What are typical low end temperatures for XC?

OK, maybe this is a silly question, but while I live in an area with
regular winters (a "ski town," so to speak- SW Colorado ) the typical
temperatures put us in "banana belt" when compared to other winter
climes. While we have been getting regular -10 F nights, a day which
maxes out at 15-20 degrees F is considered VERY cold here. (and even
then we often have abundant warm sun.)

This season we have been having weather colder than we have seen in
quite some time acompanied by (mostly) much welcomed snow.

In any case, what is the coldest typical daytime temperature that
those of you in other parts of the country or world typically ski at?
And when I say "typically" I mean just that - not some extreme that
you experienced at one time or another.

Also, is there a set cutoff point for competition? If so what is it
(for race various governing bodies/rules)? (Yeah I know I could
google it, but I'l bet someone here can answer off the top of their
head.)

Just curious. TIA

DR

I grew up in Russia. In winter our physical education classes were XC
skiing in local woods. The classes would get canceled at -15C daytime
tempeatures (~0F).

On Jan 19, 10:05*pm, DirtRoadie wrote:

Also, is there a set cutoff point for competition? If so what *is it
(for race various governing bodies/rules)?


http://www.ccski.mb.ca/event_cancellation_policy.htm
-25C = -13F
It's -31C (-24F) as I write this.

Kevin Miller
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:05:55 -0800 (PST), DirtRoadie
wrote:

OK, maybe this is a silly question, but while I live in an area with
regular winters (a "ski town," so to speak- SW Colorado ) the typical
temperatures put us in "banana belt" when compared to other winter
climes. While we have been getting regular -10 F nights, a day which
maxes out at 15-20 degrees F is considered VERY cold here. (and even
then we often have abundant warm sun.)

This season we have been having weather colder than we have seen in
quite some time acompanied by (mostly) much welcomed snow.

In any case, what is the coldest typical daytime temperature that
those of you in other parts of the country or world typically ski at?
And when I say "typically" I mean just that - not some extreme that
you experienced at one time or another.


I "enjoy" skiing down to 5F (assuming normal wind). Don't have a lot
of opportunities for snow, so it's not easy to avoid cold. But this
weekend is an example: my wife and I were going to drive far to a
place where the high today was predicted to be about 0F. So we
cancelled the trip. But if it was a little warmer we probably would
have gone.

As if turns out, it looks like it's is going to get a little warmer
there....so I wished we'd gambled and gone.

There are temp rules governing FIS races, such as World Cup events,
which you can look up. They are sometimes bent, such as taking the
temperature at the warmest, most protected part of the course. The
downside is athletes are most susceptible to getting exercise-induced
asthma at lower temps. More than the cold, it's the wind and exposure
to it that kills, at least to a point. On a sunny day -5 or -10F is not
bad at all, assuming one is appropriately dressed. Just expect slow
squeaky snow, best for striding.

rm

DirtRoadie wrote:

OK, maybe this is a silly question, but while I live in an area with
regular winters (a "ski town," so to speak- SW Colorado ) the typical
temperatures put us in "banana belt" when compared to other winter
climes. While we have been getting regular -10 F nights, a day which
maxes out at 15-20 degrees F is considered VERY cold here. (and even
then we often have abundant warm sun.)

This season we have been having weather colder than we have seen in
quite some time acompanied by (mostly) much welcomed snow.

In any case, what is the coldest typical daytime temperature that
those of you in other parts of the country or world typically ski at?
And when I say "typically" I mean just that - not some extreme that
you experienced at one time or another.

Also, is there a set cutoff point for competition? If so what is it
(for race various governing bodies/rules)? (Yeah I know I could
google it, but I'l bet someone here can answer off the top of their
head.)

Just curious. TIA

DR

In article ,
DirtRoadie wrote:
In any case, what is the coldest typical daytime temperature that
those of you in other parts of the country or world typically ski at?
And when I say "typically" I mean just that - not some extreme that
you experienced at one time or another.

I find 15F to be just about ideal for skiing. How cold I'll
go depends on the wind. 5F can be really comfortable on a
sunny windless day but extremely unpleasant if it's
blustery. I don't ski if it's below 0F.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

On Jan 20, 6:42*am, John Forrest Tomlinson
wrote:

In any case, what is the coldest typical daytime temperature that
those of you in other parts of the country or world typically ski at?

place where the high today was predicted to be about 0F.

I raced today (3 x 2.5K loop) where JT was (probably) headed - we had
a high of about 7 deg F w/ surprisingly no wind. Everyone I saw was
dressed correctly, so the cold temps didn't seem to bother too many
people. We had a long, fast downhill to negotiate and I'm glad I had
a balaclava on.

What you might want to keep in mind is how frustrating skiing
sometimes is at low temps. Unless your skis are structured and waxed
perfectly, It can be like skiing in sand! Classic skiing at these
temps is the way to go!

- Bob

I don't believe all of this, but it's interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/he...&oref= slogin

Funny story-
One of my friends and wife are pretty good mtb racers. I've been telling them how much fun skate skiing is and that they should try it before they go looney riding their bikes on a trainer all winter long.
So Thursday the guy went to a ski shop and bought a pair of high end race skis, CT2 poles and high end boots. He asked if the skis were ready to go and the shop said the skis come pre-waxed.
All excited, he took the new equipment out Friday. When it was -4 F, with a wind, and it had just snowed. Here in northern Wisconsin, we just got hit this week with a blast of Artic air coming down from Canada.
He called me that night and was nearly in tears after spending $800+ and finding out he had the glide of a pair of snowshoes.
I chuckled a little, then went up to his house and put some CH4 on his skis. He couldn't believe how much difference there was compared between a cold wax and the totally wrong temp pre-wax (which is probably like CH8 or 10)

I wonder how many new people we lose from this sport, when they totally miss the wax because they don't know any better, or have equipment that doesn't fit them.
--

Paul Haltvick
Bay Design and Build - LLC
Engineering, Construction and Information Technology Services
FSx Midwest - Fischer / Swix Racing
Ashland, WI.

"DirtRoadie" wrote in message ...
OK, maybe this is a silly question, but while I live in an area with
regular winters (a "ski town," so to speak- SW Colorado ) the typical
temperatures put us in "banana belt" when compared to other winter
climes. While we have been getting regular -10 F nights, a day which
maxes out at 15-20 degrees F is considered VERY cold here. (and even
then we often have abundant warm sun.)

This season we have been having weather colder than we have seen in
quite some time acompanied by (mostly) much welcomed snow.

In any case, what is the coldest typical daytime temperature that
those of you in other parts of the country or world typically ski at?
And when I say "typically" I mean just that - not some extreme that
you experienced at one time or another.

Also, is there a set cutoff point for competition? If so what is it
(for race various governing bodies/rules)? (Yeah I know I could
google it, but I'l bet someone here can answer off the top of their
head.)

Just curious. TIA

DR

One other thing. For loppets with large numbers of participants, I
think the lower termperature rules are very important for race staff
and volunteers. It's hard to get people to stand outside at temps
below 0F for long, even with a bonfire etc to keep somewhat warm.