When you go cross-country skiing, make sure to always take some time to warm up.
Warm Up
Skiing slowly for 10 to 20 minutes allows your muscles, joints and heart to better acclimatize to the workout.
Your wax also needs time to adapt to the snow. That’s why it’s important to test your skis for a few minutes before stopping to adjust your wax.
Bad Glide
Sometimes, it happens that our skis don’t glide very well. It’s probably for one of the following reasons :
- Lack of wax or the wrong wax
Either a lack of wax on your skis or it’s the wrong wax. - Very cold temperatures/abrasive snow
It’s very cold, the snow is abrasive and so skis don’t glide very well. - Skis with fish scales
Skis with fish scales are slower than all other types of skis. - Too much wax
Your wax has been applied too thickly or the wax zone is too long on your ski.
Liquid Glide
For a better glide, you should use liquid wax without fluoride. Apply it indoors on the entire length of your skate-skis or, for classic skis, only at both ends.
Wait an hour and brush them with a nylon brush.
With two bottles, one for cold temperatures and another for warmer days, you should be all set!
Energy
For energy during your workout, regularly drink a few sips of your favourite drink.
If you are heading out for 90 minutes or more, eat regularly, from the first hour onwards. Food needs time to be properly digested!
Hills
If there’s a time when we really need that extra energy, it’s when we’re climbing long hills.
A quick tip – if you want to make it all the way to the top without stopping, you will need to slow down your rhythm otherwise you’ll run out of steam.
You will manage to stay on pace by shortening your movements, transferring your weight more effectively and relying more on your arms.
The better shape you’re in, the less tiring it will be!
Respect your limits!