Every member of the family that has learned to walk can participate in a Nordic excursion across the New Jersey tundra. Traversing a flat beginner trail is like walking with a sliding step in your socks across a slick waxed floor. Short, tentative skids quickly become longer motions rhythmically integrated with opposite arm motions, just like a natural walking action. Soon you're shifting your weight, bending your knees and planting your poles to take full advantage of ski on snow. When you've maximized the classic cross country motion, you're ready to take on some up and down terrain.
Skis come in different types for different purposes.
One of the skills that cross country skiers master is how to properly wax skis according to snow conditions. Wax allows your skis to get a grip on the snow when you want to travel other than down hill. Wet heavy snow on an early spring day requires different preparation than powder on a cold winter morning. Part of the fun is seeing how much of the work you can get your wax to do for you. After all, Nordic skiers always end up going as far uphill as they go down.