(upbeat music)
- Hi, I'm Greg Rhodes, with PSIA,
and I'm here with REI Co-op,
to cover the essential gear that you're gonna need
to be successful on the trail.
We're gonna talk about skis, boots, and poles.
Some comfortable clothing to wear while you're skiing,
and maybe some other small essentials
that you want to carry with you when you're on the trail.
Cross-country skiing has two types of skiing,
skating and classic.
Skate skis are a little shorter than classic skis,
and a little stiffer.
Classic skis are gonna be nice and long,
so you can have a nice gliding surface to go on them.
So in any classic ski,
we have a kick pocket,
that when you're classic skiing
you're gonna have to compress down and grip the snow,
so when you compress the pocket,
it doesn't slide this way,
so you can actually kick your ski off of it,
but you want to be able to slide
across the snow in this direction.
Within a classic ski,
there's actually three different styles of grip zone
that you're gonna use,
or that you can choose from on your gear.
In a touring type ski,
which might be a little wider,
there might be a grip zone through the middle here,
that's made up of what we call fish scales.
With it going smooth this direction,
and gripping this way.
Another format of mechanical grip is a skin ski,
and this is an inlaid piece of mohair skin,
or synthetic skin in the base,
and it's really smoothing going this way,
and it's rough against this way.
Some traditional classic skis are gonna have a kick pocket
that you actually have to apply kick wax to,
and so there's no differentiation
in that bottom part of the ski to tell the difference,
but you're gonna apply a kick wax,
which is sticky, to this zone
that you'll have your ski shop mark out for you.
You want to go with a traditional kick wax classic ski,
make sure you ask your ski shop about the appropriate wax
and how to apply your wax when you get it.
For beginners, when you go to a ski shop or a rental shop,
many times you'll end up with either a fish scale,
or a skin ski, and this is because they're a little
easier to maintain, you don't have to worry about
selecting the right kick wax for the temperature
and the snow conditions.
You can just grab your ski,
any snow conditions and go.
When you go to get cross-country skis at the shop,
or in a rental shop,
they're gonna ask you your body weight
as well as your height.
Cross-country skis are sized based off of body weight.
The reason why we do this is you need to have enough weight
to press that ski flat on the snow,
so it grips the snow so you can move forward.
So if you're too light for your ski,
you're not gonna have enough weight
to push that down flat against the snow,
and you're not gonna get any kick,
or any way to move forward.
If you're too heavy for your ski,
the kick pocket's gonna drag the whole time,
and you're not gonna have as much glide or stability
when you're trying to glide on your ski.
Just like skis, there's different boots
for skating and classic skiing.
A skate boot is gonna have a nice high cuff,
that's rigid, that gives you lateral stability
when you're pushing laterally on your skate ski.
It also is gonna have a very stiff sole
that doesn't allow you to flex the toe,
'cause you want to have a nice solid platform
when you're pushing off on a skate ski.
A classic boot, on the other hand,
it's gonna have a lower cuff,
it's gonna be soft up there,
'cause you want to have as much movement
and flexibility in that classic boot as possible.
You're also gonna have a really soft toe,
that allows you to flex,
and naturally kick that ski.
(upbeat music)
Cross-country skiing we don't just use
our feet and our skis,
but we actually get to use poles as well.
Couple things to think about with your poles
are gonna be the straps,
as well as the length specific for classic or skate.
There's two different strap systems.
One is gonna be a traditional system like this,
and then some that are gonna have a Velcro system like that.
Really, these allow you to fit
maybe a bigger mitten or glove in there.
These are a little bit more comfortable,
and allow a bigger platform to push against
when you're actually poling.
A classic pole, you're gonna size when you land your pole
flat on the ground, standing in your ski boots
on a hard surface,
that pole, the top of it,
should land between your armpit
and the top of your shoulder.
In contrast, a skate pole is gonna land
somewhere between your lip and your nose.
One tip is you can always buy a longer pole,
just ask your shop to cut 'em down
to your appropriate length.
Basic gear that you need for cross-country skis,
are skis, boots, and poles.
They are going to be specific for skate and classic,
if you want to know specifically how to skate or classic,
you can check out our other videos.
If you're not ready to purchase,
most REI's are gonna have a rental fleet
that you can go and rent,
and try the gear before you buy it.
Cross-country skiing is an aerobic activity in the winter,
so you have to manage both heat as well as the cold,
so the clothing's gonna be very unique.
A base layer that is made of a synthetic or wool,
that allows your moisture to move away from your skin,
is gonna be the most important part of it.
Make sure your base layer is not cotton,
and a synthetic or a wool material
that'll keep you warm when you're wet,
as well as in the cold.
Depending on how cold the conditions are,
you might want to have a mid-layer on.
A mid-layer will be either a light-weight fleece,
or a lot of times I'll wear a synthetic vest,
just to cover the core part of my body,
and keep me warm when I'm out skiing.
A lot of times I will also wear a jacket or a shell.
In cross-country skiing, soft shells are probably the best,
because it does allow a lot more breathability
than a hard shell.
Still, you'll have times when it's snowing,
so you'll want to have a soft shell that has some way
to prevent against moisture
soaking yourself in when you're in there.
If you're in a really wet or rainy condition,
you might actually want to wear a rain jacket.
Just remember that you are gonna have more moisture
underneath that, and you're gonna get really cold
if you're out there too long.
The nice thing about having layers,
a base layer and a mid layer,
is if you do get hot, you can take off your jacket,
and just ski with just your mid layer on.
Just like your upper layers,
your lower layers are gonna have a similar idea.
I will always wear long underwear on the bottom,
that is made out of similar material
as my top base layer.
As well as then a shell pant
that has a similar soft shell characteristics as my top.
So a little bit of wicking,
as well as DWR or water repellent on the front.
One nice characteristic to keep in mind,
for any of your bottom half and your pants,
is to have them a little bit more form-fitting,
like an athletic pant,
instead of a big, baggy alpine pant.
That ability allows your legs to move more freely
when you're cross-country skiing.
Outside of layering,
the next important thing is gonna be gloves.
And gloves are very specific to how cold your hands get.
A lot of time, I personally ski
in really light-weight, thin glove.
It fits well in my pole straps,
and my hands get really hot and sweaty,
so I like to be able to have a thin layer glove with me.
If it's colder, I'll wear a mitten,
or a three-fingered mitten type of thing.
Some of these are really nice 'cause you can layer
actually the mitten with a liner.
Next thing on your head,
a really light-weight hat.
Again, of wool or synthetic material is nice.
A lot of people will wear a headband instead of a hat,
because they're so hot.
I also always wear a buff, or a neck gaiter.
I can pull it up to keep the wind
from going down my jacket and my back,
or also for the sun protection
if it's a really sunny day in the mountains.
Finally, socks.
Again, just like your base layer,
you do not want to have cotton gym socks.
You want to have a good pair of wool or synthetic ski socks.
Just like any other sport
that you have in a nice-fitting boot,
you do not want to wear multiple layers of socks.
If you're in a really cold condition,
don't put on two socks,
just get a little thicker sock
that has a wool in it, or something like that,
that's gonna keep your feet warm.
But sometimes we also ski when it's pretty warm out,
so have a thinner layer sock.
Sometimes I'll use just a hiking sock,
or a light-weight cycling or running sock,
instead of a specific ski sock.
One other thing to have with you all the time is sunglasses.
These are important,
one, for if it's sunny out,
to protect your eyes from any sun.
Also then on the snow there's a lot of glair that comes up,
so a glass that actually has full protection
is really important to have
when you're cross-country skiing.
Another important thing for having glasses on,
is to protect from snow
falling in your eyes when you're skiing.
Cross-country skiing is an aerobic activity
that's gonna require you to carry some hydration
as well as some food,
while you're out on the trail.
So here are a couple essentials
that I think you should have with you while you're skiing.
It's easy to carry some kind of gel, or maybe a bar,
or some kind of gummy.
It's gonna be nice to have with you
that's easy to consume when you're out on the trail,
especially when it's cold.
Also you're gonna have to have some kind of hydration.
You can start with the most simple and smallest,
where you can just carry just a simple water bottle,
and there is a little pocket
to carry some energy gels with you,
this is the easiest and lightest
that you might carry with you,
or you might already have in your house.
There are some, a little bit more cross-country ski specific
hydration belts that have a water bottle built in,
with some insulation to keep your water from freezing,
as well as a little bigger pocket
that can fit both your kick wax
if you're using waxable classic skis,
as well as more food in there.
I also like to carry my phone,
or any kind of navigation equipment in this pack.
Hydration packs are also an easy way to carry your water,
and any other extra food,
as well as maybe an extra layer,
or if you get too warm,
you can shed a layer and put into your hydration pack,
when you're on a longer ski,
or you might have changing weather conditions
when you're out there.
If you're gonna go for a longer ski,
or at more remote Nordic center,
you might consider even a larger pack
that allows you to carry the 10 essentials
for backcountry travel.
If you want more information about the 10 essentials,
we have a video for that.
Before you even go out,
start thinking about putting on some sunscreen,
and you might even want to carry
a small tube of this with you,
if you're gonna go up for a longer ski.
The sun really does reflect back,
and can augment any sun problems to your skin.
I also always have lip balm with me,
especially in the dry environments.
These have been all the essential items you need
to go cross-country skiing.
One final tip, ski ties are a great addition
to keep your skis together while you're walking around,
but also, keep your skis,
your ski bases protected
when they're in the back of your car,
on your way to the trail head.
I'm on my way out for a ski,
and I hope to see you guys out on the trail soon.
(upbeat music)