I am looking at getting into cross country skiing. I live in Alaska and am looking to get out into the woods more during winter. I have some outdoors experience from thru hiking and hunting but when it comes to skis I am a complete beginner. I have downhill skid a couple of times years ago so I know the bare bones basics of the pizza and french fries and thats about it. Cross country seems a bit more practical for exploring around my area, riding a lift and going down the same hill over and over again doesnt really do it for me.I dont want to spend a ton of money especially since I dont know what to look for in equipment, I am considering picking up some gear off facebook marketplace. I have some nice hiking trekking poles which I assume would be fine to use?Can somebody point me in the right direction towards a beginners guide or some good youtube videos to get me started? I am trying to figure out what gear I need, what size/length skis (I am 193cm) and what shoes might be compatible with what skis etc etcAlso do I really need to wear those tight ass queer pants?
I learned to ski before I knew how to ride a bike. My first skis were wood.First, look for groomed or at least semi groomed trails. Going bushwacking or even just through deep snow is in no shape or form a fun way to learn how to ski. If you really want to wander anywhere in the woods right now for cheap, look for snowshoes.2nd gear - get new boots and make sure they fit you really comfy. Ski length isn't important, what is important is their rigidity and curve, known as camber vs your weight. The only way to tell is to stand on the ski on a hard floor, ideally in boots, and put all your weight on one foot. You should be able to just barely slip a sheet of paper through. Get the new skis that don't need waxing. Older waxless skis were absolute shit but the newer ones are much better. My next pair might be waxless. Treking poles are nearly completely useless for skiing. Ski poles are dirt cheap anyway.3rd clothing - skiing involves swinging your arms and legs around far more then walking, so you can't wear your standard heavy winter gear. I live in Québec, weather is probably worse in Alaska, but I ski in roughly the clothes I'd wear on a day hike in autumn. The saying "be bold, start cold" really applies to skiing, as you are going to get warm very soon. Sweating in cold weather is bad, stopping to take off a layer is annoying.4th learning - I'd really look to find a friend or acquaintance or even a pro trainer who'll give you tips and clues on your first excursion.5th beginning - realize you are a beginner and you aren't going to be zipping around any time soon. You will spend many trips plodding along and falling over. Resist the urge to take your skis off to get up. Learn to get your skis parallel and get upright with your poles.
>>2848381thanks leafman, there is a pair of skis on marketplace in my area that says they "need a tune up", does that refer to the wax? should i avoid them
>>2848381Think about what you want to do. Do you want to stick to groomed trails (thats the easiest and fastest skiing) or do you want to tour more in the woods- usually up a trail head with previous skiers...or do you want to tour more alpine situations with significant ascent and descent components? Groomed trails require skinnier skiis to fit in the tracks. trail head touring is best done with wider skis preferably with metal edges but still bi-cambered for kicking and gliding. Alpine touring requires alpine touring skiis/boots to lock your heel down for descents. I live in the rockies and use a wider touring skiis with metal edges for mucking about in the woods. this guy>>2848381is right about breaking trail thru deep snow on skiis- its not that much fun but the wider your ski the easier it is. but it also depends on curent conditions (how deep) and freeze/thaw cycles. in the spring sometimes the snow pack is super firm and you can ski right on top of it allowing you to crusie anywhere.
>>2848474oops. sorry meant for >>2848378
Buy some long and wide ones. The ones that can take you anywhere and aren't meant for track. Skiing in the woods in pure virgin snow is awsome. They're kinda heavy but you're not lifting them much. The sticks need to have wide and round "skirt".Downhill skiing is hard to control on 2,5m+ skiis so the plot is about finding a flatter route. If you have like 0,5m of snow, that is hardly a problem since you can skip over open cuts, bushy ares and other low growing areas. You'll need a sledge in no time though backpack is fine on day trips. Bring some good food and plenty to drink, shit is exhausting. And gets you crazy fit.
>>2848492And I forgot. Invest on some good straps so you can use good boots for chilling when moving and when off the planks. Pic related were fine for a while but really dug into soft winter boot rubber.
>>2848385>does that refer to the wax?Waxing skis is an advanced topic. You prolly don't want to get into it as a newb.As to what "tune up" means, I have no clue. Ask the seller.
>>2848385>"need a tune up",>As to what "tune up" means, I have no cluetypically mean repairing gashes in the bottom, dents in the side, applying wax (if necesary)- making sure the bindings are functioning properly etc..
>>2848378I'm not a pro by any means but some thoughts having started on nordic/xc and alpine about 4 years ago. I've really gravitated towards shorter and wider nordic skis, like some anons have already said, plus 3 pin metal bindings and sometimes even a leather telemark boot depending on where I'm going. I want to try removable cables as well, just never have. Clothing is whatever warm layers I'm liking. I live in a really hilly and wooded area of Idaho without a lot of options for groomed trails, but loads of forest roads. Sometimes I get vibe-checked for some kind of casual for not using an alpine touring rig, but that would be massively overkill for where I like to go, and I couldn't glide fast where it's more level. Yet, long and skinny track skis have me crossing my fingers and praying when it gets a little steep. So, I've really found a niche that works well for meAs an aside, my experience with skiing has been really similar to cycling. For many decades all the attention was really on the sport/performance side of things (road bike, long track ski) which is cool, it's fun to go fast. But the realm of just tooling around in the woods where it's a bit steep, but yet not quite a fucking mountain at tree line, has been sort of glazed over. Now, unlike a few decades ago, there are a lot of very fractured out, specialized niches of equipment for any scenario, so it's sort of a consoomer's paradise if you want to go that route. But, luckily for the frugal /out/ists, there's also a lot of older stuff that's incredibly cheap and not fussy. I'm happy for you anon, I wish there was more xc ski chatter on here and /n/
>>2848381I am very amateur at cross country skiing but this is all great advice. It's a tremendous workout, I run a lot year round but skiing still kicks my ass. I can be skiing in tights and a t-shirt and still be drenched in sweat, so definitely don't overdress. I haven't found waxing that difficult but I'm probably not great at it either, never tried waxless. Have fun!
