This is a tutorial for beginners with materials from YouTube mainly.

The Taste of Cross-country Skiing

Cross-country skiing, also known as Nordic skiing, differs from alpine skiing (downhill skiing) by having skis with an unfixed heel that enables skiers to cross forests and mountains.

Contrary to downhill skiing’s thrilling focus, cross-country skiing can be both intense and peaceful. (1) cross-country demands much more workout when uphill because there is no ski lift. (2) skiing with dogs and crossing the flat forest can be extremely peaceful. Below are my favorite videos.

Lesson 0: Equipment and Clothing

There are four types of skis available:

  • Classic skis are designed for use on groomed trails and are the most common ones.
  • Skate skis are designed for use on groomed trails and are wider and shorter than classic skis. They have a stiffer flex and a non-waxable base, and they are typically used in a skating motion to propel the skier forward.
  • Touring skis are designed for backcountry use.
  • Telemark skis are designed for backcountry terrain and are typically wider and shorter than touring skis.

Here I suggest starting with classic skis, which are 10 to 20 cm longer than your height. There are typically two types of binding, NNN and STS, so be sure you get compatible boots.

(Image edit from internet)

The picture above also reminds us how to dress properly. (1) no cotton but fast drying, breathable synthetic clothing (2) be light and flexible, no need to dress like downhill skiers but like a runner.

Lesson 1: Gain Balance - From Static to Dynamic

While we stand still, the weight is exactly beneath the feet. However, It’s better to give up the feeling of standing still. Once you stand on skis and start moving, it involves dynamically shifting weight between two skis rather than standing still on skis.

Check the video below. The first 3 minutes demonstrates:

  • Practice transferring your weight (00:30)
  • Kick and glide. When we put all weight in one ski, the ski depresses, so that we can use the kick zone to generate a gliding forward (01:05 - 03:15). This is how the skis are designed to work

I also recommend the video below, which contains the following points:

  • The ready stance (04:30). You can also jump with skis to feel the normal ready stance. Normally the hands are always front of the body.
  • The camber of the skis (05:40). This help you understand the what happens to skis when you kick and glide.
  • How to fall and stand up (06:05).
  • Practice standing on one ski (transferring your weight) (07:20).
  • Step turn (transferring your weight) (08:00).

Lesson 2: Double Stride and Diagonal Stride

Now it’s time to use poles. Double stride is the basic poling motion of cross-country skiing. Diagonal stride that combines polling with the shuffle-and-glide, which you may need extra days to master.

The first video:

  • Double stride (03:10 - 05:45).
  • Diagonal stride (05:45 - 07:00).

The second video:

  • Double stride (09:45 - 12:15).

Lesson 3: Snowplow and Turning

Snowplowing is a wedge (V shape) to increase the edge contact with snow and acquire extra force to uphill (herringbone) or to brake while downhill. The key to turning is still transferring your weight from one side to the other. If you do it step by step, that is stepping turn. If you do it continuously, that is C shape turning.

The first video:

  • Snowplow (uphill herringbone) (07:00)
  • Snowplow to downhill - slow down skills (08:50 - 10:50)
  • Stepping turn (11:00)

The second video:

  • Snowplow (12:15 - 15:30).
  • Step in & out of the tracks (15:30 - 19:10).
  • Uphill herringbone (25:30 - 27:00).
  • C shape turning (28:20 - 29:15).

After the first three lessons (approximately 3 hour’s practice), you can survive in the Nordmarka area. Falling down while learning to ski is unavoidable in the first month, but every time it increases your sense of balance.

Lesson 4: Skating

If you also wanna master how to skate skiing, the video below would be beneficial.

Is that too easy for you? Here are advanced skills:

  • Parallel turning.
  • Telemarking turning.
  • Hockey stop.

My Favorite Online Resources:

Useful links:

All in one YouTube video list

The equipment

Techniques