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Basics Of X-Country Skiing Contents: Taking care of your equipment is very important. Your equipment will last twice as long with a minimal amount of care before and after each trip. At the Beginning of the Season:
Before Each Trip:
After Each Trip:
At the End of the Season:
Dressing properly is important. Like everything else x-country skiing has certain styles involved, and like everything else style often gets in the way of practicality. Remember, the idea is to keep warm and dry, not to look good. the first trick is to dress in layers. This way you can take off clothes as you warm up and put clothes on as you cool. This is better then relying on a heavy jacket for two reasons. First you have better temperature control. Secondly this allows you to prevent yourself from sweating. Sweating is a big problem because it cools you rapidly when you stop moving, and makes it very difficult for you to warm up. Of course you should dress for the expected weather, but make sure you are ready for colder-then-expected weather. Here's an example of how do dress in layers: Feet: Light cotton sock, covered by warm wool socks. Boots on top of it all. Legs: Long-johns and ski pants. Torso: Light cotton shirt, covered by a light cotton or wool sweater, covered by a fleece jacket, covered by a wind breaker. Head: Toque and hood Hands: Warm mittens, but carry a pair of light gloves for warmer days.
This is one of the most important skills you need to master. If you can't do this you'll have a lot of trouble skiing. Luckily it isn't very hard. To make it easier get a small thermometer you can carry with yourself when you ski. Make sure the thermometer covers a temperature range from +5C to -30C (40F to -25F) - these should be available from your ski shop. To determine what wax you measure the temperature of the surface snow. Now look at your waxes - they should be rated by temperature. Pick the wax that covers the temperature you measured. If the temperature you measured is covered by more then one wax, use the wax with the lower temperature rating - you'll see the reason for this in the next paragraph. The temperature ratings of the waxes are related to the hardness of the wax - colder temperature ratings corresponds to a harder wax. Once you've picked you wax, wax your skis with it. Now you're ready to ski! Unfortunately, using the temperature rating on the wax won't always give you the right wax. You may notice that your feet are slipping when you try to move forward. This is because you put a wax that was too hard on your skis. To fix this apply a layer of softer wax (i.e. a wax for warmer temperatures). If snow is clumping to the bottom of your skis your wax is too soft. To fix this you must apply a harder (colder temperature) wax. Unfortunately you cannot layer a harder wax onto a softer one, so you'll have to scrape the soft wax off your skis, and then apply the harder wax. This is why you should use the colder wax if the snow temperature is covered by more then one wax. Knowing how to properly wax your skis is also important. If you put wax on too much of your ski you will not glide forward effectively, but if you don't have enough wax you're skis will not be able to grip the snow effectively, and your feet will just slide back and forth when you try to move. As I mentioned in the introduction page there is a "wax pocket" on your ski. It consists of the middle third of your ski, and is centered directly under the binding. This is where the wax goes. Unfortunately, the area you need to cover is never exactly 1/3rd of the ski, so you will have to experiment a little to get it right. To wax your skis first uncap the wax, and if necessary peel a portion of the wrapper back (you want approximately 0.5cm (1/4") of wax exposed). Apply the wax tip-to-tail by dragging the wax along the bottom of your ski (you may have to press really hard if using a harder wax). Remember to cover only the middle third of the ski. This will result in a thin, but bumpy, layer of wax. Next take your cork and rub it over the waxed section of the ski. This will smooth the wax somewhat. Once this is done you're ready to ski. Now try skiing. If you glide forward, but come to a rapid stop you've covered too much of the ski with wax. Scrape off the wax, and rewax a smaller portion of the ski. If your skis slip when you try to move you haven't waxed enough of the ski. Apply wax to small areas in front and behind the area you already waxed until the problem is resolved. If you can step forward with no slippage, and can slide forward smoothly you've waxed your skis perfectly. The basic skiing motion is much like walking. At first you probably will walk normally, but you will quickly pick up the proper motion. To start put all your weight on one foot. Now lift the other foot slightly off the ground (enough to lift the wax pocket off the ground, but not enough to life to whole ski) and slide it forward. Then step down on the foot you've moved forwards and push back. This should cause you to move forwards. Repeat this using the other foot. That's it. It's almost identical to walking, except you don't lift your feet as high. Once you've mastered the basic step you can move onto a slightly faster way of moving. If you move the way I described above you are essentially walking, and will move at a walking pace. To move faster all you have to do is take advantage of the fact that skis slide. To do this "spring" forward with one leg, but instead of lifting your rear foot and moving if forward, slide your rear foot forward. This will allow you to slide forward as you place your feet for the next step. Once you master this you'll be able to move at two or three times the speed you walk, without expending any more energy then you would walking. Most minor hills can be climbed simply by skiing forward. If your skis are waxed properly they should have enough grip to make it up most hills you will encounter. However, you will encounter hills too steep to ski up. There are two ways of climbing these hills. The V-Step: This is the best way to climb moderate slopes. This step is easy to do: Simply angle your feet outwards so your skis form a 'V', with the tales at the point of the 'V' and the tips at the top. Now dig in with the edge of one ski and step forwards with the other. Keep repeating this until you reach the top of the hill. You'll feel something like a duck waddling up the hill. The Side-Step: This is the only way to climb steep slopes, but it is a very slow way to move. To do the side-step stand so your skis are standing sideways on the hill. Now step up with your uphill foot, and then dig in with the edge of your ski. Now stand on the uphill ski and bring your downhill ski up beside it. Dig in the edge of your downhill ski, and then step up with your uphill ski. This is a slow and energy consuming way to move, so only use it when its absolutely needed. You can also move down steep hills using this method, but by doing the process in reverse.
Like slight up-hills you can ski normally down small down-hills. However, a more controlled descent is needed for long or steep hills. There are two ways to do this - somehow slow your descent, or turn back and forth across the face of the hill. By far the easiest to learn is the snow plow, and it can be used to both slow your descent and to turn. Other types of turns can be used to control you descent, most of which are discussed below. The Snow Plow: This is the easies and most important method of going down hill. You should master this method of descent before you try to learn any other methods of descent. To snowplow put your skis into a 'V' shape, with the tips of your skis at the point of the 'V'. You can now dig into the slope with the outside edges of both skis. This will allow you to slow your rate of descent. To turn simply shift your weight onto the ski you want to move downhill (i.e. if you want to turn to your right, place your weight on your left foot). The Parallel Turn: This turn is much like the turn downhill skiers use, although it is more difficult to do on x-country skis. To do this turn place your skis close together. Now lean in the direction you want to turn and dig in with the edges of your skis. Now push back on your skis with your heels. Assuming everything goes well you should turn in the desired direction. Unlike the snow plow you cannot directly control your rate of descent using this method, but you can turn much faster then you can with the snowplow. Because of this many skiers use the parallel turn for turning and the snow plow for speed control. This turn is easiest to do using stiff bindings and edged skis, but it can be done using any x-country setup. The Telemark Turn: This turn can only be done using edged skis with stiff bindings. It also requires strong legs and good balance. If mastered this turn allows a skier to control his/her descent my moving down the slope in smooth, graceful curves. To make this turn, slide forward with the ski that will be on the inside of the turn (for a right turn this will be the right ski). While moving this leg forward move the other leg back. You should end up with one leg sticking straight back, with your knee just above the ski. Your other leg should be extended forward, with your knee at a 90-degree angle. Now press into the slope with the uphill edge of each ski. If done properly you'll make a graceful turn, if done improperly you'll fall and probably pull the muscles in your crotch! No one plans on getting into trouble, but it can happen. The best way of avoiding problems is to take proper precautions before hand. This can be as simple as keeping to trails within your skill level, keeping your equipment in good condition, checking the weather forecast and avalanche conditions before you leave and being prepared. Emergencies can be divided into four general categories: equipment damage, injury, avalanches and getting stuck/lost. When traveling you should carry all of the following emergency equipment: map of the ski area, compass, knife, matches, some granola bars and a small amount of rope. Equipment Damage: This is the most common problem you're likely to experience. Common problems are broken ski tips and poles. Luckily both of these are easily dealt with. Several layers of duct tape is usually enough to hold a pole together. Broken ski tips can be held on with duct tape, but the tips tend to be "bendy" which can be a problem on down hills. Your ski store should carry emergency tips. These pop onto the broken tip of your ski and are held in place with an adhesive or by a screw. These provide a rigid tip and are sufficient to get you out of any fix. The other thing that can break are your bindings. Unfortunately these are almost impossible to fix in the field. If your binding breaks your only choice is to make a "binding" out of duct tape. This is done by wrapping the ends of two long pieces of duct tape around the tow of your boot, and then wrapping the other ends of the tape around the ski. If done properly you should be able to ski out. Medical Emergencies: Luckily deaths among x-country skiers are extremely rare, and most deaths occur during the driving portion of the trip. However, most of the deaths that do occur in the field are a result of physical injuries. The tragic part is most of these deaths could be avoided if people knew proper first aid techniques, and the only defense is to get first aid training. The most common type of injuries are sprains and strains. Stretching before each trip can reduce the chance of getting one of these injuries, and people can usually walk out if these occur. At least two people in a group of skiers should have first aid training, and ideally everyone should be trained. You should also travel in groups of three or more people. If someone is injured, and cannot be moved, one person can go for help while the other cares for the injured person. If there are more then three people, two should go for help and the others should remain with the injured person. Each group of skiers should carry at least one comprehensive first aid kit. Avalanches: The most common cause of serious injuries are avalanches. These injuries are usually avoidable simply by avoiding avalanche areas, or using proper techniques for crossing these areas (once again training is required for this). If you are traveling in an avalanche-prone area everyone in your group should have taken an avalanche safety course, and should be wearing avalanche beacons. Inexperienced skiers should stick to groomed trails, which rarely cross avalanche areas. If you are unsure about avalanche danger contact the local park rangers or police for more information. Getting Lost or Stuck: Getting lost is not a major concern for beginner skiers. Most of the trails you will travel will be well marked, and some ski areas have maps at all train intersections. However basic map and compass skills are an essential skill for all skiers. For more information on these topics see our map and compass pages. There is also a chance you may get stuck. This could be due to equipment failure, or some other event such as an avalanche cutting off your exit route. The best defense is to be prepared. Have your trip planned out before you leave, and make sure you carry a map of the area and a compass. You should always carry some extra granola bars for food in case you get lost. You should let at least one person know where you are going and when you expect to be back. That way there is someone to contact the forest rangers or police should you not return home. When planning your trip you should try to have more then one exit rout. That way you already have routs planned if you get cut off, or if you have to go and get help for an injured comrade. If you do get lost do not move - its much easier to search for someone who is not moving. If possible light a fire, as the smoke and flame of a small fire are visible over long distances. If it looks like you are going to have to spend the night you should try to make a shelter of some sort to protect you from the environment.
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This Page Copyright (2004), Knights of Dionysus
Authored by: Bryan Heit
