XC Gear advice

[intellectualdesperado]

I'm looking to get into cross country this year. I would like to get into some great gear but don't want to waste my money with trial and error.

I'm 6'2" 300lbs. I think I'd be better suited on tele than the typical cross country skis. I live by mill creek and will probably be doing most of my skiing up there.

I would appreciate any advice or recommendations.

[Joe Gardner]

The cost difference between Tele and XC is steep. Hundreds of dollars difference.

I have Atomic Rainier skis, they are great XC skis, but they are not something I would want to take on the bunny hill. I really wish I would have splurged the first time around and bought a proper tele setup.

[Brian in SLC]

I'm looking to get into cross country this year. I would like to get into some great gear but don't want to waste my money with trial and error.
I'm 6'2" 300lbs. I think I'd be better suited on tele than the typical cross country skis. I live by mill creek and will probably be doing most of my skiing up there.

For you're "situation", I'd recommend gettin' a fairly burly tele set up. Especially for Mill Creek. It can get icey up there on that well travelled road, and, you'll want metal edges and a ski that can turn on icey hardpack.

Get thee to the BD gear swap this Saturday! Incredible deals on used gear. Find a boot that fits (optimum is a Scarpa T2 with the moldable liners) then find a pair of skis with bindings to match your boot length (or, adjustable).

Don't discount a light downhill ski for tele. Any older wood core light model can work and used ones can be had for cheap. Toss the old bindings (or sell on eBay or Craigslist), plug the holes then get a robust used tele binding.

Usually, you can find someone with the set up you want at the swaps, and, try to find one with climbing skins included. Waxing in Mill Creek is tough due to all the sun then shade spots. I used to X/C up there all the time and never seemed to dial in the wax thing. And, its steep enough (elbow fork!) that waxless fishscales don't seem to work very well. With a modern tele set up, skins, skis, boots, binding, you could eventually go anywhere in the Wasatch.

Good luck.

Uhhh, what size foot are you (says the guy with a pair of two of extra boots and skis who can't make the BD swap this weekend)...?

-Brian in SLC

[cachehiker]

Karhu XCD's have been attracting a lot of good comments on telemark forums. They're pretty similar to the Fischer Outtabounds Crowns that I spend most of my time on. They are not a legit telemark ski but a hybrid ski with an intermediate camber. They're kinda slow in an actual XC ski situation but will get the job done where a full on telemark setup feels like a boat anchor (no kick, little glide). And unlike my XC skis, you can do telemark turns on them in less than ideal situations with a little practice. You can't expect them to turn like a dedicated tele setup though.

I also have two pair of beater XC skis, a longer skinnier faster pair for good flat days and a shorter wider slower pair with metal edges for icy flat days. However, there aren't too many flat XC skiable trails around here that aren't overrun with snowmobiles so each pair gets taken out just twice a year or thereabouts.