Snow Sport England Rollerski Skills Course - October 2019

What a year since I last attended this course!

 In that time I joined Manchester Cross Country Ski Club and started semi-regularly attending the autumn/winter coaching sessions. In spring I took the plunge and bought myself some second hand SRB Skate rollerskis.

The booking process for the course had become so much slicker, as well as paper based application you could also book and pay via the Snow Sport England website.

Saturday

As a member of the club I volunteered to be one of the  many 'Gear Elves', sorting out the rental equipment for the attendees. Colin handed us a spreadsheet which had each person's name and rental requirements. Names were taped to chairs, and our best matches of equipment put next to them.

When the beginners arrived, we helped get the people fitted up with the correct equipment and try to get them a good fit. Everyone was checked that they had the mandatory protective equipment (cycle helmet, gloves) and then given access to knee and elbow pads if needed. I always go with all the protective gear I can wear, so in addition to the above I included a pair of rollerblading crash shorts in case I had an arse/pavement interface. I had so much gear on that one of the coaches affectionately (I hope!) called me Michelin Mel.

There was a course briefing, everyone was introduced to their coaches and then we moved out to the track to get started. In addition to the beginner/intermediate/advanced groups there were also groups of coaches honing their skills.

The intermediate group was assigned Dagmar as their main coach for the weekend. Dagmar is a wonderful coach - she always arranged exercises so that she could watch everyone participate and provide individualized feedback. This sounds daunting, but she was so good at highlighting the positive alongside what you could do better.

The half day was split into 2 sessions - initially we put on classic skis and refreshed ourselves on the techniques there, and then there were skate sessions. We were working on a part of the track that had a slight uphill (ok - it felt like Everest to me) so we could practice both uphill and downhill techniques. There was a tea break mid afternoon, and we went back to the club house and could choose from tea/coffee/vimto to drink and biscuits and delicious home baked cakes.

 On  the evening there was a meal at the Cottam's Field pub next to the Premier Inn. The restaurant was very busy (I think there was a cyclo cross team there also) but the food did arrive quickly and was a good way to build up the energy stores for the busy day on Sunday. There was a great atmosphere at the table, with people sharing, tips, tricks and generally offering encouragement.

Sunday

After a hearty breakfast at the Cottam's Field restuarant it was back to Salt Ayre. The first session of the day was on skate skis with a different coach, working on skate 2 and double poling. I'll be honest, this first session really confused me, and I didn't feel that it helped with my technique. I had a real crisis of confidence after this session which haunted me the rest of the day.

After the morning tea break it was back to working with Dagmar. She spent time explaining the different skate paces that we were likely to use (Skate 1, Skate 2 and Skate 3) and showing the subtle differences in timing. I took my only fall of the weekend here, when I tried to double pole, missed planting my poles and then just hinged forwards on my skis, landing on my breast bone. Oooops! No harm done in the long term, but I was shook up for a while.

We had our lunch break back in the clubhouse, where we ate our packed lunches and then it was back out to the track to do more work on classic skis.

While my crisis of confidence held me back, Dagmar was wonderful at designing drills to make us progress in this session, and tailoring our individual goals so everyone made positive steps. My happiest moment was receiving a the ski coaching equivalent of the "Paul Hollywood Handshake", a Dagmar hug! As we were being coached until the absolute last second we didn't have time to do any extra full laps of the track, but to be honest, I don't think I had the energy to do full laps of the track safely.

Wrap Up

I found this session tougher than the previous year - but it didn't put me off roller skiing and I'm booked onto the first regular coaching session organized by Manchester Cross Country Ski Club http://www.mccsc.org.uk/documents/201910_roller_ski_course_details.pdf The weather wasn't as quite as favourable as last year, but it didn't rain heavily at any point.

The home baked cakes were spectacular!

#Rollerski - Parrswood to Pyramid

This route takes you from near to Parrs Wood to near the Pyramid in Stockport (M60 J1).

Length: 3.5 km (one way)

Surface: Tarmac throughout, some sections smoother than others.

Elevation change: Less than 10m

Parking: Parrswood cinema complex has parking. There is not much parking near to the Pyramid.

Services: There is a pub (The Gateway) and several chain restaurants at Parrswood. There are no easily accesible services at the Pyramid

Public Transport : You can use the tram to East Didsbury, and access the path either from B5095 Manchester Road (#1 on the map - https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4057153,-2.2186392,3a,75y,57.14h,97.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sT8VW-n1Cey7s5VmQXVVz5w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) or  by taking the tunnel under Didsbury Road towards Stockport, at the trail junction take the right hand turn to cross through Green Pastures estate (finish flag on the map) and down a wooded path taking you alongside the school playing fields. Buses 142, 42 and 50 also go from city center to Parrs Wood.

Route Description

In general, the route is tarmac path, minimum 1.5 meters wide. It is quite heavily used by dog walkers, cyclists, runners (it's part of the Burnage park run route on Saturday mornings), so to get any good flow going you should aim early in the day. Some sections of the path are lit, but there is a large section without any lights.

It's a pleasant, mostly riverside trail.

Points 1 -> 2

The first part of trail has very smooth tarmac but it also has the most overhanging trees, so there can be a lot of leaves and twigs. There is a bike gate half way along this section, but this is passable without clipping out. After the bike gate the tarmac changes texture, but is still pleasant to rollerski on and your pole tips do grip.

Points 2 -> 3

On the way to point 2 there is a  bend and an uphill section. Be cautious of this in both directions - on the way up someone may not see you and hurtle down hill at you.. going the other way you might be doing the hurtling! If you're uncertain, clip out, it's better than ending up in the river as the fence doesn't look too strong.

A more steady downhill leads you to a road section that is the access road for Vale Farm. There is generally very little car traffic on this part of the road so you do not necessarily need to clip out. The section alongside Vale Farm's horse fields is not lit, you don't get street lights back until the river crossing to Edgeley. At the trail split, continue straight under the M60. The path gently heads upwards.

Points 3 -> 4

Just before the junction for Kings Reach industrial estate there is a section of pavement that has been damaged by tree roots. Some parts of these could be large enough to 'beach' a rollerski.

Continue along the path, past the new office buildings. The final tricky bit of trail is just before the end, where it dips down , turns to the left and then climbs to the information board. It can be hazardous as people are travelling quickly in both directions and the corner can hide this.

#Rollerski - Debdale Route

This path is part of the Manchester Cycleway, running from Chorlton to Highfield. It's known variously as the 'Fallowfield Loop Line' or Sustrans route 6.  It's approximately 6 miles each way.

Getting There

The start point is near to St Werburgs Road Tram stop (on Airport and East Didsbury line). It's a residential area, so on street parking is availalable but probably hotly contested. It's probably better to park at East Didsbury park and ride and take the tram.

Trail Conditions

It's a trail of 2 halves really. There is an obvious break in the trail where you have to cross Wilmslow Road on foot and rejoin the trail near Sainsbury's in Fallowfield.


Chorlton to Fallowfield

Wide, slightly rough textured tarmac. Lots of grip for poles, and smooth enough to skate on. There are a couple of places where tree roots have deformed the tarmac. Pretty level until you get to Fallowfield, where there is a steep uphill to road level.

No services at the start, though there is a supermarket and cafes in Fallowfield.

This section is approximately 1 3/4 miles long. The path is used by cyclists, pedestrians and dog walkers but most people seem to have cleaned up after themselves. This is probably an option for a quick after work/early morning rollerski if you live in the area.

Fallowfield to Debdale

This part of the trail is more undulating, with dips going under road beds. Probably no worse than those on the UCLAN track, but with a lot less space when things go wrong. These dips could be treacherous, as there were incredibly slippy mud/silt patches. Approach these with caution.

There was a also a section near a new housing development where tree roots had badly affected the surface, deforming it enough so you could end up 'beached' by the lumps. I turned round before Highfield station as I was getting tired - there is supposed to be a pub at that end of the trail but I didn't get there. There are some pubs/shops/McDonalds a short walk from the trail near Debdale lake.

Did I enjoy it?

Mostly! I could have done without falling so much due to the damp pavements. I was very tired by the end and was so happy to see the tram stop. Some of the problems were self inflicted as I realised that this was the first time I've tried my new rollerskis on anything that wasn't pancake flat.