Nordic Skis Overview
“Jumping from scootering to skijoring will be an easy transition for your dog as everything pretty much stays the same. Your dog is still in harness and working about 10ft in front of you and all the commands transfer over.”
Most of the advice herein is reflects suggestions from Kim Tinker, 3-time Pacific Northwest Champion in Skijoring. You can read her full article “Scootering to Skijoring” here.
Do I have to be a good skier to get started?
Nope! While many of us may come from a background where we were exposed to snow sports, plenty of Cascade Sled Dog Club members started nordic skiing to skijor with their dogs.
The Meadows Nordic Center on Mt. Hood offers clinics and classes to help get you started. While the Nordic Center is not dog friendly, it is best to begin without a dog attached to get your skis under you.
Classic Skis? Skate SKis?
The most important thing in ski selection is AVOID METAL EDGES.
Metal edged skis pose a serious danger to dogs and are banned at races.
Classic skis are where most individuals start.
As per Kim Tinker, “Classic skiing is the more traditional form of cross country skiing. Your legs are moving forward and backward with a gliding motion (much
like what a NordicTrack® does). The skis have a textured base to give you more traction
and stability on the snow.”
These skis may also be called touring skis and are ‘softer’ than a skate ski.
Size? Stiffness?
Unfortunately, most outdoor store employees will not know the best ski for skijoring. Plenty don’t even know what the word means!
REI has a wonderful guide to cross country ski gear which can be found here.
Due to variations on stiffness, there isn’t a standard length of ski for a person’s height and weight. The individual manufacturer and make of the ski matters, and Google is helpful in finding these specifications for used gear when it’s discovered. Generally there is an acceptable ‘range’ of heights for each ski length - if you are inexperienced, you may want to choose a shorter ski to start.
As per Kim Tinker’s advice, seek a ski with “a little stiffness to it. High end skate skis were meant for racing (without dogs) and tend to be soft flexing skis. With the power that a dog adds, a little stiffer flexing ski hold up better to the forces that can be applied.”