Rollerskis are a blast. I’ve used them for decades. But they have drawbacks. No brakes, for one thing, unless you buy clunky add-ons. But that hasn’t bothered me. Being stuck on roads and pavement is another thing—you’re dependent on surface quality. Then there’s a harshness about them—and I’ve even had shock-sore arm tendons to prove it.
Along comes engineer Dale Niggemann a few years ago—he invents a ski that slides along the ground, any kind of ground, but the ski isn’t really the thing. Within each “ski” is a rollertrack—and that’s where you slide and get over a foot of glide with each stride. And, as guru coach Anikin says, the glide’s the thing! If a person feels glide they don’t mind moseying down a trail on slats.
CAT skis have caught on. You can use them on ANY kind of trail. They give a GREAT workout. Quite often a rollerski will roll along so easily that they’re like inline skates. With the addition of armpower to legpower something that rolls like an inline skate just doesn’t give a great workout. Unless you have big hills. And what goes up has to go down. Without brakes. But around here, we don’t got no heels. I mean, RSing is good, but the CAT is better; it’s more like the snow.
He’s coming out with a model that works with plain old tennis shoes.
He’s finding that high schools are getting into them—at least in Wisconsin : ) —due to their lifelong fitness benefits and ease of use anywhere.
So, there ya have it! If you like the glide fitness stuff, check em out… And tell Dale I sent ya!
