How It Works:
Cross-country skiing requires technique and physical endurance in order for skiers to complete long distances on rolling terrain.
Ten men's and women's cross-country skiing events are scheduled for the Nagano Games, all of which are classified as either classical or free competitions. In classical competition, the skis must remain parallel on flat terrain. For uphills, a diagonal stride is used with skis set apart. The free technique permits all stride varieties, and is therefore a faster and more strenuous event. "Skating" (pushing off diagonally from the inside edge of the weight-bearing ski), is the most common technique used in the free competitions.
In general, cross-country skis are lighter and more narrow than those used in Alpine events. The skis used in free technique competitions are shorter than those used in classical competitions, while the poles are longer.
The men's races consist of a 10, 15, 30 and 50 kilometer events, plus a 40km relay, while the women compete in 5, 10, 15 and 30 kilometer races, with a 20km relay. For individual races, skiers usually start at 30-second intervals, while competitors in the first leg of the relay races all start together. In the pursuit races, the results of the first event (men's 10km and women's 5km classical) determine the starting order for the second race (men's 15km and women's 10km free). The first skier to cross the finish line in the second race is the overall winner.
History: Despite the fact that cross-country skiing was used as a mode of transportation in northern Europe and the Scandinavian countries for thousands of years, it has only been in the past century that skiing has become a source of recreation and sport. Scandinavian immigrants introduced cross-country skiing to the United States, where it quickly became popular in northern New England and the upper Midwest. Its popularity continued to spread, and in 1904, the first official national championship was held in Ishpeming, Mich., which is now the home of the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum. A year later, the National Ski Association, or what is now known as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association was formed. The International Ski Federation was formed in 1924 in time for the first Olympic Winter Games held at Chamonix, France. While women were competing in the Alpine events, they did not take part in cross-country until 1952. It wasn't until 1967 that 13-year-old Alison Owen became the first American female to participate in a national cross-country championship, when she competed in a junior boys' race.
