Skis - vital equipment
Before we get into the complex field of skis let
me just start by saying that as a beginner - DON'T BUY SKIS - HIRE
THEM !! When you start you don't know what sort of skiing you're
going to fall in love with. Maybe you'll enjoy the ease of the glide
on the prepared trails or maybe you'll enjoy making your own tracks
in the deep snow or maybe telemarking is for you. All of these
different types of cross-country skiing require radically different
equipment, so wait and see before buying.
However, as a beginner this section will help you to assess just how
good the skis you are provided with are and also what to look for
when choosing skis.
Length - The "rule of thumb" for cross-country skis is that
they should be as high as your wrist when your arms are stretched
above your head. Of course, it's easier to control a shorter pair
but if you go too short then your glide will be seriously inhibited
(or on waxed skis completely eradicated) - and that, believe me, is
NO fun. Don't go for anything shorter than your body height and you
should be OK. The "flex" or camber in the skis varies depending on
the type of ski and body weight plays its part. When balancing on
both skis simultaneously on a flat surface it should be possible to
pass a piece of paper underneath the middle part of the ski and when
standing on just one ski it should be impossible to do this. This,
of course, is very theoretical and as a beginner you are less able
to "kick" down on your trailing ski so that it doesn't slip, so you
can get away with a shorter ski.
Width - Personally I prefer to give beginners a wide, stable
ski with metal edges. This makes learning, turning and braking a bit
easier. Others would argue that such skis are too heavy but then if
you've never skied before you don't know what's heavy and light.
Those who've done some downhill skiing will think they're light in
comparison whatever they get. In some countries, particularly
Austria & Italy, such skies are outlawed on the prepared trails as
they expand the width of the trails for those skiing on "skinny"
skis. In Norway, that's not an issue.
Most important for beginners is the sidecut, or how much difference
there is between the width in the centre of the ski and the width at
the front and back of the ski. As a beginner it is essential that
you don't learn on a racing ski where the centre of the ski is the
widest part. Ensure that you are provided with a ski which is, as a
minimum, the same width along the whole length. The greater
the sidecut, the easier the ski is to turn on (and therefore to
learn with). All modern children's skis are designed this way.
Bindings - It's not that long ago that there was only one
type of binding (attaching the ski boot to the ski). This was known
as the 75mm Nordic Norm. Unfortunately, things have changed and
there are now a whole variety of bindings. This means that you can't
buy your own boots (the most important bit of gear if you were to
buy anything) and take them to various ski resorts. The Norwegian
company which produced the 75mm binding (Rottefella) now has a NNN
(New Nordic Norm) and an NNN-BC (Back Country) binding. Salomon are
the main competitor and have SNS (Salomon Nordic System) binding as
well as a BC version of the same. None of these five bindings are
interchangeable so if you have a pair of boots you need the right
binding. On the whole the SNS is the most popular but there are
plenty of NNN bindings in several countries (particularly
Scandinavia). The BC versions are usually attached to wider skis and
are much stronger bindings. At Venabu we have the NNN-BC system.
Wax v waxless - This depends on where and when you do most of
your skiing. If you're skiing in Scotland then you're probably going
to opt for waxless skis. Most of Norway uses waxable skis as the
temperatures are more reliably below freezing point. If you're
skiing in Austria, Italy, France, etc. then you're also most likely
to be provided with waxless skis. Check out the section on wax for
more information on the differences.
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