Skate Skiing, Or Is it Ski Skating?

It's no wonder that skate skiing is sometimes called ski skating, as it is in this Washington Post headline. It's hard to know which of the two sports is the closer kin. The Washington Post describes the major point of divergence from cross country skiing: Instead of the classic cross-country stride -- right lunge, left lunge along parallel tracks -- skate skiers push their skis out at a wide angle from their torso.  Properly equipped skate skiers also use skiis that are shorter, skinnier and lighter than most cross country skiis. The Post claims that the technique is catching on with recreational cross-country skiers seeking to cover more terrain, get a killer aerobic workout (even at a moderate pace, skate skiers burn upward of 700 calories per hour). Want to know why?   Want to read more about skate skiing?