Roller skiing

I am interested in seeing if I can roller ski (and that IS an accurate
way of putting it!), but the only place that I can find that would
give me a chance to try them out is in central London or Windsor.
I would much prefer somewhere rather more accessible from Cambridge.
Web searching has so far no helped - if anyone has any ideas, I should
be grateful for them.

35 years ago, I used to be a good cross-country skier by UK standards
of the day (i.e. dire), but an age of 65 means that I need a lot more
getting fit before doing anything new than I did then. And balancing
and stopping on rollerskis is clearly very different from on real
cross-country skis, because they can't be used in a snowplough.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote in message
...

I am interested in seeing if I can roller ski (and that IS an accurate
way of putting it!), but the only place that I can find that would
give me a chance to try them out is in central London or Windsor.
I would much prefer somewhere rather more accessible from Cambridge.
Web searching has so far no helped - if anyone has any ideas, I should
be grateful for them.

35 years ago, I used to be a good cross-country skier by UK standards
of the day (i.e. dire), but an age of 65 means that I need a lot more
getting fit before doing anything new than I did then. And balancing
and stopping on rollerskis is clearly very different from on real
cross-country skis, because they can't be used in a snowplough.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

What size feet are you?
If you happen to be size 8, you could 'suck it and see' :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271066909150

D

In article , David B wrote:

I am interested in seeing if I can roller ski (and that IS an accurate
way of putting it!), ...

What size feet are you?
If you happen to be size 8, you could 'suck it and see' :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271066909150

Thanks, but I thought of that but it's a non-starter. While I might
be able to get into size 8 for a short while, I absolutely have to
have a very 'sedate' ski. That one is too short and probably too fast.
That could be a problem even trying out in a shop, of course - and
my experience is that it could take me some time to get the message
across :-(

The relevance is no vestibular function (semi-circular canal balance).
None, zero, zilch, nihilum, de nada .... It's pretty rare in people
who even contemplate this sort of activity!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 24/09/12 14:22, wrote:
I am interested in seeing if I can roller ski (and that IS an accurate
way of putting it!), but the only place that I can find that would
give me a chance to try them out is in central London or Windsor.
I would much prefer somewhere rather more accessible from Cambridge.
Web searching has so far no helped - if anyone has any ideas, I should
be grateful for them.

35 years ago, I used to be a good cross-country skier by UK standards
of the day (i.e. dire), but an age of 65 means that I need a lot more
getting fit before doing anything new than I did then. And balancing
and stopping on rollerskis is clearly very different from on real
cross-country skis, because they can't be used in a snowplough.

It only works with skate technique rather than "classic" striding, but
roller blades used with poles is a good bit of the way there. Carbide
road spikes on the poles will give you grip.

For "sedate" make sure you have lower grade bearings.

Much easier to get hold of, and a lot cheaper are the upsides.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article ,
Peter Clinch wrote:

35 years ago, I used to be a good cross-country skier by UK standards
of the day (i.e. dire), but an age of 65 means that I need a lot more
getting fit before doing anything new than I did then. And balancing
and stopping on rollerskis is clearly very different from on real
cross-country skis, because they can't be used in a snowplough.

It only works with skate technique rather than "classic" striding, but
roller blades used with poles is a good bit of the way there. Carbide
road spikes on the poles will give you grip.

What I am not sure about is whether I could maintain my balance,
given that they do not slip sideways at all (unlike skis) and
the length is very short. It's primarily stopping in an emergency
that concerns me.

For "sedate" make sure you have lower grade bearings.

Much easier to get hold of, and a lot cheaper are the upsides.

Yup. Thanks for the confirmation. The Web advice is that they
can teach the wrong striding technique, but my actual interest is
in using the muscles that you don't use for sustained periods in
any other activity. Even at 30, it took me a week before the
pain went away - though that was also because I ignored it and
skied all day and every day.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 24/09/2012 14:22, wrote:

I would much prefer somewhere rather more accessible from Cambridge

Wrong University. If you were at Bristol, you could roller ski naked
from The Downs (319ft), down Blackboy Hill, Whiteladies Road and Park
Street, arriving at the City Centre Ferry Landing with a shout to the
cheering crowd of "How's that for Sustainable Transport?".

--
Mark Lewis, North Somerset

On 25/09/12 11:04, wrote:
In article ,
Peter Clinch wrote:

35 years ago, I used to be a good cross-country skier by UK standards
of the day (i.e. dire), but an age of 65 means that I need a lot more
getting fit before doing anything new than I did then. And balancing
and stopping on rollerskis is clearly very different from on real
cross-country skis, because they can't be used in a snowplough.

It only works with skate technique rather than "classic" striding, but
roller blades used with poles is a good bit of the way there. Carbide
road spikes on the poles will give you grip.

What I am not sure about is whether I could maintain my balance,
given that they do not slip sideways at all (unlike skis) and
the length is very short. It's primarily stopping in an emergency
that concerns me.

Should be easier to stop on rollerblades is my guess. If you have to
stop skates in a hurry a hockey-stop is the way and that won't work as
well (at best!) on roller skis because you're only bound at the toe and
they're longer and heavier.

For less dramatic stops blades are usually equipped with a simple drag
brake (weight on one skate, toe up on the other and a brake-block drags
against the ground), but roller skis aren't.

I see in my diary I have the ski club AGM this evening. I'll try and
remember to ask the roller-skiers their thoughts.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:04:55 +0100 (BST)
wrote:

What I am not sure about is whether I could maintain my balance,
given that they do not slip sideways at all (unlike skis) and
the length is very short. It's primarily stopping in an emergency
that concerns me.

Power slide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DfLx1sKTSE

In article 20120925133406.7cf42563@hyperion,
Rob Morley wrote:
On Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:04:55 +0100 (BST)
wrote:

What I am not sure about is whether I could maintain my balance,
given that they do not slip sideways at all (unlike skis) and
the length is very short. It's primarily stopping in an emergency
that concerns me.

Power slide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DfLx1sKTSE

Perhaps I should have said "they do not slip sideways at all while
your weight is on them". I cannot balance on one and use the other
as a variable-friction device - you need functioning semicircular
canals to do that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Peter Clinch wrote:

Should be easier to stop on rollerblades is my guess. If you have to
stop skates in a hurry a hockey-stop is the way and that won't work as
well (at best!) on roller skis because you're only bound at the toe and
they're longer and heavier.

That is what concerns me, but I doubt VERY much that I could handle
such a stop, even with weeks of practice.

For less dramatic stops blades are usually equipped with a simple drag
brake (weight on one skate, toe up on the other and a brake-block drags
against the ground), but roller skis aren't.

Yes, but I couldn't handle that, either. I absolutely HAVE to use
both feet to maintain balance.

I see in my diary I have the ski club AGM this evening. I'll try and
remember to ask the roller-skiers their thoughts.

Thanks very much.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.