Cross-country skiing … changing even faster

Sunset, Dec, 1987

Cross-country skiing . . . changing even faster

It's as true now as 10 years ago that if you can walk you can learn cross-country skiing. In fact, as our pictures show, fast-paced change has created many more ways to do it. And despite the shimmering skin-tight suits some ski skaters favor, it remains a relaxing, down-to-earth activity that welcomes beginners.

Easiest way to start is with the familiar touring; it's almost like winter jogging, with a stride followed by a long glide. Or try skating, a technique that, in style, is like graceful ice-skating; or telemarking, a sometimes thrilling, tree-dodging downhill series of turns that can (but doesn't necessarily) dump you in a lift line at the bottom, ready for another run.

The equipment jumble

New ways to play on skis mean new kinds of skis to play on. (At the time of Sunset's first major report on cross-country skiing, 17 years ago, many skiers were simply converting their downhill equipment.) Today, you can still buy a complete package of touring gear--skis, boots, bindings, and poles--for little more than $100, but you can also buy increasingly specialized equipment that suits one or another of the several activities that fall under the rubric "cross-country.'

Rental shops offer the opportunity to try several cross-country activities without buying loads of equipment, or to sample different makers' gear for one activity.

You can now rent virtually any type of gear at sporting goods stores, ski shops, or cross-country ski resorts. If you know of a particular brand you want to try, a few telephone calls may find it for rent, though at "demo' (slightly higher) rates.

The right ski length is determined by your weight, height, and ability. Beginners usually start with more flexible skis, advancing to stiffer models. For a given model, longer skis take more weight to flatten when you transfer your weight than short ones. If your touring skis aren't gripping, try a shorter pair. Once you've practiced throwing your weight around in the snow, you may want to switch to longer skis for better glide.

What type of gear is available? How is it used? And what does all that cross-country equipment lingo mean?

In and out of tracks

Gear for the familiar kick-and-glide (also called diagonal-stride) technique varies: some packages are designed exclusively for a resort's machine-made grooves; others are built for off-track touring.

We illustrate these extremes in the photographs at the top of page 72, but in between is versatile equipment that can do some of each (though not as well as the more specialized gear). You can choose gear suited to where you expect to find yourself most often. For example:

--If you spend more than half your skiing time in groomed tracks and some behind other skiers, but only a little in untracked country, we'd suggest fairly light anklehigh boots, "system-type' bindings (see next page), and relatively narrow skis. They'll do well in tracks, and will get you by elsewhere.

--If you expect to ski snowy logging roads or other skiers' tracks most of the time, with occasional forays across open country and with only infrequent trips to groomed resort trails, give stiff boots, three-pin bindings, and slightly wider skis a try. They'll provide stability and control on uneven snow and glide passably along a set track.

Heavy-duty back-country touring skis come with steel edges, a controversial subject among experts. Such edges can give downhill control but reduce glide. Some say a nordic-camber ski (see box at left) with steel edges is a poor compromise: it won't turn well because it won't bend into a smooth arc when weighted, and it won't tour well because of the metal edges.

Standard track-skiing equipment is the commonest type of rental gear and retail package (you get skis, boots, binding, and poles for a single discounted price). Rental usually runs around $12 per day; typical purchase price is $125 and up. Partly or exclusively off-track equipment and high-performance track gear cost around $200 and up.

Skating, but not on skates

Newest game on snow is skating, a side-to-side technique that was pioneered by ski marathon racers in the early '80s. This year, specialized skating equipment will be more widely available, and the lanes it requires will be open at most major resorts. You may find rental equipment more available at mountain rental shops than in cities. Some resorts also offer lesson/rental packages. Skating is faster than the old kick-and-glide, but you need to be in good shape: the tired-skier's trudge is not possible on skating skis. Rental costs around $20 per day, purchase $250 and up.

Speed and grace on steep drops . . . and a lift or climbing skins to return

Telemark, named for a region in Norway, is a graceful technique for turning on steep slopes--and a ski designed with this maneuver in mind. If you're already a competent skier (either cross-country or alpine), you can learn enough in a lesson or two to start using this turn. Many downhill resorts offer telemark lessons-- and, indeed, using lifts is the fastest way to learn. Some telemark skiers never ski any other way.