Essentials: XC Ski Gear Article

Kick and glide your way into shape this winter. Or maybe you want to race? Cross-country skiing is among the world’s great human-powered modes of movement — efficient, fast, fun, and convenient to dwellers of wintery places almost anywhere. Be it a groomed track at your local golf course or a big race with thousands of skiers the likes of the American Birkebeiner, the equipment here can get you started in the right track.

For the article, “The Gear Junkie’s Top 10 Cross-Country Skiing Essentials,” we consulted with Ben Popp, a skier and coach at Endurance Athlete, and Jan Guenther, an expert skier and founder of the Gear West XC Ski/Run store in Long Lake, Minn. The items here, from foot warmers to mohair-adorned skis, are a splay of new and top-end equipment as well as tried-and-true gear you should not venture onto the snow without. —Stephen Regenold

Top 10 XC Skiing Essentials

1. Classic Ski: Atomic Skintec

2. Skate Ski: Fischer Carbonlite S-Track

3. Classic Boot: Rossignol X-IUM

4. Skate Boot: Salomon S-LAB Carbon Pro

5. Roller Skis: Swenor Fibreglass Cap

6. Nordic Exercise Machine: SkiFast Ergometer

7. Warmers: Heat Factory Chemical Packs

8. Wind-Proof Underpants: Craft Zero X Gunde Boxers

9. Expensive White Powder: Swix Cera F series wax

10. Wax Iron: Swix T71

—Stephen Regenold is the founder of GearJunkie.com and a contributor to Outside magazine. See his bio page on Outside at this link.