Cross Country Skiing Makes Winter Worth It

Ava Christian of Appleton leads her mother and father, Felicia and Todd, through the cross country ski trails of Peninsula State Park. Photo by Len Villano.

Last year we were suckered out of a white winter and I realized going without the cold season isn’t as pleasant as it sounds. The tough parts of winter (chipping ice off your windshield with a dust pan when you can’t find your ice scraper), is totally worth it for the good (the hot chocolate, wool blankets, fireplace, and breaking out the cross country skis).

January had me worried. We had a good weekend, then rain turned our miniscule snow blanket to mush. Then, thankfully, came the blizzard. It provided an opportunity to use my four-wheel drive, and my skis.

I started cross country skiing as a kid after discovering my mom’s old pair of skis in the garage. Neighbors always skied a loop in a field near my mid-Michigan home so I followed in their tracks, making Carol prints every 15 feet before I crashed in the snow. I often trudged home from those ski trips after dark, shivering and covered in snow.

I’ve improved a little since then – watching cheesy how-to-ski videos with my father certainly helped.

The available trail options have also improved. There are beautiful ski trails all over Door County, and they’re all close enough for a day trip. I’ve explored the trails near Lot 5 in Peninsula State Park, and made tracks along the Lake Michigan beach in Whitefish Dunes State Park.

My skis are always in the car, ready for the next adventure and the next blizzard.