The Central Oregon Nordic Club is sponsoring three ski clinics for skiers of different abilities on the first two weekends of February.
All dates are subject to change if weather or snow conditions are not reasonable, organizers report. In fact, some were rescheduled already from late January due to icy snow.
Details and signup for each clinic are on the CONC Meetup site at this link: https://www.meetup.com/Central-Oregon-Nordic-Club/.
The goal will be to help skiers develop the backcountry skills to make their way to area ski shelters (above photo) or popular locations such as Todd Lake (photo at lower right).
The schedule is as follows. All clinics start at 9 a.m. PST
- Beginner clinic – Feb. 2 at Wanoga Sno-Park.
“This is for newbies to the sport and individuals having trouble with basic skills,” organizers explain.
- Intermediate clinic – Feb. 9 at Swampy Lakes Sno-Park
This is for skiers who can get up when they fall, glide on skis and come to a stop. You do well on flats but get a bit nervous perhaps on downhills or struggle with uphills. Beginner Loop at Swampy is easy for you but other trails a bit more challenging.
- Advanced clinic – Feb. 3 at Mt Bachelor Ski Resort (Sunrise Lodge)
This is for skiers who feel proficient at all the above-mentioned skills but want to develop more confidence on steeper terrain and perhaps venture into learning telemark turning.
Requirements for attending one of these clinics are as follows:
- You must be a member of CONC. If you are not already a member you can join using this link: https://conclub.org/become-a-member/
- You must have your own appropriate equipment for each clinic.
- YOU MUST REGISTER THROUGH CONC MEETUP TO PARTICIPATE!
The Feb. 2 beginner clinic will include five stations teaching the following basic skills.
- Indoor station talking about proper equipment – skis, boots, poles, 10 essentials, where to ski (have sno-park maps and explain signage, junction markers), basic skier etiquette including where dogs are allowed and not allowed
- Falling and getting up
- Kicking and gliding
- Uphill techniques – stomping and weight transfer, herringbone, side stepping
- Turning and downhill techniques – step turns, wedge turns, kick turns, snow plow
The Feb. 9 intermediate clinic will focus on improving the following basic skills on varied terrain and conditions.
- Downhill control
- Going up hill
- Kick and gliding efficiently
- Using weight transfer and balance in irregular terrain and snow conditions
- Explore different techniques for different snow conditions
On Feb. 3, the clinic will focus on skills for advanced skiers such as introduction to telemark turning and cross-country downhill skiing. Skills focused on a progression leading up to the oldest form of ski turn — the telemark turn.
– Basic tele position
– Lower body position
– Upper body position
– Tele traversing on slope into wedge turn and stop
– Traversing slope using lead ski transfer
– Wedge turn into telemark and step ski telemark
– Classic telemark turn and linking turns
