How to Choose Skate Skiing Gear

s you kick and glide forward through the tracks in your cross-country touring gear, you may have seen them: bright blurs that flash past in Lycra® spandex. Skate skiers pushing off poles and skis like speed skaters flying down the straightaway to the finish line. Looks fun and fast and you think you'd like to try this racy form of skiing. So what kind of gear do you need?

It is possible to skate on touring gear (both cross-country and backcountry) for short periods, although it can be awkward. And if you've ever made that final push to the lift on your downhill skis then you've experienced the same physiodynamics of skate skiing, though after just a few strokes heavy downhill gear would make skate skiing seem more like weightlifting than flying. (It's also worth noting that skate skiing equipment is not conducive to kicking and gliding in the classic cross-country stride and is not designed for touring.)

So if you're considering doing a significant amount of skate skiing—and maybe even racing—then it's definitely worth investing in the appropriate skate skiing gear.

Skate skis are shorter and lighter than cross-country touring or backcountry skis, and have no sidecut which allows for maximum push-off. Skate skis are waxable for gliding. They don't have the grip pattern found on the bases of gliding touring skis as it would interfere with the sideward push movement of skate skiing. Buy your boots first, before your bindings. Not all skating bindings are compatible with all skating boots.

Length— Skate skis need to be short and light enough to be picked up off the ground during each forward stride, yet long enough to provide adequate glide and stability. Skate skis are generally 10 to 20 centimeters shorter than touring skis. Remember that your height and weight will also factor into the length of ski that is right for you.

Width— The narrower a ski is, the faster it moves, generally. Skating and racing skis are thus quite narrow when compared to their touring cousins. Typically ranging from 41mm to 45mm wide at their tips, they glide swiftly and efficiently over packed and/or groomed snow. Skating skis fit easily into established tracks, allowing skaters to hop into them and tuck on downhill sections for maximum speed.

Sidecut— Most skating skis have no sidecut (the long, inward side curves), since it makes them more difficult to set on edge and control when skating. Sidecut is designated by the widths, in millimeters, of the ski's tip, waist and tail. On most other types of skis, the waist is the narrowest part. Most skating skis, however, are actually slightly wider at the waist to provide a solid edge for the skating motion.

Camber— Camber is the amount of bend, or arch, built into a ski and affects the flex and strength of a ski. You can see the amount of arch with which a ski is designed by laying the ski on the carpet and seeing how much light is visible underneath the center of the ski. Skating skis are designed with an alpine camber. That means they have a less-pronounced arch from tip to tail, rather than the raised, higher-arch "wax pocket" found on touring skis, which have cross-country camber. This flatter profile allows you to push off the skis' edges more efficiently than you could on the curved shape of touring skis. It is possible to skate for short stretches on traditional cross-country camber skis, and people often do skate up moderate inclines on them. It's far easier and more efficient, however, to skate on the correct gear if you want to go very far.

Waxable bases— Skate skis have waxable bases, but for glide only. This is because a skate ski's edges, rather than the base, are relied on for traction and forward momentum. On nonwax ski bases the grip patterns used for pushing off during the classic stride would interfere with the skating motion.

Flex— Because of the specific nature of the skating technique (and the fact that skating is usually performed on hard-packed snow), skating skis tend to be stiff-flexed.

To skate efficiently, your poles need to be long enough for you to use the major muscle groups in your abdomen and upper body to propel yourself forward. Skating poles should reach from the ground up to a point somewhere between your chin and your lips (as opposed to your armpits for touring poles). This represents approximately 90% of your overall height.

Skating poles are quite long, and they're exposed to considerable force, so they must be sturdy and stiff. They should also have special skating handgrips, asymmetrical baskets and adjustable straps that allow you to perform the skating technique comfortably and efficiently.

Comfort should be your number one concern when selecting any ski boot. Skating boots have more ankle support than touring boots to help protect against the twisting forces involved in the skating technique. They also have stiffer soles to help minimize torsional and forward flex, both of which can hamper skating performance.

Once you've selected your boot, you can choose a binding system that works with that boot. Skate ski bindings primarily use two lightweight systems, NNN (New Nordic Norm) or new SNS (Salomon Nordic System) series. Not to be confused with the old SNS bindings, new SNS series bindings are made by several manufacturers. Avoid NNN-BC bindings which offer the durability backcountry skiers need but which are too unforgiving for the higher-stress lower-leg work of skate skiing. The big difference among skate ski bindings is the placement of the toe rod, which determines the axis from where your foot will pivot, or rotate.