Soapbox

--There'll also be a chance to try a new sport called 'Nordic Walking', which originates in Sweden, looks like a cross between cross country skiing and, ahem, walking and is going to be heavily promoted by pole specialists Leki, --

oh dear.......

Is this the same as snowshoeing?

Well "Millions" have tried THAT.

I would be interested to hear a report about this - the editor of TGO (October) seems to think it is all a bit of a con.

It does to me too...

I mean walking in the style of a cross country skiier is going to make you look as though you are doing very long skips (classic) or rollerblading without wheels (skating)

Dodgy if you ask me..

It's a Scandinavian thing - here's the theory, Scandinavians do lots of cross country skiing, so much that when the snow melts, it takes them a while to work out what's really happened, eventually they take the skis off, but are so used to the poles that they can't keep their balance without them, hence they invented nordic walking by mistake.

The reality is that the 'sport' is being promoted by Leki, who just happen to make special nordic walking poles with different ends and grips. They're pushing it a little, but I'm with Señor McNeish in viewing it as a bit pointless in the UK. I wouldn't say it's a 'con' exactly, but I can't see that there's any sense in it whatsoever...

Probably good off season training for cross country skiiers I suppose, if you're feeling charitable.

In the off season the training is mostly lots of cross country running, skiing on roller skis (lethal) and rollerblading.

Just prior to the season start we used to do some power training which is sort of cross country leg movements uphill, sort of a striding, leaping movement. It looked so bizarre we tried to find nice quiet secluded stretches of hill to do it in...

I've seen quite a few "Nordic Walkers" in the Lakes this week. Most of them were "mature hillwalkers", which as Mr McNeish rightly says, should be the modal demographic of anyone who requires the constant assistance of two (click, click, click) walking sticks, even on level ground.

Please can we STOP calling these things "trekking poles" and pretending they're new? Walking stick is good enough for me.

I'll change my mind only if I come across large groups of cheery Swedish girls click-clacking their way across Kinder Scout, inviting me to their sauna in the back-room of the Nag's Head.

I was in the back room of the Nag's last night and the sauna has now been dismantled and the Swedish birds have gone home.

Sorry

They went home with me to check out my new trekking pole collection. Gotta go now.

Well guys sorry to disappoint but quite simply its not a con...

You have to appreciate that Nordic Walking is not only for the hills...it can even be practised in the lowlands....even along the street.

The use of the Nordic Poles help boost the heart rate as more effort is exerted...and the use of arms and shoulders turns a walk into a complete body workout.

The leg action is taken from the traditional speed/race walk technique which involves a rolling action on the foot.

The use of poles in addition to the walking has been proven to boost heart beats per minute from anything between 17 -30 extra.

And for the record Leki are not the market leader in this sport...its Excel but companies like Swix and Fischer are also producing poles.

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting to a couple of walkers in the pub in Glenelg, way up in the Highlands. They were from som 'Nordic Walking' website based in Aberdeen (I think) and were testing a new route. The main guy, called something like Marco, seemed Scandinavian (and was quite young), and the other guy (early 40s) was Scottish. They seemed to be having a great time . Glenelg was the overnight stop on the two day walk they were 'testing'. I asked them a bit about Nordic Walking, and they said stuff similar to what Yomper said above.

Regrettably, I never once asked them about their website, so I've no idea what it was called.

Nordic walking is no more of a con than walking with any form of poles. Whether that is a con is, of course, a matter of opinion.

However, what I observe is that buying nordic walking poles for a few quid is getting hordes of otherwise sedentary, and often fairly elderly, folk out exercising.

So, it can't be bad it it's doing that.

Yomper: OK so it boosts your heart-rate. But how much faster do you go?

Yaas, I am an Nordic Valker and I am coming from Aberddens. How surpriezed I was tooo seee all these peoples covered mid der layers of der Gortex and P****o carrying der huge sacs of gear up der hills of Scootlands.

Ands I am told zat theys do this 284 times and then does it again fer zecond roundz too

In der Nordic contries vee do not needs all this tings. Vee run up der heels knaked and rools in der snow. Thees is ver gut fer yous too. ;0))

Well for the record, I do go nordic walking. My wife goes more regularly than me. We walk along paths through local woodland and fields. Yomper is correct in his description.

You do "travel" faster than normal walking pace but slower than a run; you use a lot more muscles than normal walking due to the style you need (shoulder swing, stretched arms back and front, push off with the feet and so on). It does build stamina and keep you fit. We do a 6k circuit in about 50-60 minutes. And you do need the poles to achieve all this - believe me. I have tried to keep the same pace, style, effect etc without them and it does not work.

In my view, it is another form of sport. Some people run (which for some reason I personally hate doing); some swim, some cycle.

So really what I am saying is - don't knock it based on uninformed observations and assume that because it has the word walk in it, nordic walking is a funny way of traversing Scafell and is going to contanimate hill walking. Just view it as another sport.

Personally, you wouldn't catch me nordic walking in the hills - I would probably trip over the poles...

All sounds like good exercise to me. If Leki make a few squid at it, good for them. It's probably a fraction of what the footwear people make from sports people. If it catches on, Asda'll probably sell copies at a fraction of the price.

I remember my doc recommending I walk instead of taking the car. I commented that as a poor student I did walk everywhere. His comeback - walk faster and walk further. Sounds like what these Nords are doing.

PS: Ace High - LOL.

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"Yomper: OK so it boosts your heart-rate. But how much faster do you go?"

Alove.. you do go a bit faster...but to be honest its not all about speed....as those who have tried to keep fit by walking/racewalking will know...its quite a considerable...and technical effort to walk at such speed which raises the heart rate enough to have health benefits..particularly on the flat.

I think Jim Chalmes has highlighted an important aspect of Nordic Walking - that people who may not take exercise have an opportunity to participate and at a level which will have positive health benefits....I doubt they would make such good progress by walking alone.

I was a racewalker for years (dodgy knees on the Commando Endurance Course meant running was a no-no) so I needed something low impact. I struggled to get my heart rate up on the flat...and struggled to master the technique of racewalking..there are few coaches around.

Nordic walking allows me to boost my BPM..even on the flat to a level which is in the anaerobic zone for training....I could never achieve that walking.

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