Is cross-country skiing easier than downhill skiing?

Downhill skiing has the glamour: the lifts, the speed, the après. Cross-country skiing, sci di fondo in Italian, has the quiet. You glide through snowy forest and along frozen valley floors, under your own steam, with nothing but the swish of skis and the occasional breathless greeting from someone coming the other way. Which is easier depends on what you mean by easy.

The two styles

Cross-country skiing comes in two main techniques, and the difference matters a lot to a beginner.

• Classic. The skis stay parallel in two grooves cut into the snow, and the movement is a kind of exaggerated walk: kick, glide, kick, glide, arms swinging with the poles. Tirol's official tourism site describes classic as the gentler, slower option, and less tiring on uphills.
• Skating. The skis push out sideways in a V, like ice skating, on the smooth flat lane beside the classic tracks. It is faster and more dynamic, and needs good balance and weight transfer from ski to ski. According to the Wikipedia article on skate skiing, the technique took off in the mid-1980s, and international races have been held separately for classic and skating since 1985.

The kit differs too. Classic skis have a grip zone underfoot, either waxed or with a textured "no-wax" pattern, so the ski can bite as you kick; skating skis are designed to glide along their whole length and are used with longer poles.

What is easier than downhill

• The first hour. In classic tracks, the grooves steer for you. You are on mostly flat ground at walking pace, which is far less intimidating than standing at the top of a slope.
• No lifts, no queues, no crowds. You put your skis on at the trail and go.
• Kit hire is simple, and the boots are light and comfortable.
• Falling is less dramatic. You are rarely going fast, and the snow beside the track is soft.

What is harder than downhill

• Stamina. You provide all the power. Even a gentle loop is real exercise, and uphill sections make that very clear.
• Skating. Getting the rhythm, edging and balance of skating takes time. Tirol's guide notes that skating requires greater balance and coordination than classic.
• Downhills. Cross-country kit is built for gliding along, not for carving down slopes, so going down a hill, especially an icy one, is a skill in itself. Snowploughing on narrow skis is a humbling experience.
• Wax and grip. On classic skis, grip depends on conditions. No-wax skis make life easier for beginners, which is why hire shops often offer them.

How to start

• Book a lesson. Even one session with an instructor makes a big difference, especially for learning how to brake and get up again. Tirol's guide points beginners to cross-country ski schools, and many Nordic centres have one.
• Start with classic. Most people find it the easier entry point; skating can come later.
• Ski on groomed trails. Nordic centres prepare tracks for classic and lanes for skating, often graded by difficulty and sometimes with a trail pass. Start on the easiest loops.
• Dress in layers, lighter than for downhill. You will warm up quickly, so start slightly cool and carry a layer for stops.
• Take water and a snack. It is more effort than it looks.