I would like to to go cross-country skiing withing an hours, by train, from Zurich. Anyone knows of any place to go?
Thanks.
Julie

there a quite a few places near zürich by train. Einsiedeln is probably the easiest or rotenthurm. You can catch the train to both. There are also a couple of closer places, Rickenpass in kanton St Gallen and Gibswil near Wald zürichoberland but i not sure if you can get there by train. Check out myswitzerland.com (can change to english) then go to the snow report link. there you can give in which part of switzerland you want to go and it will list all crosscountry skiing places in that region and the conditions for the day. Unfortunately its got too warm again and the snow has gone in the above mentioned areas. hope it comes again in a couple of weeks

cheers dr d

I live in Rothenthurm. Cross country skiing is great here when we have enough snow. The trail is right next to the train station and the scenery is serene and breathtaking. Rentals are quite cheap.

Except for a few patches, we have NO snow right now so you'll have to wait awhile.

Excuse my ignorance but where is Rotheturm? How far from Zurich by train? Really want to refresh my rusty cross country skills. Haven´t done any in years!

Rothenthurm is probably under an hour from Zh by train. Check out the connections on www.sbb.ch Went for a couple of hours yesterday. Conditions were absolutely brilliant. cold though -11C Can hire gear at the start of the loiper

Here's a link to the cross-country trails in Rothenthurm:
http://www.finnenloipe.ch/

The trail starts right next to the train station.

I'm really pleased to see that there are other cross-country skiers on this forum . We went for a few hours yesterday, perfect conditions and great scenery. My body is now getting used to working those muscles again, hopefully there'll be lots more good weather for it this season.

Sorry, I can't help with knowledge about trails around Zurich, but if anyone needs advice for French-speaking Switzerland (Romandie) then just ask.

I would like to learn to cross country. Anyone have any idea if there is the possibility to take a course somewhere near to Zurich?
Optimally, would like to take a couple courses on a Saturday. Any recommendations on skating vs. classic? Skating looks more fun.

I have many times thought of taking a course when staying at a ski resort but I always decide it would be more fun to downhill ski that day.

There is a school in einsiedeln url www.schwedentritt.ch go the langlaufschule window. Classic is pretty easy and you could try without a lesson (it's just walking with skis on your feet if you're not trying to break any records). i've never taken any. Just got a few tips now and then from friends and others when i've been in a group. Never tried skating yet myself. you can't do everything! have fun on the loipe.

I know that skating looks like more fun, but it is definitely more difficult both to learn initially and to master. I'd recommend learning classic first, and then progressing to skating once you're feeling comfortable on snow. Classic skiing teaches you balance and also allows you to become more comfortable with manouvereing on skis. Once you've got classic down, you can then progress to skating, where you add in the additional components of side-to-side movement and more full-body muscle activity (ouch!). Skating is a great workout and a lot of fun (because you do go faster!) but it's also difficult and exhausting: if you haven't learned the proper technique, you'll be ready to pack it in after 10 minutes (and that's no fun at all).

I think the best thing to do would be to initially try classic on your own (it's really not that hard, and is a good social activity with friends) and once you feel you're ready for it, take a lesson or two to get some advice on technique from a pro. They will also then be able to advise you on whether you're 'ready' for skating, if that's what you want to try.

I think it's great that you want to have a go at cross-country skiing. I've done both alpine and cross country skiing since I was but a wee lass, and I must say that as much as I love the speed and adrenaline of downhill skiing, nothing beats the feeling of gliding through the forest on a brilliant winter's day using nothing but your own muscle power. My husband and I did 18km on Sunday, and the best part was that after a 1.5km climb to reach the top of a col, we were the only people as far as the eye could see, and it was just us, the snow, the sky and the mountains. Awesome.

Happy trails!

HeatherM

Thanks for the tips, HeatherM! I definitely agree -- Even though the adrenaline from downhill skiing is awesome, somehow the surrounding mountains and panoramic views seem MUCH more spectacular when you view them while moving under your own power. Maybe it's from the endorphins from the exercise... but whatever it is, it can be addictive!

Plus it's nice to have alternatives when the snow conditions aren't so great at the alpine ski areas right now...

I'm going to follow your advice and try out cross country skiing, possibly today at Einsiedeln... Then if all goes well we'll give skate skiing a go. I've heard that it is key to take a lesson right away for skate skiing so that you don't practice the wrong technique and develop bad habits, so we've got a private lesson set up for Sunday - supposedly in English - I'll post afterwards to report on how it goes!

Hi there to all LangLaufers. I too am looking to learn and tried the other day with my partner in Rothenthurn and it was great. He is an excellent skating langlaufer but I am not keen on having him teach me!!! I tried the classic and found it quite tiring but great fun. I am interested in some lessons in English also.
If there is anyone interested in learning together I am certainly interested. Please pm me.
Thanks

We took a skate skiing lesson at Einsiedeln and it was very helpful. Not that I can actually do it yet (it's quite a challenge when you have two left feet like me! ), but at least we learned the right method so that I'm confident I'll eventually get it. Definitely a great workout , good way to work on balance, and fun.

If you are interested in taking a skate skiing lesson I would recommend Peter at Einsiedeln - He taught some great drills, was very patient, and speaks very good English. They also have classic cross country skiing at the same place.
http://www.schwedentritt.ch/

do they rent the cross country equipment in Einseldn?

Good too see all the interest in langlauf! I've done it in the pass in Canada and it's really not too difficult to begin with. It's also a relatively cheap activity. For those near Luzern, I believe you can get a langlauf pass for Engleberg for only 100chf a year.

Yep, you can rent the equipment at Einsiedeln.

Today we tried out another location not far from the other in Einseideln -- This one is in Studen, and in my opinion it's better for total beginners since it's almost totally flat Here's the link: http://www.studen-sz.ch/
You can rent equipment at the local store: http://www.schaad-nordicsports.ch/mo...&navTitle=Home

It was a little easier the second time, but still a long way to go til I'm winning the local langlauf marathons!

In fact, the trail pass that is valid for the entire season for the whole of Switzerland costs 100 CHF. A season pass for one area of the country (e.g., Romandie) costs only 60 CHF. It's a great deal! Alternatively, day passes are never more than 10 CHF.

I was at Einsiedeln today for skate-skiing. Perfect conditions: good snow, great view, nice weather, and no one around... Definitely better than expected for a first time this season and much better than wasting 37CHF at Flumserberg...

I was getting a bit worried when I left Zurich, because I hadn't phoned to check if the tracks were really open and I was the only one with skis on the train (and one can usually see many pairs of skis in Waedenswill train station on a Saturday...). All the Loipe were open, though, and there was enough snow for X-country skiing (though I don't expect this will last much longer if doesn't snow).

I can "second" the suport for Rothenthurm too. It is very convenient by train as already mentioned plus there is a free changing room with toilets right by the x-country skiing track which is really great if you want to arrive, change, etc and then go skiing. You can hire skis and get lessons there. I rented ski's last year and then once I tried a few models bought a set "second hand" for a good price so worth bearing in mind. The loop is not too far so good for beginners but with some undulation so gives the legs a rest as you can coast some sections. Well worth a try when there's snow. If anyone fancies a x-country day out in the New Year once the snow has settled or try some trail tours would be happy to help organise as I know people rave about downhill but I am a real x-country fan and I think people just don't know what they're missing. No queuing for lifts, often totally in pure snow, through hidden trails, just great.

For a resort expereince, Goms, Pontresina and St Moritz are all worth trying as each has miles of superb tracks.

I think this is the most recent thread with cross-country (nordic) related skiing info (last posts in December, although it extends back a couple of years). Since the Snowsports 2009/10 is primarily focused with the gravity-assisted type of skiing (not that there is anything wrong with that...) I was wondering (would like to propose) if a separate sticky could be made for nordic skiing information (say reviews of trails, links to snow conditions, where to rent/buy gear in Switzerland etc. etc.). It seems that it gets mixed in and is tough to find at times, but participation seems to be increasing both on EF and amongst the general population. Of course, the name of the thread would need to be changed and I'm not sure if that can happen or not (I'm rather new to the possibilities of the internet). So perhaps someone could advise me if this idea is not so prudent and I can begin a new thread and try to collect as much of the info from other posts as possible.

I was personally out today at the trails in Langis/Glaubenberg and it was fantastic. It took about 2.5 hours from Zürich each way and requires paying an additional 8 CHF fare (return) for the Postauto from Sarnen up the hill. There were about 25 km of trails and they have both skating and classic, although for the most part these are separated from each other (which was nice). The nicest part was that the trails wind in and out of wooded areas a lot more than both Einsiedeln or Rothenthurm. There was also a lot of nice terrain change (more hills and dips). If you don't mind the time it take to get there then it is a great option.

So I'm putting out a call for all of the other nordic skiers to throw out their favourite sports. It would be great to have a list of recommendations here from other English speaking folks.

Please let me know if I should make a new thread and start accumulating info there.