The cross country experience: Skiing it all!

"I love snow.  I love mountain air and I love standing atop the world.  I love being able to go pretty much anywhere I want to, using only my own power.  I love getting to places where other people don't venture.  I love being a skier.  I love being a skier who can go up and down and all-around-a skier who can ski it all.  I love being a cross country skier.  No one can call himself a skier until he can ski it all."    
Luke Bodensteiner--US Olympic cross county skier

It's hard for some to figure out the motivation to ski when it doesn't involve flying down a mountain side and then riding a chairlift back up.  I can guarantee you, however, that the first time you put on a pair of cross country skis and take to the trails, you will be captivated by the secret beauty of the sport.  No, you won't find the thrilling speed of the downhill run, or the mind-bending acrobatics of the snowboard parks, but I don't think that's what the cc ski crowd is after anyways.
Much like the sport, quiet contemplation, intensity of racing, and maximizing the body and spirit are foundations of their books.
Unfortunately, there aren't many books on cross country skiing outside of "how-to" type books.  Such is the curse of most of the silent endurance sports.  If you take the time to drill a bit deeper, however, you can locate some stories.
The majority of the higher interest CC ski titles tend to deal with the racing aspect of the sport, and a few Olympians have penned their accounts for us to experience.  While none are action packed, edge-of-seat sports thrillers, most do a wonderful job of getting to the heart of a very demanding sport and what sort of special screw you have to have loose to do it!

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Endless Winter by Luke Bodensteiner, Momentum:  Chasing the Olypmic Dream by Pete Vordenberg ,  Long Distance by Bill McKibben, and A Medal of Honor by John Morton are sort of cut from the same cloth.  These books offer a behind the scenes glimpse at the journey of Olympic CC skiers, capturing the spirit of the sport so few understand.  These books are about testing limits, conquering the lonely pursuit, and toiling often in isolation to overcome personal challenges and doubt.   I'm fairly partial to Bodensteiner and read his book years ago, probably because he's from West Bend, Wisconsin (where I currently live) and his dad was a great family doctor that made sure I healthily declined into middle age!  Luke is currently the Executive Vice President of Athletics for the US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA).  And in case  you haven't been paying attention, are primed to do some big things in the coming years.

​Wild Shot by Andy Liebner  One winter while watching the Olympics, my son said to me, "Dad, I don't get how anyone came up with the idea of skiing on trails with a gun and stopping to shoot at things."
Good question, son.  Wild Shot is  about the  physical demands of CC skiing and the rather odd biathlon.   The book is an solid discussion about the usual rigors of competition and takes you through Liebner's life, which actually has some interesting twists and turns.

Beyond Birkie Fever by Walter Rhein covers America's greatest cross-country ski race in the American Birkebeiner.( or "Birkie" for short) Every year, thousands of people journey from all over the globe to Hayward, Wisconsin, for a world-class celebration of life, winter, and the competitive spirit.  Elite international competitors and future American Olympians meet  in a wild race through the great Wisconsin Northwoods wilderness.  It is a treasure of an event and one that's on every skiing midwesterner's bucket list!

These books definitely belong in a public or school library that serves a snowy population.  I can't tell you how important it is to have sports like cc skiing represented in a library collection.  It's our job to provide a spark and open doors to experiences readers don't know exist.  Books provide inspiration.