Cross Country Ski Glossary...
Specialist in Human Powered Travel	Mark Zen P. O. BOX 474 Ft. Lupton, Colorado             80621-0474

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The farthest forward part of the ski, as it sits on the ground, in "normal"
skiing orientation. The pointy end of the ski.

The narrowest part of the ski, usually in the middle.

The farthest rear part of the ski, as it sits on the ground, in "normal"
skiing orientation. The blunt end of the ski.

Usually the part of the ski with the Name & Logo on it. 

Usually the part of the ski that comes in contact with the snow.

The sidemost part of the ski, when looking from the top. On many cross country
skis, they have metal re-enforced edges, commonly called "metal edged skis."
The majority of cross country skis do not have metal edges, while the majority
of back country skis do have the metal edges.

Camber is difficult to describe to someone who doesn't have a pair of skis in
their hands... but basically, it is the gap between the skis when you put them
bottom to bottom. There are two types of camber, primary and secondary. True
downhill skis have no secondary camber. Cross country skis usually have a fair
bit of secondary camber. You want a downhill ski to flatten out more than a
cross country ski, so you have more edge to grip the snow with.

Primary camber is the amount of flex in the skis it takes to "mostly" flatten
out a pair of skis, usually this is fairly distinct.

Secondary camber is the amount of resistance to flattening out that last bit.

If you take a pair of downhill skis, or a pair of "randonee" or telemark skis,
and squeeze them, they should flatten out completely, easily. When you take a
pair of cross country skis and do this, that last bit is tough, and may not
even be possible without using two hands.

Side cut is the difference between the width of the ski at the widest point,
usually near the tip, and the narrowest point, usually the waist. If the ski
is [made up numbers] 90mm wide at the tip, and 60mm at the waist, we would
say the ski has 30mm of sidecut.

Like the wax you find in candles, except ski wax is made with certain
properties in mind... Grip and Glide. You apply different types of wax
to different parts of your ski to enhance one, or both, of those two
properties.

The manuafacturer's replacement for wax. Comes in many different types,
ranging from a simple stairstep design [very noisy on ice!!] to quite
complex fishscale types of patterns.

Generally a synthetic material that has a "grain" such that if you
run your hand down it, it is smooth one way, and almost impossible
to go the opposite way.

• XC Ski Page
• XC Ski Waxing Page
• XC Ski Clothing Page

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