Cross country skiing is a wonderful way to get away from the pistes and ski lifts to the tranquility of the alpine winter countryside. It attracts people of all ages and is easy to pick up if you've never tried it before. Like with downhill skiing, the cross country trails are usually 'pisted' - a machined flattens the snow and also makes grooves for your skis to follow. This makes it easier to ski on - and all you have to do is follow the grooves to follow the trail! You'll also find that the trails are signposted and graded with levels of difficulty.
Beginners
Learning is easy but we advise you to book some lessons. "Learn to Cross Country Ski" packages (see below) offer great value. Best for Beginners:Austria Seefeld; Finland Ruka
Intermediates & Advanced
If you have skied before you'll find most resorts offer a good variety of trails ranging in length and difficulty. Some resorts offer red and black runs to give experienced cross country skiers a bit more challenge!
Top Two Areas: Austria Seefeld (250km) & Zell am See/Kaprun (300km); Canada Banff (100km) & Tremblant (90km); Finland Iso-Syote (120km) & Ruka (200km); France Flaine (70km) & La Tania (66km); Italy Selva (98km) & Val di Fassa (70km); USA Lake Tahoe (101km) & Winter Park (300km).
Equipment Hire & Tuition
Many of our resorts' ski schools offer cross country skiing tuition and the hire shops offer the hire of cross country equipment.
Generally you do not need a lift pass for cross country skiing (the exceptions are where the cross country areas are located in an area above the resort and you may need a lift pass to get to and from it).
Learn to Cross Country Ski
If you are new to cross country skiing we have great value "Learn to Cross Country Ski" packages in the Finnish resort of Ruka and in the Austrian resort of Seefeld. Both include a few hours of tuition each day to allow you the rest of the day to practice what you've learnt and enjoy the beautiful scenery!
Ruka: From £100
The package includes your equipment hire and 5 days of tuition. Lessons are for 1 hour 45 minutes each day.
Seefeld: From £103
The package includes your equipment hire and 5 days of tuition. Lessons are for 2 hours a day.
Winter Wonderland Packages
In the resorts of Seefeld and St. Wolfgang in Austria and Bled in Slovenia you can also pre-book a Winter Wonderland Package. These include a selection of winter activities including a Cross Country Skiing taster session so you can have a go and see if you like it!
Other Winter Wonderland packages are available in Banff in Canada and Ruka and Iso-Syote in Finland. These do not include cross country skiing.
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