New book for cross-country skiers
and Nordic walkers
Stuart Montgomery of XCuk has teamed up with Paddy Field, editor of Ski
Nordic magazine, to write a book. Titled "STRIDE AND GLIDE: A manual of
cross-country skiing and Nordic walking", it contains 165 pages, many of
them illustrated in colour. The eighteen chapters cover:
- A short history of skiing
- Getting started
- Basic techniques
- Turning techniques
- Classical techniques
- Skating techniques
- Racing
- Off-track touring
- Skiing with children
- Equipment and clothing
- Ski preparation and waxing
- Roller skiing
- Associated sports
- Where to ski
- Nordic walking: first steps
- Nordic walking: further steps
- General fitness training
- Building a training programme
The price is £14.95 per copy plus £2.00 UK post and packing.
(Overseas postage rates vary - please ask us.)
To order your copy
Send your cheque for £14.95 plus £2.00 per copy to us at:
XCuk Limited
21 Hempson Avenue
Langley
Berkshire
SL3 7RW
United Kingdom
Please make cheques payable to "Ski Nordic" Alternatively you can
find Stride and Glide in good bookshops and at
www.amazon.co.uk.
Book Review
The following review of the book was written for
Ski Nordic magazine by Roger Homyer, who is
a BASI Nordic Ski Teacher.
“Stride and Glide”
is a great name for a book about the world of cross-country skiing and
Nordic walking. You would expect Paddy Field and Stuart Montgomery with
their wealth of experience to come up with a text that appeals to
British cross-country skiers. They have achieved this with some flair
to produce a very readable manual which should find a place onto your
bookshelf.
The content is comprehensive and designed to appeal to beginners and the
more advanced. The bulk of the manual covers cross-country skiing with
chapters on techniques (classic, skate and turns), getting started,
racing, and off-track touring. Nothing is lost through such an approach
and I found myself avidly reading each section over and over from a
coach’s standpoint. It is here that the excellence of the illustrations
is most helpful. The photo sequences of each technique are superb and
are supported by Norman Clark’s helpful line drawings. My particular
favourite was the photo of former world champion Bente Skari and the
points made on diagonal stride which referred to the photo. Different
styles of double poling are discussed and illustrated and the book is
bang-up-to-date with modern thinking. The different skates are covered
by photo sequences and there is a helpful clarification of nearly 40
different names given to them. Colour photos appear throughout and both
illustrate and flavour the read.
There are chapters too on skiing with children, equipment and clothing,
racing, where to ski, and on the black art of waxing. The approach of
giving basic explanations for beginners followed by in-depth information
continues and broadens the appeal of the book. You will find yourself
musing over the text while you look at beautiful tracks cut through a
winter landscape and wonder how soon it will be before you can cut
tracks of your own.
Nordic walking is a fast-growing activity that has proved very popular
on the continent. I am glad it has been included in the manual as many
cross-country skiers will both benefit from and enjoy striding out with
poles. As with cross-country skiing there are an infinite number of
progressions to try both in their own right and as fitness and technical
training for skiing. Roller skiing is also included and this, too, is
seeing a surge in popularity for both general fitness training and
ski-specific preparation.
The book concludes with a look at fitness and building a training
programme. These are excellent chapters containing information of use to
novices, racers and coaches. The authors’ impressive knowledge and
enthusiasm comes across and will motivate many to create their own
programme.
In
short, this is a book that is great fun to read. Professionally produced
and with something for everyone you will find yourself dipping into it
again and again. At 14.95 (plus £2 p&p) it represents real value for
money. Paddy and Stuart are to be congratulated on bringing a book of
this quality to our sport.
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