It does require more athleticism than straight classic skiing. In skating, you've got to apply yourself. At first that means applying your body to the snow in various hilarious prone positions. Like any snow sport, it isn't easy to learn, especially if you have little skiing or skating experience. Most who take up skate skiing are classic cross-country skiers seeking a faster pace, or those who skated first on wheels or ice.
Most instructors recommend a classic lesson first.
You get your basics down and learn to deal with the hill. After you feel comfortable with that, then take up skating. Experienced in-line or ice skaters have a distinct advantage in learning skate skiing because all three use the same basic stride. While both skis are used to push and glide, the V-1 requires pushing off with both poles only on strides from the dominant side. The poles are brought forward during the rise back toward the dominant side.