Last Updated on July 7, 2022 by Cristina
Choosing Cross Country Ski Boot Types? When it comes to Cross Country skiing, also known as “Nordic skiing,” it can either be classic or skate skiing. But for both, the heels of your feet are always free, unlike downhill skiing. Also, your muscles and your gears are needed for forward movement. However, there are some differences.
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Classic Vs. Skate Skiing
Classic skiing makes use of forward and backward striding motion like when you are running or walking. This is where most beginners start from. It is also well renowned among different families who want to have fun skiing without prior experience.
On the other hand, skate skiing is like that of a speed skater on ice. As the skis are pushed to the side, their edges are used for forward propulsion. It is fun-filled and enjoyable but fast. Hence, it is not to be a starting point for beginners.
Similarly, there are slight differences between skiing gears for classic and skate skiing, though not much. But, these differences can only be identified by a properly trained person; a good example is the skiing boots. Read on to know more.
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How To Choose Cross Country Ski Boot Types
Whether skiing for sports or pleasure, everyone will always opt for comfort rather than pain. Therefore, to ensure this, it is essential to get a comfortable skiing boot. A great day can become gloomy when the heels or toes are inflicted with painful blisters.
Hence, it is advised that when putting on a boot, do so with a pair of synthetic/wooly ski socks. When a boot is fitting, it only means that it is comfortable and holds your feet in place. At the same time, you should be able to move your toes now and then to keep warm.
There are different sizes of cross-country skiing boots in the market. There are even cross-country ski boots for wide feet. It would be best if you went for boots with proper fittings. It gives comfortability and a quality skiing experience. You can check out this boot fitting guide for more info.
Furthermore, when going for a cross country ski boot, the type of skiing you have decided to engage in should also be considered. More information about cross-country ski boots and the types of skiing they are used for is given below.
Do You Need Special Boots For Cross Country Skiing?
Yes, when out to get a boot for your cross-country tour, it is advised that you go for a boot with different comfortable features. Also, such a boot should be flexible when striding and possess torsional rigidity, useful when turning and stopping.
WHITEWOODS Unisex Adult Touring Cross Country Adventure Insulated Ski Boots
Some boots have extra features such as lace covers and rings for gaiters’ attachment. They are helpful in case you accidentally ski out of the tracks into chunks of the snow mass. They help in keeping out the invading snowballs.
Compared to ski boots for race or performance skiing, cross country ski boots should be more comfortable and provide more insulation.
Race And Performance Classic Skiing Boots
When it comes to race and performance skiing boots, the weight is usually lighter. Also, they are designed with lower cuffs to allow a more excellent range of motion.
Metal-Edge Touring Skiing Boots
This type of boot comes with a stiffer structure to allow for more excellent hold when turning. Despite this, the boots are flexible, warmer, and higher cut than boots for general touring. Some of them even come with plastic coverings for additional rigidity.
Skate Skiing Boots – Cross Country Ski Boot Types
Unlike the classic skiing boots, this type of boot offers more support for the angle. This function is helpful to prevent sprain of the ankle joints when skating. They also come with rugged soles to reduce forward flexion and torsion, which hinder quality skating experience.
Boots For Skate Skiing And Classic Skiing
There are also some skiing boots out there in the market designed for skate skiing and classic skiing. They are known as combi boots. They have blended features, which makes it possible for them to work for both very well.
If you are a lover of both skate skiing and classic skiing, then this is the right choice for you. These boots are money savers since you will only need to buy a pair instead of two.
Once you’ve found the proper boots, you can move on to finding compatible bindings. It’s worth noting that some skis come with bindings, in which case you need to be sure that when you’re shopping for boots, you choose ones that are compatible with the bindings already on the skis. You can learn more about compatibility by reading the next section of this article, which discusses bindings.
After getting the boot of your choice, then you can go on and look for compatible bindings. There are different cross-country ski bindings types out there. At times, some ski gadgets do come with bindings. In such cases, you only need to get skiing boots that are compatible with the bindings.
Cross Country Ski Binding Types
Bindings are usually classified in relation to the types of soles of the ski boot. For example, if your boot has a New Nomadic Norm (NNN) sole, you should go for NNN bindings. The same goes for a boot with Salomon Nordic System (SNS). But this is not the case in recent years.
New systems such as the Turnamic system and the ProLink system are more flexible. Crossover among boot soles and bindings are now possible. With these systems, it is now possible for Turnamic, Prolink, and NNN boots to interchange bindings.
These soles and bindings are common to Skate, Cross-Country, Race, and Performance classic ski. NNN soles, NNN, NNN Nordic Integrated System (NIS), Turnamic, ProLink bindings are compatible. Also, for Turnamic soles, NNN, NNN NIS, Turnamic, ProLink bindings are compatible.
This is the same for ProLink soles. However, new types such as SNS profile and SNS pilot are only configured to be compatible with bindings of their types.
These bindings can also either be manual or automatic. Automatic bindings allow automatic locking and releasing of bindings from the boot. But you will have to bend down to lock or release your boot in the manual binding.
Conclusion – Cross Country Ski Boot Types
The most important thing to do when looking for a good cross-country ski boot is to ensure it is fitted. Getting one might be tedious but try all you can to find a store. Also, make sure that you put on the boots before buying. This is to ensure that you have a quality skiing experience.
