Thaw no problem as Scandinavian ski craze rolls in

For this is roller skiing, which is growing more and more popular in this country.

Developed in Scandinavia a couple of decades ago, roller skiing is a cross between skiing and rollerblading. It was originally designed for cross-country skiers to maintain their fitness levels during the summer, but now clubs are springing up in parks and leisure centres across the country, and there are races and even a professional circuit.

"It's a bit like running or jogging with skis on," said Martin Appleby, secretary of the Yorkshire Dales Cross Country Ski Club. "Roller skiing has been around a long time and until quite recently it was quite a minority sport in this country."

The Yorkshire group has around 50 members and has been running for 27 years, but it is affiliated to Snowsport England, which lists a growing network of organisations to promote roller skiing in the UK.

Instead of the familiar waxed flat surface, roller skis come with two small rubber wheels on each end. There are now even "off-road" models, complete with pneumatic tyres and spoked wheels. The boots are soft and comfortable, and the skis are a lot lighter than their Alpine cousins.

Melanie Eltome, 55, from Crosshills, said: "I've never skied before, but cross country skiing is one of the things I'd love to do and I'm really enjoying this."

Top roller skiers can reach speeds of up to 30km an hour, and a ratchet device in the rear wheel stops the ski from falling backwards.

The sport is regularly used by Olympic athletes such as Paula Radcliffe and was adopted by the British army to build up soldiers' endurance levels. Explorer James Cracknell took up roller skiing to prepare for his trip to the South Pole with Ben Fogle.

Said to use 90 per cent of the body's muscles, roller skiing offers a full body work out.

"It's a great low impact sport," said regular roller skier Allan Green, 55. "Unlike running, it doesn't damage your knees."

Roller ski instructor and club treasurer, Helen Bell, 59, from

Birkinshaw, added: "It is a very balanced exercise, using your arms and legs equally, and you use a lot of calories."

In the summer, the group regularly skis along the Spen Valley Greenway, a cycle trail which stretches between Cleckheaton, Dewsbury and Heckmondwike, eventually linking to Bradford.

When it snows, they ski down the slopes in Queensbury.

They also organise trips to Norway and Italy to take part in international cross country ski events.

Club member and downhill ski instructor, Graham Beesley, 57, said: "The real beauty of it is when we go on tour through the Yorkshire Wolds and to places such as Middleton-on-the-Wolds and the cycle tracks around York."

Canadian Wendy McRae, 52, who qualified as a roller ski instructor this year, didn't do any skiing until she came to this country.

"Skiing on snow is the best," she said. "But I learned to ski on roller skis."

If you half close your eyes and block out the sounds of the M606 thundering nearby, you could almost transport yourself to some distant Scandinavian valley.