Next season is still months away, but you can put down a great foundation during the summer months. While alternative workouts like running and cycling are great for maintaining endurance, roller skiing is the only option when it comes to ski technique.
As with cross-country skiing, you have to gear up specifically for roller skiing. You can use the same boots as you use in winter, but you need to buy:
- Roller skis for classical style or skating
- Poles with spike for hard surfaces
- Helmet
- Reflective clothing
As far as bindings go, Rottefella’s R3-binding is especially well suited for roller skiing. The binding is mounted with screws, and can be adapted to all types of skis.
Technique
Classical
If your goal is the
Marcialonga,
Vasaloppet or
Birkebeineren, you should work on your classic ski technique through the summer. The technique for dialogue skiing is different from its winter equivalent, since there are no tracks. Because of this, it takes some training to get the summer technique in place. Double poling and double pole-kick are more similar techniques to their winter equivalents. Remember to use your entire upper body, especially the abdominal muscles, and keep your arms ”locked”. Also, keep in mind that concrete is significantly harder than snow, so the energy from your poles will need to be directed more down and not backwards.
Skating
The skating technique for roller skiing is more similar to skating on snow. You can effectively train both one- and two-skate, and your uphill ”paddle” technique.
Norwegian skiing organization Skiforeningen han published several short YouTube-clips that show roller skiing techniques. While the movies are in Norwegian, they show the technique in an understandable way.
Safety first
As we mentioned earlier, always use a helmet when roller skiing. If you are a beginner, it’s a good idea to start in a fairly flat area, like an empty parking lot. Breaking and stopping takes a little getting used to, so learn to break and turn properly before you venture out on more challenging roads.
Have a great summer and a great roller skiing workout!