Cross-Country Skiing Today
The most important series of competitions is concentrated in the FIS World Cup. And there re also long-distance mass participation races including a Marathon races, where as many as 2,000 – 3,000 racers of all ages go out and enjoy a winter run through the wilderness.

Cross Country Skiing in Israel
No, we are not Finns, as Dov Weissglass, advisor to the Prime Minister has observed. But here in Israel, there are a few athletes interested in Cross Country Skiing.

 Immigrant athletes from Russia have made their mark in many athletic disciplines in Israel and Cross Country skiing is no exception.

In 1997, Vladimir Tupitzyn represented Israel in the Nordic World Ski Championships held in Trondheim, Norway. The Israeli Ski Federation sponsored Vladimir’s preparation and participation in these races. Six years later in 2003, Daniel Kuzmin, skied for Israel at the Nordic World Ski Championships held in Val di Fiemme, in Italy. Two years later, in 2005 at the World Nordic Ski Championships in Oberstdorf in Germany, Israel participated with three athletes, including Katrina Kuzmin (Daniel’s sister), the first woman to ski for Israel in these Nordic events.

These athletes participated in the marathon event, which is 50km for men and 30km for women. Hopefully, these athletes will be able to continue to compete for Israel, and we will also see some new faces joining our Nordic team in the years to come.

Technique
For years, cross-country skiing meant only one technique: “diagonal stride" where both skis stay in prepared tracks. Skiers put “kick" and “glide" waxes on the bottom of each ski; the kick wax grips on uphill sections while glide wax helps propel the skier through downhill sections or over flat or rolling

However, in the 1982 FIS World Cup season, Bill Koch of the United States popularised the “skating" technique (or “freestyle" as opposed to the “classic" diagonal stride). The skating technique had been used previously by long-distance skiers, mostly in Scandinavia: one ski in the tracks, the other pushing off to gain speed. Eventually, skating, which is faster than classic technique, evolved to today’s style where skiers use a trackless course (except where tracks are installed to help skiers through tricky turns or transitional sections.

For anyone interested in XC skiing we have included a brief explanation of XC equipment.

Bindings
The bindings secure only the toe of the boot to the ski.

Boots
Cross-Country boots are similar to running shoes. The boots for free technique are more rigid and have more ankle support than the boots used for classic technique.

Poles
For classic technique, the poles should extend to the armpit while standing. Baskets at the bottom of the poles provide a base for a strong push-off. For free technique, the poles are generally longer and stiffer and extend to the chin or mouth of the skier. The baskets and tips are designed like classic poles.

Skis
The skis used in cross-country are lighter and narrower than those used in alpine skiing and have long curved tips. The minimum length of skis for the classical events is 10cm less than the competitor's height, while the average length for skating or free technique skis is between 1.70 and 2 metres. The tips of skating skis also curve more.

Wax
The wax a skier chooses can often be the difference between winning and losing. Knowing what wax to use is determined by snow and weather conditions. There are two types of wax: glide wax and kick wax, also known as grip wax. Glide wax is used to decrease the friction between the skis and the snow. Kick wax is used to increase friction between the skis and the snow in order to prevent slipping.