Lack of mountains and snow may hamper some people’s plans to ski, but that doesn’t stop members of the ISU Nordic Ski Club from participating in at least some form.

On such flat terrain, club members can cross-country ski even without snow.

Last fall, the ISU Nordic Ski Club was founded by Eden Prairie, Minn. native Jenny Williams. Williams, sophomore in interior design, was assisted by Amy Lee Harrington, senior in architecture.

Both women competed in cross-country skiing in high school and said it is a great sport for people who like to be outdoors and have fun exercising in the snow.

“The best part of the club is being able to be enthusiastic and to ski with people with the same interest,” Harrington said. “It is also fun to teach and encourage the inexperienced members.”

Harrington said that all the members have different talents and can all teach and learn from each other. She said there can be a wide range of experience.

“You don’t need experience to join the club,” Harrington said. “We also have ways to get you equipment to borrow or rent. The family-like atmosphere helps everyone learn.”

Harrington said properly waxing the skis is just one of the tasks that need to be learned.

“The hardest thing to learn is polling,” Harrington said. “There are many techniques and it takes some practice for new skiers to learn.”

Harrington’s husband, Patrick, who graduated in December, is also on the club but disagrees with his wife about the difficulty involved. He said cross-country skiing is easy to do and is also a lot of fun.

“I’ve downhill skied my whole life,” Patrick said. “I have found that cross-country skiing is a lot more work than downhill skiing, but it’s a great way to stay in shape and have fun at the same time. You can just throw your skis in the car and drive to the park. Plus, it’s free.”

Amy said she missed not skiing when she came to school in Ames.

“I was disappointed that there wasn’t a team to ski with,” Harrington said.

“The team atmosphere is something that I miss when I am just skiing by myself.”

Williams said there are some competitions in Minnesota that she and some members are going to compete in.

On Feb. 13, nine members are going to Mora, Minn., to compete in the Mora Vasaloppet (a Swedish race), Williams said.

“Also a week before, me and Amy are going to compete in the City of the Lakes Race in Minneapolis,” she said.

Since Williams is only a sophomore, she became the president of the club because she still has plenty of time at Iowa State. She hopes the club will see a bright future.

“We are hoping to get other schools from Minnesota and in the Midwest to have some competitions in Ames,” Williams said. “I would like to see more people get involved.”