Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada.

Equipment

The skis are long and thin, to distribute the weight of the skier and allow the skier to move quickly. Typical ski dimensions are 2 metres in lenght, about 5 centimetres in width and one centimetre in thickness. Like in downhill skiing, cross-country skiers carry two poles, usually made of aluminium or fiberglass. More expensive poles are made of graphite or some other light material. Poles have a spike at the end to provide a fixed pivot when the pole penetrates through to a hard surface, and a plastic ring (or basket), to provide maximum force from thick snow and to ensure the pole only goes to its designed embedding depth, so as to optimise the angle of arm force. The skier's footwear is attached to the ski with a binding.

Related Topics:
Ski - Weight - Metre - Centimetre - Downhill skiing - Pole - Aluminium - Fiberglass - Graphite - Spike - Pivot - Plastic - Arm - Footwear - Binding

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The equipment is different depending on the desired skiing technique. Skating or freestyle poles are usually longer than those used for the classic technique. Typically, skating poles should reach either the skier's chin or as long as the eyebrows, depeding on the skier's preference. In contrast, classic-ski poles should reach the skier's armpit.

Related Topics:
Chin - Eyebrow - Armpit

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