How to Choose Cross Country Ski Touring Gear

Touring gear lets you hike winter trails.

Ski touring is loosely defined as using cross country ski equipment to hike in the woods. It can also be skiing in cross country tracks at Nordic ski areas. Unlike telemark skiing, which uses equipment almost as heavy as alpine gear to ski steep lines in the backcountry, cross country gear is lightweight and designed for more gentle inclines and downhill grades. Choosing cross country gear is not too difficult, but you do need to carefully consider a few variables while shopping.

Instructions

1. Choose your boots. Cross country boots can be either three pin, Salomon Nordic System, or New Nordic Norm. The boots are binding specific, so the choice of boot will dictate the binding. If you want to explore more downhill-oriented terrain, choose a backcountry touring boot that has a plastic cuff that will provide more lateral stiffness. For general touring a lower-cuffed lightweight leather boot is usually sufficient.

2. Examine the terrain that you will be exploring. If the snow is deeper and you are going off trail, you will want a wider ski. If you prefer skiing in groomed tracks, choose a narrower ski.

3. Multiply your height in inches by 2.6 and then add the number 25 to it to find the number in centimeters for the proper length ski. Go a little longer than that number if you are heavier or want more float in deeper snow, and a little shorter if you are lighter or want more maneuverability.

4. Measure from the floor to just under the armpit to find the proper length ski pole for most general touring. An adjustable ski pole can be useful if you like to ski a lot of rolling terrain, as you can increase the pole length for uphill and flat travel and decrease it for downhill travel.

Tips & Warnings

• Skis with partial metal edges give added performance for general touring, while full metal edges are best for better downhill performance.

• Waxable skis perform better than waxless, although waxless skis require less maintenance. With waxable skis, you use a kick wax in the wax pocket of the ski, located under the boot, to provide traction for uphill travel and a glide wax on the tip and tail for downhill and flat travel. A waxless ski has a fishscale pattern underfoot to provide traction.

References

• REI: How to Choose Cross Country Ski Equipment
• Cross Country Skiing Association: Choosing Equipment