Nordic skiing, a sport that is made for cold weather and constant snow, has leaked into the middle of Iowa, which is not an ideal location for someone looking to ski.

However, the ISU Nordic Ski Club has found a way to make it work.

The club is made up of students primarily from Minnesota, and the switch from Minnesota weather to Iowa weather was an eye-opener in terms of the inconsistent snowfall. Iowa winter can change from sun to snow in a matter of hours, which doesn’t bode well for the club. 

“We need at least a couple inches of snow to have even mediocre skiing conditions,” said Hunter Follen, senior in mechanical engineering. “It has to snow and it has to stay cold enough for the snow to stick around.”

Possibly the biggest challenge besides the lack of snow is the lack of ski trails. Many of the clubs members from Minnesota say there are trails all over their state, but in Iowa, there are only a few trails scattered around the area.

Without trails, it makes it hard for the club to practice and get into race shape.

“In East Ames, there are some ski trails that we practice on,” said club president Adam Cich. “Those trails are only good when there is snow on the ground though.”

Cich said some members use roller skis, which are skis that have rollerblades on them. That is as close as you can get to actually skiing on snow when there is no snow. Cich also said the club uses rowing machines at State Gym and Lied Recreation Athletic Center to work the skiing muscles. 

Because of the lack of snow, the club rarely competes in races in Iowa. Typically, the members travel to Minnesota or Wisconsin to compete.

One of the biggest races in the country is the American Birkebeiner, more commonly know as the “Birkie” in the ski community. The event is scheduled to take place Feb. 18 to 21 in Hayward, Wis.

The Birkie spans over 50 kilometers of rough terrain and sometimes includes treacherous conditions. Even with the long distance, Cich said the feeling after the race isn’t like running a marathon because racers use their upper and lower bodies along with their core.

Runners typically focus on their core and lower body when competing in a marathon, Cich said. 

This is the one event every ISU racer gears up for. 

While racers represent Iowa State, they are not part of a collegiate league. The club can participate in any race with any age group — all it needs is snow.

The lack of snow hasn’t stopped the club from trying to expand, but a lack of knowledge about the sport has limited it. Not many students come from high schools where Nordic skiing is a varsity sport. 

“Right now we have around 12 active members,” Cich said. “Our goal is to get as many people as possible to continue to ski.”