Cross Country Skis

Skis

    Just as there are several kinds of skiing, there are several kinds of skis. With the probable exception of using skating skis for diagonal stride, it is usually possible to use a pair of skis for more than one kind of skiing. The result of doing this is usually less speed and more work when skiing, but if your budget demands it, it can be done.

Skating skis

    Skating skis are fast, narrow (approx 44 mm), light, relatively stiff, and designed only to glide well. They really need to be waxed for best performance, even if you only use a wipe-on glide wax like Maxiglide or Swix F4.

Classic skis

    There is quite a bit more variety in classic skis. Racing classic skis are lot like their skating brethren - narrow, light, and fast. With one expensive racing exception, these skis absolutely will not work unless you apply kick (grip) wax. Under almost all conditions, racers will put up with waxing skis because a properly prepared waxable ski will be faster than any fishcale base ski (these don't need to be waxed for grip). Apart from the additional time and expense, skiers in the Pacific Northwest face an additional burden. The snow is often warmer & wetter, and temperatures fluctuate right around freezing, a real waxing nightmare.

Because this sort of snow and weather are common around here, for most people and purposes skis with a fishscale base in their midsection are a better choice than fully waxable skis. These `no-wax' skis are much easier and quicker to prepare and ski on, since the mechanical grip these provide works on everything but ice. These skis are often referred to as having a `no-wax' base, but this is a bit misleading. While they don't need any kick wax, your skiing and control will be easier if the tips and tails of the skis are clean, with only some glide wax in the bases. This need be nothing more than a wipe on/rub in wax like Swix F4 or Maxiglide. For most general purpose track skiing, `touring' or `light touring' skis will suit most people. There are three things to look for in these sorts of skis:

1) They should be narrower at the waist (the middle) than at the tips and tails. This difference is called `sidecut', and the bigger the difference, the easier the ski is to turn. Common widths for these kinds of skis are 55-65 mm at the tips and tails and 50-55 mm at the waist. Sidecuts of 10 mm are quite common. Skis much wider than 60 mm will be a bit slower in set tracks since the standard width of each ski track is 60 mm. Some backcountry skis may have widths as high as 80 mm.

2) a fishscale base, described above.

3) no metal edges. These make the skis much heavier and slower, while adding relatively little control for common conditions in most groomed areas. If your skiing is split between backcountry and track skiing, you might consider a pair of skis with half metal edges (that's a ski with a shorter metal edge, not an edge half made of metal). If you spend most of your time in the backcountry, then full metal edged skis are a perfectly sensible thing to use.