I’m based within striking distance of Truckee/Tahoe, where there are a lot of xc ski trails. I understand there are both traditional/classic and skate ski trails. I’m interested in skate skiing. There’s a lot of appeal to skate skiing for fitness, and also for that I can get a workout done in under 2 hours, compared to whole days downhill skiing with questionable fitness benefits (compared to skate skiing or biking).
Expensive option, is buying new gear or renting, and all that … but then day one is somewhere $500+. I’m okay to do one rental this season, as I’ve only done classic before and want to make sure skate ski is what I want.
Anyone experienced at skate skiing and ideally helped a friend or two get into it on the cheap in recent times? I’m wondering about the practicalities of finding reasonably priced used gear without the latest bindings, replacing bindings to the latest style (NNN?) (a lifetime ago, I did the training at the ski shop I worked in to fit bindings, so happy to give that a go).
When looking on Craigslist, typically I’m seeing listings which are rather scant in details, so any advise on how to work out if a ski will be right for my height/weight etc. It appears that if you know your stuff, there are bargains to be had, but also if you don’t know your stuff you could spend $200 getting a setup which GoodWill would sell for $20.
In the spring there is a Rep sale in Truckee but I don’t know the exact details. Labor Day weekend has several big ski shop sales in Truckee and Tahoe. In the fall in Reno is the UNR ski swap with tons of options. Otherwise, keep an eye on Facebook marketplace.
Also, Auburn Ski Club is usually the least expensive XC skiing in Tahoe and they have an active community of folks that are likely a good resource for used gear.
I just got into skate skiing this season to do instead of the trainer. I love it and wish I had done this sooner. 45 mins out there and I’m exhausted compared to an hour/90 mins on the trainer!
I got my equipment used from a ski swap down the road for $200 out the door. It’s older gear but works quite well. There are deals to be had on Facebook Marketplace if you know what you’re looking for and the flex/size of the ski. If you find something local and are kind of close to a nordic center, you could bring the skis to see what their flex is and see how it works with your weight. For me finding boots that weren’t blown out was tough. I snagged an older pair of Atomic s9 redsters that work with my inserts. Without them my feet were killing me.
I skate ski 3 times a week and splitboard usually once or twice. I haven’t touched my trainer in a month. I’ll get on it eventually I’m sure.
I got into skate skiing about two years ago and love it as a break from the trainer doldrums. While it’s definitely possible to find used gear (I live in southwest Colorado and we have a fair amount of cycling folks in town who skate ski in the winter), I managed to find all of what I needed on closeout brand new from some internet shops (there are lots in the midwest) and quite honestly it wasn’t that much more expensive than buying used from someone local (and you get a warranty!).
One thing you might want to think about is budgeting for a lesson or some clinics - I did not pick the sport up easily despite having alpine and telemark skied for years. While I picked up some tips from videos and was never miserable (though getting passed by tons of happily gliding elderly folk and parents towing their kids in trailers was/is depressing), learning a bit about technique from someone who knew what they were doing made skate skiing a whole lot more fun and efficient. Also on the lesson tip, you can ask whoever is teaching all the questions you would have about gear and they’ll probably be happy to give you some pointers.