02.03.2020 -- #
Ski poles, the worthy opponent. They struck first but not last. And so goes the tail of how I broke my hand and got revenge.
Location: Bayrischzell, Deutschland
one in my hand, one in the pack
Skiing on the flat ground for a change. 40deg, 30deg, 20deg, now 0deg. First time cross country since I was a school child. Once upon a gym class we marched around the sports fields in skis. Spent good amount of time falling on my ass then. The same 17 years later. Bit further to fall.
You wouldn’t think skiing possible given the lack of snow. Thanks Global Warming. But we found a patch of snow and rental shop in Bayrischzell. Located right on the German/Austrian border, our trail passed through woods and over fields. Was rather lovely. I rented out really nice Solomon kit, skating skis and carbon fibre poles. 🎿⛷. An amateur on expensive gear, what could go wrong?
As with every sport what I lack in skill I make up for in athleticism. Luckily too, these skating motions are no joke. It’s essentially a running slide with 180cm skis on each foot. They are so light they don’t secure you like powder skis. Easy to trip. It’s a great workout trying to stay balanced, activates all muscle groups. 💪🏼
away I go
After a few falls, confident I’ve got the technique, I tried to push the speed. Wow yeah. Strong kicks can build up some momentum fast. What about turning? Shit! Pop! Crash! Hmmm carbon fibre is not so strong as I thought. Snapped a rental pole right in two.
No injuries this time. Unlike at Christmas the pole broke not my hand. Victory!
oops
Got my share of weird looks from the Germans. Oh well. Didn’t stop me. Made the remainder of the route single polling it. Got to focus on legs and with poles sticking out of my backpack the fashion was on point.
I welcome cross country skiing into my winter sports mix and claim supreme and eternal victory over ski poles.
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