I want to give XC skiing a try this winter. I played hockey as a kid for like…12 years, skied downhill for a few years, but is it harder then it looks? My friend’s sister skis for the provincial team and I’m gonna see if she’ll take me out and teach me. I’ll just rent some skis and go from there. Should I expect to fall on my ass a lot or should I be okay?
expect to fall
.
You’ll fall, it’s ok. Get over it. Also, learn to keep your weight centred over your feet, not ahead or behind. Makes a huge difference.
Enjoy! I love xc skiing
AP
The big difference from downhill is when going down hills you will have almost zero control on x-country skis. Expect to fall. It’s tougher than it looks but once you get the hang of it you’ll love it.
If the downhills you are referring to are the sort usually seen at most Nordic ski areas instead of Alpine steepness, and you are also not skiing on an extremely icy surface, the lack of downhill control is usually a skier technique problem, not a problem inherent to the skis themselves.
Even beginner / intermediate Alpine runs can be descended using nordic gear by a good XC skier, although it will be much harder than on recent shaped Alpine skis.
As far as TriNick’99’s question goes, there are 2 styles, classic (aka diagonal stride) and skating. My experience in teaching has been that if you have any significant background in ice skating, rollerblading, rollerskating or even dance then you can probably pick up skating in not too much time - the biggest hurdle is getting your weight centered side to side over the ski and having the balance to keep it there as long as you need to in order to properly do the rest of skating stroke you are doing. Once you are past this, then skating is mechanically simpler to do well than classic.
If you don’t have this sort of background, then classic is usually easier to start with, even if you are doing it imperfectly, as the initial balance demands are a bit more forgiving. It is a much harder technique to do really well though.
Chris
Skate or traditional?
I just started this year.
Played hockey my whole life (drafted out of HS), 2 NASTAR pacesetter…blah, blah.
XC skiing is kicking my ass. I watched every video I could find prior to taking the plunge. Initally, I think everything will be very easy for you with your hockey background. This is the video I watched for hours. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brGZlZkCwyk
I still don’t know all the terms (V1, 2, etc), but that is very easy to learn.
The toughest BY FAR is being able to land and glide on a flat ski. It’s like swimming…you can’t rush it. Technique is key. I ended up taking some custom insoles out of one of my ski boots, which solved much of my alignment/flat ski issues. This is huge. Hockey players (obviously) tend to muscle the edge…which is the wrong approach. Glide, glide, glide. It’s a shame they called it skate skiing.
I have some video of my 1st day on skiis. Perhaps after a few beers tomorrow, I’ll post them.
Not much falling unless you find a rather steep hill. If I were to start over, I would have on one ski (in a classic track) to get my balance/glide down. Much of my time is now spent relearning stuff I did incorrect on my 1st few days. I would have then progress to ski without poles. oh well.
It’s a blast. Entered my 1st race and did alright. Some longer/bigger races coming up so I can get a higher spot at the Birkie.
XC skiing is fairly straightforward, not super technical to do at a basic level and a hell of a lot of fun. If you have good balance you’ll be miles ahead of people who don’t. You will fall. If there are hills, you will crash going down them. Don’t expect to be able to turn or stop like you can on DH gear. Good skiers can do all sorts of cool stuff like telemark turns and corner gracefully at speed, but if you’re just starting out expect to crash.
Classic is probably easier to get going with initially as even if your technique blows goats you can still shuffle along. You can choose to do that forever or spend a lifetime mastering and honing your technique.
Skate has a bit of a steeper initial learning curve, but there isn’t nearly as much technical detail once you get the basics down. It’s the go-to style for most triathletes, fitness geeks and adrenaline junkies who just want to go hard/fast.
Both are a lot of fun, and both are a killer full body workout. Expect to be sore the next day.
The first day I went out on classic skis I thought, with all my downhill experience and the fact that I used to be a ski instructor, it would be easy. Big mistake, I was crashing on just about every hill I went down and I wasnt even in the tracks going down the hills. I could barely even do a wedge turn around corners. You have zero control in the beginning espcially for me, I have a 207 classic ski while my last downhill is like a 167. So your skiing on skis half as wide and twice as long with no edges.
Then I got skate skis, they are only 187’s. I spent alot of time on them over the last month and now I jump in the classic tracks going to downhill because they are faster. Also when I go back to my classic skis I can ski much better. Classic might be a little slower at first but once you learn how to glide it’s actually alot more fun although the workout is really in skating. You’ll be zone 3 or above the whole time or you won’t be going very fast.
It’s a blast. I replaced my long bike workouts with long skate skiing workouts and I have been doing run-ski bricks too. It beats the trainer forsure over the winter.
FWIW, good ski racers don’t always make the best instructors. I would go to a XC resort and sign up for a 1/2 day private lesson from a certified instructor, then go out with your friend for the second half of the day.
It’s pretty easy, know that you can carve just like a downhill ski on a good pair of XC skate skis without any problem, I do it all the time, just don’t initiate any hard turns while not seated in the heel of the binding and it works great.
I would say I had the basics down after a weekend of skiing and within 10 days on snow I entered my first race and placed in the top 50%.
Don’t use shitty equipment, it does make a difference! Rent the nicer Demo stuff.
Dave
“you can carve just like a downhill ski on a good pair of XC skate skis without any problem”
No offense, but I’m very skeptical of this statement. I’ve been downhill and classic/skate x-country skiing for thirty years and there is no way you can control any kind of x-country skis as you could downhill skis on a hill. They’re two completely different animals.
although the workout is really in skating.
Depends on a number of factors. Conditions on the day. Your profeciency and effciency with each of the techniques. Skate does seem to get all the buzz, but classic technique skiing can be an equally challenging workout albeit using slightly different muscle groups.
These days I tend to let the terrain and the conditions dictate what technique I am going to do on that day. If it’s diabolical grip waxing conditions( for classic skiing) with temps around zero on new snow, I’ll go skating, thanks. If the terrain has long gradual climbs and I want to ski longer - I will classic ski. If the trail has lots of short steep, climbs with technical descents and turns - I’d prefer to skate. All said and done my favourite situation is classic skiing on a -5C to -10C day on freshly groomed tracks. Wax up with Swix Extra Blue for grip and for me it does not get any better than that. And much to my delight it’s looking like that sort of day here - Horseshoe Valley here I come!!
I picked it up this year and can’t be happier. It takes a bit of getting used to. You WILL fall. I started with classic and found that if you wax warmer than the conditions it helps. It is an awesome workout. I also found that there is a ton of trails within 15 min. of my house. I ski at least twice a week now. If you are looking for some outdoor trainer and live where there is snow you will love it. Now I need to get some skate skis!
chris
OK not EXACTLY like a downhill ski but I have seen so many people who are afraid to parallel ski on Skate skis because they don’t have edges. I do it all the time and have never had a problem negotiating them on downhill terrain. That’s what I really meant to say. I’ve been racing for 10 years now myself so it’s not like I’m new at it so it may be harder for a beginner. I admit I fell often my first few seasons and definitely in my first couple of seasons racing.
Dave
Some information and lots of misinformation on this thread. Chris Esposito and Fleck are the ones that you should listen too. Both styles of XC skiing require a lot of technical detail.
Do not start skiing by watching guys skiing around you with bad technique. Sorry but pretty well everyone at most ski areas have bad technique. I’m not being a snob/technique nazi cause mine is far from ideal, but do emulate world cup technique and not what you see at most ski centres…lots of people skiing around with their knees collapsed inside their ankles hanging on an edge. The key to good balance is a flat ski and weight transfer in both techniques. Realistically skating and classic take a lot of technique. When you start to learn how to ski, don’t treat it like getting on a bike and pushing watts in hope of getting a good workout. This is the last thing all you trigeek hammerheads need to do.
Treat XC skiing like a technical sport like golf or tennis, where your only goal is to become a student of how the technique is mastered…don’t measure time, don’t measure distance…do not tour around your ski centre for a while. Focus on learning the skill. If you make that initial investment for a year, you’ll be skiing circles around guys who have been hammering like stupid triathletes who figure their horsepower can overcome poor form…it does but only to a point.
Classic technique does not have as many variations as skate, but it does take more technique to go fast. For skating you can go fast with not so good technique, but you’ll hit a ceiling really fast. Also there are more variations in skate than classic to learn.
Here is a good video from the Lahti World Cup 2008 that covers all skate techniques:
Great video Dev. Is it just me or did #14 look to have the fastest skis by far? He dropped everyone on the downhills. Or perhaps he was still just carrying a few extra pounds from christmas dinner 
T
0c and new snow Steve, you need some “hairys”. rollerski kick and no wax!
Plenty of info on the thread already (dev, Steve, etc).
I sent this tips to one of my athletes and a ST member who crushes most of us on the bike and swim…and who’s run is coming:)
Tips
-slightly bent knees, AND ankles
-slight “c” from the shoulders to the hips, sort of a caveman posture.
-hips “square” to the trail
-limited upper body twist as you transfer from ski to ski
-high hips, in other words as a hill steepens, concentrate on bending ankles and driving knee caps towards the tip of the ski, not over at the waist.
-learn to V1 asap as this is your “1st gear” and used on hills (not sure, the Canadians might call it something else…offset skate maybe?)
-ski as much as you can without poles. Learning to ski with “dynamic” legs will speed your process, even after 15+ years of skiing, I still spend 20-30% of the early season without poles (classic and skate!)
And remember order of importance:
- Body position
- Timing (V1, V2, V2 alternate, etc)
- Application of power
You are about 50 ski days away from getting to #3:-)
Kurt
Number 14 had to have had the fastest skis…he was up front for the entire thing, likely skiing between 20 and 50 kph (descent) and everyone is drafting him and still can’t close!
No Xmas cake there…these guys are built like Rappstar
Dev - which one is you in that video?
dev is correct.
in tri terms, XC skiing is most like swimming. if you start with bad technique, you will quickly hit a ceiling of how good/fast you are going to go. technique is everything, just as in swimming. if you are going to forgoe lessons fine, but pay a mind to people who look like they are effortless, and emulate them. self-vidoe is a great tool.
but, you NEED to be slow, if you ever wish to go fast. starting off hammering is just as stupid as jumping into a pool and flailing in the water like a drowning victim. also, as dev sez the majority of XC skiiers, just as downhill skiiers really, never progress beyond the advanced-beginner stage.
with that said those advanced beginners are having fun, and getting great excercise. they just arent learning how to ski.
Hmmm, who could that be???
I just returned from my first time on XC skis since high school gym class and can say that, yeah it’s pretty hard! Watched a bunch of videos (not sure if that was a good idea, they make it look sooo easy) and thanks to KP’s tips figured I’d check my ego and my engine at the warming hut.
It was snowing like CRAZY on the mountain so we had about 6" of powder to trudge through for the whole lesson. “Skiied” the first little while without poles and I just couldn’t go anywhere in that shit. To solve the problem I started to try to apply power and the good instructor called me on it…back to the basics!
I struggled with everything - body position, timing (kept trying to V2 when we were supposed to be V1ing). But the crazy thing is I’m seriously considering getting some used gear and trying to learn this…beats riding in 5C and rain down in Vancouver.