Guidelines for Buying Equipment

Cross-country skiing has two techniques - classic and skate - and they use different skis, boots and poles.  Skiers on the TCGIS Nordic Ski Team need classic ski equipment.

Skis

Waxable and Waxless Skis

There are two types of classic skis, waxable and "waxless."

• • Waxable skis: Waxable skis provide the best performance, but they require two kinds of wax, a glide wax and a kick wax. Do not buy this kind of ski unless you are knowledgeable about kick wax and are prepared to apply it every time you ski. 

    • • • • Recommended for: Advanced skiers who want the fastest classic skis AND who know how to apply kick wax AND can apply it before every practice and race

  • Waxless skis: Waxless skis don't require kick wax because they are designed with either "fish scales" or "skins" on the underside of the middle section of the ski and that provides the grip. "Waxless" is a misnomer though, as waxless skis still need glide wax (see Waxing for more information). 

    • • Fish scale skis: This all-around classic ski features a "fish-scale-looking" pattern on the underside of the ski in the grip zone (the area underneath the boot).  These skis are the slowest of the three main types of classic skis, but they function well in nearly all conditions. 

        • • Recommended for: Beginners, recreational skiers, and/or those who wants the least ski maintenance to worry about 

      • Skin skis: The strip on the underside of the ski in the kick zone is often made with mohair, nylon, or some mix of the two. If you run your fingers across the skins, you'll notice that they are smooth in one direction, and grippy in the other direction. This allows your skis to glide better in the track than a ski with fish scales, but you still get the grip when striding or going uphill. Skins provide better performance in most conditions compared with fish scales, but also a little more maintenance. 

        • • Recommended for: Intermediate to advanced skiers and/or eighth graders who want to ski in high school. (High school teams do not allow skis with fish scales, but often will allow non-Varsity skiers to use skin skis.)

Fitting Your Skis to Your Weight

After deciding on the type of classic skis, skiers should be fitted for a pair of skis. Skis are primarily sized based on the skier's weight. 

Why is proper fit so important? Skis have a camber, or grip zone, which is the "bow" in the middle of the ski. (Lay a classic ski on a flat surface and look at its profile. Notice the long, graceful arc that spans nearly the entire length of the ski. This arc or flex is known as “camber.”)  The camber must be stiff enough for you to lift your grip zone off the snow so you can glide and go fast, but also soft enough that you can compress it to get good grip to push off the snow. If your grip zone is dragging across the snow you'll be working hard and skiing slowly, and the wax or skin on your skis will wear prematurely.  If you're not heavy enough to fully compress the ski, you won't be able to move forward. 

Every cross-country ski has a weight range that it will bear and this is set by the manufacturer.  If you have this information, follow the recommendation. Many skis have this information printed right on the ski, usually above the top of the bindings. (See photo example.)

You can also use the "paper test" to test the flex of your skis.  

To test your glide:

• Place both skis on a flat surface that (hopefully) won’t scratch the base of the skis.

• Stand on both skis exactly where you would stand if you were wearing ski boots and clicked into the bindings.

• With your weight evenly distributed over both skis, have the other person run the paper under the grip zone. This is the area where you’d find the scale pattern on “waxless” skis. The person should be able to slide the paper freely back and forth from the front to the back of the grip zone. If you have waxable skis, it should be possible to move the paper 20-25 centimeters forward of the binding, and 5-10 centimeters back of the heel. 

• If the paper does not slide within the grip zone, then you’re probably too heavy for those skis, and you should test the next length of skis. On the other hand, if the paper slides well ahead or behind the grip zone, you’re probably too light for those skis and you should test a shorter length of skis.

To test your grip:

• Leave the paper on the floor under one ski.

• Transfer all of your weight to that ski (i.e. stand on just the one ski). Then, have the person try to pull out the paper from beneath the ski.

• If the person cannot remove the paper without ripping it, then those skis are probably fine. At least, so long as you’ve also passed the first test and determined that you’re not dragging the grip zone when standing on both skis. If the person can pull the paper out from underneath the ski, you’re probably too light for the skis.

Bindings

There are two major boot and binding systems currently on the market, NNN and SNS. The bindings are not interchangeable, so your boot and bindings must match (either SNS or NNN).  Since SNS bindings are being phased out, I highly recommend that you only buy NNN bindings and NNN-compatible boots.   

If you're buying used skis or new skis marketed towards recreational skiers, the skis most likely come with bindings. 

Boots

Ski boots must match the binding system on the skis. If your bindings are NNN (recommended), your boots must be as well. 

When trying on boots, wear the socks you're going to ski in. Slide your heel all the way back before tying the laces. The boots should be snug, but still comfortable around the widest part of your foot, and you should be able to wiggle your toes. You need to be able to activate your foot muscles when skiing. 

Poles

Classic poles are shorter than skate ski poles and should come between the armpit and the top of the shoulder (but not below the armpit and not above the shoulder).  A good starting point is to multiply your height in centimeters by .83.