Adapted from Cross-Country Skiing by Brian Cazeneuve

This stride is so-called not because you'll be traveling sideways like a bishop in a chess game, but because of the line created when the right arm swings back as the left leg moves forward and the left arm swings forward as the right leg pushes off. The diagonal stride is the most common step in cross-country skiing. Think of the sequence as one kick-and-glide after another, a motion that approximates walking with exaggerated yet very graceful motion.

Start to Kick: Shift your weight onto one ski again as you did when you first stepped onto the snow and began to get the feel of the skis. With your feet still parallel, bend your knees and begin pushing down—not back—with one foot on one ski. Keep your hips over the ski that is pushing off. Keep your chest and hips forward and don't be fooled by the illusion that diagonal striders are kicking backward. Keep your weight on your whole foot as you push down. As you pull the leg that has just rushed off forward so it is again even with the gliding leg, begin to shift your weight to the gliding ski in preparation to put your full weight on it as you kick off.

Start to Glide: When gliding, always bend slightly at the knees, but don't hunch the upper body. Keep your hips forward with your hands in front of you, and keep all your weight on the gliding leg. Also be sure to bend your ankles and keep your entire leg flexible. Straighten and stiffen your gliding leg only after it passes under you and gets ready to kick. Using the Poles: Think of walking at a fast pace. How do you swing your arms? As you slide forward on your right ski, your opposite arm will naturally swing forward with it. You could almost be in marching formation the way your steps follow one another. Hup-two. Hup-two.

To do this with poles, bring your arm near chest level, keeping your elbow slightly bent as you go. Swing back down with arm, propelling off the snow and allowing it to follow through behind your back in concert with the opposite leg. Make sure to keep your poles close to your sides as you plant them in the snow and push off; if you plant them too far out to the sides, you're not going to propel yourself forward as effectively.

Remember to release the pole at the end of each backswing. Extend your arm so the pole is close to vertical, but still angled backward. If you go past vertical and your weight pushes the poles so they extend far in front of you, prepare to sprawl.

Diagonal Stride in Review

(1) Kick: Push straight down thorugh your boot and the midsection of your ski as you initiate the kick with your left leg. Your legs and ankles should be slightly flexed and your torso leaning forward.

(2) Glide and Pole Push: Now your weight has shifted to your right leg, which id driven forward and down the track in the glide. Your opposite arm naturally follows suit, coming forward for the pole plant. The elbow of this forward arm should be slightly bent for maximum power in the pole push.

(3) Kick: The push is timed just before the initiation of a cick with your right leg.

(4) Glide and Pole Push: Now weight shifts to your left, or glicing leg, and the sequence begins all over again (5) and (6).