RedCanny,

You should definitely ski on the Birkie trail. It is a beautiful thing. The hills will kill you, but it's totally worth it. They even have a part of it lit at night now. I try to get there at least a few times before the race each year, so I can mentally prepare.

Quillfred,

XC Skating is not too difficult to learn. Do you know how to rollerblade or ice skate? If you can do either of those things, and you can ski, then you should be able to skate ski. See if any of your local xc ski areas rent skate skis, so you can try it out.

I remember seeing a t-shirt on a girl skiing at ABR in Michigan one Thanksgiving weekend, it said "real skiers ski uphill."