There's a few of us on here who like to take uber skinny skis out and can offer a little advice about XC be it Classic (using the parallel tracks cut in the snow) or skating style.
In fact, I was with a load of Scandis six weeks ago and they informed me that skating XC started only in the 1980's or thereabouts and a guy that started using it in competitions ended up winning loads of Classic races with his new style!
In 1982, the American Bill Koch turned the sport of cross-country skiing on its head when he skate skied his way to the overall World Cup title.
So with the Xmas hordes up on the slopes and for many their last day of a weeks holiday, it makes sense to avoid the potential for getting taken out by an out of control idiot and stick to the more sublime cross-country pistes, though in their own unique way they can be just as collarbone breaking dangerous.
After nigh on twenty days of powder since November of which 15 involved ski touring and armed with a new flash XC gilet, so I looked the part, I thought I'd be ok overall fitness wise though maybe a little rusty technique to start with, and how wrong I was!
The lady XC pisteur was outside her little hut checking tickets and offering advice to people and she remembered me and the dogs from last season, so showed her my season pass and she said to be careful with the dogs because of the four skating beginners in front and off we went.
The piste was hard and quite rutted so seemed to be difficult to get the all-important edge to initiate the resultant glide so I was all over the place and could feel my head pounding and looking at heart rate on the watch I was running really high compared to what I was doing at the end of last season 160+ vs 145+ so I had to keep stopping and taking a rest which was just as well as I had the dogs.
It did slowly come together but heart rate was still high and I had to keep stopping for a breather which I was not having to do last season once I had semi-mastered skating after six or seven sessions, so it is definitely not like riding a bike!
After 5km I called into a Cafe to see a mate and then bumped into a Brit instructor I know who mumbled something to his clients which I don't think was too flattering
Coming back was way better as it's more or less downhill all the way and I was gliding past people who had gone past me and they commented on my fartage, not that I'd done anything to the skis from last season.
Being high season holidays there were many out doing both classic and skating and all shapes and sizes, and no one made any comments about dogs "interdit".
Back home now know I've had a workout and cold air working the lungs has resulted in a bit of a chesty cough.
Think I'll try and get out earlier, though not too sure what the pisting strategy is?
For those coming out for a holiday and given the current conditions might make sense to ski alpine in the morning on the corduroy and then if you fancy it give XC a go in the afternoon?
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 28-12-18 14:56; edited 1 time in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I don’t know about skating specifically, but they say takes time to ‘find the rhythm’ again. The instructor I had to learn said they often practice without the poles first.
We’ve had a good cold spell in Stockholm and some snow, so I’ll be getting the XC skis out to do some classic when I get back.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Feckin gorgeous this morning, even though I was somewhat leant over after a very silly Friday evening.
I'd decided on doing some drills having watched a number of videos yesterday, and have to say think I'm now even more frustrated
I seem to favour one leg and can't push off on alternate legs, well at least that what it feels like.
I skated the same 1km stretch around 5 times, it also has a little uphill right at the end to really expose technique deficiencies.
I also worked on purely skating (no poles), and that really seemed to help.
Heart rate was still bonkers high though averaging 160 for just under an hour
And joy of joys in that they had pisted the trails overnight.
The picture is not pissed, just that the piste is on quite a camber.
There isn't a lot in English about the annual Foulée Blanche ski marathons. The 42km event is part of the World Loppet series. I opted for the 20km mini marathon event because i) I would need a competition license for the 42km event and this requires an extensive medical and perhaps more importantly ii) I wanted to finish before sun down !
This year the 20km event was quite a big ask, due to lack of snow it followed the same climb as the 42km race, so there was around 550 meters of up, and down. I found it physically demanding although anyone who does trail or half marathons with a bit of ski technique would fine. Skiers were at all levels, with some very poor technique compensated for by youth and strength.
A number of the other competitors had the same opinion as me, very hard at the end with soft, sticky snow.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 28-01-19 17:12; edited 7 times in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@davidof, very interesting - I am just beginning at the ripe old age of 58 and loving it (classic)
Last Friday a good friend and his mate had booked a 2hr XC Classic lesson, I did wonder if it would be cancelled as it was so windy and cold, which would mean a headwind and a very hard icy trail.
I met them in the car park, and they had just come straight from skiing on the piste, they asked me if they needed their helmets and I instantaneously said "No" as I'd never seen anyone learning wear one before, oops
Their instructor was the same guy that I had an hours skate ski lesson with.
He was very good at explaining about how if you think you're going to fall get down into a crouch as quickly as possible, low center of gravity not that far to fall, and I saw my friend follow that piece of advice to the letter, whilst the other guy fell and did not and his head whiplashed into the hard piste
They soon regretted wearing their alpine ski clothes and massive Hestra mitts, and at one point they were trying ski into the headwind with their jackets open.
But the most amusing scene was my friend trying to practice stopping with one ski in the track and the other outside in a half snow plough. The tailwind was so strong on their return leg, and with a slight downhill gradient and hard icy corduroy combined with little technique that he just could not stop and was too scared to try and get his other ski out of the track.
After that their instructor took them elsewhere where it was meant to be not as windy.
I also ended up skiing with an ex British Army guy in a sit ski, with the two skis mounted to a seat and then his legs went behind him, his problem was that one of his clips from the frame to the ski had broken so it was not too solid a fixing.
He was training up for a 55km and 77km race in Norway, feckin amazing!
This year I've probably done more days XC than piste skiing, my ambition is to try and skate ski up to the refuge Napoleon but I just think that I'll never have the necessary uphill technique. Few days ago I saw a guy who must have been twenty years younger than me trying to do it as I skinned up on touring skis and he just kept blowing up and called it a day.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Pity you didn't film your friends, still it is not nice to make fun of beginners, poor clothing choices is the bane of many a beginner skier.
Like cycling I would need to lose weight to be better uphill. It is no surprise that people like Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet are good cross country skiers. Even if they lack some technique they have great power to weight ratios.
The problem with climbing is the second you stop gliding and start sticking or digging in you've lost the battle.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Mon 28-01-19 17:13; edited 1 time in total
After all it is free
After all it is free
Quote:
the most amusing scene was my friend trying to practice stopping with one ski in the track and the other outside in a half snow plough. The tailwind was so strong on their return leg, and with a slight downhill gradient and hard icy corduroy combined with little technique that he just could not stop and was too scared to try and get his other ski out of the track.
I can relate to that. It's so easy when the snow is soft!
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
This is a little exercise that might amuse some of you, telemark turns on cross country skis, we were practising this last weekend.
Great to see a tele turn on nordic skis.. still its difficult without edges but naturally better than a parallel. For what its worth, if theres any interest out there, just had first day out on some Meidjos..
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Ribfin wrote:
Great to see a tele turn on nordic skis.. still its difficult without edges but naturally better than a parallel. For what its worth, if theres any interest out there, just had first day out on some Meidjos..
Laurent managed even better on this little blue run
let us know what you think. I've just broken a tech front toe piece so they'd need to be strong for tele use.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
The telemark turns are very impressive. That’s on skating XC skis I presume?
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Themasterpiece wrote:
The telemark turns are very impressive. That’s on skating XC skis I presume?
yes that is on normal XC gear, it helps to have smooth snow though. That's the blue ski piste at the Col de Porte. The lift was closed due to avalanche risk and indeed it avalanched the next day taking out the top station, the biggest slide for 42 years according to the locals.
this was the last day of opening at the Col de Porte, above Grenoble
but it is still possible to cross country around here with a bit of effort
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Ribfin wrote:
Great to see a tele turn on nordic skis.. still its difficult without edges but naturally better than a parallel. For what its worth, if theres any interest out there, just had first day out on some Meidjos..
I really like the meidjo I've had it for 2yrz now and find it great both on the piste and off piste. It is the best binding for touring in my opi
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Last day of Cross country skiing on Thursday. You can see the trails are a bit pock marked, they haven't been pisted for a couple of months now. It is a bit Erik von Danikenesque as the trails are clearer from the sky than on the ground. However the snow cover at 1800 meters was surprising and it was possible to ski back to the car park at 1400 meters on artificial snow.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
