Nordic Skating

By Phyl Newbeck

Many skaters prefer to spend their on-ice moments at indoor rinks, practicing figure skating moves, playing hockey, or just skating around with friends. However, there is another group that prefers to be outdoors, braving the elements, and sometimes traveling 20 miles or more at a time. For them, the tool of choice is a Nordic skate.

Nordic skaters use cross-country (often combi) boots with detachable blades that come with various cross-country bindings. The blades are as long as speed skate blades, but wider, so they are more stable on bumpy ice. Among the advantages to this setup is not having to leave a pair of boots on the shore to get cold and being able to remove the blades and put on micro spikes if you have to cross a rubble field. Since the blades have no hollow, they can be sharpened at home. 

Of course, as in any sport, there is always additional gear. Most skaters carry at least one dedicated ice pole which resembles a hiking pole but has a very sharp point. The poles are ideal for testing the thickness of the ice which is often measured by how many pokes it takes to get through. The poles are also useful for negotiating uneven ice or traveling into the wind. Additionally, skaters usually carry ice claws which consist of sharp points sheathed in handles and worn around the neck or attached to a pack. If a skater falls through the ice, they can unsheathe the picks to pull themselves out of the water. Many Nordic skaters carry throw bags which are deployed if a fellow skater falls through. Most wear helmets and a large number wear dry suits which allow them to continue skating even after an accidental plunge. Some wear life jackets for additional flotation.

The allure of Nordic skating is the lack of constraints – no set session times or designated location – as well as the ability to be out in nature. There are fantastic patterns in the ice, the occasional fish swimming beneath the surface, and views of mountains in the distance. The dynamic ice makes a variety of sounds ranging from booms to crackles. Unfortunately, that dynamism can lead to cracks forming and pressure ridges opening. 

Roberta Nubile of South Burlington remembers the first time she saw someone on Nordic skates whizzing by her on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Ont. “I love this sport for so many reasons,” she said. “The fresh, brisk, cold air. Staying alert to the ever-changing ethereal beauty of the icescape and reading of ice conditions is a meditation to me. The motion of skating in long strides is a favorite form of exercise.”

High elevation ponds in New Hampshire are often the first bodies of water to freeze in the late fall but various smaller lakes and ponds in Vermont usually follow. After that, Lake Champlain skaters may head to Inner and then Outer Mallets Bay and then the Inland Sea. On a good year, they can go from Charlotte or Shelburne to New York. The Broad Lake hasn’t frozen over since 2019, and it is believed that the winter of 2013-14 was the last time anyone skated across that section all the way to New York. Some intrepid skaters will venture out on the Lamoille or Connecticut River, but the current makes those outings more dangerous. For those wanting to try the outdoor experience in a safe environment, Lake Morey plows a three-mile track for skaters in Fairlee. 

This winter has been a good one for Nordic skaters including JoAnn Berns of Thetford Center who travelled up to Lake Champlain for several outings. “Wilderness skating provides adventure, freedom, challenge and the closest I’ll ever get to feeling like I’m flying under my own power,” she said. “It’s a challenging sport to love as the necessary weather and ice conditions are ever-changing, sometimes frustratingly so, but when they align there’s nothing like it.”  

Although many retailers carry boots and bindings, it is harder to find retail outlets for the rest of the gear. Skate blades and accessories can be purchased at Nordic Skater in Newbury, N.H., Silver Birch Cycles in Saranac Lake, and Boulder Nordic Sport & Cycle in Portland, Maine. 

Not everyone lives near a body of water so there are Google Groups for Vermont, the Adirondacks, and New Hampshire, as well as some Facebook groups which allow the sharing of information. A new group called Sk802 has a website which links to useful webcams and other resources: sites.google.com/view/sk802burlington. A wealth of information can be found on a site called Lake Ice which was developed by the late Nordic skater Bob Dill. 

In contrast to backcountry skiers who jealousy guard the location of their private stashes, Nordic skaters generally prefer the company of others. “Teaching and learning together allows us to be safer, develop community, exult or commiserate about conditions and perhaps to be rendered speechless together at the extraordinary beauty to be found on wild ice,” JoAnn Berns said.

The surface is ephemeral and the season often short but for Nordic skaters, it’s the best way to have fun on the ice.

You can usually find Phyl Newbeck outdoors, cycling, swimming, and kayaking in the warmer months and skiing and skating in the cooler ones. She moved to Jericho in 1995 and although still technically a flatlander, she stacks a mean woodpile. Phyl (vtphyl72@gmail.com) has written for a variety of local and regional newspapers and magazines and is the author of Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving.