What is necessary to do cross country skiing?

Question

I was just looking at equipment (on the Internet ) , and I was wondering if skis come with ski poles and if a hydration pack is necessary. I know that the boots are. Please answer all questions. Best answer=10 points!

Answer 1

What you need are XC boots, skis, and poles. Make sure you don't get alpine equipment because they're completely different. You will also need clothing to keep you warm. I wear gloves, a winter jacket, winter hat, and snow pants. I like to bring hand warmers, the kind that you open and shake to activate. They work very well. Willie D's list was a little excessive (Not to bash him)... You don't REALLY need that much stuff. Depending on how cautions you want to be, you might want to bring some first aid materials but honestly, I basically ski in the stuff I normally wear plus a jacket, gloves, hat, etc.

If you get into serious skiing, you might buy some wax. There's special wax for gripping the snow and for gliding. The wax isn't really that important and you probably won't use it anyways

You will not really NEED a hydration pack, I wouldn't carry one. It just seems like it gets in the way. Funny thing about skiing, you never really seem to get thirsty.

As to whether skis come with poles, its not always like that. Sometimes you buy a package and the package will include poles, but usually you have to buy poles separately. But don't worry, they don't cost too much in comparison with the skis and boots

Answer 2

You should be able to pick up a package deal at a ski shop that will include the skis, poles, bindings, and boots. Unless you have a ski-touring place nearby (or plan to travel to one) then get skis that are good for Off-Track skiing. Skis that can be used just about anywhere are the best. I always sold more off-track skis than I did skis that could only be used on groomed snow.

If you are buying from eBay or closeout places on the web you might have to buy the stuff seperately and then take it to a local ski shop to get the bindings mounted. They'll charge you if you don't buy from them. Usually $15-20 for a mount job for XC skis.

Clothing: Very imortant. Get stuff that is lightweight and breathable. Silk or wicking nylon is best. You won't need heavy clothing because you will be generating a lot of body heat. I have skied in a pair of lightwieght nylon pants and a t-shirt on many a January day. But if you are going out for the whole day you will need a backpack to hold some extra clothes (like a fleece, wind shell, and maybe snow pants) for when you stop for lunch. A backpack with a hydration system (like a Camelback) is a good idea.

For a usual 3-5 hour trip I take the following stuff:

Nylon wicking pants (not unlike long underwear)
Nylon wicking long-sleeve shirt
Windbloc fleece jacket
Lightweight Gore-Tex shell jacket & pants
Extra socks. Wool or wool blend.
Stocking cap.
Windbloc gloves (lightweight)
Sunglasses
Sunblock
Hydration pack w/ water.
Powerbar or two
Compass & map.
Pocket knife & tools to fix a blown binding. (usually just a phillips head screwdriver)
Bandana
small 1st aid kit
some duct tape wrapped around one ski pole.
Gaiters. XC ski boots are low-cut and the gaiters help keep out the snow.

If I go out overnight the list gets longer, but this should be good for a few hours.

Answer 3

Skis don't usually come with poles. You will need the skis, the boots, bindings (made for x country), and poles. All of this equipment is made for x country--downhill stuff won't work correctly. You may also want some warm clothes, gps or compass, a backpack, but these are up to you. You don't need a hydration pack though you may get thirsty.