Nordic Skiing Lessons & Touring (through 3/27)

From January through March, on a series of Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is presenting Nordic skiing lessons and touring on the miles of tranquil and beautiful paths at the Gardens. The 1-3 p.m. classes, which are geared to adults, will cover everything from the fundamentals to the fine points of cross-country skiing (another term for Nordic skiing). Participants can come to one or many, and they are welcome to spend time in the Visitor Center before and after the classes.

The instructor, Dianne (Parkinson) Ward, will tailor each session to the skills and experience of those who attend.  The programs will be on the first and third Saturday of each month and every Tuesday and Thursday, through March 27.

The classes are, of course, dependent on the weather and the amount of snow at the Gardens.

The Gardens is not currently charging admission fees, and will not begin again until April 1. Members are always admitted free, no matter what the season.

Dianne, who owns the Kenniston Hill Inn in Boothbay, learned cross-country skiing in 1975 on wooden skis. By 1981 she was teaching this exciting sport in adult education programs in Gorham and Scarborough. After moving to Cornish in 1984, she taught skiing to adults and children for the Sacopee Recreation Department and also organized the annual Western Maine Ski Sale/Swap.

Feeling “a need for speed,” Dianne recalls, in 1992 she turned to downhill skiing instruc-tion at Shawnee Peak in Bridgton, where she remained for six years. When she wasn’t teaching skiers, she participated in races in corporate programs until 2005, when she broke her leg.

She continues to cross-country ski in both classic and skate ski forms, when she can get to a touring center. “I’m thrilled to bring this opportunity to the Boothbay area via the Gardens’ trails,” she says. “This is a fantastic place to learn beginner techniques and practice Nordic skiing.”

In addition to the skiing itself, the classes will cover equipment and clothing, simple wax-ng techniques, and even “how to get up gracefully, if you should fall,” says Dianne. “We’ll have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs.”

Date/Time: January, February, March, 2008
Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Members: $5.00
Non-members: $10.00