Technically speaking, Nordic skiing refers to any type of skiing where the heel is free from the ski, as opposed to the attached heel of Alpine or Randonee skiing.  One can argue that Telemark skiing and even Nordic ski jumping fall under this heading, however, for our discussions, Tele will have it’s own heading and we’ll leave the jumping for the Aspen Valley Ski Club.  For our Nordic discussion we’ll focus on two major headings:  groomed and un-groomed trail conditions.  We’ll follow up with discussions on the waxing and fitting of Nordic skis.

GROOMED SNOW:  For groomed snow, where a machine has resurfaced the conditions and packed them down (as found at most Nordic Centers), we will examine the following sub-headings: Skate, Classic, Light Touring, and Mid-Length skis.

Skating refers to a technique similar to ice skating, where the skier is propelled forward with side-to-side pushes of the ski in a skate motion.  Snow skating requires a special ski that is a little shorter than the long, traditional Nordic skis and has a bit more camber, or flex, which provides the skier with better balance and stability.  In addition, specific boots and bindings reflect the need for the added control and stability required in skating. Skating poles must be tall and stiff in order to perform well for the skier. Cheap, aluminum poles will only bend under pressure and will not work well for skating. 

Classic or Traditional skiing refers to a technique that dates back thousands of years, where the skier slides the skis along a set track in a parallel motion similar to a lively walking shuffle.  Racers will add an explosive ‘kick’ phase to the technique, virtually launching down the track in a repeated rhythmic motion.  Classic skis are generally sized by the traditional method of reaching your hand over the tip.  The ski that comes to the wrist or lower forearm is the correct height.  Classic skis are not easy to skate on, as they have none of the lateral stability featured in the skate skis.  However, classic skis do feature a ‘double camber’, which helps the ski to glide and kick well in the track. This double camber allows the ski to glide while holding the kick wax off the snow, and while compressing under the kick, allows the grip wax to engage and help with the kick phase.  Classical ski boots are more flexible than skating boots and are quite a bit lighter.  Salomon also makes a ‘combi’ boot that will serve both the needs of skating as well as classical techniques.  Classical skiing requires its own length of poles, as skate poles are much too tall to climb efficiently when using the classic technique.

Light Touring skis are also for classical style skiing but are generally wider and heavier than pure classic skis.  These skis may also feature a machined pattern underfoot to aid in the kick of classic technique, rather than using grip wax. Light touring gear is used by skiers that may want to venture through the woods or across a meadow on un-groomed snow every once and awhile. Light touring gear also offers more stability and support for beginning skiers than the pure classic option.

 One additional category of ski available for groomed snow is the new, mid-length skis.  Used by many skiers that would normally buy light touring skis, mid-length skis offer more maneuverability.  This leads to an increased learning curve for beginning skiers who wish to learn quickly and perhaps graduate to more traditional equipment after a couple of seasons.  The biggest benefit of the mid-length ski its easy handling.

UN-GROOMED SNOW:  Skiers will encounter un-groomed snow any time they venture away from established Nordic centers or snowmobile trails.  When skiing in these conditions, skiers should use heavier, wider skis than those for groomed skiing.  Skiers may encounter icy conditions that require a metal edge, as well as soft, deep snow that requires a wider ski for more floatation.

WAXING:  Waxing for nordic skiing is very similar to waxing for alpine skiing in that a glide wax is melted with an iron and scraped off the glide zones. The alpine and nordic versions of glide wax are the same and can be used on both sets of skis. For skating, the glide zone is the entire length of the ski, while in classic, glide wax is only applied to the tips and tails. A machined pattern or grip wax is used in the center portion, under the foot for kick in classic. This grip wax is where nordic diverges from its alpine cousin in a big way.  Good grip is a finicky thing when discussing classic kick wax, and thus, there are dozens of nordic grip waxes available covering various temperature and snow conditions. Most common are the traditional red, purple, blue and green, crayon style, grip waxes that are rubbed in the center of the ski, under the foot and polished smooth with a cork.  These waxes are used in cold, powder snow. 

Less common but just as essential are the klisters. Made for wet or icy conditions, klister is extremely sticky and if not handled with care, can get everywhere. Klister is spread very thin and smoothed out with a plastic scraper and allowed to cool to snow temperature.  The sticky nature of the klister can then grab the icy surface and allow the classic skier to kick, even when the conditions are solid ice.  Sticky but fun!

FIT: Nordic ski fit is at times both simple and complex, depending on the skill of the skier. If one is looking for top end performance in racing and training, fit can be quite complicated.  However, for the average recreational skier, fit and selection can be quite easy. The first thing to discuss in ski fit is flex. Flex is the way a ski bends under pressure and it is the single biggest factor in performance. In general, taller, heavier skiers need a stiffer ski while lightweights need a softer ski. The minute details of what that really means is left up to the ski companies to decide, and they have done an amazing job using research and fit charts to come up with high quality recommendations for the novice skier. These recommendations also allow for some ‘wiggle’ room for personal preference in regards to flex.  A region’s predominant snow conditions also affect ski flex and selection.  For instance, stiffer skis often perform well in the Midwest and the East on ice, while softer flexing skis tend to perform better in the powder of the West.

Secondly, the length of the ski is also a critical factor to fit, but less so than the flex. An ideal flexing ski can perform quite well for someone, regardless of a difference in 5 or 10 centimeters in length.  In short, there is no perfect fit because of the variability in the snow conditions.  However, it is possible to fit for general performance and come up with a ski that can perform quite well 80% of the time.  For racers, it is possible to tighten the requirements of the flex and come up with 2 pairs of skis that, between them, will cover 100% of the snow conditions.

LOCAL UPDATES:  The Aspen Cross Country Center and the Snowmass Cross Country Center will be open from approximately Thanksgiving through March.  For the most up-to-date information on gear and trail conditions, please contact them.


 

NORDIC GLOSSARY:

Groomed snow:  Snow that has been machine-prepared for skiing.

Un-Groomed snow:  Snow that has not been machined. Ice, powder, wind blown, ruts, etc.

Backcountry:  Un-groomed snow, woods, meadows, forest service trails, etc.

Skating:  Skiing with gliding, side-to-side skate pushes.

Classical:  Traditional skiing with kick and glide while riding in pre-set parallel tracks.

Kick:  The downward push with the legs and feet required to propel forward in classic technique.

Double Pole:  Pushing backward with both poles while bending at the waist. Used on the flats.

Diagonal Stride:  A classical technique where the skier uses a walking type, kicking and gliding stride up hills. Called diagonal because the opposite hand and foot are forward at the same time.

Snowplow:  Controlling one’s speed with the traditional splaying of the heels and keeping the tips together.

Herringbone:  Uphill technique where the skier keeps the tails of the skis together while spreading the tips apart and digging in the inside edges and stepping up the slope.

Sidestep:  Uphill technique where the skier stands sideways to the slope and steps side to side up the hill.

Flex:  The way a ski bends under pressure. Stiff flex means the ski resists pressure while soft flex means that the ski bends quite easily under pressure.

Soft, Medium, Stiff:  Arbitrary ratings of flex applied to certain skis by the manufacturer based on average height, weight and skier ability.

Warm, Cold:  In reference to ski base P-Tex material. Cold bases are usually harder with more graphite added to the plastic P-Tex. Cold bases are also ground very smooth to match up with cold, dry snow while warm bases use less graphite and have structure ground in to the base to break the suction of warm, wet snow.

Structure:  Small lines and cuts machine-ground or added by hand tools to a P-Tex base, which allows the ski to break free of the suction of wet snow.

Sidecut:  A slight hourglass shape to the ski that allows ease in turning

Straightcut:  A Nordic ski with a straight, parallel cut.  No sidecut.

Skatecut:  A double sidecut shape exclusive to Fischer skating skis.

Mid-length ski:  A slightly shorter ski than traditional length Nordic sizes that allows for ease in turning and a quicker learning curve.

Kick wax:  Also called grip wax.  A crayon style, rub on, sticky type wax for classic skiing.

Klister:  A very sticky kick wax that comes in a toothpaste style tube. Used for ice and wet snow.

Waxless ski:  Refers to a classic ski that has a machined pattern instead of kick wax for grip.  Skier still needs to have the glide zones waxed with a glide wax.

Glide wax:  A hard paraffin-type wax that is ironed on and scraped off of the glide zones. Used for speed.  Also available in spray and rub-on type applications.

Tracks:  The two parallel slots in the snow where classic skiing is performed.

Skate lane:  The smooth, wide section of the Nordic track where skating is performed.