History

Cross Country skiing is believed to have originated 5000 years ago. In the 10th century Viking soldiers used skis to do their various duties. Cross country competition started in Norway in 1879 with the Huseby races. The first Homenkollen festival was in 1892. It was an annual ski race that attracted over 10 000 spectators and at the time it was considered more important than the world cross country ski championships. Cross country skiing is a very popular sport in the Scandinavian countries where it originated and today the top cross country skiers are regarded as heroes and are perhaps even more popular than today’s Wayne Gretsky. Skate skiing is believed to have been invented in East Germany by Gerhard Grimmer in 1971. In 1995 Canada hosted the world ski championships in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Olympic History

Cross country skiing was one of the original sports at the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix France in 1924. There were two races – the men’s 18km and the men’s 50km. Women started competing in the cross country skiing event at the Olympics in 1952. The medals have always been dominated by Scandinavian countries, only being beat occasionally by the USSR when it was still a country. The only medal that Canada has won in the Olympic Games in Cross Country Skiing as of 2004 was Becky Scott in the 5km woman’s pursuit in Salt Lake City 2002.

Equipment

Modern skis are made of:

• Fiberglass
• Supraflex fiber
• Fiberglass Braid
• Acrylic Core
• Base

Fitting

Classic skis are usually 10-30 cm longer than the skier. The skier should be able to stand on both skis and no flatten them. He/She should also be able to flatten one ski with 75% of his/her weight.

Skating Skis are usually as long as or slightly longer than the skier. The skier should be able to flatten one ski with 100% of his or her weight while still not flattening them while standing on two skis.

Poles

Most racing poles are made of lightweight aluminum. The material for recreation poles can vary.

Fitting
A skating pole should be about 90% of a skier’s height or somewhere in between the mouth and nose. A classic pole should be about 85% of a skier’s height and generally should fit comfortably under the armpit.

Techniques

Classic
The oldest and most basic form of skiing.
The most commonly used classic techniques are:

• Diagonal Stride – Gliding straight alternating hands and legs in a striding motion. A skier will bend quickly before pushing off with one leg and gliding with the other. The skier alternates between legs. An important part of diagonal stride is the weight shift from one ski to another. A common way to remember the weight shift is that your “nose, knees and toes” should all line up. Diagonal stride can be used in most terrain in almost all conditions. It is not commonly used on flat and downhill terrain where conditions are fast.

• Double Pole – The double pole is commonly used on gradual down hills and flats where the snow is fast. Both skis are weighted equally while you move by pushing on both poles simultaneously. The body is forward so the skiers’ weight is almost all on the poles and elbows are slightly bent before the skier bends at the waist and pushes backward.

• Kick Double Pole – used when the conditions and terrain is too fast for diagonal stride and too slow for a double pole. It begins with a leg push similar to the diagonal stride. As the body moves over the glide leg the poles are raised and brought down in the same motion as a double pole, planting and pushing. Alternate push legs with each stride.

Skating
The basic leg actions in all skating techniques are similar (except double pole). The skier pushes off one ski which is edged to provide grip and transfers their weight over to the other ski where they glide before edging that ski and repeating the process. The pole use a double pole motion angled over the gliding ski.

The most commonly used techniques in skating are:

• One skate – where you push on every single stride
• Two Skate – where you push every other stride
• Offset – Going up a hill with both poles touching the snow at the same time as one of your skis (three point touch) at the tip of your boot. The poles are planted on every other stride.

• Double Pole – often used in mass starts – see description above.

Downhill

If you want to get speed while going down a hill try tucking. When turning it is a good idea to step turn. When skating you can also snowplow if needed. If you snowplow in classic you run the risk of losing your kick wax.

Waxing

Tools
-Iron (preferably a wax iron to maintain a constant temperature but a house iron works too)
-Plastic Scraper
-Grove Scraper (a klister applicator that comes in most klister boxes works too)
-A wax brush
-Wax Remover
-Cork
-Wax Bench
-Fiberline or paper towels
-Kick (Grip) and glide waxes appropriate to the conditions outside
-Basebinder
-Klister

Glide Wax Application

Pick a glide wax which is appropriate for the snow conditions outside. If you have a wax iron set the temperature to the specified on the package. If you have a household iron set it to a low setting (normally the setting for silk). The iron will need to be set at a higher temperature for colder temperatures. Apply the glide wax to the ski (apply to the entire ski for skating and only into the glide zones for classic) by either letting the wax drip off the iron onto the ski or slightly melting the wax and rubbing it onto the ski. Slowly melt the wax into the ski by ironing the base moving from tip to tail until all the wax has melted. Never stop the iron on the ski. The warmer the wax the longer it will need to cool. Cold waxes will need to be scraped almost immediately and warm waxes should be left for 20-30 minutes to cool. Once they have cooled scrape the skis beginning with the grove (using a grove scraper or klister applicator), then the edges and base of the ski (using the plastic scraper). ALWAYS scrape tip to tail. Finish scraping when no more wax is coming off the bases. Brushing is the next step. Brush from tip to tail until wax is no longer coming off the ski. Make sure you rid all of your equipment of any wax after use.

Kick (or Grip) zone preparation

The wax pocket on a classic ski generally extends 12-15 cm behind and 30-40cm ahead of the balance point. The best way to define your wax pocket is to stand on a flat and clean surface such as a table with your skis on. With no wax on your skis run a piece of paper under your skis. Mark where it stops. This is your wax pocket and the rest of your ski is the glide zone. Apply the base binder onto the kick zone and iron or cork it in. Next apply the kick wax in thin layers gently corking. It is a good idea to apply 3-4 layers of wax and if possible iron the first layer in. It is a good idea to let the ski cool outside before skiing.

Klister

For extremely warm snow conditions you may want to use klister. It is dreaded by many people as it is very sticky and messy if not used right. It is usually a good idea to apply a base binder before the klister. Apply the klister in a chevron pattern along the length of the kick zone. Depending on the klister you may have to heat the klister either by using a heat gun or corking it. Finish off by smoothing the klister with your thumb (if you do not want to get all sticky you can use one of the klister applicators/scrapers). It is a good idea to let the klister cool outside before skiing.

Kick wax and Klister Removal

Start off by scraping the groove, then the edges before scraping the base of the ski. Finally remove the remaining wax with some wax remover rubbing the skis with paper towels or fiberline until the kick zone is completely clean.

Skiers Responsibility Code
1. Ski in indicated direction and observe all signs

2. Ski to the right when passing or skiing a double track.

3. Descending skiers always have the right of way.

4. Don’t litter.  Pack it in, pack it out...and respect private property.

5. Don’t obstruct the trail.  Move off the track quickly if you fall or while taking a break.

6. Yield the track to faster skiers or skiers saying “track” by stepping off to the right.

Glossary

Classic technique: The traditional ski racing technique. Athletes use a diagonal stride in which both skis stay parallel to each other.

Free technique: The skating - or free - technique, which was developed in the 1970s, closely resembles the motions of ice skating, where one pushes the inside edge of the ski simultaneously backward and outward at about a 45-degree angle. It usually is faster than classic technique.

Glide wax: Wax used to decrease the friction between the skis and the snow. It is applied to the entire ski in free technique races, but only to the front and rear tips of the skis in classic races.

Grip wax: Also known as kick wax, it increases the friction between the skis and snow to improve traction. It is applied to the middle part of the skis for classic races.

 Mass start: All competitors start together, and the first skier to pass the finish line is declared the winner.

Pursuit start: A starting system based on the result of the first portion of the pursuit event. The winner of the first part starts first, and competitors starting behind by the amount of time they finished behind the winner in the first portion.

Scramble leg: The first leg of a relay race. Named this way because relay races feature mass starts with everyone bunched together.

Staggered start: A start in which skiers leave at set intervals. The winner is the athlete with the best time.

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