someone is selling theirs....lemme know)

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