over the last few years i've been learning to cross-country ski thanks to my roommate, and also because i like being outside in the winter and it looked like fun. this is usually offered as an affordable alternative to downhill skiing.
unfortunately for me nordic skiing is still very much a rich person sport. i'm not even talking about downhill skiing. secondhand gear is still expensive, and that's assuming you know what you need to start with! which is wildly difficult to figure out on your own! since i already have a lot of outdoor gear for work, i was able to make it work for a sweaty activity like cross-country that doesn't need a fancy jacket and pants and helmet. i rented skis the first few times, but then i found a gear swap held by the local nordic club. skis and poles still cost more money than i wanted to pay, because at my size i'm on the end of the bell curve for what sizes are most common. and then i still had to find boots that fit the bindings (many kinds, all different).
at least in the US, nordic/cross-country is not super popular and the terminology is just kind of not standardized (for example, in parentheses because i don't know how to make footnotes here, what is called backcountry or all-terrain skiing can mean anything from nordic-style cross country skiing off groomed trails, a newly popular UPHILL skiing, downhill skiing in random places outside of a resort, or shit like getting dropped from a helicopter onto a mountain (with skiis on)) and this makes me feel crazy. it feels deliberately secretive and convoluted so that someone not involved in the culture gets shut out. if i didn't know someone who could help it never would have worked out for me. i would have given up because it was so hard to sort out on my own.
even finding a place to go is harder than i thought. my roommate usually goes to the local place about an hour away, but many other ski places in the mountains don't even have nordic areas. the passes are stupidly expensive and don't pay for themselves unless you are skiing at least twice per week during the season, not counting paying for gas/parking/bus rides! i did the math! do these people ever work? as for non-groomed trails, some parks and hiking trails allow skiing when there's snow. so far every one i have tried has also been a snowshoe trail, meaning the trail becomes packed down and icy almost immediately after a fresh snow, and unpleasant to try and ski on. these trails are also incredibly popular even in the winter. i don't live in the mountains anymore, so rather than drive 1.5 hours to be forced off the trail by snowshoers i mostly have been waiting for snow in my town and scooting around the streets before they're plowed.
it's hard to bring up in real life too. there's always some downhill ski bum who has to say they grew up skiing and their family definitely wasn't rich. and you know, i believe them. the cost of all this garbage is much much higher than it was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s compared to now (source: my roommate who grew up skiing). and yet. and yet if a family has the resources to buy ski passes and take time off to go and also buy gear for their growing kids every couple years. maybe they aren't rich, but they definitely aren't poor. the people i've met who started skiing as adults were basically given equipment for free by friends who ski.
i haven't given up because i like it. i like the cold bright air and the soft sliding through the snow, i like the quiet sounds skiing makes. i like the rhythm and effort and how it feels when i can get it right. if we are buried in snow i have the whole town to visit. it gets me out of the house and into the sun when the weather is at its worst. i'm going to keep saving for better skis that actually fit me, though.