Do you enjoy going out and hiking outdoors? This activity is a good way to be in nature, breathe fresh air and exercise at the same time. The only problem with this type of exercise is that you will get sweaty and sticky after your hike which is something that not all people like to experience. Because of this, another alternative to hiking is cross-country skiing. Unlike hiking where you will be sweating a lot, this activity is done in the cold so your problem will be staying warm as opposed to trying to lose heat.

Some people may think that cross-country skiing is only for experienced athletes as this is a winter sport that elite athletes participate in. This is not true as you can also do this even though you are just a beginner. Recreational skiing is also known as touring, and this is the one which is comparable to hiking. You can do this during the winter in ski resorts and on maintained trails. This makes it a lot easier to navigate and preventing yourself from getting lost. If you do not plan on going far, you can take short ski trips and return to your ski resort within the day. Others who are more adventurous would travel and ski from a network of one hut to another which is commonly passed by many skiers such as yourself. These huts provide temporary shelter for these skiers until they reach their final destination at the end of the mountain trail. These trails can stretch over hundreds of kilometers thus it will definitely be a good exercise for your arms and legs as you try to complete the trail.

Those who would like to get the most out of cross-country skiing, you can also try competing as it is a very good endurance sport which makes use of all major muscles groups in the body. Aside from this, it also burns a lot of calories per hour which is good for those who want to lose some weight.

Since this is an outdoor activity under intense weather conditions, you should also be sure that you always wear the correct protective equipment with you in addition to skiing gear. You will need to have skis, poles, bindings, waxes as well as protective clothing to protect you from the cold. Skiing may not be the easiest sport to take up but it has its own advantages compared to hiking and will definitely burn much more calories if you take it seriously.