XCSkiForum.com

Is the DH scene into security more these days? Locks? Lockers? Things like bike locks? I haven't skied with lifts for 10+ years. (Back bowls of Vail then...nothing. Whew, that's some COLD cold turkey.) I recall we'd sometimes do the "stash skis and poles on separate racks" trick, but I don...

It seems like even the new waxless Touring skis are lame. I'd love to hear otherwise! Anyone have any feedback? The Madshus are an elite-seeming line, for instance. My new Fischer Country's are available in waxable and waxless and seem identical. (My waxables seem slow, seem heavy, and have soft tai...

Well, sure, knickers were the thing back in the day. They work great! Knickers also used to be "the thing" for bikers and hikers. They're coming back. One niche at a time, I guess. I have several pairs---all vintage, bought here'n'there. So many sweet textures...tweed, corduroy, moleskin, ...

It does seem like XC now has an image built around: fitness / skating / "I need perfect grooming" / yuppie / lycra / correct apparel / doctor-lawyer-realtor-marketing types I saw some of this recently. The groomed skating trail was iced when I was out skiing. The old skate marks could easi...

I remember that they inspired me. But they didn't help me figure out HOW to ski. I also recall being baffled and digging around elsewhere for info about HOW to ski. I couldn't find ANY for a few years, then I found an old German translation. But back to the inspiration... My favorite aspect of Caldw...

[...] Perhaps in stead of targeting youth in general, all we need it to make XC cool for young sporty girls. with those on the trails, it will be hard to keep away the guys :-) [...] The speed potential in XC is often missed, at least for me. Instructors rarely show what we have to aim for. A full-...

Interesting topic with a lot of thoughtful responses. After skiing my first Birkie I blogged that it was enough to make winter my new favorite season. Earlier in the year we received a couple of inches of snow and I blogged about the difference in mindset between runners and skiers. 3" of snow...

... youngsters are insecure about most everything. [...] Face it, this is just NOT a cool sport. It really is like golf. I happen to like golf, but could never afford it, not the memberships, and especially not the lifestyle required to get anyone to ever talk to you on the greens. [...] Riding a b...

But listen to most people you see in your daily lives. Most of them almost constantly complain about winter weather. Most of them talk non-stop about how they can't wait for spring. I get really sick of this, and I am very happy to talk to a snowmobiler about great snow conditions [...] Book Across...

Snowshoes are not necessary when walking on a firmly packed or crusted trail. Regular hiking shoes or boots would work fine. I don't understand it - I think the snowshoes would actually make walking more difficult. Those guys must just wear them for the looks so they can say "I went snowshoein...

I agree that shoeing on ice can be far better than skiing on same, but in many of such cases the elastic crampons would be the tool of choice. For crossing icy crust, I suppose that a snowshoe would keep you on top but this still may not be such a pleasant or especially distinctive endeavor. In quit...

...And XC is the cheapest, most local snow country thing you could do. That would be snowshoeing. OK, 2 qualifiers: *Snowshoeing needs deep snow to be truly fun. Which is rare around here. We have a couple weeks a year of decent shoeing. Modern snowshoes seem often used on packed trails where boots...

The 2-KDP is lots of fun, fast and relaxing. Not as fast as a single double pole, which is why it disappeared from the races I suppose, but if you're on a ski tour (Do people still do that?)and have a long flat stretch in front of you it makes the k's fly by. This is one of the techniques that I'd ...

You know at 25-30-35... you're just out of college or maybe grad school. You're off your parent's health insurance and you're just starting out at your first job. ...And XC is the cheapest, most local snow country thing you could do. Just like casual bike touring/day-riding would be the cheapest, m...

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