XC Gear help for Newbs

[Ron]

WOW! this is all great stuff and much appreciated.

Btw- we did a long snowshoe romp through knee deep untracked snow yesterday on some of our twisty mountain bike trails. Total blast.

 

[Tom K.]

Yeah, i was going to say something about getting a few pairs. I counted 28 in our house, but didn't look too hard.

I cannot compete with that!

WOW! this is all great stuff and much appreciated.

Btw- we did a long snowshoe romp through knee deep untracked snow yesterday on some of our twisty mountain bike trails. Total blast.

THIS is the key to having fun on snowshoes. A twisty, interesting trail. But.......eventually you realize there is NO coasting.

 

[Ron]

^^ especially when its all uphill and knee deep unbroken. it was actually a great test for the hip

 

[at_nyc]

^^^ FANTASTIC ADVICE thanks. she will be taking lessons and yes, golf courses, groomed 2 mile 1K vert gain in our backyard plus open meadows and a ton of trails on the the passes. She does want to get into skate as well. We have a good shop locally of course but i wanted to have some clue of what to be aware of. Many thanks

That sounds intense.

 

[neonorchid]

My 2¢,

Go with any Fischer full metal edge BC-NNN set-up, + or - 80mm shovel.

This will serve you and the wife's needs well -
https://www.fischersports.com/us_en/e109-easy-skin-xtralite-20194
For boots, I'm liking the Alpina Alaska BC-NNN boot https://www.backcountry.com/alpina-alaska-backcountry-boot

I wouldn't go any narrower the following 66mm shovel ski. It'll work for intrack and still allow for breaking trail in the woods, just not such good float for fresh boot deep snow. You actually could do a NNN binding and combi (skate/classic) boot with this one to alternate between a Skate Ski when she is ready for that high activity discipline -
https://www.fischersports.com/us_en/e99-crown-xtralite-20193

 

[Ron]

She does want to get into Skating as well. we have groomed skate and nordic trails that the olympians use right out our back door.

a sampling of whats nearby
http://www.steamboatxcski.com/nordic-areas

 

[ADKmel]

enabler here.. I'll suggest 2 pair of skis. start w/classic, sorry I disagree w/needing metal edges for groomed skiing.. metal edges are nice when bushwhacking thru fields and doing non groomed skiing (they'll cut the grass. lol) but are heavier.. I feel skate skis are best if you know how to wax.. they are all glide, no kick zone...

Your xc ski at steamboat looks lovely..

 

[Tony S]

IME shufflers might as well not waste their time and money with skis, and just go directly to snowshoes

No need to disparage shuffling along on skis.

Okay, finally coming back to this.

I didn't mean to disparage anyone or make a value judgment. What I did mean to do is try to prevent this thing that I see all the time: Person A, who loves to ski, gets person B out there. Person B is miserable, devoting all his/her energy to survival. Or maybe Person B is doing better than that, but is essentially just walking along, periodically interrupted by the annoyance of having to get out of another skier's way, or by those pesky downhills that keep coming along. Person A is disappointed because s/he is interested in skiing, not walking. Person B is frustrated because s/he just wanted to a way to be outdoors in winter without all this crazy cumbersome slippery crap on his/her feet and these ridiculous poles getting in the way all the time. IME this situation is best addressed when Person A goes out skiing with his ski buddies, and Person B takes a walk in the woods on snowshoes, possibly with his/her non-speed-loving-buddies.

(Notice, Newfy, that you immediately go to how much faster and more efficient skis are. I'm advocating for the many people who not only don't care how fast or efficient they are, but who actively want NOT to be fast or efficient, and don't want to be mixed up with those people and their damn sporty/athletic expectations.)

 

[newfydog]

She does want to get into Skating as well. we have groomed skate and nordic trails that the olympians use right out our back door.

Learning to skate is a bit of a commitment. I tell people it takes 10 times and a few lessons before they can expect to really get the advantages and fun of it. Good alpine skiers often learn faster. Don't even think about skating on anything but real skate gear, on trails groomed for skating.---fast skis, long poles, good boots are a necessity. Anyone who can skate on less already learned it on the right gear.

 

[Slim]

+1 for:
Either get track or backcountry gear, just like bikes, a road bike for the road, MTB for the trails. Skiing a ‘touring’ ski on the tracks is slow. It’s pleasant, it’s walking on snow. This ‘shuffling’ is fun, I do it all the time in the backcountry.
But, it doesn’t give you the kinestetic joy good glide does.

Note that if you want to ski in set tracks you need to keep the tip under 60mm. Do NOT get metal edges if you want to use them on the trails. Metal edges are for steeps, rocks, and actual (river)ice.

A 60mm tip touring ski can be nice for some relaxed ‘walking’ in the groomed trails and easy ungroomed skiing.

If she wants to enjoy the feeling of SKIING, get her some decent performance skis. Again, the difference is like road bike vs hybrid bike. Those Salomon skis are in the ‘leasure’ Category at Salomon, so more akin to a hybrid bike.
Height is not a very big deal in XC skis. Mostly it’s weight and skiing style.

I have never tried the combination boots, but if you do, make sure the sole and ankle are flexible enough for good classic technique.
Get good, higher end boots. Not the cheapest model. Classic Skis, decent used ones or a nice mid level option is fine, no need to spend huge bucks to get the very newest and lightest. If she wants to SKI, not shuffle, get her some classic lessons too. Good classic technique is every bit as hard as good skateski technique.

Skate skiing is great fun and good if there’s no fresh snow. If there’s fresh snow, classic is better. For a beginner, skating is a 100% max effort every minute, until you develop some decent technique. Your call whether she will like that or not.

Classic skiing, even beginners can take it easy if they want to.

Good thing about skateskiing for an alpine skier, is that the best skate skiing conditions are super firm, almost icy,, while the alpine is best in fresh powder.
Classic is best of the three when it’s brutally cold, since it’s warmer than alpine and the lack of glide on cold snow is less of a dealbreaker on classic gear than skate gear.

 

[Tony S]

Good thing about skateskiing for an alpine skier, is that the best skate skiing conditions are super firm, almost icy,, while the alpine is best in fresh powder.
Classic is best of the three when it’s brutally cold, since it’s warmer than alpine and the lack of glide on cold snow is less of a dealbreaker on classic gear than skate gear

Great observations.

 

[Tom K.]

As @newfydog and @Slim mentioned, there is nothing easy about skating. I tell people not to bother climbing any hill until their 10th time, and wait for the second season before your first 45 minute logging road slog. But flat-ish skating can be a joy after 5 times, esp with lessons.

Sidenote for @Slim: Do you ever ski the wicked trails in Jay Cook State Park? I still miss those!

 

[Slim]

As @newfydog and @Slim mentioned, there is nothing easy about skating. I tell people not to bother climbing any hill until their 10th time, and wait for the second season before your first 45 minute logging road slog. But flat-ish skating can be a joy after 5 times, esp with lessons.

Sidenote for @Slim: Do you ever ski the wicked trails in Jay Cook State Park? I still miss those!

Yes, I do sometimes, I have a friend who lives next to the park.