A skater tries her hand at Nordic skating on Lake Morey in Fairlee, Vt., last winter. Long-distance outdoor skating remains a relatively obscure pursuit in the United States.

AP / Toby Talbot

FAIRLEE, Vt. — If you prepare meticulously for the worst, the worst actually can be fun.

That’s how Nordic skating enthusiast Jamie Hess explains the attitude toward his favorite sport in Sweden, where many skaters like to brag about crashing through the ice, clawing their way out, then continuing on their way.

In Vermont — where the ice was a solid 12 inches thick the day I took one of Hess’ workshops — I didn’t need the ice picks, rope or spare clothing that serious “wild” or cross-country skaters carry for break-throughs, which are rare. But I was unprepared in other ways, what with my weak ankles and mistaken belief that the groomed trail winding around Lake Morey was only two miles, not four.

In the end, though, it actually was kind of fun.

Popular in Scandinavia and northern Europe for centuries, long-distance outdoor skating remains a relatively obscure pursuit in the United States. Hess, who fell in love with the sport on a trip to Sweden in 1999, is credited with boosting its popularity through his workshops, tours and shop in Norwich, which sells the long-bladed skates specially designed to skim over ice that hasn’t been smoothed by a Zamboni machine.

The lakes of Vermont and New Hampshire offer some of the best conditions, including the four-mile loop on Lake Morey, which was expanded from two miles last year and which Hess believes is the nation’s longest groomed ice-skating trail. As Hess explained during his three-hour workshop, Nordic skating is closest in movement to skate skiing, in which cross-country skiers use diagonal strokes to propel themselves.

“Push to the side, don’t kick and glide, that’s how it works on these skates,” he said.

We started behind the Lake Morey Resort at the southern tip of the lake. After a few minutes of instruction, Hess ushered us onto the ice, where most of us struggled for balance as we navigated the ridges and bumps along the opening stretch of ice.

The more I tried to think about pushing side to side and keeping my knees over my toes, the more nervous I got until I fell three times in quick succession. But smoother ice lay ahead, and eventually I was able to get into enough of a rhythm that I actually could look around a bit and enjoy the scenery.

Wessel Kok, 44, who grew up skating in the Netherlands and now travels to Lake Morey once a year to skate, advises new skaters to take it slow.

“Don’t push yourself too much,” he said. “You don’t have to race all the time. You can also just take your time and rest when you need to rest, and just make it a joyful event.”

Though he has competed in numerous marathons and races, Kok said winning isn’t his main motivation.

“It’s the air, the openness. I love to be outside … to be part of this open space here,” he said.

Kok, who lives in Durham, N.C., said one of his first skating experiences in the United States was a tour of New York’s Lake George.

“It was just amazing to cross a big open space while you’re skating,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a little overwhelming because here it’s very quiet, but sometimes in those big open spaces you hear all those sounds because of the ice cracking.”

“When the ice is making noise, generally it’s a good thing,” Hess said. “Especially the deep booming sounds that make you think a big hole’s about to open up right under you. That’s actually a good sound because it means the ice is thickening and strengthening,” he said.

The loudest noise I heard was the soft scratching of my blades as I wobbled over the shallow air pockets in the ice and the cheerful greetings as, one by one, nearly all the members of my group passed me by. Hess’ 14-year-old son had whizzed by twice.

Tim Garrand of Londonderry, N.H., and his 14-year-old daughter, Danielle, both admitted they were worried they were in over their heads for the first few minutes on Nordic skates despite years of cross country skiing and inline skating experience.

“Both of us were thinking, ‘Oh my God, I don’t think I’m going to be able to do this,’ ” Tim Garrand said. “But once we got a little more used to it, we had a great time.”

As for me, I started to get discouraged about halfway around the lake, until I suddenly realized that I could simply unclip my blades and walk the rest of the way. That knowledge alone was enough to get me to the finish line.If you go

In New England, the outdoor skating season can last from November to March, depending on the weather. In addition to Lake Morey, popular locations include Occum Pond in Hanover, N.H.; Squam Lake in Holderness, N.H.; and Lake Champlain in Vermont. There also are groomed skating trails or outdoor ovals in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Utah and Wisconsin.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.nordicskating.org lists information about ice conditions, workshops, tours and festivals in the United States, Canada and Europe.