Cross-country skiing is a sports practice that really originated thousands of years ago in northern Europe as another way of traveling during the cold winters and with a large part of the territory completely covered in snow. From a practical idea to solve a problem (transport), today we have  a very popular winter sport .  

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Cross-country skiing, which is also known as Nordic skiing, is an aerobic sport consisting of moving on snow on flat terrain with little slope, or some steep but short distance. A bit the opposite of skiing that is usually practiced on the slopes: with long descents and steep inclines in the case of the red and black tracks.

So cross-country skiing is based, rather than downhill, on sliding. With this practice, forests and paths are traveled away from the crowds of other spaces. This sport has a low risk of injury -at least lower than alpine skiing-, because the heels are not fixed, so they have more freedom, so that only the toe of the boot is held. It is ideal for a nice walk in wild environments.

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Where to practice cross-country skiing?

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The Pla de Beret, in the heart of the ski resort of  Baqueira-Beret , is the ideal place to practice cross-country skiing in the Aran Valley, totally FREE, you only need to have the necessary equipment (cross-country skiing, boots and sticks) that you can rent at any of the rental shops of the area or even, in the Beret ski rental.

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The circuit consists of 7 flat and easy kilometers to get you started in this practice. Perfect for those who are going to ski on the slopes and want to change one day for this more relaxed discipline. This is precisely where the most important Nordic ski race in Spain takes place: Marxa Beret.

The circuit can be extended to the pretty village of Montgarri, 7 km from Beret, following the forest track that follows Beret. This itinerary, suitable for all audiences, will take us through a forest of fir trees following the riverbed to the Montgarri refuge, where we can eat (restaurant) before starting the route back to Beret.  

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