Welcome to Part 3 of our Beginner’s Guide to Cross-Country Skiing. Alessia Francini-Beaumont, our resident cross-country skiing instructor, has given you a general overview of the winter sport and taught you about the best techniques, now you will find out what to pack – from equipment to clothing. This is the final part of her guide, so happy skiing and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
What do I need to pack?
Cross-country skiing encompasses several styles, from touring or racing on groomed ski tracks to gliding through deep country snow. Your heel is always “free” (not connected to the ski) and you move yourself by striding forward (as opposed to skate skiing where you stride side-to-side in a skating motion). So what equipment do you need?
Equipment
© Anze Bizjan
Skis: Classic style skis are designed for groomed trails (tracks) and are generally:
Skating skis, in comparison, are shorter and also lightweight but they don’t have the fishscale/waxed area.
Downhill skis are heavier and have metal edges to give direction.
Waxless skis are convenient and provide grip in a variety of snow conditions. They are called waxless because rather than relying on wax for traction, they have a textured pattern in the middle third of each ski that digs into and grips the snow. Despite their name, waxless skis perform best when you apply glide wax to the tips and tails.
Waxable skis require a bit more work because you have to manually apply the wax, but they can outperform waxless models if the wax is precisely matched to snow conditions. Waxable skis get their traction from rub-on wax that’s applied to the middle third of each ski. In consistent temperatures above or below freezing, well-waxed skis will glide better than waxless skis whilst still providing excellent grip. When temperatures are erratic or right at the freezing point, waxing is difficult and waxless skis are the better choice.
Waxing blooper by Alessia!
I was once using waxable skis but applied the wrong temperature wax on the skis and once I was out, the snow stuck to them. This made the skis very heavy so I had to stop skiing. Top tip: Make sure you’re aware of how cold it is outside before applying the wax!
Bindings: All skis require bindings (a metal bar under the front of the ski boot) so that you can attach your skis to the boots. There are different bindings depending on your requirements and level. Some of them just clip into your boot whereas others have to be manually fastened in. Bindings allow you to lift up your heel when skiing, giving you power to glide on the snow.
© trekandphoto
Poles: Poles are used to help you gain speed on the snow and push you along when skiing. Classic style poles sit under shoulder height compared to the skate ski poles that sit just above shoulder height.
Pole strap: This is a sling that cradles your hand and holds it next to your pole; it prevents you from letting go of the ski pole (and potentially poking someone behind!) when you a full arm movement.
Pole baskets: These protect the tip of the pole and need to be facing backwards when skiing to stop you going too deep into the snow.
Clothing
Unlike downhill skiing where your clothing is rigid, heavy and you may feel like you’re dressed something similar to the man on the moon, cross-country skiing clothing is thinner and more breathable and allows you to move about easily.
© Sergey
Ski boots: Classic style ski boots come up to ankle height and skate ski boots are slightly higher with two metal edges underneath for stability when pushing diagonally on the slopes.
Clothing: For cross-country skiing it is better to have synthetic breathable materials that are in layers so you can remove or add them as and when you are moving. We suggest a waterproof outer layer and good quality breathable trousers, hats (one for cold weather and one with a peak for sunnier days), fleece style mittens, thermal trousers, socks and a shirt to wear as an extra under layer. The two key parts of the body to be kept warm are the head and hands. Some people also like to take goggles (more useful for downhill skiing) or sunglasses that filter out ultra-violet light. Top tip: Don’t forget to pack a light backpack, water bottle, high factor sunscreen and lip balm.
And that’s the end of my Beginner’s Guide to Cross-Country Skiing. Enjoy!
Headwater has cross-country skiing holidays in Venabu, Norway; Kandersteg, Switzerland, and Leutasch, Austria.
Charlotte Hudson joined Headwater as the Creative Content Executive in August 2016, managing all things content-related, including brochures, the website and newsletters. She loves nothing more than laying on a sunny beach when on holiday, but also experiencing the local culture. One of her favourite holidays was to Vietnam, where she spent three weeks travelling from the north to the south. In her spare time, when she’s not eating out or in, she enjoys fitness classes at the gym, days out and trips to the seaside.
Hi do you maybe know what kind of skies do you need if you wanna combine classic and skate style? In general I prefer skate, but sometimes classic is also an option. :)
Hi Chris, Many thanks for your comment - it's great to see that you enjoy our holidays and are so knowledgeable about cross-country skiing, particularly at Venabu. We agree it is a fabulous guided cross-country skiing destination. We're actually keen to get Headwater customers to write about their trips and experiences with us, and to share their knowledge and tips with others. Would you be interested in this? Regards, Alessia
Hi Alessia, I have been reading your intro to cross country skiing with interest. I can agree with much of what you have said, but feel that you have put too much emphasis on a high level of fitness in the first blog and not enough on encouraging people of all fitness levels to try it. Firstly, my experience; my first real cross country skiing experience was around my 60th birthday back in 2004 at Venabu. Since that date I have done 30 weeks of Nordic skiing, most of it at Venabu, but also including Kandersteg, Leutash and Saariselka. As a skier I am competent, but not expert, I still walk down the top slope off of Svartfjell, I have skied into the ‘mousetrap’ on Dynjefjell and stayed upright once. I certainly agree that the fitter you are the more skiing you can do and the more you can enjoy it, but anybody who can do simple hill walking in the UK can learn and enjoy cross country skiing, especially if starting out at Venabu with Robert or Wenke as a guide. Have you seen some the war veterans still coming to Venabu aged 85 plus who still enjoy their skiing for 6 to 10 Km. each day. For the clothing you emphasise the use of synthetics as a base and intermediate layer. Synthetics are good (I still use intermediate layers), but they need frequent washing to avoid smelling of stale sweat. Merino wool is by far the best for a base layer, it is warm and still warm when damp, and just as good as synthetics at regulating temperature. It normally lasts a week of active skiing without smelling. The best top coat I have found for cross-country skiing, after 6 years of trying, is a good quality shell jacket. It needs plenty of pockets, a good, but not tight fit and definitely not baggy, it should be windproof, not necessarily waterproof, with little or no added insulation. The insulation, if needed should be made up using 2 or 3 layers of light merino/ synthetics which are unzip-able or easily removed. Why is the picture on the blog showing alpine boots and skis instead of sensible Nordic boots? I have just noticed that someone else also spotted the downhill boots and the picture has been changed Your emails and blog include adverts for Headwater skiing holidays of course, but why no advert for Venabu. Venabu is by far the best of the resorts with good training for beginners from very simple tracks to gentle slopes as soon as they can progress, plus a good variety hills and longer tracks for those who are competent or expert. Leutasch is either very flat on the valley floor or very steep on the mountain sides (I have been there twice) and Kandersteg has no full time guide. At Venabu most of the beginners make it round at least one of the hills by the end of the week (including my trip round IndreUksan in 2004) and a lot of them come back again and again because of the good guides, good variety of tracks, reliable snow and good food. Regards Chris Payne
Hi Helen, thanks for spotting this! We were just testing you ;)
Why do you put a picture of downhill ski boots to illustrate this article? Why not put pictures of the two types of crosscountry ski boot (classic and skate)?
