Tips and Considerations for Backcountry Cross-Country Skiing in Deep Snow
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2024
- I was hoping to publish this video a couple of days ago. But those days were spent preparing my home for a big rain event at Lake Tahoe. Basically, I shovelled off a lot of the snow that's collected on my roof over the winter (which has been a lot!). So far, so good. The house is fine, as well as me and my roommate. But all of the beautiful snow featured in this video (from a few days ago) has turned to slop due to the warmer temperatures and rain that we've received.
Anyway, cross-country skiing in deep snow is both exhausting and exhilarating. For the most part, though, you do need really wide backcountry xc skis when the snow is super deep. So that's the biggest barrier to actually having a good time out there. That's not to say that you can't get out there with whatever you have, but it's mostly going to be a struggle (and not a fun one) on skinny skis. So get yourself some wide bc xc skis and get to it!
0:00 Establishing Shots
0:28 Introduction
0:50 Flat Terrain
2:48 Stomping Out a Platform
3:58 Kick Turns
5:44 Laying Tracks
7:10 Uphill Travel
11:12 Downhill Demos
15:09 Outro
In this video I was running Fischer S-Bound 112mm skis with 3-pin bindings, and wearing Alpina Alaska boots.
• Discussing My Backcountry XC Skis and Philosophy for Backcountry Cross-Country Skiing ( • Discussing My Backcoun... )
This is an article I wrote espousing the merits of learning technique (over buying more xc ski gear).
tahoetrailguide.com/invest-in...
Here's a complimentary article that I wrote about backcountry cross-country ski gear.
tahoetrailguide.com/overview-...
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Please note that I produced my series of articles and videos tagged “Cross-Country Skiing Explained” with the beginner or intermediate cross-country skier in mind. Therefore, I don’t intend to address racing-oriented philosophy, technique, or gear selection.
Classic Cross-Country Ski Components (articles at Tahoe Trail Guide):
Introduction to Classic Cross-Country Skis (Part 1)
tahoetrailguide.com/cross-cou...
Geometry of Classic Cross-Country Skis (Part 2)
tahoetrailguide.com/cross-cou...
The Grip Zone of Classic Cross-Country Skis (Part 3)
tahoetrailguide.com/cross-cou...
Types of Bindings for Classic Cross-Country Skiing (Part 4)
tahoetrailguide.com/cross-cou...
Ski Boots for Classic Cross-Country Skiing (Part 5)
tahoetrailguide.com/cross-cou...
Classic Cross-Country Ski Poles (Part 6)
tahoetrailguide.com/cross-cou...
FAQs about Classic Cross-Country Skiing
tahoetrailguide.com/faqs-abou...
Waxing Your “Waxless” Cross-Country Skis (for beginner and intermediate xc skiers):
Introduction to Waxing Your Waxless XC Skis
tahoetrailguide.com/waxing-yo...
FAQs About Waxing Your Waxless XC Skis
tahoetrailguide.com/faqs-abou...
Considerations for buying cross-country ski gear (new and beginner xc skiers):
Buying Cross-Country Ski Gear, for Beginners (Part 1)
tahoetrailguide.com/buying-cr...
I've produced this collection of articles and videos about backcountry travel and exploration with the beginner and intermediate adventurer in mind. This is the demographic for whom I most often served while working in the Lake Tahoe outdoor recreation industry. In essence, these informational projects I create and publish are extensions of the many conversations we've had over the years.
Please note that, although I encourage you to venture out of your comfort zone, you need to know your limits and when to turn back. Tahoe Trail Guide and its contributors are not liable for property loss or damage, personal injury, or death. Always consult multiple sources when venturing into the backcountry. Always be prepared for the worst case scenario. Your safety is your responsibility.
Copyright © 2023 Jared Manninen
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What a year to exploit great ski conditions for the powder hounds, yes Jared? The only point I wish to add to your excellent video is that I believe wide skis are not necessarily the only solution to deep powder. It's all about the surface area of a ski for flotation and that can also come in the form of a long ski to give the same square inches of a surface platform, and practically speaking, there is a potential to extend the length, more and more still. A ski can be longer than it can be wider, regarding its extreme limits. 12 foot long 'long board' ski racers in my 'neck of the woods' will confirm that, and the capable skier can tele-turn them as well.
Cheers Jared
Hey Barry!
You're absolutely right about a really long and skinnier ski providing a similar surface area in which to remain on top. The famous Snowshoe Thompson, after all, ran some 25 footers when he was delivering mail across the Sierra back in the 1800s :)
I had considered mentioning the long, skinny ski option but I just wasn't even sure that people were still using skis that long. The trend across the board (for track and backcountry use) seems to be going for a shorter ski to make it more manageable. But, you're right in that there are most likely still a lot of longer skinny skis out there in circulation and still being used by many. Alas, I can't always think of everything to put in these videos - haha :)
And I was hoping to produce so many other videos this season, but it's been the non-stop storm cycle for months, so I just decided to go with it :) Last winter would've been ideal for me to make more videos about skiing in icy conditions (which I actually assumed I'd be making this year), but I'll have to wait until spring for that or for a completely different winter.
Now we're in 38-42 degree temps with sleet and rain since last Friday, so we'll see what the snowpack looks like after this storm blows out. At this point, though, everything is saturated and heavy and sloppy. At least the snowbanks around my house are starting to compress a little ;)
As always, thanks so much for tuning in and your contributions to the conversations! I love it :)
Love those tracks you laid down there 🙂
Thank you! As I was doing that, I was actually giving consideration to just making an entire loop around the forest and taking laps on it :) But then I remembered I was capturing footage for the video and had to keep at it - haha!
ski length is also important for deep snow
Totally true! However, if you're buying skis for your weight, often you're stuck with the specific length for your weight. And mostly the backcountry xc skis are limited in lengths (generally in the range of 165-195cm). You could buy longer for your weight, but it's always a questionable practice because of the camber issue (i.e. not heavy enough to compress it for grip). Anyway, I probably should've mentioned ski length as a topic of discussion, so thanks for bringing it up :)
Great information. Tbh, we only get that kind of snow maybe a couple times of year here, but I really love to ski in those conditions. It can be a lot of work on 100-80-90’s that I have. I really might as well be snowshoeing at that point. It’s all good.
Haha, yeah I'm sure a lot of places don't deal with that deep of snow. But it seems like it's all I've had this winter here in Tahoe. And since that's been the case, I figured I may as well make something related to it because I haven't been able to make many of the other ones that I had originally planned to create (before the non-stop storm cycles took over).
It sounds like you have some great skis for deep snow, though! Anyway, thanks so much for watching, and the nice feedback! I appreciate it :)
I've found that fish scales don't well in fresh snow, at least not in dry colorado fresh snow. I've tried rubbing blue kick wax in front and behind fish scales. Sometimes almost the entire length of the ski. It does reduce glide, but much better than putting on skins in hilly terrain.
Hey Justin,
Thanks so much for tuning in, and for contributing to the conversation!
That's interesting, though, about not having much success with scale-patterned bases in fresh snow. I have experienced, to one degree or another, shearing on occasion if I'm trying to walk straight up a hill of fresh snow (which then causes me to slide backwards). But then when I change the angle of my skis in a herringbone, for example, I don't have too much problem other than the work it takes to deal with the deeper snow. Yeah, mostly I just change my physical approach if I find that I'm not getting much grip at a certain angle in fresh, deeper snow.
I like your idea of adding the grip wax to the mix. I think that's a great use of it in those conditions. You could even apply it to the scale pattern to give some extra grip.
Again, thanks for watching and for the feedback. I appreciate it :)
There’s a plethora of solid information packed in here. I love Autumn but am so jonesing for some snow! My dog is a complete idiot in the snow. We both love it! Although, my widest skis are 100’s, there are just so few days that require 120’s in Wyoming. I think I would opt for a three pin over a NNN BC binding with a 112-125mm ski.
Thanks so much for the feedback, John! Glad you found my info about xc skiing in deep snow relevant/helpful :)
I think there are a lot of places in snow country that don't necessarily need xc skis wider than 100mm. And even when there is a dump of multiple feet of powder, a lot of times that snow will consolidate within a few days. Well, at least enough that 100s or narrower would be good enough. That said, last winter (2022-23) in Tahoe was just non-stop deep stuff! I probably could've run a set of backcountry xc skis that were 120+ without thinking twice. haha! But that's definitely not the norm.
I'm looking forward to the temperatures dropping and the snow flying as well. But I still have a small laundry list of winterization projects that I need to complete before that happens. So, I'm hoping I have at least a few more weeks of autumn! haha :)
Thanks again for tuning in, and for the kind words.
Jared, thanks for the video and all the good tips and advice. I'm in my second season of teaching myself to do this "backcountry" style nordic skiing up here in the Mt. Hood, Oregon area. The snow is always deep and I go away from the crowds to make my own tracks. I am using the Fischer 98 Bound skis now with this Alpina Alaska boots. I feel like a wider ski would make travel more efficiently in these deep powder conditions. Any thoughts on the Rossignol XP 120 BC ski? The Xplore bidning/boot system? For those types of conditions. I do some downhills/uphills but stay away from any terrain that could be avalanche territory. I'm just about getting out into nature and exploring it with my dog. Any advice on gear selection, much appreciated.
Thank you for watching, and the kind words :)
Those Rossignol XC 120 look pretty beefy! I'm sure they'd handle most deep snow scenarios. I use the S-Bound 112mm in deeper snow, and they mostly work. But when it's over a couple of feet of fresh snow, they still sink a lot. I actually own a pair of Fischer S-Bound 98mm, as well, but when it's deep snow I just grab the 112mm. The 120mm should give you more float, though. Fischer actually used to make some S-Bound 125mm, but I believe they no longer do. I kind of wish they still did because they would be even better in deep stuff.
As far as the Xplore bindings and boots go, I just don't have any experience with them. Look for Tom M's TH-cam channel as he's done various reviews on the system. I just don't want to invest in another binding system, so I've been sticking with a basic 3-pin binding or the NNN BC bindings. I'm fine with either of those, and finding all the boots to accommodate them is easier (and less expensive!). That said, I definitely would not go with an NNN BC binding on those 120s. I think it would just be too small for the ski. So, 3-pin or Xplore would be more appropriate.
Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have other questions or want additional clarification on what I've said here.
Again, thanks so much for tuning in and for the question. I appreciate it!
Hey Jared, happy belated birthday. I see you’re having to do a lot of “stepping” becuase the deeper snow. I recall you saying the vid the snow here was 3’ deep and you had your wider skis. Where I live we rarely get more than 12” in a single storm, and by the time the next storm comes most of that inital snow is gone or packed down. Would you advise looking into wider skis? I currently use Saloman 60 Outback, and there was only one time I’ve had issues with them sinking deep into the snow (it was while crossing a snwdrift. Thanks for all your videos and advice!!!
Hey Andrew!
Thanks for the birthday wishes :)
Yeah, all last winter was one major snowstorm after another that yielded 1+ feet every time. So, I was doing a lot of what amounted to walking around. At least until I found some steeper hills where I could do some fun downhilling.
I think if the skis you already own seem to do the job of keeping you afloat, I probably wouldn't race out to buy a new set of wider skis. That isn't to say that you couldn't find uses for them, particularly in deeper snow when you get the occasional major snowstorm. But, again, if what you have works I'd probably stick with it.
All of that said, having a wide set of skis in not-so-deep snow can be fun and really keep you on top of the snow no matter what. But that becomes a slippery slope (pun intended!) when you start to buy multiple pairs of skis. One day you may just find yourself with a dozen sets (like me - ha!), all very specific to one condition or depth of snow. And then you have to store them and maintain them and, essentially, not use them that often because you can only run one set of skis at a time ;)
Anyway, I'd probably just stick with what's already working for you.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. And I really appreciate the other support, too :)