XC newbie

Is this the correct forum to ask about XC skiing?

Yooper wrote:
Is this the correct forum to ask about XC skiing?

For some values of XC skiing, yes. If you want to do formally cut and
pisted track work then you're probably much better off in r.s.nordic,
r.s.backcountry tends to be more oriented to steeper stuff, but not
exclusively so.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Yooper" wrote in message
...
Is this the correct forum to ask about XC skiing?


These are loose informal definitions with some overlay but for the purposes
of discussion:

XC skiing - usually refers to skinny skis without metal edges, footwear that
looks more like sneakers than climbing boots, and travel at a tracked and
groomed nordic center.

Backcountry skiing - usually wider skis, often metal edged, looking very
much like skis one would see at an alpine ski resort with lifts, beefier
bindings, and bigger heavier stiffer boots, travel in the backcountry away
from a ski area with makred trails and avalanche control. This includes
telemark and randonee (alpine touring) styles. This can be touring in the
backcountry over more gentle terrain, repeatedly climbing up steep stuff to
emphasize the downhill turning aspect of skiing, ski mountaineering with
emphasis on summiting and skiing down, and combinations of all of this.

rec.skiing.backcountry usually is about the latter of these two activities
that often blend together.

BobT wrote:

rec.skiing.backcountry usually is about the latter of these two activities
that often blend together.

Though it's also sometimes used as a general telemarking board, even
when that's on the piste rather than in the backcountry...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 06:26:19 -0600, "BobT"
wrote:

"Yooper" wrote in message
...
Is this the correct forum to ask about XC skiing?

These are loose informal definitions with some overlay but for the purposes
of discussion:

XC skiing - usually refers to skinny skis without metal edges, footwear that
looks more like sneakers than climbing boots, and travel at a tracked and
groomed nordic center.

Backcountry skiing - usually wider skis, often metal edged, looking very
much like skis one would see at an alpine ski resort with lifts, beefier

I would suggest that there is a third category, in between those two,
of off-track skiing or touring.

Gear is in between in support, and this skiing can be done away from
organized touring centers.

This is popular in areas with a large number of logging roads or fire
roads out in the woods, not mountainous but may have rolling hills.
Often may overlap with snowmobile trails or hiking trails.

As with backcountry skiing, this requires being more self sufficent
than one needs in a touring center or at a groomed slope, with the
full set of winter hiking skills.

This was XC skiing, before someone figured out how to get people to
pay to XC ski.

No sharp divisions between the three, more of a spectrum.
Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
--
At the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

[ Gary S. ]

This was XC skiing, before someone figured out how to get people to
pay to XC ski.

Pay to XC ski? Reminds me what I like about Norway. There are a few
thousand kilometers of everything from lots of well-groomed to
non-groomed just marked tracks freely available, easily accessible by
public transport from Oslo. And now we're finally getting snow :-)


Martin
--
"An ideal world is left as an exercise to the reader."
-Paul Graham, On Lisp

Martin Thornquist wrote:

Pay to XC ski?

In Austria recently we saw there was a nominal charge for the (superbly
cut and maintained) loipes, but that charge was waived to anyone with a
visitor card as issued to folk staying in local hotels and guest houses.
Can't remember the exact fee, but it's low enough that the fairly
easy job of avoiding the fairly infrequent checkpoints isn't worth it.

I think I'd have had to pay to use the floodlit nachtloipe, but since
there was a full moon and clear sky I was happy to be out getting the
hang of Pilot skate bindings round the local loops without the benefit
of electricity.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Martin Thornquist wrote:
[ Gary S. ]

This was XC skiing, before someone figured out how to get people to
pay to XC ski.

Pay to XC ski? Reminds me what I like about Norway. There are a few
thousand kilometers of everything from lots of well-groomed to
non-groomed just marked tracks freely available, easily accessible by
public transport from Oslo. And now we're finally getting snow :-)


Martin


Actually, Martin, many of those freely available trails are maintained
by a user fee paid to Skiforeningens. Yearly fees are about $75 (NOK
490), and go to fund the approximately $1 Million spent on trail
maintenance each year, to maintain the over 2900km's of trails. (for
more info., check the thread "Voluntary trail fees: Can it work?" in
rec.skiing.nordic )


That being said, there's definitely something for hitting the ungroomed
areas for some nice tour skiing. Looking forward to the snow we're gonna
get up here in Northern BC after this minor chinook we got today. If we
get another 10cm, it'll be awesome for hitting the creeks and other
backcountry spots.

Chris

PS I'm also a member of a Nordic Club, and gladly pay my dues to support
their ability to maintain the club trails. Sadly, trails don't groom or
maintain themselves, and gas doesn't magically appear in the tanks of
the grooming sleds.

[ DJ Daimon ]

Actually, Martin, many of those freely available trails are maintained
by a user fee paid to Skiforeningens. Yearly fees are about $75 (NOK

Yep, and I'm a member. BTW, Skiforeningen isn't responsible for all
the tracks, the city of Oslo is also doing quite a bit of grooming. I
think the local government is doing much of the grooming around the
country, partly directly, partly through contributions to local ski
clubs.


Martin
--
"An ideal world is left as an exercise to the reader."
-Paul Graham, On Lisp

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006, Martin Thornquist wrote:

[ DJ Daimon ]

Actually, Martin, many of those freely available trails are maintained
by a user fee paid to Skiforeningens. Yearly fees are about $75 (NOK

Yep, and I'm a member. BTW, Skiforeningen isn't responsible for all
the tracks, the city of Oslo is also doing quite a bit of grooming.

Membership in Skiforeningen seems like a bargain,
considering all they offer. Their members' magazine "Snow & Ski"
is better that any other outdoor magazines I've ever seen! Their
website is fabulous (if you can read Norwegian :-).
Example: A very detailed trail status report daily:
http://www.skiforeningen.no/forem/
( a big dump of snow on Friday, most major trails now
prepared)

Hei Martin. Is this you ? :-)
http://www.skiforeningen.no/imgshow.cgi?nr=1247


--

David Dermott , Wolfville Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada
email:
WWW pages: http://www.dermott.ca/index.html
(skied in Oslo Marka 1995, 1996 ,1999)