Nordic Touring is the ideal way to travel over snowbound undulating terrain when the distance covered in a day counts more than the metres climbed. Often described as the perfect aerobic sport, since it uses all your muscle groups without hard shocks to the body, nordic touring is great fun and very satisfying. Nordic touring is the “off-piste” version of cross-country skiing, and uses similar gear - relatively narrow skis with a nordic cambered profile, lightweight bindings and boots that connect to these bindings only at the toe. Nordic touring equipment is simple, lightweight and long-lasting, and is pretty much the same whether you're to cruise over the local golf course, touring in Scandinavia for a fortnight or traverse the Greenland ice cap.Nordic Touring Skis: Traditionally skis have been long and narrow to cover long distances. Many brands now make wider skis that are easier when descending and more stable in soft snow. Bases can be waxed or have “fishscale” bases to avoid backsliding.Nordic Touring Bindings: These lightweight bindings connect the toe of the boot to the binding, while the heel remains free to lift up. There are three types of nordic touring bindings, for more information regarding these see the link.Nordic Touring Boots: These are similar to walking boots but with a special sole design that allows the boot to be connected to the bindings. There are three types of nordic touring bindings and your boots need to be compatible with your bindings. Nordic Touring boots are warm, waterproof and reasonably light so that you can cover long distances comfortably.Nordic Touring Skins: On shallow slopes and with fresh snow the grip wax or fishscale bases will enable you to climb efficiently, but for longer and steeper climbs, or in hard snow conditions climbing skins are essential. Several brands including Asnes and Fischer produce short skins that cover just the central section of the ski, the "kickzone" or area with fishscales. These skins are light and clip easily into the slots on the ski just in front of the fishscales. For steeper climbs then it's worth using full length skins.
ranges from 8 to 541