The XC Skiing thread

[Eddie]

I was saying that it looked like too much boot for the kind of skiing I see myself doing in the next few years. I'd rather have something lighter like the Fischer (judging by looks alone) for uphill comfort.

I skied with a guy for a bit yesterday who was wearing the Garmont Excursion (now the Scott Excursion). He claimed that it was only about a one lb. weigh penalty over my combi boot, and that the benefits of extra stability far outweighed the extra bit of weight. He's one of the owners of the area I ski and has been at it for 30+ years. Just a data point.

I plan to demo some soon, so I'll let you know my impressions.

[lukasz]

1 lb split between two boots isn't bad at all. More exercise! Yeah let me know. You use NNN-BC bindings right now?

[Eddie]

1 lb split between two boots isn't bad at all. More exercise! Yeah let me know. You use NNN-BC bindings right now?

Nope, I use NNN with a Rossi X-8 Combi boot. I have a mostly detached main ligament in one ankle, so the higher cuff and plastic frame support give lots of extra stability, and the sole is still plenty flexible. I've used NNN-BC a few times and the difference is so slight that it doesn't make sense to have both. I'd pick one or the other and stick with that on my touring/track/light BC skis and my "urban" (clapped out) skis. I'll go to a 75mm from here.

EDIT: Boot I use looks to now be called the X-6 Combi. Rossi seems to rejigger their model designation every couple of years just to keep it confusing.

[DCT]

ok this weather sucks.

i need a two day trip to either vermont or lake placid. good intermediate groomed trails, fun town for dinner, and a clean reasonably priced inn.

ideas?

[Eddie]

Word is that Minnewaska was skiing off-the-charts yesterday, but with these temps, tough to tell what tomorrow will bring.

Abe? I know you're out there.

[DCT]

this wouldn't suck.

XC Conditions | Whiteface Mountain

[ned]

ok this weather sucks.

i need a two day trip to either vermont or lake placid. good intermediate groomed trails, fun town for dinner, and a clean reasonably priced inn.

ideas?

Been a long time since living/skiing in NH, but the nordic trails around Waterville Valley were quite good. Lucky Dog Tavern in Plymouth. Colonel Spencer B&B is about 1/2 way in between.

Or hop a flight out here. I skied a quick 10k loop at our "urban" track 15 min from the house because I was too short on time to drive 30 min to one of three spots with 15+k groomed.

[lukasz]

Nope, I use NNN with a Rossi X-8 Combi boot. I have a mostly detached main ligament in one ankle, so the higher cuff and plastic frame support give lots of extra stability, and the sole is still plenty flexible. I've used NNN-BC a few times and the difference is so slight that it doesn't make sense to have both. I'd pick one or the other and stick with that on my touring/track/light BC skis and my "urban" (clapped out) skis. I'll go to a 75mm from here.

EDIT: Boot I use looks to now be called the X-6 Combi. Rossi seems to rejigger their model designation every couple of years just to keep it confusing.

I've got the same setup as you. Hopefully I won't break it more before I go to something more sturdy.

[Badonkadonk]

this wouldn't suck.

XC Conditions | Whiteface Mountain

dude, it's awesome up there
splurge a little and stay at the whiteface lodge - close to town, around the lake from the mountain, great spot with lotsa amenities
and if you tack on an extra day, see if it's safe to climb cascade in the winter. i can see the last push to the summit being a little hairy, but the VIEWS

[DCT]

thanks marc. i'll look into that now. we need some f'ing snow!

XC Conditions | Whiteface Mountain

[ned]

image-3186582599.jpg

Got in about 15k this afternoon. We haven't had new snow in a week, but it's been cold enough that the tracks are holding up well. Y'all NY'ers could probably fly to SLC faster than you can drive north to good snow.

[caleb]

Finally got by wax bench set up in the new house to prep some new skis.

The skis are soaking up base oil as I type.



Skill and horsepower always win, but new gear is fun too.

[caleb]

Just about 10am CST. Checked the weather before packing up to head out skiing.



Crap.

[caleb]

Two recent biathlon races worth watching:

[caleb]

Notes in the margins:

- Two points about technique jumped out at me in the final leg of the relay at Ostersund (above). First, their effort on the first hill is a good example of "hopping" V1. They're spending very minimal time on the off-side ski and transitioning very quickly back to the strong-side ski. The Italians started doing this in nordic races about ten years ago. It doesn't appear standard in biathlon yet, but the best men are doing it. Second, again in the final leg of the Ostersund relay, there's a view of the big hill from the front. What struck me when watching the Norwegians was the perfect alignment of ski/knee/hips/upper body. From the front, this establishment of alignment is most evident in what looks to me like drastic lateral kneecap movement as they switch sides. Way, way different that the "figure skater" stance where the center of mass stays stationary and the legs move out at an angle.

- About wax. The other day I was driving out skiing with a buddy who's experienced racing, coaching, and waxing at high levels. He tells me he's been reading some scientific papers from a Swedish university about waxing that basically blow everything we think we know about waxing out of the water. I don't remember all the details, and that's not really the point. He mentions that he's long thought that for the cold, old, transformed snow that we usually have in the midwest, low floro waxes are actually faster than high floro waxes. Pure floro topcoats are absolutely fast, but something about the HF waxes doesn't work, at least with our snow. So, save your money and just buy the cheap stuff.

I also found a new favorite wax for single digit temps that same day: Fastwax Teal. It goes on way easier than Start Green (the old standard), and I think under the conditions we commonly have it's faster. An added bonus is that it's like $11 for a block at our local shop.

[ned]

Caleb, thanks for the posts. Today felt like shit from a fitness aspect so I focused on some much needed technique. I found a quiet, almost 1k section of slightly uphill and uncambered (so much of the track where I usually ski tilts to the right or the left) trail. Did laps of V2 until the fatigue made the technique hopeless. Watching the pros helped me visualize a few things to work on. The shifting of body weight/center of gravity from over top of one ski and then to the next. I tried to frame the tips with my hands before pole-skate. Made the off ski leg come across and lightly touch the thigh of the active leg before transitioning across. Thinking of one legged squat form and my big toes really got the legs involved. If I keep making progress, I might be mediocre in a few more winters.

[72gmc]

Caleb, thanks for the biathlon posts. I am now hooked and mixing biathlon in with cyclocross for my predawn stretching/mechanicking/working sessions.

[caleb]

Caleb, thanks for the biathlon posts. I am now hooked and mixing biathlon in with cyclocross for my predawn stretching/mechanicking/working sessions.

Great, but I don't recommend shooting before the sun is up. The neighbors have a tendency to complain.

[72gmc]

edit: insert "videos" after "biathlon" and "cyclocross"

[Jocko Homo]

I used to do primarily skating XC when I was like 11-14 years old. Pretty brutal compared to cycling! I had the itching to get back into it this year, really super cold though..

Always wanted to try biathlon back then, I shot some rifle that was supposedly used in the Lake Placid olympics, I couldn't believe how light the trigger was, you could literally breath on it and it would go off.