After arriving at 11 o’clock we had a short briefing. Bad news were that we do not go skiing today. It rained all morning and the plan was to go skiing nearby the centre. Instead of skiing and an evening lecture we had two lectures this afternoon. First topic was a short overview of the cross country ski family and ski preparation. Cross Country Skies can be divided into under categories due to the technic – classic and skating. Skating skies are shorter and stiffer as the classic ones. These can be subdivided on the one hand into zero and fish scale skies and on the other hand into back country skies which we are using. Zero and fish scale skies are built for tracks and therefore thinner than the back country skies, which are wider and with metal edges. As consequence, the weight is more distributed in the skies and you have better control at icy conditions. The gripping area of the zero ski is made of a type of plastic that must not be waxed. The bottom of a fish scale ski is, as the name implies, made of a material that is similar to a fish scale. Advantage: you do not have to wax the ski but you are slower and it makes a sound while skiing. There is something that is called “skins” which has similar characteristics. You can clip the on the bottom of your skies if the conditions are so bad that even glister is not working.
Next, we had a short talk about the construction of a ski and were taught in which areas the ski can be divided in. This was very helpful to understand the necessarily of waxing the gripping area. If you do not know where the gripping area is just wear your skies and put a paper underneath them. Now move it forward and backward and the area in which the paper does not touch the skies is the gripping area. So, the gripping area is not touching the ground if you are on both skies. If this would be the case there is too much friction because the snow crystals would grip into the wax. The areas before and after these are both gliding areas.
After that, we spoke about snow crystals as a transfer to the waxing theme. Main impacts here are temperature (snow/air) and erosion (wind, ski, humidity). Main factors for choosing the correct wax is the snow temperature on the one hand and humidity on the other hand. Hard wax is used for cold and dry conditions, soft wax for warm and wet conditions. Main rule for putting wax onto the gripping area is you can put soft wax on top of hard wax but never the other way round! Glister is one exception because when it is frozen you can put both types of wax on top.
Until now I spoke a lot about the gripping area but how to prepare it? First, you have to “destroy” the area with for example a sand paper. Next, the holding wax can be put on and melted with an iron on this prepared area. Holding wax is a sort of glue that helps to keep the ski wax on the skies, which is the next layer ski. Otherwise the wax will go off really fast. The application of ski wax happens in several layers depending on conditions and distance. Wax will last the longest in new snow, the shortest on icy conditions and of course the ski wax gets shaped off due to friction. The first layer of wax is put over the complete area, any further layer is 5cm less than the layer before. All layers have to be corked in but pay attention, always start in the front and cork the wax towards the end of the skies. Otherwise there will be a small rim that slows you down.
Topic of the second lecture was day pack contents and clothing. The basic principal for dressing for outdoor trips is layers and do not use cotton because of the soaking capacity. Therefore, we talked about the different layers and what is typical for it. The “Base Layer” is the first layer. It is quiet tight, made out of wood or synthetic material. Wool has the advantage that it keeps you warmer than synthetic products when it is wet. Main function of this layer is retaining heat and hold moisture against the body. Part of this layer are legs, feet and torso. You can wear one or two pair of socks depending on personal preferences. You can also think about wearing gore tex socks if you are not sure if your shoes are waterproof. The socks should be made out of wool and not touch the shoes because air is needed to keep your feet warm.
The next layer is called ”midlayer” and should cover the neck if the base layer does not. The neck is an important area where a lot of body temperature can be lost. A fleece jacket or a woollen vest is perfect because they are warm and absorb moisture. If your trip takes place in really cold conditions you can think of an additional midlayer as an extra layer to prevent you of freezing.
Finally, there is the “outer layer” which should be wind- and waterproof, at least windproof if you have the waterproof ones in your backpack. Here, we are talking about trousers and a jacket which should have ideally zippers for ventilation. They are very useful because you can easily adjust the temperature and do not have to take on/put off a layer.
Last but not least, do not forget your hands, your head and especially your eyes. Depending on personal preferences you can wear gloves or mitts which are warmer because the heat of all your fingers is able to move. During the tour you should wear a thin pair of them and carry a thicker pair in your backpack. For head and hands it is the same rule: always go out with two pairs of it. The head is very important because you can lose up to 70% of your body heat there. I am sure that we are all the same opinion when I am saying that covering your eyes is very important. One the one hand you can protect them against UV radiation and on the other hand against snow. Additionally, you can supply your eyes in difficult visual conditions e.g. in the mountains where everything is white. So you can see more things and prevent yourself of a whiteout.
As mentioned above, part two of this lecture was pack your daypack. Here, you can distinguish between personal and group items. In a winter surrounding an avalanche prop or an emergency shelter are for example group items. Personal items you should carry all the time is e.g. a first aid kit, a flint and as you already know sunglasses, a pair of spare gloves and a spare hat. The most important things are of course map and compass and a pen for making notes in emergency situations. To be adequately equipped for breaks a (down) jacket should not miss as well. The big advantage of down is that it is smaller and lighter compared to synthetic jackets with the same heat retaining degree.
The way of packing a backpack differs if you want to go skiing or go for a hike. For the first case you put all heavy things on the bottom because it is helpful when the body’s centre of gravity is lower. This was a new information for me, since up until then I packed my backpack in the same way no matter what I was going to do. So, all in all this was a diverting afternoon with a lot of useful information. The theoretical things about skies will help me to understand what to do in the field. Therefore, I am hopefully able to choose the right type of wax. Moreover, the general information about clothing showed me the importance of glasses. Bevor this lecture I did not pay so much attention to this section of my body and therefore was not willing to spend a lot of money for glasses. It is also important to carry a second pair of gloves and a second hat.
