Anyone can ski

If you're a sit-by-the-fire-and-knit (or watch TV) sort, you know that excuses are easy to come by for a lot of the adventures your outdoorsy friends are always proposing. Too expensive. Too dangerous. Too hard. Too far away.

Ah, and then there's cross-country skiing. Provided Mother Nature has annihilated your best excuse (no snow) by the time this goes to press, you really haven't got many arguments left. Compared with many winter sports, cross country-skiing is relatively inexpensive, easy to learn, fairly tame and as close by as your nearest woods or pond (which, in these parts, isn't far).

On top of all that, it offers a great workout, incredible views and a chance to hang out with friends and family. So, as those annoying friends would say, "what are you waiting for?" Here's everything you need to know to get started cross-country skiing:

Trails

For beginners, groomed trails are generally the easiest way to get started, says Tim Farmer, an avid skier and owner of Concord's S&W Sports. In Concord, these include the White Farm trails that begin at Memorial Field on Clinton Street, the Carter Hill Apple Orchard trails and the Beaver Meadow golf course trails. Skiers can check the S&W website (swsports.net) this year for updates on trail conditions, Farmer says.

In addition, skiers are welcome on all trails in state parks and forests unless they are marked otherwise. Go to nhstateparks.org and follow the links for information and resources. State park trails can get you up close and personal with nature, Farmer says, but they also require vigilance. "If you're out on your own and you hear a snowmobile coming, you need to get out of the way because those guys go so fast," he said.

For a more placid experience, you can also try a nearby pond or lake. Just make sure the ice is safe and that there's snow on the pond for traction. Or, if you're feeling more adventurous, you can try "bushwacking," anywhere there's adequate snow and space. For this, Farmer recommends a special backcountry ski with metal edges (a little more on that later).

On the other end of the cushiness spectrum are the numerous ski areas that offer cross-country ski trails. A few, such as Gunstock Mountain Resort, even have snow-making. Visit xcskinh.com for a full list of ski areas with Nordic centers.

Equipment

Making sense of equipment can be puzzling for Nordic newbies. There are classic skis and skating skis, wax and waxless, and, of course, numerous brands and styles, all of which need to be carefully sized to the skier.

For that reason, Farmer recommends renting a few times before you buy. If you try the Carter Hill trails on the weekends, you can borrow skis in the barn (donations, which benefit the Capital Ski and Outing Club, are appreciated). The city parks department is hoping to offer rentals at Beaver Meadow this year, Farmers says, but there's no word yet on whether it will happen. S&W also offers daily, weekly or weekend rentals. If and when you decide to get your own equipment, the most important factor to consider is your weight, not your height, Farmer says. Heavier people press the skis down more in the middle and thus need a different size ski than slimmer people, he explained.

You'll also need to decide whether you want traditional wax skis, which use a sticky wax for traction, or waxless skis, which have a scaly surface on the bottom. "For regular folks, waxless makes the most sense," Farmer said. "At first waxless were slow and made a lot of noise and traditionalists didn't like them, but the new patterns they've come out with work really well." (next page »)