Roller skis are cross-country skis with wheels. Roller skis are 21 to 35 inches long. They were first developed over 50 years ago. The best skiers in the world roller ski 70% of their time. Roller skiing has not been popularized because of the less comprehensive sport of inline skating having taken more of the asphalt sport line light.
Roller skiers ski year round executing the same stroke pattern on snow and wheels. The benefits of roller skiing will become instantly understandable once you begin to engage your upper body and core. Roller skis are half as fast as inline skaters. Roller skiing has no impact injury as in running however you get the same or higher aerobic work out.
Roller skiing is the pinnacle of fitness, why?
Roller skiing is the last accomplishment we reach towards full body life long complete fitness. All who seek maximum fitness and the party to staying energized throughout a life long routine, will seek roller skiing as the movement language to learn along side other transport sports. Fitness is the development and maintenance of the four legs of a fitness table. Strength, endurance, balance and flexibility all add up to 100% fitness. Miss developing one of these and you have a non optimized fitness level that will begin to lessen your bodies performance over ages 40-80.
When we consider the optimum level of fitness the body requires to feel fantastic above age 40 we quickly realize how critical it is that juniors are taught a movement language skill set they can speak and will want to speak their entire lives. Roller skiing is this “ultimate” movement language skill set. Think of it like knowing how to speak English-Spanish and Mandarin combined.
Participants can get an excellent full-body workout without ever having to be boxed into a gym. Imagine having to learn roller skiing at a proficient level at age 40+ or even 30+. Now you understand why roller skiing skill set is as crucial a skill set as learning a second or third language as a young person.
Coach Dan Bowen
Can I snow ski once I roller ski?
Cross-country skiing on snow takes care of itself once you can roller ski.
Can I use my rollerblades to roller ski?
Roller skiing is a lower-speed sport compared to inline skating. The wheels we use are meant to go extra slow. We always use a hand deployed brake on ALL our skis. All that said, yes you can use your roller skates to roller ski. The skating skill set you have will help a lot! Let us know and we will asses your roller skating skills and then see if and when is best to begin adding poles and roller skiing technique.
Do roller skis have brakes?
Yes, all of our roller skis have brakes and speed reducers plus super slow wheels. Lesson one is how to use your brakes and how to keep your speed in check at all times over all terrain. Once the braking skill set is learned braking on skis becomes second nature. The biggest rule of braking is knowing when it is safe to speed up. Braking is less about how to brake than knowing when not to speed up. This mind set skill works very well for all transport vehicles. Car, bike or board, will all benefit from acquiring braking skills on roller skis. It helps young people to not become the honking idiot behind you that speeds to reach your bumber or the next red light in the road.
