How to XCD on NNN/SNS?

[Raventele]

Ron,

As fo XCD gear, I'm going to comment in the next post.
BTW, are you going to try XCD again?

If you're more interested in XCD and get the urge to ski like the guys on the scene, you're a type of person who could share enjoyment with us after having learned the basics of XCD. So please go on to read following snippets. On the other hand, if you were turned off or stirred scary emotions by the video, we'd like to recommend you to return where you belong.

TeleMarcin,

Thanks for such informative link!
That'll be sure to save a lot of energy of mine to spare time for writing some routines.

Cima, my current XCd is usually Alpina lite Terrains , 3PC and, generally T4's .. And granola bars
Generally, I will go to a very nice local Nordic area and ski between the trails through the trees and meadows...
Or sometimes I climb closed ski areas..just like you all ..And sometimes I even ride lifts and ski my hidden sidecountry gems. I feel like an apostate! But I am seriously interested in your TECHNIQUE.

[Krakus]

I have been learning XCD-skiing on NNN-BC setups (with old Tuas and Glittertinds) for a couple of years, but I am still far from being happy with my skill...Here are some examples of my efforts


https://picasaweb.google.com/karrodunon ... 8478994114
https://picasaweb.google.com/karrodunon ... 0381073874

[Krakus]

Length
In the case of cross country ski (XC), it has been usually said to choose skis longer than your body length by a range of 5.9 to 11.8 inches (15 to 30 cm).
If you walk on mild hills and traverse their slopes more often than you descend with making turns, then you can follow the guide above. However, if descending the slopes is your main concern, consider choosing shorter ones. In my case, I like the ones a little shorter than my body length.
The longer the skis become, the more directional (hard to turn) they get. Also in backcountry the shorter ones increase mobility. The longer ones get more flotation on powder, but you can gain it by increasing width also.

You do not consider skier weight in choosing ski lenght? It seems to me that selection based on body height works only for those of average body build.

[Johnny]

Welcome aboard Krakus!

Woah... That's some nice shots! Thanks for sharing! Where are you located exactly?

Don't think about your skills... Just think about the fun you're having when you ski... Skills are totally optional...

Try to keep your upper body facing downhill all the time, turn only with your lower body... And keep your tele stance a little bit longer at the end of your turns...

Of course weight is important when choosing the right ski. But length and style and body and camber are just as important. I always try to "feel" the ski in my head before buying it. I try to imagine the ski length underneath my feet. Sounds weird, but it works!

I'm 6'1, 160lbs and for XCD on skinny skis (Glittertinds & Karhu XCD GT), something around 205cm seems the best for me. A bit shorter, around 180cm for larger (Guides/Annum/10th Mtn/Epochs) skis...

[CIMA]

Ron,

This thread may not be right place for 3-pin fanatics.

Krakus,

Welcome!
And thanks for sharing your videos.

You seem to be a fully-fledged XCD skier already.
If I am on such long skinny ones with shouldering a big backpack, I cannot make turns so well as you do.

As for weight, it may affect when you walk or descend on consolidated snow due to the flexure of the camber. But it may not do so much on soft snow. If you can try test run on different XCD skis, check the stiffness of the camber. If you don't like braking caused by the fishscales very much, choose stiffer skis. However, on another point of view, too much brake on descend means good grip on ascend. We should find a trade-off point somewhere between. The stiffness would affect the feeling on power also. I like Fischer's and Rossignol's very stiff cambers in whole.

LJ,

Don't think about your skills... Just think about the fun you're having when you ski... Skills are totally optional...

Couldn't agree more!

[CIMA]

Snippet 05: Basics (part 1 of 2)

If you have a solid background of XC already, skip this post.
If you're an AT or telemark skier, the followings may be of some help to you.

In XCD, you cannot rely on the gear so much as you did in other ski styles.
Then, balance matters? Well, that is true, but before jumping on the Slacklines, you should check how much you had been got support from the gear previously.

One of the best ways to know yourself may be to run on the track for the cross country ski on normal XC gear. A full-scale track designed for XC racing would be better because you'll find steep slopes and difficult curves there. If you're new to XC, you'll have a very bad hair (or butt) day.

The reasons why you have had such a miserable day on the XC skis are not only because you don't have good senses of balance nor have you specific techniques of XC. I'd like to comment about the following point most folks overlook.

Many of us have lost the senses of our soles. Thanks to comfortable shoes, limitless pavements and increasingly sedentary life, there are few places for us to give our foot full play. As a result our soles have got almost numb. To check that, try pinching your toes one by one. Do you feel as vividly as you pinch your fingers? Many would find that their fourth and fifth toes have lost senses. The fifth toe is said to be strongly connected to the sense of balance in whole.

To wake your hibernating soles up, do some training. Taking a barefoot walk on the beach or going hiking on shoes with thin rubber soles would be good examples. In winter, just walking on normal XC skis on soft snow is good enough for calling back your senses of soles.

After performing above exercises, take a look at the techniques of XC and try some of them. (Thanks, TeleMarcin!)

[Johnny]

Many of us have lost the senses of our soles. Thanks to comfortable shoes, limitless pavements and increasingly sedentary life, there are few places for us to give our foot full play

CIMA, you are my new best friend. You are the friend I've been waiting all my life! Words are unnecessary, we think the same things... I'm so glad to see I'm not the only freak who hikes mountains barefoot...

It's ALL in the toes. It's ALL in the foot itself. This is why I always tell people to drop their plastic boots for one day if they really wanna learn...

I BELIEVE IN NNN! I BELIEVE IN SNS! I BELIEVE IN BIRKENSTOCKS!

[Krakus]

Where are you located exactly?

Poland, as Telemarcin, but I live in southern part, Krakow.

I'm 6'1, 160lbs and for XCD on skinny skis (Glittertinds & Karhu XCD GT), something around 205cm seems the best for me.

I remember discussion with Steve Barnett on old TT forum, and for XCD he recommended using Glittertinds much shorter than in Madshus tables - 190 cm for him, 84 kgs.

[Raventele]

Many of us have lost the senses of our soles. Thanks to comfortable shoes, limitless pavements and increasingly sedentary life, there are few places for us to give our foot full play

CIMA, you are my new best friend. You are the friend I've been waiting all my life! Words are unnecessary, we think the same things... I'm so glad to see I'm not the only freak who hikes mountains barefoot...

It's ALL in the toes. It's ALL in the foot itself. This is why I always tell people to drop their plastic boots for one day if they really wanna learn...

I BELIEVE IN NNN! I BELIEVE IN SNS! I BELIEVE IN BIRKENSTOCKS!

But you left out Santa Claus, LJ!

[CIMA]

LJ,

Restoring the lost senses of toes is not so easy.
I'm flexing my toes at their first MP joints as one of my daily routine workouts.


(Dr. Chris Chiodo)