Location
This trip took place around Gautestad. The area consisted of both marked (piste) and unmarked (off-piste) tracks, this location was great as it allowed me to be able to practice skiing techniques on a more friendly surface: that of the piste tracks before I ventured into a more natural and technical environment of the off-piste areas.
Ski preparation
Unlike alpine skis that require the skis to glide in order to aid the skier to travel downhill quickly, according to Goodwin (2014 and Schnier (2014) one of the most important aspects of cross country skis is the need to have grip. This is due to the mixed terrain that will be encountered when cross country skiing, where both ascending and descending is required. The level of grip you get from your skis can depend on many factors. The main factors that this trip looked at were snow conditions and the grip wax that can be applied to the skis prior to each day. When waxing the skis as Toko USA (no date ) and Norseman (no date) explain only a section will need to have grip wax applied, this area is known as the kick zone, this can be done by dividing the ski into thirds and applying the grip wax to the middle third. Another method to identify the kick zone is explained by The London Region Nordic Ski Club (2014), they suggest putting your skis on and standing on a flat surface, then using a piece of paper you can slide it under the skis to identify where the skis do not touch the floor, this is the kick zone. The reason the skis are made this way is explained below.
The skis have a convex shape that helps them glide on the two ends while also allowing the skier to weight the middle section that has grip wax on it, this allows them to grip and move up hill better. However this can cause problems if the skier is heavy or has a large and heavy rucksack as this extra weight means the whole length of the ski sits on the ground with every step/glide, as a result the grip wax is in contact with the snow all the time the skier is trying to glide or go down hill, however the size of the area that grip wax is applied to can be increased or reduced to compensate for this as explained by Norseman (no date).
Pic from McGoldrick (2006) xcskiing.ca/wax-guide.html
Waxes:
As mentioned in the ski preparation section cross country skis need to have wax to help them to grip on the snow to allow the user to move over varied terrain.
They also need to glide therefore it would be reasonable to think that both grip and glide wax should be applied however this can be very time consuming. Our teacher for the week (with over thirty years experience of cross country skiing in Norway) recommended a slightly controversial way to deal with this, as the different waxes work under different weather conditions (temperatures) he recommends applying a green wax (meant for -8/-15 Temperatures) across the entire ski to allow the ski to glide under the warmer conditions (acting as a glide wax) with the added benefit of being able to apply grip wax onto the skis if more grip is needed, which would not be possible if glide wax was applied to part of the skis. This is in contrast to Omer and Bob’s Sportshop (no date) who recommend that glide wax be applied to the ends while grip wax is applied to the middle, they also recommend putting masking tape over the grip zone area while applying the glide wax because if glide wax goes on the grip zone it will cause problems for the application of the grip wax.
When we look at some of the different waxes that can be used we can see that each one works at different temperatures.
Base binder: used to help the different grip waxes to adhere to the ski’s themselves.
Green wax (new snow -8/-15 °C old snow -10/-18 °C)
Blue wax (new snow -1/-7 °C old snow -3/-10 °C)
Red wax (new snow -1/0 °C old snow 0/-2 °C)
When the temperature starts to go over 0 °C grip waxes become inefficient and instead klister is used, this is like a glue that allows the skis to still grip even when the snow conditions are not ideal. Mole skins can be used instead of klister which have many benefits: the mole skins can be taken on and off quickly and they are much cleaner than klister (which being glue is very messy).
According to McGoldrick (2006) when applying wax this should be done in thin layers, this is because when a layer comes off the ski (due to the friction of the snow) it will do so in the layers that it was applied, therefore if each layer is thin and there are many of them when one comes away from the rest there will still be wax underneath. This can stop the need to have to reapply wax when you are out in the cold outdoors (which is much harder than when you are in the warm indoors). Each layer of wax needs to be put on then rubbed or mixed into the ski, this is done by using the palm of your hand or a cork tool, wax is applied and then rubbed in using the tool and the layers are built up. Personally I would not recommend using the palm of your hand after experiencing the danger of this first hand when I cut myself on the edge of the ski, luckily it was only a shallow wound however another class mate cut themselves quite deeply whilst we were on a trip and they had to strap their hand up in order to continue skiing. These are wounds that can be avoided by using the appropriate tools or mole skins when conditions dictate. Unnecessary wounds in the wilderness can, in extreme cases, be fatal as Castleman (2011) points out.
Backpack
As this trip only involved day trips of up to six hours the size of rucksack needed for me did not exceed 33 litres. The use of dry sacks is recommended with some people opting to use one large one, however in my experience the use of many smaller dry bags allows the user to group items (first aid kit/ spare clothing etc) meaning that if only food is required from the rucksack everything will not get wet (if its raining/snowing) when the one big dry sack is opened.
During this trip it was necessary to carry a large 70L plus rucksack in order to carry everything for the entire trip, this rucksack weight could be up to 20kg’s, this large bag was used when skiing to the camp at the start of the trip and again on the last day. A smaller day sack was used for each of the day trips as fewer items were needed and therefore less weight.
For a one day trip the contents of a rucksack should consist of the following items:
Food
Hot drink
Snacks (chocolate, marzipan, nuts)
Warm clothing (hat, gloves, primaloft)
Shovel
Fire starting kit (matches, lighter, fire-steel)
First aid kit (knife)
This list is for a group member however additional items need to be carried for the group these are:
snow probe
emergency shelter
snow saw
sleeping bag and mat
Ski techniques
According to Marsland et al. (2012) different techniques are employed when travelling over different terrain, when going up steep inclines a herringbone stance is needed, this means that the tips of the skis point out while the tails are almost touching, depending how steep the slope is depends on how wide the skis need to be.
To slow down (at low speeds) a plough position is adopted, this is the reverse of the herring bone, this time the tips of the skis should point inwards almost touching with the tails pointing out. By bending the knees inwards it allows the inside edge of the ski to dig into the snow which will slow the skier down.
Once you get going you will at some point have to turn, every turn requires that the skier adjusts their weight, edges their skis or adjusts their foot angle. The extent of these adjustments is relative to the extent of the turn. When the snow is icy (old) it can be difficult to turn simply by applying edge to the skis, therefore a step turn can be very useful. This turn involves stepping the skis one at a time (inside first) to perform a wide turn, this type of technique is best used at low speeds as it can result in a fall or crash if tried at high speeds.
One way to move faster on skis over more level terrain (other than the classic way of kicking and gliding) is to skate. As Juhani et al. (1986) found when wearing a large or heavy back pack it becomes difficult and can cause strain and injuries, as skating requires the skier to transfer their weight from left to right over each ski in a motion similar to that of an ice skater it is easy to see that improving in this ski technique would not be easy on this trip.
See video Ski skating
Some of the main components to skating are to keep your weight back and low rather than forward, this means that the skis will want to slide forward. If you keep your ankles flexed and your hips angled forward this will help. Simply step from one ski to the other while transferring your weight at the same time. This sounds easy but takes a lot of practice!
Snow conditions
Snow conditions are defined by Swixsport (no date) as either new or old (transformed). New snow is snow that is still in its original form rather than old snow that has been through a metamorphic process, this means that the snow has melted and then refrozen which means that the snow is rounded and therefore harder for the grip wax to grip to. The conditions on this trip were changing, snow had been falling in the weeks leading up to the trip however rain had arrived and the snow was starting to melt. At the time it made the conditions for skiing very hard, especially as the group were beginners and the snow was very wet and heavy, this made it more difficult to turn or move the skis within the snow. We were told that this can be a good thing (in the long term) as this weather will allow the snow to become compacted, if more snow falls then there will be a hard layer with a soft layer on top rather than if the snow is new it can be so light and fluffy that you simply sink into it.
Clothing
For most of the trip I found that it was only necessary to wear a base layer top, however having the ability to add additional layers allowed me to stay warm when having rest or food stops. Carrying spare warmer layers for stops or emergencies should include hats, gloves and jumpers or insulation such as primaloft. Although having a layering system of clothing is great, as Laing et al. (2011) found in their research it is just as important to have the right size clothing and therefore correct distance between each layer for the system to work effectively.
Insert layers pic
Gloves and hats were deemed essential as these will provide not only warmth but will also help to protect the hands and head from injuries in the event of a fall or crash.
Sunglasses are a must as the reflection from the snow can cause headaches. Ski goggles are carried in the bag in case of bad weather: this can be the difference between being able to carry on moving or having to stop as the snow falling or being blown up from the ground can make it impossible to see in front of you. These can be the only thing that allows you to continue moving in very bad weather, however on this trip glasses where more than enough.
Teaching
This trip gave me an insight into how I could introduce beginners to skiing; it is also possible to transfer the same skills that I learnt to other activities. Choosing an appropriate location (slope angle/snow conditions) is very important, if the location is way above the ability of the group they will find it overwhelming. Starting with simple exercises will allow the participant to become confident by letting them concentrate on practicing the skills rather than trying to navigate the terrain. It is important to challenge the individuals and know when to move to more challenging or appropriate terrain. This trip did this well by starting on a flat area, then moving to more varied tracks and finally onto unmarked areas.
Conclusion
During this trip I learnt a lot about ski preparation and the basic skiing techniques. I feel that the location leant itself very well to level of the group. I was able to progress and all the time my needs were addressed appropriately by the chosen terrain. As a result I improved in areas such as skating, kicking and gliding. Even though the weather conditions were not ideal I was able to find out about different snow types, how snow can change and how this affects skiing.
References
Castleman, C. C. (2011) The comprehensive guide to wilderness first aid. Lulu Enterprises, Inc.
Goodwin, T. (2014) Cross country skiing 101. [Online] Available from: http://skiing.about.com/od/crosscountryskiing/a/crosscountry101.htm [Accessed 25 May 2014].
Juhani, I., Pekka, S. and Timo, A. (1986) Strain while skiing and hauling a sledge or carrying a backpack, European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology. 55, 597-603.
London Region Nordic Ski Club (2014) Cross country skiing – Ski waxing tips. [Online] Available from: http://www.londonnordic.org.uk/ski-waxing-tips/ [Accessed 26 May 2014].
Marsland, F., Lyons, K., Anson, J., Waddlington, G., Macintosh, C. and Chapman, D. (2012) Identification of cross country skiing movement patterns using micro-sensors, Sensors Journal. 12, 5048-5066.
McGoldrick, M. (2006) Waxing your skis – A beginner’s guide. [Online] Available from: http://xcskiing.ca/wax-guide.html [Accessed 25 May 2014].
Norseman. (no date) Nordic skiing waxing guidelines. [Online] Available from: http://www.norsemanski.com/sites/norsemanski.com/files/waxing_guidelines.pdf [Accessed 25 May 2014].
Omer and Bob’s Sportshop (no date) Waxing guide. [Online] Available from: http://www.omerandbobs.com/info_center/waxing_guide/waxingmain.html#waxing5 [Accessed 15 May 2014].
Schnier, S. (2014) Grip waxing your cross-country skis. [Online] Available from: http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/grip-waxing-crosscountry-skis.html [Accessed 25 May 2014].
Swixsport (no date) Waxing guide for skating and classic skiing. [Online] Available from: http://www.swixsport.com/dav/d7acfe9e2f.pdf [Accessed 25 May 2014].
Toko. (no date) Waxing cross country skis for beginners. [Online] Available from: http://www.tokous.com/Manuals/BasicManual.pdf [Accessed 25 May 2014].