Ski track - Cross-Country Skiing

Track skiing is mainly about lightness of travel over undulating ground. It’s also known as 'cross-country skiing', 'XC', 'langlauf', 'ski de fond' or 'sci di fondo'.

This uses very light shoes, non-metal edged skis and long poles. Forward propulsion is achieved by using wax or a pattern on the central part of the sole of the ski. These allow you to slide forwards but not backwards, and to ski uphill. Skiing is in machine-prepared tracks, usually through beautiful winter landscapes.

Levels can be recreational or up to competition level. Both arms and legs propel the skier. Competing, as seen in the Olympics, is a very technical discipline as well as being one of the most demanding aerobic activities.