Using a wax less ski in a race is actually maybe worse than a huffy in a bike race. It’s hard to even explain. Waxable skiis are probably 30 to 40 percent faster depending on snow type. Waxable skiis use a highly weather dependent grip wax in the center of the ski to grip the snow during the kick phase. Go to a good Nordic store for info, REI is not the place.

You have Crowns & Twin Skins, and waxable...for myself, I can pretty much step outside, grab some snow in my hand, look up and nail the kick wax mostly by just being outside--so I don't use my Crown Fischers much. I think only 2-3x ever actually. I don't own Twin Skins so can't speak to that. I would get waxable and learn how to wax properly--it's fastest if done right out of the two (Crowns & Waxable).

Crowns can be awesome in some conditions but I've found very few times it was faster than waxables. Brands of wax vary so when you learn to wax, stick with a brand and learn it well--it's all good stuff now. Wipe on glide wax isn't great for durability so suggest getting a wax iron, form bench and some basic tools. End of season sales will come up soon. Check out Boulder Nordic Sport--they just had a sale & will likely have an end of season sale too.

Frisco Gold Rush & Snow Mtn. Stampede are this weekend and the following weekend. Skate/classic varied distances.
Finally, get yourself a good pair of gloves for training/racing for Nordic. I've been using THESE and love them. Warm, comfy in all conditions almost...but I am thinking about getting some LilSport lighter windstopper ones for spring skiing...and warmer days. The Hestras are so warm on anything above 35 F. These HERE may be a good option for you too.

As for skis...I vote for waxables vs waxless most of the time.

That's a lot. If you were going for a 60 minute run, how much would you eat/drink? In the past I would eat like I was on a longer workout, but I've scaled back and didn't see any change in performance. For 10k I wouldn't even bring a bottle with me unless it was very warm; just a gel at the start and a drink. I wouldn't eat during the race.

[quote Slowerthanyou
Splits were 12:10, 12:50, 13:19 (crashed and then walked down the steep twisty hill), 9:53, 10:23, 12:40. Total 1:12
Felt like I paced well[/quote]
I'd say that's decent pacing if it wasn't like 6 laps of the same course. With more race experience you can find the sweet spot of where you should be and try to stay there.

[quote Slowerthanyou
Definitely got sweaty around 4 miles when we broke out of the woods/shade into direct sun, but just went with it as there wasn't much time left.[/quote]
Play around with it in training to see what you can get away with. I dress for the warmest that I'll be so I usually have warmup clothes I leave at the start line and as soon as I'm done I put them back on.

[quote Slowerthanyou
Questions for the experts. Fischer Superlite Crown fish scale skis. Felt like I wasn't getting much kick/propulsion. Did have the skis waxed for free at REI; not sure if they waxed the whole ski including the kick zone, or if it would matter. Good glide, just not much kick. How handicapped am I with waxless skis? Did I bring a huffy to a bike race? Is there such a thing as kick wax for a fish scale?[/quote]

There's no kick wax for fish scales. They're a one-size-fits-all kick solution that works just ok in some conditions but is useless in others. If the track is super glazed/icy you won't have kick with them. I find that skins are better, and I do like 80% of my training on skins. I use kick wax in ideal conditions (new snow, -6 C) but if I just want to go out for a ski I go with skins. Waxable skis are faster because you can have them measured and mark where your kick wax should go and just wax there. Something to play around with in training, but I would get a pair of waxable skis and stick with 1 brand of kick wax (Vauhti and Rex are good, Swix is everywhere and it's just ok). Experiment with it in training to see what works and what doesn't.

You can also glide wax your own skis. If you aren't going out and skiing super far, then liquid waxes would be fine. If you keep going with it you can get into glide waxing with hot wax, but liquids are ok in the short term.

[quote Slowerthanyou
Downhills - getting more comfortable with moderate downhills in the tracks, but struggling with steeper downhills without tracks. other than doing the pizza/wedge and hoping for the best, any tricks or tips?[/quote]
You need to learn the recovery tuck: bend your knees a little, bend forward at the waist and rest your elbows on your knees. When you get the hang of it, it's fairly stable.

Consider the longer race even just for the experience! Feel free to update this thread with your experience too; this comes up at least once a year so I imagine people will be searching for other people's experience in the future.

Careful! There have been some baller "Huffys!"

I've got a few Wasaloppets under the belt from the 90's and ended up in a Texas-based career working project sites hugging the equator (needless to say, no XC classic skiing).

I re-entered the sport in 2018 and got a set of Atomic C2 pro skintec skis - the mohair skins seemed to be a better solution than scales, and knowing that I was likely to ski in places where snow could go from new to coarse and wet within a day (recalling the time consuming process of going from grip-to-klister-to-grip wax), I felt like it was a good solution.

I'm still using the skis, have applied some liquid glide wax occasionally, but would like to say that they have been a really good faf-free solution. In the very newest snow (snow falling in laid tracks at near freezing) I find that the damp mohair will freeze the new snow to it and you get a good anchor going, but otherwise good grip for a range of conditions, temperatures.

Trucking along at a steady aerobic pace in new, groomed snow I'm cruising at 8-9min/mi (550ft elevation for an 8.5mi outing)
https://www.strava.com/activities/10635019971/analysis

I have yet to race, but I see the skis being able to support a pretty competitive pace without the grip letting me down. I'm in the Utah / Idaho area and may jump into one of the TUNA classic races, schedule permitting.

All this to say that I would not discount looking at skis with mohair grip zone, as I think they are versatile while still competitive. I love waxing (the idea of waxing), but it takes time, practice and when it doesn't work it sucks.

Also and not sure if you really want to go deep into nordic skiing but if you do here are some things that can help:

1. going to a good highly specialized ski store to be educated on nordic equipment. There are a range of equipment related topics to learn about like skiis, poles, wax, boots, clothing, etc. A good nordic store will have clinics on waxing and other stuff. Boulder Nordic Sport is a good one in Colorado, and I know there is a really good one in Steamboat too. Your average ski store will be way off the mark for nordic.

2. If you ever go to the pool and see slow swimmers and wonder why they just keep repeating the process over and over thats how I feel about 90% of the nordic skiers I see. Get some good lessons. You said you were not getting kick which may be ski related or may be technique related. Your kick has to be straight down into the snow like you are stepping on a bug with the ball of your foot, and you have to do that with a forward body position. Downhill technique can be taught. If you were snowplowing you were losing tuns of time to those who were step turning and tucking on way faster skis. Watch world cups on Youtube. Nordic is like swimming, being adult onset dooms you to mediocrity unless you put in the hours. (its up to you whether you are that interested of course). Nordic is 100 small movements combined with weight transfer and balance. Get lessons, they are super helpful.

3 But do bear in mind if you live some where you can ski nordic is a great way to train for triathlon. I see much higher HRs with much lower RPE while skiing and overall its like a superfood of sports. For me I try to get a lot of time in skiing during the winter and just do a few base workouts with biking, running, and swimming, nordic truly covers everything well. The sad part is only about maybe 10% of slowtwitchers actually live somewhere where they can ski regularly. I am lucky to live 10 mins from lighted nordic trails with snowmaking, and 30 from 2 major nordic areas, so I take full advantage of it.