Vern Evans
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While cross country skiing and fly fishing may seem vastly different, their paths to perfection are surprisingly similar. As in, unachievable. You’ll never master snow or fish. Instead, both endeavors provide endless joy in the pursuit. People who cross country ski and fly fish can also similarly find themselves spending thousands of dollars in gear, but at its basic, neither sport requires anything that fancy.
Those learning to XC ski (or fly fish) are often better off investing in equipment for beginners than buying very expensive, specialized gear, only to find themselves struggling because using that gear requires specialized skills. Fortunately, beginner gear tends to be affordable and easy to find. But a new skier still has to make decisions, even among starter packages. So we hit the snow skating to help you figure out the best cross country skis for beginners to help you excel this season and beyond.
How We Tested the Best Cross Country Skis for Beginners
Three testers spent several months on snow using cross country skis from top companies including Atomic, Salomon, and Fischer in a variety of conditions any new skier will likely encounter from snowy golf courses to high mountain trails. The team also talked to experts including Jan Guenther, owner of Gear West Ski and Bike in Minnesota, to see what she recommends for anyone planning to get out this winter.
Best Cross Country Skis for Beginners: Reviews & Recommendations
Best Beginner Skin Ski: Saloman RC8+ eSkin
Christine Peterson
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Pros
- Customizable shift bindings
- Mid-length to help with speed and maneuverability
- Heel-toe camber eases body weight shift
- Affordable
Cons
- Heavier than next level up
Key features
- Weight: 2 pounds, 15 ounces (pair, 175cm)
- 100 percent mohair skin
- S-Cut sides
- Prolink Shift Classic plate and binding
The RC8+ eSkin is marketed as an intermediate ski that’s race worthy. And while you could take this out for a local race, it’s certainly not the fastest skin out there. It’s also not priced like the most expensive skin. Bu this ski does is a lot of fun heading down the trail. Their S-cut sides make them wide enough for beginners but narrow enough to feel fast. They also have adjustable Prolink bindings that allow you to quickly (relatively speaking) change your foot position depending on the trail’s terrain.
Skin technology continues to improve each year, and if you’re looking for a pair of skin skis to get you started, this is a good bet.
Best Beginner Skate Ski: Fischer Aeroglide Skate 85
Christine Peterson
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Pros
- Shorter length for better control
- Sidecut for more stability
- Springier push off
Cons
- Heavier
- Shorter length isn’t quite as fast
Key Features
- Weight: 5 pounds, 4.7 ounces (pair)
- Air Core Basalite Pro
- Two grooves in the base
- Turnamic bindings
The best length for skate skis is dependent on more than just a person’s height and weight. Longer skis can be faster, allowing a skier to glide farther down the trail, but longer skis are also harder to control and become unwieldy. Shorter skis, by contrast, are easier to control but can be slower. The Fischer Aeroglide 85 errs on the shorter side, which is not only better for beginner control, but also plenty of fun for intermediate skiers.
The new ski wasn’t built to be Fischer’s fastest line (which is why it’s a lot more affordable than the higher-end skis). It is, however, a great cross country ski for beginners.
Our testers noted the springy camber that helped propel them down the trail. Even our expert skier who has raced for decades enjoyed the slightly shorter ski especially on cold snow where a long glide wasn’t going to be possible no matter what. The new side cut also provided a little more stability compared to some of the more elite options.
Best Beginner Backcountry Touring Ski: Fischer Spider 62 Crown
Christine Peterson
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Pros
- Easy to use on and off trail
- Affordable
- Relatively light
- Good grip in any snow conditions
Key Features
- Weight: 4 pounds, 10.5 ounces
- Full length metal edges
- Air-channeled wood core
- Crown pattern in base for waxless kick zone
There’s a reason Fischer’s Spider 62 Crown is one of their most popular skis. It’s one of the easiest skis out there to step onto and go. Our testers, which included a newbie and expert, both noted the ski’s unconditional grip and stability. Guenther also recommends this ski, while noting it’s not the most beginner of skis, but is the best value for the quality. “It’s an absolute blast,” she said. “And it has a long kick.”
Are you going to win a race in these? Probably not. But you will have a great time cruising down trails with friends or family and won’t think twice if you need to veer off course into powder. It was also a fun XC ski on a crusty, wind-blown golf course.
Another good option for anyone looking for a slightly more performance fish scale is the Fischer Superlight Crown. It also has a fish scale base but is slightly better engineered than some of the base model fish scales, which means it kicks and glides surprisingly well. It’s also a narrower classic ski, so it won’t work as well off trail but is fun in classic tracks. Guenther calls this one her “fitness ski,” because it’s fun to head out onto the trails with but she won’t bring it to a race starting line. The ski can also be slow in extremely cold conditions.
Best Leisure Classic Ski: Rossignol Evo XT 60
Rossignol
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Pros
- Shorter ski length for better control
- Soft flex for good grip
- Affordable
Cons
- Slow
- Soft flex means limited glide
Key Features
- Weight: 2 pounds 15.3 ounces (pair, 175 cm)
- Patterned fish scale kick zone
- Wood core
Guenther calls this her “walk the dog ski.” It’s not fast and it certainly won’t be headed to a racecourse, but it’s the perfect ski for someone who just needs to get outside. The fish scale portion of the base stretches farther back and forward than many traditional classic skis, which means you will grip almost anywhere you go. The downside to intense grip, however, is limited glide.
It’s a nice ski though, and surprisingly well engineered and made. The core is stiffer than some of the other options in this category. A cheaper ski won’t be as proportionally stiff as this one, which means it will twist and turn under a skier’s weight.
If what you want is a ski that will let you move through snow in almost any condition while you walk the dog, talk with friends, or just enjoy winter, this is a great option.
How to Choose the Best Cross Country Skis for Beginners
Before you go all in on skis, it may be worth first renting both a pair of classic and skate skis to know which technique you might be most interested in. If you plan to buy both kinds of skis, don’t worry about a rental, but if you aren’t sure, that’s a good way to try them out first. Classic skiing is often more fun if you plan to always go with friends or family and you mostly want to talk while experiencing winter on skis.
Read Next: How To Cross Country Ski
If you’re more interested in a fitness ski, and less worried about skiing next to someone and chatting, then skate skis may well be the ones for you.
Beginner skis shouldn’t break the bank. If you start looking into skis and see ones that cost $700, $800, or even $1,000, don’t panic. Not only do you likely not need skis that expensive, but they might be a worse experience for you. High-end cross-country skis tend to be for racers and are often a little narrower and even longer. They will be harder for a new cross country skier to control.
Look for skis that make you feel stable, because stability is every new skier’s best friend. Then be sure the skis fit you. Each manufacturer has a guide to help you determine the right size for your height and weight. Pay attention to those guides.
Lastly, not all boots will match all ski bindings, especially if you’re buying used gear. Many new boots and skis will work together, but it’s worth investigating to be sure the binding system will work with your boots.
FAQs
Each type of classic ski base has its pros and cons. Fish scales — the base where a grippy pattern is manufactured into the ski — will be the slowest kind of ski but also the most bulletproof in any snow condition in any location. Think of fish scales as the ultimate touring ski for enjoying being outside but not racing down trails. Skins can be faster, especially in the right conditions, but will still have some natural drag on them. Kick wax will be the fastest — it’s what racers from high school to the World Cup and Olympics use, but it also requires purchasing kick waxes, knowing how and when to use them, and being willing to fuss with cleaning your skis. If you aren’t planning on racing and don’t want a lot of maintenance, fish scales or skins will be the best path.
Yes, but not all that often. If you are classic cross country skiing and not interested in going very fast, glide waxing your skis once a season or so will be fine. If you are skate skiing, and if you would like to move quickly down the trail, you will want to glide wax your skis more frequently. Various glide waxes — and kick waxes — are created differently depending on snow conditions and temperatures.
Choosing the exact right wax for a particular day on a particular series of trails can seem like it requires an engineering degree, but the results of having the right wax on the right day can be the difference between a frustrating few hours on skis and the best day of the season. If you plan to ski much, especially if you plan to skate, it may well be worth either looking into how much it costs for a local ski shop to wax your skis, or to invest in some waxes, scrapers and brushes for yourself.
There’s a reason everyone you see on trails has poles. They help with balance, especially when you’re starting out, and give more than a little added power to your movements. If you don’t want to ski with poles you don’t necessarily have to, but skiing will be harder and likely less fun. That being said, many coaches will recommend people ski warm ups or work on their technique without poles because while poles are innately helpful, they can also become a crutch for bad form — creating and cementing bad habits without improving them.
Final Thoughts
Cross country skiing, whether on a golf course, deep in the mountains through powder, or cruising down groomed trails, can be one of the most fun ways to get outside in winter months that seem to drag forever. But it can be hard to figure out the best cross country skis for beginners’ needs.
First think about if you want to classic or skate ski, and then decide how much you want to hassle with your skis and how fast you want to go. If you want to cover as much ground as possible, and you’ll have access to groomed trails, skating could be the ticket for you. But if you want to mostly ski leisurely, you should consider classic skis. Most of the major brands make good skis for beginners in both skate and classic, so then choosing the right ones means figuring out what you need most: stiffness and stability or a nice flex and good grip? Those aren’t always mutually exclusive but thinking about how much and where you’ll want to ski — as well as what you want to get out of the experience — will go a long way to helping you choose the right ones.
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