Skis

Cross-country skiing uses two different types of skis: those for classic technique and those for free technique (or skating). Classic technique skis are often 10 to 15 centimetres longer than the skis for free technique. All skis are marked as the athlete enters the start area since, by rule, an athlete must use the same pair of skis during the entire race (the exceptions being the pursuit race and the team sprint race).

Length: the skis’ minimum height must be no less than 10 centimetres shorter than the skier’s height.

Width: measured in the central zone of ski (40 centimetres from tip, 15 centimetres from tail); maximum 47 millimetres, minimum 40 millimetres.

Ski bend (tip): minimum of 50 millimetres from the tip to the snow for classic technique, 30 millimetres for freestyle technique.

Poles

The height of two poles must be the same; the poles must be no longer than the athlete’s height and no shorter than the height of the athlete’s hip. If an athlete breaks a pole during the race, he/she may be given a new one from a coach or another person along the course.

Clothing

The race uniform is normally made from a stretch fabric, such as lycra, hugging the body to reduce wind resistance.

Wax

The wax a skier chooses can often determine the difference between winning and losing. Knowing what wax to use is determined by snow, temperature and weather conditions. For the free technique event, the skis are waxed with glide wax the entire length (as in alpine skiing). In classic technique there are two types of wax: glide wax and kick wax (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 as the classic technique skier uses the friction between his/her skis and the snow to help propel him/her forward. Waxing technique is critical to the result, and layering of different waxes can help the skis glide or stick better during different portions of the race and course.

Boots

Classic style cross-country boots are similar to running shoes, while the boots for free technique are more rigid and have a stronger torsional ankle support.

Bindings

Bindings secure only the toe of the boot to the ski. Free technique bindings often have a spring-like mechanism that brings the ski back to the base of the foot when the ski is not weighted.