Cross-Country Skiing Glossary

A
Alpine Skiing—Downhill skiing, typically utilizing chairlifts to gain elevation for descents. The equipment consists of stiff plastic boots, fixed-heel bindings and flat (alpine camber) skis.

Alpine Touring or AT (also called randonee or ski mountaineering)—A style of backcountry skiing in which free-heel striding and climbing skins are used for ascending steep slopes, and fixed-heel, parallel turns are used for the descents. Gear is similar to that for alpine skiing, but AT bindings switch between free-heel and fixed-heel modes. Alpine (above) and alpine touring boots and bindings are not compatible.

B
Backcountry Skiing—Any kind of skiing done away from developed land or open roads. Usually refers to Cross-Country skiing in these areas.

Base—The bottom of the ski, usually made of a hard, clear material in light touring and touring skis and of a slightly softer, black graphite material in performance skis. (See also Extruded Ski Base and Sintered Ski Base.)

Basket—Plastic foot on the end of a ski pole shaft that provides a pushing platform for Cross-Country skiing. Racing poles feature smaller, lighter baskets.

Biathlon—Olympic and World Cup event involving cross-country skiing and marksmanship. Participants ski (with .22 caliber rifles on their backs) prescribed interval distances with stops at a range for both prone and standing attempts at targets. In some races penalty loops are skied for missed targets and in other events time is simply added.

Biathlon (Summer)—Same as winter biathlon but with cross-country running in place of skiing.

C
Camber—The upward curve built into a ski, which can be seen when the ski is laid on a flat surface. The amount of camber determines a ski's performance characteristics.

Camber, Alpine (or single camber)—Ski curvature characterized by a subtle, gradual arch, without a defined wax-pocket. Alpine camber distributes skier weight more evenly over the entire ski base, which makes it easy to carve smooth turns. Downhill, skating and telemark skis all have alpine camber.

Camber, Nordic (or double camber)—Ski curvature characterized by a pronounced arch, a high central section and a "wax pocket" underfoot. The ski base is held up off of the snow's surface slightly by the shape and flex of the ski. The center of the wax pocket is pressed into the snow for traction during the kick phase of classic striding. General touring and backcountry touring skis have Nordic camber.

Classic Technique (see also Diagonal Stride)—Cross-Country skiing technique involving opposite-leg — opposite-arm motion in a straight-ahead direction. This is the technique primarily associated with cross-country skiing and is what skiing exercise machines simulate.

Cross-Country—Commonly used term for Nordic skiing.

Cross-Country Ski Center—A commercial area featuring groomed trails and other amenities. Most areas feature lessons, rental equipment, food, first aid, and warming shelters.

D
Diagonal Stride (see also Classic Technique)—The forward movement associated with cross-country skiing. The body weight is thrust onto the front leg/ski as it glides forward with the rear leg/ski extended naturally behind with the ski tail lifted slightly off the snow. The arms move in opposition to the legs, just as if you were running.

E
Equipment/Classic Technique—Skis: Generally sized to the heel of a hand extended above the skier's head. Flexed to provide both glide and compression of the wax pocket during different points in the classic striding motion. Boots: Generally low to mid-ankle support with a wide forward flex. Poles: Sized to reach the skier's armpit.

Equipment/Skating Technique—Skis: Can come in wide variety of sizes depending on snow conditions. Performance and all-purpose skis are generally 10cm shorter than classic skis. Boots: Generally designed with superior ankle and lateral support. Poles: Sized to fit to the cleft of the skier's chin.

Extruded Ski Base—Typically found on entry-level and intermediate skis, extruded bases are relatively inexpensive and easy to repair. They are formed from melted polyethylene pellets. They are not as abrasion-resistant as sintered bases (see below), nor do they hold wax as well.

F
FIS (Federation of International Skiing)—International governing body for all ski sport.

Flex—The stiffness of a ski, or the degree to which it resists bending. Flex ratings can refer to the stiffness of an entire ski or to specific sections like the tip or tail. The amount of flex a ski has will affect how it feels and reacts in different snow and skiing conditions: Soft-flexed skisbend more easily and, as a result, are easier to control and turn in softer snow and at lower speeds. Stiff-flexed skisare more difficult to bend, and tend to be more responsive at high speeds and in harder snow conditions. They can be difficult to handle in soft powder and deep snow.

G
Glide Wax—Hard-sealing wax products applied to ski bases to improve glide efficiency and protect the base materials from wear and oxidation. Typically applied to the entire base of skating and telemark skis, but only to the tip and tail zones of touring skis. Even so-called nonwax skis benefit from occasional tip and tail glide waxing, for improved performance and conditioning. Glide waxes are usually applied with heat for added durability.

Glide Zone—The portion of the ski base that is waxed to maximize glide.

Grip (or Kick) Wax—Designed to provide traction for waxable skis. Grip wax produces this traction by allowing the rough edges of snow crystals to penetrate the wax layer just enough to grab hold of the ski when it is stationary and weighted. It does not keep the ski from gliding smoothly when already in motion.

Groomed Trail—A trail on which parallel tracks for striding and a wide, smooth area for skating have been prepared by machine. Usually features signs designating the level of skiing difficulty.

H
Header (also face plant, melon slide, nose burner)—Face-first fall.

Holmenkollen—Norwegian ski stadium/course and home of the most famous annual World Cup competition.

I
Interval Start—Starting format for a race or tour where 1-2 racers start at even intervals.

IOC (International Olympic Committee)—International governing body for all Olympic competitions.

J
Jumping—Olympic and World Cup competitive event involving jumps of varying heights. Performed with free-heeled skis.

K
Klister—Sticky, gooey gel used for kick (grip) waxing in conditions such as old transformed snow and very wet snow.

L
Length—The distance from ski tip to tail. Proper length depends on height, weight, ability and skiing style. In general, longer skis tend to be faster and more stable, while shorter skis tend to be easier to control and turn.

M
Mass Start—Group start to a race or tour.

N
New Nordic Norm (or NNN)—Boot/binding system consisting of a short, metal rod in the toe of the boot sole and a clip-in binding to which it attaches. NNN bindings also feature raised ridges that fit into matching grooves on the soles of NNN boots for lateral control. Known for their comfortable flex and efficient ski control. (See Salomon Nordic System.)

Nordic Combined—Olympic and World Cup event involving combined competition in jumping and a subsequent cross-country ski race. Racers start the ski race based on how well they jumped — first one across the line wins.

Nordic Norm (see also Three-Pin)—Traditional, 3-pin boot/binding connection. The boots have tonguelike extensions on the toes with 3 holes in the undersides. The extensions fit over 3 vertical pins on each binding, over which a curved bale is squeezed down to hold them in place.

Nordic Skiing—Typically refers to any form of cross-country skiing, including classic or backcountry touring, skating and telemark.

O
Off-Piste—Skiing out of a managed ski area - out of bounds

Off-Track Skiing—Skiing on unprepared snow whether previously skied in or not.

P
Pin Head (Pinner)—Telemark skier - refers to the 3-pin style bindings used in telemark skiing.

Pole Grip—Handle on a ski pole.

R
Randonee Skiing—see Alpine Touring

Rollerskis—Short (2-3 ft.) metal shafts with rubber or polyethylene wheels attached to both ends. Used primarily on pavement although some models work off-road. The primary off-snow training method for cross-country skiers.

S
Salomon Nordic System (SNS)—Salomon's proprietary boot/binding connection system featuring a single, wide binding ridge and matching sole groove as compared to the twin ridges and matching grooves found on NNN bindings and boots. Because of this difference in design, SNS and NNN systems are not compatible.

Sidecut—The concave arches in the sides of the ski, designed to enhance the ski's turning performance. In general, the more sidecut a ski has (up to a point), the easier it will be to turn. Keep in mind, however, that sidecut can have a negative effect on your forward glide and how well your skis track in a straight line. For this reason, pronounced sidecuts are not recommended for in-track striding or for casual touring across flat or moderate terrain.

Sintered Ski Base—A less common form of ski base formed by molding polyethylene with pressure and heat, but without melting it. The result is a porous, abrasion-resistant, wax-absorbent surface. Typically found on mid- to upper-end ski models. Sintered bases tend to be more expensive than extruded bases and outperform them when properly glide-waxed.

Sitzmark—Large indentation in a track or open area created by a fallen skier. It's good trail etiquette to fill these in if you make one!

Ski Mountaineering—see Alpine Touring

Ski Orienteering (or "Ski O")—Worldwide Cross-Country discipline in which the skier must locate a series of control points with the aid of a topographical map and compass.

Skins—Strips of synthetic (nylon, mohair or polyurethane) material that are temporarily affixed to the bottoms of skis for traction. Usually used in the backcountry for climbing sustained slopes. Can be affixed with adhesives, clips or both.

Stick Wax—Wax that is applied in a crayonlike fashion. Color-coded by the brand to adapt to anything from sub-zero to freezing-level snow. Primarily used on fresh snow and sharp crystals.

T
Telemark—Type of downhill turn and style of turning typically involving one ski slid forward and a distinctive forward bent-knee position. Telemark turns provide good fore/aft stability that makes them effective at an alpine area using chairlifts or in the backcountry.

Three-Pin (see also Nordic Norm)—A traditional, stable binding/boot system usually used in backcountry touring, classic touring and telemarking. Can also refer to the above-mentioned types of skiing.

Track Skiing—Cross-country skiing on machine-prepared snow with classic or skating technique.

U
USBA (United States Biathlon Association)—National governing body and administrative organization for biathlon in the United States

USOC (United States Olympic Committee)—Global representative for the United States in all Olympic sports.

USSA (United States Ski Association)—National governing body and administrative organization for downhill and cross-country (minus biathlon) skiing in the United States.

W
Wax—Comes in 2 types: kick (or grip) and glide. Kick wax is used for grip in the classic technique. Both stick wax and klister are common varieties of kick wax. Kick wax is applied exclusively to the middle third of classic skis. Glide wax is used on the tips and tails of classic skis and the entire length of skating skis.

Waxable Skis—Any cross-country ski that can be treated with performance-enhancing waxes to improve grip and/or glide can be considered a waxable ski. The term is typically used to refer to skis that do not have grip patterns carved or molded into their bases. But as stated above, all cross-country skis are actually waxable, since all benefit from periodic glide waxing to condition their bases and protect them from oxidation.

Wax Pocket (or Kick Zone)—The central section of a Nordic-cambered ski that is held slightly off of the snow's surface by its curvature. The part of the ski that grips the snow when the skier's weight is on it and the ski is not moving. Grip patterns are located in this kick zone on nonwax skis.

Waxless Skis (or nonwax skis)—Classic striding skis designed to grip the snow without the aid of grip wax on the middle third of the base. Instead, the kick zones have scales cut in to the base material for traction. These skis benefit from periodic glide waxing on their tips and tails to improve gliding performance and to condition the P-Tex base material. Thus the term "waxless" is something of a misnomer.

Width—Width refers to the distance from ski edge to ski edge, measured at the ski's "waist" or narrowest part. In general, wider skis are more stable and easier to control, while narrow skis are faster.

World Cup—Series of international races held almost exclusively in Europe each season. The highest level of cross-country competition outside of the World Championships and Olympics.