So you’ve decided to get into cross country skiing, eh? Well, sounds like you’re already a smart one. Most people are familiar with the variety of skiing that specifically goes down a steep hill but cross country skiing is just as exhilarating. This is a sport that, once you dive into it headlong, you’ll find yourself questioning why you didn’t start earlier. Interacting with nature through cross country skiing is our favorite so we’re excited for you to start your journey. The adventures that you are about to embark on will compare to nothing else that you have ever encountered. That’s why we’re bringing you the best cross country skis for beginners.

The Best Cross Country Skis for Beginners
	The Best of the Best Alpina Control 60 Tackles all terrain Wide under boot for outstanding stability The perfect beginner ski
	The “Always Relevant” Winner 2016 Rossignol EVO Glade 59 NIS Cross Country Skis Wood design with air channels Shorter for more maneuverability 4 sizes for any new skier
	The High Performance Winner 2016 Rossignol OT 65 Cross Country Skis Serious performance Wood core with air channels for strength and lightness Widest underboot ski for extra stability

[H2] – What to Consider

With cross country skis, there can be a few important things to consider. When you go to pick your own, you’ll want to keep the following in mind so that you get the best cross country skis for beginners – and you:

• Ski Type: Cross country skis are broken up into three major categories: Touring skis, racing skis, and metal-edge touring skis. Touring skis are the best cross country skis for beginners because they are long, narrow, and lightweight. That makes them quick and efficient. Racing skis are usually similar to touring skis but are built stiffer than touring skis. This makes them more demanding so that if your technique isn’t perfect, you’ll suffer. But if you’re great, you’ll get to ski more aggressively. Last, there are metal-edge touring skis that are made for skiing out-of-track or on other harsher conditions. They have a (you guessed it) metal edge on them so that they can have better grip when it’s icier and are normally wider and shorter for better performance in powder. So, with that story told, its touring skis you want as a beginner.
• Ski Dimensions: The second major thing we need to take care of is getting the right size and shape. For length, you will simply want to get the right size for your body weight. The descriptions for skis will almost always have a sizing chart so you will know which length to go for. When in doubt, shorter if you are less experienced and longer if you are pretty athletic or plan on learning quickly. For width, you’ll see that cross country skis are made quite thin so that there is less drag. That way, you’ll get to go faster with this work. The sidecuts of cross country skis are also pretty simple. They should be nearly straight to, again, cut down on drag. So, when you are trying to figure out what cross country skis to get, pay attention to length matching your body weight.
• Camber: The best cross country skis for beginners use a double camber design. If you were to set your ski on a table with no weight on it, you would notice that the boot area is bent up off of the table. This is good because it reduces drag. When you’re standing on your skis with equal weight on each foot, the ski underneath your boot will actually be a little off the snow. Then, when you put all your weight to one side, it will push against the snow to give you some stability. Nearly all cross country skis use this design but you should still make sure that this shape is there on your ski of choice to ensure that you are getting the best cross country skis for beginners.

[H1] – Best Cross Country Skis for Beginners

[H2] – Alpina Control 60

These skis are all about just what their name says: Control. But not only of your skiing. It’s about the terrain, baby. You can tackle any cross country skiing with these skis on your boots, especially as a beginning skier.

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These touring skis are loved in the cross country skiing community for a variety of factors. First, the lightweight core is a huge reason to get into these skis. It gives the skis a nice, fluid, easy flex that beginners will especially appreciate. However, this camber doesn’t give away the fact that the skis have that rocker camber we were looking for. In fact, they follow perfectly the ideal description that we gave above. Lastly, the sidecut of these skis are perfect for the crowd that are just getting into the game because they are 50 mm under the boot. That’s a great, wide base that won’t feel too big or create too much drag. Overall, these skis are the best cross country skis for beginners as far as design goes and we give them an A+.

[H2] – 2016 Rossignol EVO Glade 59 NIS Cross Country Skis

Don’t let the year assigned to these cross country skis fool you because this model is timeless. With 4 sizes, these skis are great for anyone. They’re touring skis so they are just right for beginners but the engineering that went into these skis is clearly of the advanced variety. Our favorite thing about the design is the wood cores that have air channels in them. This means less weight so you can go farther, go faster, and do less work to get more out of your skiing.

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The length of these skis is actually shorter than traditional dimensions – which is especially great for beginners. Shorter skis mean more maneuverability. As you can guess, being able to move easier means an easier time with learning how to ski. An easier learning curve means you are much more likely to enjoy yourself and up the mountain of cross country skiing success you go! For that reason, we love the long term potential with these skis and we’re willing to call them the best cross country skis for beginners.

[H2] – 2016 Rossignol OT 65 Cross Country Skis

Hey, just because one 2016 Rossignol model made it onto our list doesn’t mean that two can’t, right? If Rossignol has the cross country ski geniuses making the best skis, who are we to deny them their place on our list?!

Back to the future with Amazon

This pair of skis is very, very interesting. They are a pair of touring skis like we were asking for, devoid of any metal or racing profiles. But they may be the highest performers of the bunch that we have brought together here. The wood core that is present on the other two options on our list is once again present. It’s a dominant way to put together a cross country ski, folks, so expect to see it often. Beyond that, we love the interesting sidecut on these skis as it measures 65 at the nose, 53 at the boot, and 60 at the tail. That’s good enough to be thicker than most other beginner cross country skis but that just means plenty of stability. So, for a bigger, more stable ski, these are the ones you want.

[H2] – Wrap Up

While all cross country skis may look almost the same to the beginner, they’re just not. The list we have here contains the best cross country skis for beginners, bar none. They are all three very different styles despite the fractions of measurements that make them different. Cross country skiing is about details, man. There’s lesson number one. Now get out onto the snow and learn some more about cross country skiing.