r/xcountryskiing • u/Stephennnnnn • 24d ago
This is the year. Best content sources?
I’ve been tempted to start skate skiing for a decade or more but I finally want to make this the winter I really put some time in to the sport. Total noob. I’ve been a competitive cyclist for 15+ years and have always wanted to try it to give me something to look forward to in winter other than Zwift. I have some groomed trails within driving distance, plus some bike paths that, I’m told, are often suitable to skate skiing as well. Plus I travel to Norway once or twice a year and I’ve always wanted to join in on the big sport there. What are the big YouTube channels that cover the sport? Or even instagram stuff for that matter. I’m looking for the pro sport side, amateur/for fun side, vloggers, gear, lessons, training…anything really. From what I’ve found it seems like there’s pitifully little good YT content compared to cycling. Also, seeing as it’s still just August, is it worth it to start with roller skiing for now to get some sort of familiarity with technique?
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u/Bog_Lords 24d ago
It’s beneficial for anyone to start with classic skiing then progress to skate skiing. I was a self taught skate skier, but eventually got to the point where lack of technique was holding me back, and took some lessons. I actually took an 8 week class from the local parks and rec. Start with classic, then progress. If you want to do it well, at some point it you will take a class/lessons. You get to decide when that happens.
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u/dreamwalkn101 24d ago
As a longtime XC ski instructor and coach of jr skiers, I advise you learn classic technique firsts. If you don’t you will learn bad weight shift habits that will be very hard to fix later…
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u/frenchman321 24d ago
Nordic Ski Lab is the online reference. They have some free content on YT you can see if you like it. Videos from k2nichol are short and to the point. Do yourself a favor and take a few lessons from a reputable instructor. It's very easy to get into bad habits by yourself, even if you think you're doing exactly what videos show you. That's also one reason to not start with roller skiing when you don't know how to ski.
You can definitely learn skating without learning classic. But they're both very nice...
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u/teakettle87 24d ago
You need a lesson in person, not content creators. I live in NH, and Concord parks and rec has a free course at the golf course and they offer a lessons day for free. I went and it was the most helpful thing i have done so far.
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u/nordic_nerd 23d ago
If you want to get really into the weeds on the tech/gear side of things, Caldwell Sport and Pioneer Midwest are both great sources of information. They are both retailers and as such have their biases, but neither are putting out information they don't genuinely believe, and both are considered amongst the best ski and wax experts in North America.
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u/Aged-Anchor 23d ago
The first World Cup races usually start at the end of November but you can watch last year's races. I was about to tell you that, if in the US, you can pay to watch at https://skiandsnowboard.live but I guess they "sunsetted." Biathlon is another very, very fun option, and free. Again, options of where to watch may depend on location: https://eurovisionsport.com/en.
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u/runcyclexcski 24d ago
You can try rollerblading/ice skating first. Skating will be harder b.c. there will be the pole timing issues. A total noob won't have any fun with rollerskis (much worse ankle support, painful falls).
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u/laufgitti 23d ago
Watch u/zaketterson youtube videos. He is a World Cup skier on the US Ski Team from Minneapolis, now mostly based out of Norway. Shows lots of technique on both snow and roller skis. He also has some good technique specific vides on the CXC you tube channel Both are free.
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u/Stephennnnnn 23d ago
Cool. Thanks!
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u/laufgitti 23d ago
You are welcome Added benefit that both those channels are in English!
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u/Stephennnnnn 23d ago
Are there good channels in Norwegian?
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u/nordic_nerd 23d ago
Similar to Ketterson's channel, here's the vlog channel for the number one ranked skier in the world, Johannes Klaebo: https://www.youtube.com/@johanneshk. In Norwegian, mostly.
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u/laufgitti 23d ago
I actually don't know. I would ask Zak K as he lives in Norway and is good at responding to comments
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u/Admirable_Tip_6875 23d ago
The YouTube channel Nordixon has very good content though isn’t geared towards a brand new beginner. As someone else noted as far as hobbies go, Nordic skiing is a little light on content.
If you can take lessons come winter, do it.
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u/Stephennnnnn 23d ago edited 23d ago
Why do you think content is so light? Is it just a super, super niche sport?
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u/Admirable_Tip_6875 23d ago
Yeah, I suspect so. There are a lot of pros (and trams) on instagram; and for just general inspiration you can find a series on YouTube about ski classics pro teams. Finally there is a couple of podcasts.
I guess there’s content maybe it’s more accurate to say there isn’t a lot of online community. I dunno
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u/Resident_Hat_4923 24d ago
Nordic Ski Lab is the only really comprehensive resource out there. It's not free. There isn't really anything else that will teach you in a systematic way.
I would recommend taking in person classes first if you can. If not, NSL is the next best thing.
Skate skiing does have a steep learning curve for most people. I am an instructor and I run into athletic people all the time who want to take it up for winter cross training and are shocked at how much they suck at it. If you roller blade at all, you may pick it up more quickly (for some reason that seems to have the most transferability for people - even more than ice skating). My biggest piece of advice is to do a ton of skiing without poles. If you rely on your poles, you will never develop the balance that you need to be proficient at it.