You don’t have time to wax. You don’t want to spend money on wax. You don’t want to learn about waxing. You're not alone. We met some likeminded Nordic skiers in Scandinavia, the land of cross-country and they told us how they handled the "waxing issue".
SCANDINAVIA: HOME OF CROSS-COUNTRY
When asked whether Scandinavia is a good place to go cross-country skiing, most likely every Scandinavian would give you the unanimous answer: it's the best! There are thousands of kilometers of prepared trails and the sport is very popular. Many people use it as a way to keep fit in winter, children go skiing as part of school sports, and it’s a common weekend activity for families.
Sweden has the world’s largest indoor cross-country ski trail, for skiing at any time of the year. And, of course, it hosts the annual 90k Vasaloppet – the oldest, longest and largest cross-country ski race in the world that regularly counts more than 50.000 participants.
SKI SMARTER. HAVE MORE FUN.
It seems like the Scandinavians know what they’re doing when it comes to cross-country skiing. And they’ll tell you: You don't have to be a racer to love cross-country skiing like one. You just need to be smart, and you’ll have more fun.
“I started cross-country skiing 10 years ago. Since then, I think the biggest thing that’s changed is obviously the skis. I don’t need to put any kick-wax anymore. Now my skis work in all kinds of snow. That’s perfect for me.” says Johann Henriksson who’s a firm supporter of waxless skis.
I can’t get younger, I know. But I can get fitter.
THE PROBLEM WITH KICK-WAX
Anybody who’s been on cross-country skis knows: classic skiing is relatively easy to learn, but preparing a traditional classic ski isn’t. To get the kick-wax right is a science in itself and it’s time-consuming. It requires experience and detailed information about the snow and weather. Why bother if there’s alternatives?
“It's a myth that people who are serious about cross-country skiing use waxable skis only. Look at what athletes ski at Vasaloppet” says Emil Jonsson, father of two. “I don’t like fishscale skis, however. They’re noisy, and they feel “chattery”.
THE SOLUTION: SKINTEC SKIS
So that’s where skin-skis come into play. They were invented by Atomic a few years ago and more and more people are falling in love with them. Like Emil and Johann: “Skin skis are super easy to handle and always ready to use.” They are waxless classic skis with a mohair insert in the kick zone. The mohair has a nap, so it glides in one direction and provides grip in the other.
Skin skis work in a wide range of conditions. “My whole family has been skiing on Atomic Skintec skis for a whole season and they worked great in every snow and temperature. The grip is excellent, the glide is excellent, and they go fast. You still have to glide wax them periodically, but they are ideal “grab and go” classic skis and a pleasure to ski on” affirms Emil.
#weareskiing
