It has been just over a year since I took up skate skiing. This weekend, I was able to complete the entire "big boy" (about 22k) loop at the South Summit... including climbing up the three devils and an a@@hole... This might not seem like a big deal until I preface this accomplishment with the truth that when I first began skate skiing, I could not skate more than 200 yards without wanting to toss my cookies. Thanks babe for the great instruction and encouragement... yes, you know who you are.

And since the question has been raised multiple times,
Classic cross country skiing is akin to walking, whereas,
skate skiing is closer to running.