X-country skiing advice

“Thank you Pathman. I actually wrote down paste flouro. I'm sure I can find some around here somewhere. If not I'm going for the turtle wax!”

“Going up, I sweat like a pig, layering and venting keep me from getting hypothermic.....usually.

I have never had a day ruined because I took my waxless skis, but I have seen my partner just about explode because he had the wrong wax and snow conditions changed.

In CA you can hit 3 or 4 different types of snow in a hundred yards, makes it hard to wax.

I wax my tips and tails and Maxi Glide the waxless section.

One of the best things about x-c/backcountry skiing is....if I want company, I ski the trails, If I want to get away from everyone, I hang a right (or left) and just take off. I love exploring areas that you would never go into during the summer because of the brush and trees.

Don't overlook snowboard wax for your skis, there seems to be more variations out there for snowboards then x/c skis. Don't put "wax" in the pattern unless you don't plan to go uphill much.

I'm sure I'll think of another 5 cents worth, but I gotta run....going skiing ya know ;-)”

“I wanna go skiing today too. Chores or ski? If I can manage both I may stay out of trouble.

This is a pretty good site for skiers of all levels.

http://www.skipost.com/”

“here is one for sass and getagrip. :D

Ski likeawoman.com”

“I wouldn't use car or floor wax simply because I don't know how it would work. I wax the smooth parts, for and aft of ny buddy's skis with white, polar X-C wax. I iron it on and it pretty well lasts the season.

Doug”

“My waxless skis usually do a decent job of gliding. Fast is my enemy. I cannot master stopping and turning beyond the most rudimentary of efforts. It's awful. I think I belong on the snowshoe thread. LOL!”

“Oh yeah,

Don't bring beer. You guys down there will have to trust me on that one.”

““Oh yeah,

Don't bring beer. You guys down there will have to trust me on that one.”
Gremlin
11:41:41 AM

Not for a winter overnight anyway.”

“Hey, don't you like beercicles?”

“Not when they involve beer cans exploding in my pack.”

“Zac - are you doing that Alabama vasectomy?

Note: see Divinity's "cute jokes" thread.”

“thanks for the advice (real or imagined) you guys. I don't really know where we are planning to go. About 10 people, only a few of us have ever been x-c skiing before. We are renting equipment, so thankfully I don't have to think about all the ins and outs of purchasing. Especially the clothing advice is good. Pathman knows how much I hate being cold... Another thing. How much extra food do you normally find you have to take? I am thinking I will burn more calories with all this sweating. Are we talking extra snacks or a second lunch?”

“Hey, I was serious about the camera thing. That fricking hurt.”

“I'll keep good camera placement in mind. If I happen to be carrying someone else's camera, that is :)”

“About clothing while cross country skiing. For the longest time I wore sweatpants , t shirt and a sweat shirt. I kept a knitted hat on for a while, and wore a pair of goggles. Even then, I had problems with sweating, which is my enemy. In the woods on the coldest of days was pretty warm. Out in a field on a mother cold day I would bundle up a little more, but only a little. It's pretty easy to keep warm on the cross country skiis.”

“Hey, I don't know if anyone mentioned it or not but make sure you use a water bottle, not a camelback or platy w/ a tube. Those tubes freeze.

I like wool army pants or fleece pants, long undies top and bottom and a fleece pullover or wool sweater, hat, balaclava and gloves. I'll throw a jacket in a pack for when we stop so I don't get chilled.”

“Thanks for the tip on water bottles. I actually gave up on them quite a while ago because of my ability to almost instantly puncture each one I bought. The many spiny plants in the desert and water bladers do not play well together!”

“I use my Camelback. Have neoprene cover for tube, stick mouthpiece inside outlayer of clothing.”

“the key to stayin warm is to stay dry (ventilate when high aerobic) and to cover up when you stop, BEFORE you start feeling chilly.”

“Thanks all for the advice. I ended up wearing just a wicking long-sleeve shirt for most of the time along with some really light long underwear under waterproof pants. Since I was totally unskilled (and my so-called friends took us newbies on a really hilly trail), I was glad to have the waterproof pants with all the falling I did. Finally, I got the hang of things and started being able to look around a bit. The experience was fun.”

“I'm glad you had fun :-)”

“Yep, layering.

In all aerobic activities, you have to wear layers of clothes, usually wicking, breathable stuff. Even when I'm mtn. biking or x-country skiing in -15C temps, I start with 3 or 4 layers of clothes....when I'm 5 to 10 minutes into the activity, my thick fleece comes off, then depending on how hot I get, or how cold it is, my thinner fleece vest comes off....usually, I end up wearing only the polypropolent (sp.) long sleeved underwear and a wind shell.

It's only when I'm in a break, that I've to quickly put back the fleece jacket. Sometimes I change my wicking undershirt too....I don't like the clammy feeling.”