A downhill trend
Nordic skiing hits new heights
By Paul Danzer
Ol the Emerald
You’re breathless
Before you lies a vast field of
untamed powder You stand in
anticipation of the fun to come
and in appreciation of the
beauty below you.
You catch your breath which
escaped on the trek up the
mountainside And then you're
off You have the whole hill to
yourself. There are no rope
tows, no chairlifts, no long lines
to wait in Just you and the
untracked slope
Sound too good to be true?
It's not It is a fantasy lived out
by more and more skiers every
year. It's nordic downhill skiing.
Two types of skiers have
changed course in recent years
toward nordic downhill skiing —
cross country skiers in search of
a new challenge, and alpine
downhillers who are tired of the
contemporary downhill ski
scene
As this blend of individuals
would indicate, nordic downhill
skiing is basically, a combina
tion of the two sports, which
also involves mountain clim
bing In other words, "cross
country skiers wiil climb a peak
just to ski down,” according to
Keith Nelson of the outdoor
program at Oregon.
One of those is Dick Hassett.
manager of Anderson's Spor
ting Goods in the EMU. "I was
just a cross country skier out
looking for something a bit more
challenging," said Hassett of his
introduction to nordic downhill
"You get to a point where you
can't avoid the hills anymore."
Thus, nordic downhill provid
ed Hassett, who began cross
country skiing five years ago. "a
good excuse to do a little bit of
climbing in the winter," when he
started participating in the sport
two winters ago
"The thrill of skiing untracked
powder snow without 30 to 40
people behind you," is one of
the more attractive aspects of
nordic downhill for Nelson, who
is a converted alpine downhill
enthusiast
"It got to the point where I
didn't want to keep up with the
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trends," Nelson said, noting the
expense of participating in
regular alpine downhill skiing
today. "I was tired of the scene,
but I didn't want to give up the
medium Now I much more
enjoy the nordic downhill type of
skiing ."
Hassett also likes the freedom
that the sport offers. "It’s a good
chance to climb, you can pick
your own slope, and there are
no lift lines. It is more of an
individual or small group activity
(than alpine downhill). It is also
more of a wilderness activity ."
There is, however, a certain
amount of responsibility which
goes along with nordic down
hilling As Nelson points out.
there are not any snow cats to
come pull you off of the mount
ain if something goes wrong
"Part of the attraction of the
sport is that you have to take
care of yourself," said Nelson
"With alpine skiing you lose a lot
of the adventure. Everything is
so controlled ."
‘Cross
country skiers
will climb a
peak just to
ski down’
The one thing that is uncon
trolled about alpine downhill is
the prices of the hobby and the
equipment That is a major
reason for the growth of nordic
downhill, which can be done for
a comparatively reasonable
price, with no lift tickets and
lower costs of equipment
According to Hassett,
companies are starting to
produce more skis made
specifically for nordic dowhill
“The equipment is getting
better, and more expensive,”
said Hassett. “It's not as
expensive as alpine, but it's
getting there ”
Hassett said that a pair of
skies made for nordic downhill
will cost between $150 and
$200 The type of boots needed
for nordic downhill, known as
"telemark'' which is the kind of
turn nordic downhill skiers
make, will cost around $125 per
pair The cost of bindings, how
ever, is only around $15, accor
ding to Hassett
Nordic downhill does require
a more specialized type of ski
than regular cross country
skiing According to Nelson,
nordic skis are slimmed down
versions of alpine downhill skis
— just skinnier and lighter.
Although making sure you are
properly clothed is important.
Hassett said it doesn't have to
be an expensive proposition to
appropriately attire yourself
"You can get inexpensive wool
clothes at various surplus stores
for real cheap," he said
The real hotbed for nordic
downhill right now is Colorado,
according to Hassett There is a
regular circuit in the state which
nordic downhill racers travel
every winter, and that is where
the best equipment is being
developed and made available
There are, however, a growing
number of telemark races in the
northwest each year, according
to Hassett, who said that a sig
nificant number are now held at
various places on Mt Hood
In addition to Mt Hood, some
of the favorite areas in Oregon
for nordic downhill include the
Mt Jefferson wilderness area,
the Three Sisters area, the
Rosary Lakes area off the
Willamette Pass, the Steens
Mountains in Eastern Oregon
and Mt Bachelor, according to
Hassett
Bachelor Butte is one of the
finest back country areas
around," said Nelson "It offers
a variety of slopes, all within five
to eight miles of the parking
lot."
With country like that at Lane
County's back door, it is easy to
see why more and more skiers
are turning to nordic downhill to
live out their athletic fantasies
And it is easy to understand why
Hassett thinks the sport is "a
really great way to enjoy winter
in Oregon."
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