Cross country skiing advice for beginner

A snowHead

With the huge dumps of snow in Chamonix my Oh has announced we are going to learn to cross country ski.

I guess that means classic in the groomed tracks.

Anyone got any advice on skiis and boots to purchase.

We can rent but the kit seems cheaper than down hill.

I was thinking of Quechua but any advice appreciated.

A snowHead

My advice, FWIW, would be to rent kit first. I learned to cross country ski a few years ago, found it much harder than it looks, so took some lessons. I ended up buying some boots and skis but only after trying out a few different types of ski so I knew what worked best for me. It’s a great sport and perfect for those snowy days when the slopes are rammed because most of the lifts are closed. Good luck!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The shop over the road from the foyer in Chamonix are helpful, maybe hire first to see what you need. Quechua have a good selection cheap and often have deals on. Veiux Campeur in sallanches have better stuff and advice but more expensive. You will need advice on the right length of skis and poles.
We started as an alternative to skiing on bad days but very much enjoy it in its own right now. Vallorcine is my favourite, also the Italian val ferret just through the tunnel is very nice. Fischer and Solomon seem to dominate the manufacturing, we have Fischer. Skis with skins are the latest tech, Mrs jbob has some and rates them highly.

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Someone told me too that unlike alpine skis, you're better going for better quality (and spending a bit more money) skis.

My skis have skins and I love that

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Fish scales, you don't want to get into XC grip waxing.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@davidof, I didn't suggest race skis, just not to buy the cheapest skis in the shop

After all it is free

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@Jonathan Bell, rent - and take lessons. And yes, classic to start with. On flat boring valley floor tracks you can shuffle round without difficulty but there's no fun in that. To even begin to do it properly takes lessons - I'm a fairly competent downhill skier and after 3 weeks of lessons, and a couple of privates, over the years, still not much good at XC. It's a challenge, especially on anything other than a gentle downhill slope - on gentle slopes which level out where you can just stand in the tracks and hope, or do a "demi chasse neige" with one ski out of the tracks, it isn't difficult. But when the track is steep enough that the tracks disappear it gets tricky, especially if the snow is a bit icy - which presumably it won't be, this week. Be prepared to fall over! Have fun.

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@Jonathan Bell,
Mrs jbob had a one to one with Julia.

http://www.tracks-and-trails.com/index.php/eng

snow reports

Lessons.

You know it makes sense.

Blaise and Lindsay are great.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Jonathan Bell & OH, FYI, rollerskiing in Richmond Park. Worth a try.

A snowHead

I didn't find it that difficult to self teach, but you do need to put some effort in and get a good classic glide going. Did see a number of friends basically just shuffling along and not getting the whole glide going, they still enjoyed but sort of like hiking (a passtime I have never understood).
BTW why would fresh snow drive you to try XC??

A snowHead

Thanks for all the help
on kit, places to go and lessons.

@essex, Not that keen on sliding around the woods in a Lycra all in one myself but we have had a lot of lift closures due to the amount of snow. My OH sees it as a backup plan. Last year we were moaning not enough snow , now it’s too much!!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Like alpine kits, boots that fits are the key for enjoyment.

But unlike alpine kits, ski boots/binding are not standardized. So once you picked a boot, you need to use the compatible binding, AND ONLY those binding. To make matters worse, there're about 4-5 different kind of boots to choose from, each optimized for different use. e.g. classic vs skate, in-track vs bc (back country), combi (can be used for both classic and skate, but not optimized for either).

There's good reason to buy as soon as you're convinced you like it... because it doesn't cost much to buy so why bother pay for the hiring fee? And if you bought the wrong kind of kits? Well, you just have to find the right kind of condition to use it!

But you DO need a good shop to help you find the right boot, and the right length & flex of skis, (as said, bindings are pre-determined once a boot is chosen). Ideally, a shop that specialize in nordic skis, or at least does a fair amount of nordic related business would be the best. You need to discuss with the sales person regarding what type of use you'll see most often to pick the right type of setup.

That goes back full circle. Maybe you want to hire first (and take some lesson). Though personally, I found instructors are no guarantee to know different kind of skiing than the one they teach (typically in track, racing oriented?). Really, hiring and doing, even with lessons, aren't sufficient to give you enough an experience on WHAT kind of nordic skiing you're likely be doing most often. So buying the right kit is often independent from learning how to ski! rolling eyes

I've got quite a few sets of kits. Each good for one kind of condition and less so for others. I end up using each of them from time to time. It's usually dictated by condition not within my control...

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> unlike alpine kits, ski boots/binding are not standardized.

In the classic/skating world things are standardizing around the (some would say inferior) New Nordic Norm (NNN)/(NIS) binding format with Salomon launching its Prolink series. That means that boots from Fischer, Rossi, Salomon, Atomic, Madshus, Alpina and others will be interchangeable. This is due to certain NNN patents expiring.

The Salomon SNS system will probably disappear at some point. Atomic has discontinue its SNS boot range and Salomon now has more Prolink/NNN boots than SNS. So I would suggest going NNN/NIS.

Go to a shop that specializes in cross country gear, not Decathlon. Worden is the reference in the Savoie, maybe Ravenel in Chamonix?

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Cross country skiing advice for beginner

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