Many health and fitness professionals consider cross-country or nordic skiing as the single best aerobic workout. Cross-country skiing burns more calories per hour than virtually any other sport, yet it’s a low-risk, low-impact form of exercise. According the American College of Sports Medicine, a 155-pound person skiing at light pace will burn about 493 calories per hour. Skiing at racing speeds, that same person would burn about 985 calories per hour.

Cross-country skiing also trains all of the major muscle groups in the body. Nordic skiers use 80 percent of their muscle mass, compared with 40 percent for cyclists and 60 percent for runners. It’s why it’s frequently cited as a great cross-training workout as well.

While many people pick up cross-country skiing on their own rather quickly, learning with an instructor on a groomed trail might be the easiest way to start. And once you learn the basics, there are plenty of free places to ski in the region. You can take beginner classes from Central Oregon Community College, Bend Metro Park and Recreation District and Mt. Bachelor ski area.

— Markian Hawryluk, The Bulletin