Cross-country skiing in the Belgian Ardennes
The Belgian Ardennes might not be the location you'd think about when you talk about (cross-country) skiing, but in winter time it's definitely a great spot to slide around the forests. I'm out here for a short 4 day holiday with my girlfriend and we just went on a 5 km trek with cross-country skis. It was amazing to say the least.
Beautiful Winter Landscape
We're not really used to seeing landscapes like these in our part of Belgium (northern part of Belgium), so it's always a treat when we go on holiday to the Ardennes (southern part of Belgium). Generally it's a lot more mountainous and it's clear that the Walloons take forest management a bit more serious than us Flemish people.
Fun Fun Fun
Cross-country skiing itself is so much fun, though it's a bit less intensive than regular alpine skiing. With alpine skiing, your whole foot is attached to your skis, while with cross-country skis, you can still move your heels. Hadn't done it in a long time, so I was struggling and goofing a bit in the beginning.
Everything cost us around 20 euros for two persons, which was pretty cheap. That included rental of the cross-country skis. We might actually go for round 2 tomorrow, but I won't write another blog post about it, since it'll be just the same.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post. Don't forget to leave a comment or upvote if you think this post is worth it!
All pictures were taken by myself
Cross-country skiing is something I've always wanted to do. And to my great shame, I have never heard of the Belgian Ardennes, although I have visited Belgium. So... quite an educational post!
You might have heard about battle of the Bulge (WW2)? This is close to the area where that took place.
If you ever get the chance to go cross-country skiing, go for it. So much fun!
Hi @daan hats off to you with the cross-country skiing. Not something for me as I know I would struggle to stand up on the skis, and furthermore, I cannot hack the cold. However, I know if I wrapped up well I would enjoy the winter scenes. Thank you for sharing and take care @racykacy
Hah, I'm not really a winter person myself, it was minus 7 degrees celsius (20°F), so I know what you're talking about. Still a lot of fun though!
I don't doubt it's not a lot of fun @daan but the mention of 7 degrees celsius (20°F) would take the fun out of it for me... hehe Take care @racykacy
It sounds like you had a wonderful holiday at an unbelievably great price. I really enjoy seeing pictures of adventures like this. People being active and having a great time is refreshing news from the chaos and violence on the news!
Yeah the apartment itself wasn't too expensive either, around 120 euros for 4 days. Thanks for the comment!
With the great quiet nature around, it must have been great to spend some time with your girlfriend in this environment even though it was freezing cold. It was definitely time well-spent in the outdoors.
I grew up in the United States but I am Belgium. My name is Robert Michiels.
flemish(edited) I was born in the United States, but I am Belgium. LOL 2 generations In the US.No kidding! That's pretty amazing to see another (former) Belgian on Steemit. I'm also from the Flemish part, if it wasn't obvious by looking at my name.