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 are rejuvenating and inspiring. This season should be a great one for cross country skiers in the Eastern Sierra. Mammoth Nordic has purchased new equipment that will enable more frequent trail grooming, and greater total area of track skiing. Of course, Tamarack always has great grooming, and is a wonderful place to escape the beehive of people at Mammoth Mountain.

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. Backcountry skis are wider, heavier, and have metal edges for additional control. These are the ticket for getting out in the woods, off the track, and into solitude. For both kinds of adventure we use wax less skis. These are skis with a fish scale textured are under the binding that slides forward but not backward. You still want to apply glide wax before skiing, but no klister, or grip wax is necessary. For our snow and weather conditions wax less skis are efficient and easy to maintain. Backcountry boots are taller, stiffer and heavier than track boots. Both use a form of NNN binding. The NNN BC is wider and heavier duty for control with backcountry skis and boots.

We carry a full selection of Nordic skis, boots, poles, bindings and accessories. This includes gear from Karhu, Alpina, Rossignol, and Maxi Glide.

Rossignol is our main Nordic company. This year we have two 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 set up for the track skier. The BC70 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.

Karhu has specialized in Nordic and backcountry skis for years. This year we carry two backcountry and two track skis from them. The Pioneer is an easy to ski and stable: the perfect for the occasional user. The Escape is lighter and has faster base. It’s a great track ski that’s not afraid of the ungroomed. Karhu’s backcountry skis have long been the choice for Sierra tours. The XCD GT has a great blend of kick, glide and turn performance. The XCD 10th Mountain is wider, and perfect for touring and turning in rolling terrain.