Discussion: Skis for Ski Orienteering

Starting to think about the winter season that is getting closer by the day. I would like to start ski orienteering this season, so I wanted to start looking for the gear needed. What skis are recommended for ski orienteering (I assume skate skis is a must)? Where is a good place to buy skis?

Hey Magnus, glad you're going to get into ski-o! You should look into coming to Tahoe this winter for the US and North American Championships, it's going to be awesome! It's also the first round of World Cups, first time North America has ever held a ski-o WC!

As for skis, I use regular skate skis, and it seems most of the other countries also use regular skate skis. I've heard of some people using shorter skis, but you lose in speed what you gain in maneuverability with short skis.

Around Boston, the best place to buy skis is at Bikeway Source, in Bedford. Chris Li, their ski guy, is super knowledgeable, and very helpful. If you aren't interested in buying skis from a local shop, I'd recommend getting them through a ski-picking service such as Boulder Nordic or Caldwell Sport.

If you're less interested in speed, and more interested in a pair of rock skis you can beat up, you can search all sorts of online dealers and garage sales, but don't expect top speed from those skis - sometimes you get lucky, but more often than not, the skis being sold on sale are the ones that a knowledgeable staffer deemed unfit for sale to full-price-paying customers.

Good luck!

Agree with all that Alex said. If you're buying new gear for the first time, I'd recommend you spend as much money as possible on boots first and foremost. For skis, getting the right flex is super important (ie. matching your weight). Be careful about going with a cheap, low-end skate ski as you'll outgrow them quickly. Better to buy a used top-end ski from a racer than getting a good deal on a cheaper pair.

Best ski shop in Canada (who does a lot of shipping to the US is: Fresh Air Experience (where I happen to randomly work).

Thanks for all the great advice. I don't know about starting my ski orienteering career by going to the champs though. I was hoping that there were going to be some things closer by, but I guess I have to figure it out as the season is shaping up.

I'm working on the local ski-O schedule, and I will publish a draft soon.

You are aware that all our ski-o controls are on saw-horse stands, right?

The first scheduled event will be a ceremonial burning of the saw horses.

Nev, them's fightin' words.

Also, I've got a pair of 193 Medium stiffness Atomic World Cup skate skis, if you happen to be 180-195-ish pounds!

Magnus, there are plenty of races that week before the champs! It's not so hard to get used to it quickly =)

Ian, we need to coordinate, so I can get your ski-o events on www.neskio.com.

Ian, Plan on an event at GBF, and at Weston. Probably CSU doing the Weston event, and NEOC doing the GBF?

Also Kingdom Valley VT.

Somehow, I am going to have to acquire some skis...

Becky, what size shoe are you?

7.5 US.

biggins probably has a spare pair of boots she can use, or would one boot be sufficient?

I have a pair of fisher 195cm + boots size about 9.5 you are welcome to try. I used them for 3/4 ski-o meets last year before bringing my old 200cm fisher and boots from Italy. I still like the old one more, so the new one are also for sale. We also have another Katia-size pair for sale for the same reason if anyone is interested.

Giovanni: Are those boots US or UK size?

Becky, I can probably hook you up for this winter.

That would be ace! I don't want to spend much money until I've got a bit more of a feel for whether I genuinely like it or not! And I'm definitely not good enough to complain about quality of skis or anything like that.

Can anyone sort Rob out with an old pair? 10.5-11.5. We have only skied about 6 times in our life, so we're real beginners, and most old stuff would likely suffice.