Cross Country Skiing

[slynny]

Anyone else do this? I'm planning to start this winter and could use any advice.

[CaptainSwab]

Whats skiing? Whats snow?? :D j/k

[mountainvegan]

I do that; a lot of it. :) Mainly on jeep roads and mountain sides ranging from mellow cruisers to the steep and deep.

What kind of terrain are you planning to ski? Do you have any specific questions or concerns?

[slynny]

Very Funny Captain :p :D

mountainvegan, great! Now I can bother you with any questions I might have :) I will be skiing on what you call jeep roads I think...do you mean like roads that just have two tire paths-if that, right? We call them number roads because they are numbered and not named. The terrain in norther WI is slightly hilly, but we don't have mountains or anything like that. We can get a lot of snow and the temps can drop way below 0. Specific questions right now concern equipment...what do we need to start out with. I don't want to go nuts in case we decide we don't like this, but I don't want to cheap out either. Also, I'm afraid of my feet getting to cold...l've only skied down hill and the skimpy little cross country boots look like they would turn your feet to ice in minutes. You know I'm kind of a weather wimp :D

[tearhsong2]

At first, I would rent or borrow the equipment you need and go a couple of times to see if you like it. You'll want warm clothes (thermals and thermal socks aren't a bad idea), ski pants, a warm coat, hats, gloves, etc, plus for the skiing part you'll need cross country skis, boots, bindings, ski poles, and some kind of wax for the skis to help prevent snow from sticking to the skis. A compass and a map of the area would be good, too. I carried a backpack with me with water, a thermos of hot cocoa, my lunch, snacks, a first aid kit, an emergency blanket, sunscreen, something to sit on (like a mat or one of thoe backpacking chairs) and some of those little bags of hand warmer. If you go somewhere remote or if there's any chance of an avalanche, a transponder would be something good to have.

If you've never gone x-country skiing before, you might want to take a beginner's course. They'll teach you how and usually go over cold weather awareness type stuff--avalanches, traveling over ice, hypothermia, frost bite, etc.

[slynny]

Hi teahsong, a backpack is a great idea, I usually take one when we go hiking, or biking. I wasn't thinking backpack for winter...I'll bring it up!
We thought about renting first, but I haven't been able to find any rental places.
I figured we would need warm clothes, I guess I was wondering what thin thermal stuff is best, most usefull, a must? We will have a GPS with and a map. No worries on avalanches here, just frost bite.
Thanks!

[tearhsong2]

Are there any outdoor/ski shops there? Any ski instructors/courses? Some shops will actually rent and will have advertisements for local instructors. Some of the store clerks would probably know where you could go to get started without spending a ton of money.

For thermals, I use polypropeline (sp?) underwear. It's lightweight, soft, and warmer than regular thermals.

[slynny]

You would think there would be someplace, darned if I can find one. Here in town we do have two ski shops, niether will rent. Up north, I haven't found or heard of anything either. We did find a shop that has reasonably priced new skiis...we'll see. Thanks for the up on the unders. I'll keep looking.

[mountainvegan]

Well, tearhsong2 provided a good equipment list. Here are a couple of specifics that may be useful:

Bring / wear multiple layers consisting of polypropylene (underwear), fleece (maybe more than one layer of fleece) and a shell (in addition to all that tearhsong2 mentioned).

The backpack is essential for longer tours since you will want to add and discard layers during to trip.

Thin acrylic gloves that are like socks for your hands are a good compromise between bear hands and heavy winter gloves when working up a sweat. They're also good for dexterity in very cold weather. Just remember to bring heavy winter gloves for down time and downhills. :)

When trying for warm feet, remember to allow for plenty of blood circulation in your feet. If wearing more than one layer of socks causes poor circulation, you’ll get cold feet fast. So, make sure you fit your boots with how ever many socks you intend to wear on the cold days. Personally, I’d rather the boots be a little loose than too tight.

Have fun! :D

ETA: Here's a link to REI:

http://www.rei.com/category/4500011.htm?cm_re=toc*2*crsscntry#cross_country

They have lots of good gear info. :)

[Draekyn]

For cold feet - I just purchased Salomon cross country ski boots, and they have a pretty thick fleece lining. Maybe this type of boot would help you.
I haven't used them yet, but it might be something to look into.
*looking forward to skiing*