The technique used in Ski-O is only sort of skating. With the emphasis so much on smaller trails and technical courses, there isn't much time spent on wide groomed trails.
Take a look at this map from the WC races we hosted last year in Tahoe:
http://orienteering.org/wp-content/u...M21-1_flat.jpg All of those dashed trails were only set with a snowmobile, at most 4ft wide. If there had been more snow there would have been even more. On those trails all kinds of techniques are used, including a marathon skate like thing, and a lot of double pole. Tracks would be obliterated really quickly, so I don't think a pure classic technique with kick wax would be fast.
For the uphills there is a ton of herringbone done, with skate skis. You are also allowed to take your skis off and run straight through the woods, as long as you carry your skis with you.
Even if the conditions were perfect and there were tracks everywhere, a 10% difference in speed would be huge in terms of position.
Headcam video of that map can been seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0cB1Q8YE2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntuUQbsC2zU
The first video is Ali, the current US champ, and the second Antti, one of our finnish event advisiors.
Ed Despard
On Friday, March 22, 2013 8:47:25 AM UTC-4, wrote:
Hi... This one's for Terje.
I just looked into Ski-O. It seems they only skate. The online handbook says that skating off-trail in narrow conditions in loose snow up hills is hard and to herringbone and get purchase with the tips in the snow to the sides. It sounds miserable. Herringbone also doesn't work at all with un-kickwaxed skate-skis. Ugh! But it must be faster overall. On the flipside, such conditions sound perfect for classic. I suppose most SkiO courses only have a small amount of offtrail and one makes up the time on the groomers?
Classic vs Skating has long been interesting to me. Word is that WC skiers are 10% faster when skating. I suppose normal trails and normal skiers -- even at the top level of SkiO -- are faster yet when skating.
Anyway, just wondering your thoughts on this.
Thanks, JP