How to Choose Cross-Country Skis: Classic, Skate, Touring and Backcountry

Cross-country skis split into four families. Here's how to pick yours by where you ski, how you move and how you want to grip, with numbers from 196 Nordic ski models.

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Cross-country skiing covers everything from racing on groomed tracks to touring through untracked woods, and the skis change a lot from one end to the other. The first decision isn't the brand or the price: it's which kind of skiing you'll do. Our catalog lists 196 Nordic ski models from makers including Fischer, Åsnes, Rossignol, Madshus, Peltonen and Salomon, and they fall into four families.

The four families

A few models carry more than one label. The length ranges are the typical shortest and longest sizes of each family, and the list prices are the middle of each group.

• Classic skis are for the traditional kick-and-glide stride in groomed tracks. They're long and narrow, and they need grip under the foot to push off, either from wax or from a textured or skin "waxless" zone.
• Skate skis are for the V-shaped skating stride on wide groomed trails. They're shorter and stiffer than classic skis and need no grip zone, because you push off the edges.
• Touring skis are a little wider and more forgiving, for relaxed days on groomed or lightly tracked trails.
• Backcountry skis are the widest, at a typical 60 mm, often with metal edges and some sidecut for turning. They're built for ungroomed snow, rolling terrain and breaking your own trail.

The price gap stands out: the typical classic or skate ski lists at more than twice the price of a typical backcountry or touring ski. That gap likely reflects the many performance and race models in the classic and skate families, while touring and backcountry skis are built more for comfort and durability.

Choose your grip (classic, touring and backcountry)

Skis you stride on need something to stop them slipping back as you push. There are three ways to get it:

• Waxable skis use grip wax under the foot. They glide fastest when the wax suits the snow, but you have to choose and apply it.
• Patterned bases, often called fishscales, have a stamped texture underfoot. You'll see makers' own names for these in model names, such as Fischer's Crown and Rossignol's Positrack.
• Skin skis have a strip of mohair or synthetic skin underfoot, with names such as Twin Skin, Easy Skin and Dual Skin. They grip well in most conditions with almost no fuss, which has made them very popular for recreational skiers.

Skate skis need none of these.

Get the length and flex right

Nordic skis are chosen by your weight as much as your height, because the camber has to flatten under you at the right moment. A classic ski that's too stiff won't grip, and one that's too soft drags its grip zone and feels slow. Each maker publishes a weight chart for every model, so start there. Skate skis are usually sized closer to your height, and backcountry skis shorter than classic skis, which makes them easier to turn in the trees.

Match your boots and bindings

The ski is only one part of the setup. Boots and bindings have to share a system, and some skis come with a plate or binding already fitted. We explain the systems in cross-country boot and binding systems.

Where to start

• New to cross-country and skiing groomed trails: a classic or touring ski; a skin or patterned base saves you from waxing. The Rossignol Delta Sport Classic was among the most widely stocked at US shops.
• Fit and fast on groomed trails: a skate ski, such as the Fischer Speedpro 60 Skate.
• Exploring off the groomers: a backcountry ski, such as the Fischer S-Bound 98 or the Madshus Panorama M68.

You can browse every model, filtered by style, on our cross-country skis page.