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The Genuine Article	Past stories Boots Cross-country skiing Bikes Tents GPS navigators Ice skates Digital cameras Insect repellents Adventure Travel Insurance Tent Buyer's Guide Hiking footgear --------------------- Cool Tools

THE BASIC SKILL SET behind the classic style of cross-country skiing has changed little since its inception millennia ago in Scandinavia. The tradition, however, has expanded not only as a means of travel in northern Europe, but as a hugely popular sport around the world. In Canada, more than 3.5 million people snap on cross-country skis every winter — that’s twice those who play hockey.

The reason for cross-country skiing’s popularity is simple. If you can walk, you can ski. For recreationists, the diagonal stroke offers potential for a better workout than walking. You use core muscles in a more concentrated manner, which is easy on the joints (the smooth, gliding movement increases elasticity) and allows you to cover greater distances, with the bonus of heart-pumping euphoria.

A simple arch in the ski is at the heart of the sport. Called a camber, this effective curve splits the ski into three task-specific areas. The front and back third are in continuous contact with the snow, gliding the ski across all terrain. The middle section, known as the kicker, does the opposite. When carrying a skier’s full weight, it grips, binding momentarily with the slippery surface below, enabling forward propulsion. As the weight is redistributed during the glide phase, the rebounding arch lifts the gripping section out of the snowpack and the tips and tails do their magic.

In the old days of hand-shaped wooden skis, finding the right camber was a laborious process that began with a pink-faced salesperson shuffling underfoot to slide a piece of paper under the arches while the skier stood on the boards. Today, the so-called paper test can be avoided, as modern synthetics offer predictable resistance. Just remember: the more you weigh, the greater the camber necessary — and the longer the skis. Don’t forget to add your day pack to the load. To allow for discrepancies in weight, crosscountry skis are sold in a variety of lengths.

The basic axiom of cross-country skiing is the thinner the ski, the greater the speed. Combine that with the coefficient of camber, and you have the makings of the long, narrow cross-country ski we all know. Nordic skis specify their width with three numbers, in millimetres, representing the tip, the binding platform and the tail. As wearers of high-heeled shoes know, a wider base provides more stability. The greater the difference between the tips and the platform (the first and second numbers), the more easily your boards turn.

There are two options for the base. Experienced skiers tend to prefer the waxable kind. With waxables, skiers carry a quiver of gripping products to be applied, as necessary, on the cambered section through weather, wear and terrain changes. While once solely the domain of beginners, or lazy skiers, wax-free technology is now winning World Cup and Olympic competitions under certain conditions. Each manufacturer has its own patented design, but all generally have a sharp-edged three-dimensional tread that is most pronounced underneath the boot and graduated as it reaches either glide zone. These bases have proven particularly effective on steep inclines and in nearfreezing weather, when regular waxes tend to fail. In the end, weather and terrain dictate. Cruising through the arctic conditions of southwestern Quebec’s Gatineau Park? Go waxable. Climbing mountains of coastal slush? Consider waxless.

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