Cross Country Skiing

[surgtech1956]

Went skiing today for the first time in 2 years - since my knee injury in 2006. We went 2 hours - all flat. My knee is hurting a little. The worst thing my glasses kept fogging up. It was 26 degrees(F). I did get too warm - I wore my Adidas nylon wind pants with some polyproplyene(lightweight) under. Top was a nylon LS tee, a fleece shirt and nylon shell jacket(waterproof - breathable). I would have been fine with either just the fleece.

[Wahine]

Thanks Bron. That's a great suggestion. I'm a bit challenged here when it comes to finding someplace to practice technique that is flat and has been groomed, or at least packed snow. I've got to figure that out. It's pretty hard to skate in 18" of powder. I really should be out snowboarding.

Surgtech - That's a big ski for the first time back in a while and after an injury like yours. Well done.

[Bruno28]

Ok - I've searched the inernet and I can't find a decent explanation of this anywhere - how do you stop/slow down when you are going downhill

And by downhill I mean any slight incline. My present technique is to gather speed until I panic and throw myself to the ground in deperation.

I have tried pressing my skies into the sides of the tracks with little effect apart from knackering my knees and ankles. The snowplow I find less effective with the narrower skis. And the fact that you can only lift one foot out of the tracks.

Any advice welcome.

Yours,

A Complete Beginner.

[Skierchickie]

Snowplowing really is the way to slow yourself down (if you feel unable to jump out of the tracks, you can try leaving one ski in the track, while snowplowing with the other). When you snowplow, try to keep your weight back a bit, and push down and out with your heels. Actually, on a really steep hill, if you want to slow down, you can sort of lean backward while snowplowing, to really try to dig in. Once you get the hang of it, you can try hockey stops (I don't recommend that quite yet, though ). Once you get some time in on your skis, you'll find you feel more comfortable. If you find that you feel unsteady on downhills, try to remember to keep your center of gravity low, and lead with your hands (tucking downhills does make you go faster, but it also keeps you steady, and you are less likely to fall). By all means, if you feel like you are going too fast, step out of the tracks, which will allow you to maneuver your skis better. It might help to find a nice little hill where you can practice snowplowing at really slow speeds until you get the feel for it.

Practice, practice, practice, and you'll learn to love the speed!

[anakiwa]

Bruno- Snowplowing is the best way to slow down/ stop. You probably also want to get out of the tracks. If you're not going too fast, take one foot out and use it to snowplow. If you're going pretty fast, you may feel more comfortable getting out of the tracks altogether.

Wahine- Do you know the difference between V1 and V2? If not, learning to V1 may be your ticket to getting uphill (it's a lot easier). I also second the suggestion to spend time skiing without poles (it really helps sort out body position/ balance issues).

Skiierchickie- At the last clinic I went to- they were actually teaching a wider based stance. It sounded like this is new in the last year or two. They specifically advised against overlapping the ski tails. I'm still muddling through some of the other things they pointed out and haven't paid much attention to this yet. It seems like skating technique has changed every time I go to a clinic.

[Wahine]

Wahine- Do you know the difference between V1 and V2? If not, learning to V1 may be your ticket to getting uphill (it's a lot easier). I also second the suggestion to spend time skiing without poles (it really helps sort out body position/ balance issues).

No I don't know the difference between V1 and V2. But I'm gonna find out. That and I need to find a fairly flat place to practice my no pole skiing.

[anakiwa]

You're probably doing V2 or V2 alternate, those are what's natural for most people (in V2 you pole every time you push off with a ski, in V2 alternate you pole only when pushing off with one side- in other words you're poling twice as much with V2 as with V2 alternate).

V1 differs in the timing of pole plant and push off (foot). To V1, you put one foot (either the right or the left depending on which side you're using) down at almost exactly the same time you plant your poles. To someone who isn't familiar with things it will look similar to V2 alternate, but it's not the same thing. V1 won't feel as powerful, but it should feel easier. Generally, the only time it will feel natural is when you're going up a moderate or steep hill.

I hope that helps- you may want to find a video- or better yet someone to actually show you.

[Wahine]

OK. That's means that right now I'm using a V2 alternate. I'll see if I can find a video that shows the V1 technique.

Thanks!!

[CyclaSutra]

Don't worry, trees are great for slowing you down! (Good snowplow advice)

I skate, too, when I'm in shape for it, but my favorite kind of skiing is the long, rolly, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere tour that makes me feel like I'm in Narnia. My X-C setup has metal edges (Karhu Catamount) so it is easier to turn on the way back DOWN the hill.

[Skierchickie]

Zoiks! I haven't used a torch on my skis in 20 years! I also haven't used a lot of klister in all that time, as I pretty much skate these days (especially in those hard to wax conditions). So I am of no help. But I'd stay away from torches (very hard on ski bases). I'm going to stay away from giving you misguided "help" on the wax issue. Sounds like perfect conditions for a pair of those new no-wax racing skis!

Have fun!

[Bron]

If I'm putting klister on, I just use the spreader that comes in the box with it and my hands (have a rag and some klister remover handy); once it's been skied in a couple of km, it's usually pretty smooth.

1st piece of advice: is there an official wax supplier? Over here, either Swix or Toko give a wax tip the evening before a race - if there is an official tip then follow it, these guys know what they are talking about (more than some girl on the other side of the Atlantic).

2nd: if snow is falling or there is new snow in the tracks, avoid klister (I learnt this one the hard way).

3rd: if you are not sure what you are doing then try to keep it simple. I don't mix klister and hard wax. I am sure it is possible to do well, but I know that I will just make a mess of it.

I hope this helps a little bit and do have fun.

SadieKate - I'm very jealous, can you send some of the excess over here, please?

[anakiwa]

Toko has a race website- they give the glide wax recommendations and then say to iron on some binder and find the rep in the morning for further instructions. I went to a Swix clinic last night- he was basically saying the same thing- pushing a thin layer of green klister as a binder and then wait and see what to put on top (or show up with 3-4 pairs of skis with different options). I do have a decent pair of no wax skis, but they won't work in ice all that well. I guess I'm just going to have to do the ski prep at the race.

To make matters worse, they're now predicting up to a 1/2 inch of ice tonight (followed by snow) so the driving may be treacherous (if not impossible- the race is nearly an hour away). Do you think hard wax over klister would work on the car tires too?

[Wahine]

Good luck. On both the drive and the race!!

[anakiwa]

Well at least they've delayed the start 2 hours- so the driving should be easier and there will be more time to figure out what to do.

This afternoon there's been a lot of frozen stuff (?sleet- hard little ice pellets) coming down. Any ideas about that- klister? blue klister? violet klister?

Hope everyone else is getting snow!