But isn’t it hard going uphill on cross-country skis?
I’m looking at a hill with a 30 percent grade behind our house. You ski uphill and downhill, and the award for going uphill is going downhill. It is probably the number-one aerobic exercise. When I was racing, it was by far the most demanding sport to do physically. But anyone can do it: We had people in their 80s skiing for the first time at Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center.
What is the Lapland Center?
Lapland was started by a former US Olympian who was Finnish. It’s located in Benson, near Great Sacandaga Lake. There are cottages to rent, and it’s one of the better-rated Nordic ski centers in the Northeast. It’s just like downhill, with more level trails rated green for easier, blue trails a little hillier with more varied terrain, and black or diamond considered expert, with pretty challenging downhills.
How has the sport evolved since you started?
Cross-country skiing is one of the fastest-growing sports… and it’s affordable: A beginning package for better-than-acceptable skis, boots and poles is around $300.
Where’s the best place to ski in our region?
Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park offer the most beautiful terrain to ski on. You have panoramic views from every place. Once you’re on the top of the mountain at Castle Point, you can see in all directions. If there is snow, I’ll ski there in May.
Tell us about TubaChristmas.
It began at SUNY-Ulster the year I retired from Wallkill. The Tuba Universal Brotherhood Association was started to honor Bill Bell, one of the first tuba artists to bring the tuba into common performance as a solo virtuoso instrument. His student was Harvey Phillips, who started the original TubaChristmas in 1974. This year we had 32 tuba players and an audience of a couple hundred.
How did you get into playing the tuba?
I started playing trumpet in fourth grade, and only two things kept me in high school: playing music and meeting my wife. I had to suffer through the academics. I was lazy and didn’t practice. My band director told me I needed to play something that he needed badly enough, and he needed a euphonium player. [A euphonium is a valved brass musical instrument that resembles a small tuba with a tenor pitch, originally derived from a flugelhorn with a cornet.] That turned it around for me. It was so much fun to play and practice, I decided to make playing and teaching euphonium, trombone and tuba my career.
What do tuba playing and cross-country skiing have in common?
The same devotion you need to practice and play a musical phrase and perform at a high level, you have to use toward practicing the skill and technique to improve how you respond on skis. Cross-country skiing can start at any level, but you have to practice to get a better technique in learning how to adjust your body.
At Lapland, you are filmed and your technique is criticized. By looking at yourself you can recognize your flaws, much like hearing yourself play an instrument. It has to be fun, of course.
Vic Izzo’s Classic Cross-Country Ski Clinic is open to skiers of all abilities, but will only occur dependent on snow conditions. Meet at the Wildmere information kiosk. Preregistration is required; call the Park Preserve office at (845) 255-0752 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The parking fee is $8 per car; once trails are groomed, a per-head trail fee will be charged instead. The trail fee is $10 per adult, $9 per senior citizen and $7 per junior. Snowshoe rentals are available at the Park Preserve office for $15 per adult and $14 per junior for the day.
Minnewaska State Park Preserve is located on Route 44/55, five miles west of the intersection with Route 299 in Gardiner.
Izzo will also lead the Wind Ensemble and Community Band at the Wednesday, February 18 Herrington Benefit Concert at the College Lounge of SUNY-Ulster at 7:30 p.m. (Snow date is Wednesday, February 25.) At this show, SUNY-Ulster musicians will honor the memory of the college’s former band director, Lee Herrington, and raise money for music scholarships for those attending SUNY-Ulster. Also performing will be the SUNY-Ulster Jazz Ensemble, directed by Chris Earley; the Vocal Ensemble and College Chorus, directed by Janet Gehres; the String Ensemble, directed by Anastasia Solberg, and the Rondout Valley Concert Band under the direction of Jason Clinton. Herrington was not only the former band director at SUNY-Ulster; he was a longtime Rondout Valley High School music teacher and former director of the Kingston local American Federation of Musicians concert band. Tickets at the door are: adults $3, students/seniors $2, family $10. For information, call (845) 687-5060.
