Cross Country Skiing
Nordic skiing is a great way to be in the outdoors. Whether getting your morning workout, or just walking the dog, the silence of the woods and the crisp mountain air rejuvenate and inspire.
Our selection of Nordic gear can be divided into two categories. Track skiing is what you do on a prepared surface like you find at Tamarack Lodge. Track skis are light, narrow, and do not have metal edges. They are meant to stride down the groove in the snow created by the grooming machine. The absolute maximum tip width allowed in the grooves is 70 mm, and the preference is 68 or narrower. Backcountry skis are wider, heavier, and have metal edges for additional control. These skis are the ticket for getting out in the woods, off the track, and into solitude. For both kinds of adventures we use waxless skis. These are skis with a fish scale textured area under the binding that slides forward but not backward. You still want to apply glide wax before skiing, but no klister (a.k.a. grip) wax is necessary. For our snow and weather conditions, waxless skis are efficient and easy to maintain. Backcountry boots are taller, stiffer and heavier than track boots. Both use a form of NNN (New Nordic Norm) binding. The NNN BC is wider and heavier duty for control with backcountry skis and boots. NNN and NNN-BC are not interchangeable; you must match an NNN boot with an NNN binding.
We carry a full selection of Nordic skis, boots, poles, bindings and accessories. This includes gear from Alpina, Rossignol, and Maxi Glide.
Rossignol is our main Nordic company. This year we have three great packages from Rossi. The EVO Glade ski and X3 boot package comes with NNN T3 Auto binding and Explorer pole. This is a great starter setup for the track skier. The BC70 Positrack ski and BC X7 boot package comes with a NNN BC Auto binding and Explorer pole. This backcountry setup will also work in the track, so it’s a great choice for double duty in the track and out. The BC 65 Positrack package is perfect for someone who spends most of their time in the track, but wants the control of a metal edge ski. This package also includes the BC X7 boot, NNN BC Auto binding and Explorer pole.
We don’t carry much telemark specific gear these days, but the Rossi BC 125 is just too cool. It mates a typical alpine fat ski shape (125-90-120) with a lightweight construction and a Positrack base. Preston, Wes and Cara all own a pair. We love how much fun they are no matter what you are doing on the snow. Whether you are kicking through the woods, or making tele turns on the mountain, the BC110 is a great time. With its soft tip, it actually surfs the pow like a rockered ski, while the Positrack base is much lighter than skins, and climbs well on moderate slopes. It’s great for farming low angle freshies during a storm, or for that big peak with the long flat approach. We recommend matching it with basic cable binding like the Chili, and either a beefy 3pin, or a lighter tele boot, heck you could even put a light AT binding on it.
