Belgium is not immediately known as the land of long, cold and white winters. So cross-country skiing is no easy matter here. People then ask me: "So, how do you prepare yourself for a 90-kilometre cross-country ski race?" "Well I do that on roller skis," is my reply. To which it usually follows: "Roller what?".
Roller-skiing is an all but well-known sport in Belgium. There is some roller-skiing in the region around Elsenborn. But you don't see it anywhere else. In the Netherlands, on the other hand, there are a number of clubs where you can learn to roller-ski. So, I also had to seek refuge in Beek, just across the border near Maasmechelen. Through the NordicSports4All club, I came into contact with Maurice Brandts. He became my roller-ski guru. I still regularly take lessons from him to work on my technique. Because make no mistake. Roller-skiing is a physically and technically very challenging sport. It looks simple and straightforward. But it is anything but that.
So what exactly is roller-skiing? Well, it is the closest you can get to cross-country skiing without snow. All competitive cross-country skiers also train on roller-skis in summer. To roller-ski, you need the following equipment:
The ski itself, like the cross-country skis, comes in 2 versions. 1 for classic style, and 1 for freestyle/skating. More on this later in this article. The Vasaloppet is required to be completed in the classic style. So for now, I have only focused on roller-skiing in the Classical style (Although I would also like to get a taste of freestyle soon). A classic roller-ski is about 60 cm long and about 4 cm wide. A 38mm wheel is attached to the front and back. These are the only places where the roller-ski touches the ground. At the back of the ski is a regular cross-country ski binding on which a cross-country ski boot fits. The binding should be positioned so that the back of the boot just does not hit the rear wheel. Since this is a cross-country ski binding and boot, they are only connected at the tip and the foot can come off the ski in the vertical plane. Make sure the bindings and shoes are compatible with each other. With recent material, this won't be a problem. But with older material, you can't be sure of compatibility.
I ordered my own roller-skis online through Decathlon. These are solid, sturdy roller-skis that you can have a lot of fun with as a beginner at a smooth price. The roller-skis came standard with a Rotefella NNN binding. I did have to move these bindings on the roller-skis myself because of the size of my feet. But with a bit of dexterity, this is a breeze. Along with these roller-skis, I have the Atomic Savor 25 Classic Cross Country Ski Boots. Again, these are solid and not too-expensive cross-country ski boots that I use for both roller-skiing and cross-country skiing. These boots are compatible with both NNN, Prolink and Turnamic bindings.
To ensure your stability and generate extra power when moving, you also need cross-country ski poles. These are a lot longer than the poles for Alpine skiing. The length of your poles depends on your height. To know the exact pole size, multiply your body height by 0.84 for classic style. (By 0.89 for freestyle/skating) Broadly speaking, classic poles come to just below your shoulders.
I myself have 2 pairs of poles. One set from Longway with fixed hand straps. Afterwards, I switched to sticks from Leki (PRC 750). These have detachable hand straps. And I think that's a big advantage. This allows you to take off your poles quickly and easily without having to detach the hand straps. They are slightly more expensive. But because of the comfort, I still recommend them. With Leki's Fin Vario System, you can easily and quickly replace the pole tips for roller-skiing with tips for cross-country skiing. That way, the poles are also usable in winter and summer. With only the hand straps of the poles on, you do have the risk of getting blisters on your hands, especially as a beginner. It is therefore advisable to wear (cycling) gloves while roller-skiing.
Last, but not least, you also need a good bike helmet. Roller-skiing is basically done on a hard surface. And as a beginner, stability is an issue. So the occasional fall is part of the learning process. Then you'd better be well protected. Anyway, in Belgium and the Netherlands it is compulsory to wear a helmet during roller-ski training in clubs and during races.
"So how does roller-skiing work?" Well, as I mentioned earlier, you have 2 techniques. The classic technique and the skating technique for classic style and freestyle roll skiing respectively. I'm going to tell you more about the classic style here. The freestyle will be covered later. In the classic style, there are 3 techniques:
Double pole
In this technique, you take all the power and forward motion out of the arms. You stand straight on your roller-skis. Your poles pierce the ground in front of you and you push forward. This sounds simpler than it is. Because to do this properly, gain speed, yet also spare your back so you can roll many kilometres, the right technique is rather important. Double-poling is used on the flat and allows you to get the highest speed. Especially if you can do strong strokes in a high frequency. Professional roller skiers and cross-country skiers often only use this technique. The video below explains this technique to you.
Classic diagonal
Personally, I think this is the most complex technique of roller-skiing. It is very similar to the movement of walking or jogging. But the difficulty lies in keeping balance and making the arm movements bigger. The latter is necessary to get enough power from your poles to propel you along. In this movement, a lot of power and speed comes from your legs, and from your arms. But most of it comes from the legs. Classic diagonal is the preferred technique when speed is less important. Like on slopes, for example. The video below explains this technique.
Classic double pole with an intermediate kick
This technique combines the 2 previous ones. It starts with a kick, immediately followed by a double pole. If you master this technique well, you can, as an amateur, roll over long distances at a decent speed. The video below explains this technique.
When I am on training, I very often get strange looks. People in Belgium don't know roller-skiing and find it strange. Yet I think many people could enjoy it. Would you like to know more about roller-skiing? Then feel free to contact me at ben.bastiaensen[@]gmail.com