Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

Tad Percival, left, and Derek Kuhr skate ski at North Boulder Park in February.  Marty Caivano, coloradodaily.com

By jenn Fields, coloradodaily.com

You've decided to take up skate skiing - a workout that tests even the ultra-est of Boulder's ultra-athletes - this winter. Maybe you've decided it's the best crosstraining ever. Maybe you even have skate skis on the way for Christmas.

Maybe you decided, hey, everyone's doing it. (Including the author.) So happy skate-tastic holidays to you.

Before you go out octopussing around (explanation follows) on your skate gear, you might want to know a few things about what it's like to learn to skate ski, like:

Gliding is tough
You walk up to the Nordic center at Eldora and see these totally baller skate skiers cruising around like it's the easiest thing in the world (if your legs are perfectly sculpted like theirs, anyhoo) and think, "Huh, they make it look so breezy. That's what I'll look like!"

Then you try it. And realize you're not baller. You're just cursing: Balls.

An instructor will get you gliding eventually. Breezy with time.

Read more of Jenn Field's funny and informative foray into skate skiing at coloradodaily.com.  Maybe you'll be enticed into trying it this winter!