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Choosing a Nordic Touring Ski

This is the kind of ski used for touring in terrain of the type found in Scandinavia and Britain. When selecting a suitable ski, the following points should be considered:-

The first thing you have to decide is “What do you want to do with your skis?” ie which is more important: covering distance between huts or making better and safer turns on descents. The two are not exclusive, but no one ski can be best for everything, so you have to make some compromises.

Dimensions - The last few years have seen a move to classic touring skis with wider tips, 75 – 80 mm and waist dimensions 15 – 20 mm narrower. The difference between tip and waist, referred to as “waisting”, is one of the factors affecting the way a ski turns. Skis with these dimensions are generally taken with a length approx 10 cm above head height and are good for travelling longer distances.

If covering shorter distances with a view to having fun on downhill sections is more your scene, then consider skis with a tip width of 85 – 90 mm and a waist 20 mm narrower. These skis will be slower on the long flat sections but will more than compensate on the steep ups and downs. Choose these skis to approx head height.

Camber - Camber is the upward curve built into the middle section of a ski. Older skis tend to have a relatively high camber, and a stiff flex along their length. To make a ski turn, you need to be able to reverse the camber into the snow with your body weight. Modern touring skis, with dimensions as above, tend to have a slightly lower camber and softer flex, enabling the skier to reverse the camber, and thus turn more easily. Those of you with a heavy build should avoid the softest flexing skis and choose one a bit stiffer.

Matching your Equipment - You need to match your ski, boot and binding to get the best performance. Mismatching boots is one of the most common mistakes. Of the two types of ski above, the narrower ones are fine for more traditional leather boots, more difficult to find these days, or lightweight plastic touring boots. These would be fine with 3 pin, NNN or soft cable bindings. Wider skis need more supportive boots, so we would recommend lightweight plastic boots with either soft or rigid cable bindings.

Waxing v Fishscales - Both are fine, if used in the correct places. As a general guide, if most of your skiing will take place in areas where the temperature is consistently freezing point or below, then use waxing skis. If your snow conditions are mainly freezing point and above, then go for fishscales. Fishscales lack glide on good cold snow, which can mean slower progress - but conversly, waxing in conditions where the surface snow is above freezing point and therefore very wet, can also be difficult. See our article on Nordic Touring Ski Wax Advice if you want to find out more on the subject of waxing.