Fairbanks Rollerski Issue Is A Cautionary Tale For All

FasterSkierOctober 9, 2003

The story that FasterSkier ran on Monday about the rollerskiing ban in Fairbanks,
Alaska was probably familiar to many rollerskiers.

If you haven't read the story, do so at either link below:
Fairbanks
Daily News-Miner

Anchorage
Daily News

Chances are, if you own a well-worn pair of rollerskis, at some point you have
been told that you could not rollerski somewhere. It might have been a private
drive, a newly paved bike path, or a certain subdivision. There are many places
around the country that rollerskiing is prohibited. Fortunately, there are very
few towns that ban it completely. But that could change, unless we are all careful.

As skiers, we think of rollerskiing as a serious training method, like running
or biking. Since running and biking are allowed most places, we assume that
rollerskiing should be also. But to a non-skier, rollerskiing looks a lot more
like rollerblading or skateboarding. People tend to fear what they don't understand,
and most people do not understand rollerskiing. It is easier to ban something
that looks odd, rather than to try to understand it.


FasterSkier
article on rollerski safety


FasterSkier

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