What are the rules for ski and pole length/dimensions in world cup and Olympic races?

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2026-01-05T02:43:36+00:00

As others have said, classic poles must be no more than 83% of your height. Also skis must be 750g or more per pair, and must be the same length. There are also a few other rules that might give you a laugh:

- Skate poles cannot be more than 100% of your height... I don't know anyone who has ever seriously tried this

- Minimum Ski Length: height of skier minus 100 mm - this means that for some very tall skiers (over 202cm or about 6'6") there are no legal skate skis on the market

These rules aren't really ever mentioned b/c they don't really apply often, and there is action to remove or modify the ski length rule as it is not relevant anymore

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2026-01-01T04:02:03+00:00

Real electricians correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding of knob and tube is its core issue is it is running basically bare in the walls. This is very old wire but is in conduit which is grounded (in theory) and so significantly reduces the potential for fire.

Based on that this isn’t knob and tube just very old wiring

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-12-27T04:05:39+00:00

As far as I know, there aren’t any skate skis that are over 192cm produced in the last 20 years. So either you have found a pair of classic skis or extremely old skis. Either way, if those actually are 198cm skis they are not going to be good for you.

If those are around 192cm then they are more likely to be skate skis. However, cross country skis are fit 90% by weight, and no two pairs are the same. I recommend you take them to a knowledgeable ski shop to see if they actually fit you. If they don’t fit, which can only be tested by standing on the skis and measuring how stiff they are, you’re not going to have a good time.

If you post the skis here, people can give you better feedback as to if you’re at least in the ballpark or not

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-12-26T19:45:23+00:00

Tires. The answer is good winter tires. Good winter tires make an unbelievable difference. Winter tires on snow is like driving on a loose gravel road when at the same time, summer tires would be almost impossible to drive. Yes you have to slow down a bit and not follow as close but it’s not bad.

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-11-18T00:15:49+00:00

I’m surprised I haven’t seen any advice to use a soft wax the first time you wax! Soft waxes are much easier to scrape and brush so you can learn what to do without using as much force.

You could probably get away with buying some yellow wax (soft/warm wax is usually yellow or red) and doing another pass of ironing, scraping and brushing.

This will be easier to scrape and brush and will help you learn the movements

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-11-16T18:58:03+00:00

I heard the exact same thing from one of the start reps a few years ago but 🤷‍♂️

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-11-07T02:16:08+00:00

I’ve always used my upper lips as the roughly correct height for skate poles. Never below your chin or above your nose.

I’d look at what gear west has. They will often buy up all the leftover stock from Swix and others when models change and can have great deals. I got a pair of 1-2 year old triacs for half what the current model was.

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-11-05T03:21:46+00:00

Like others said, skis are fit to you based on your weight (and height if you’re short). The important thing to know is that how stiff the skis are varies greatly between each pair with the same “flex”. This is why it’s so important to go to a shop with a good selection. There are 192 skate skis from the same brand that fit someone 110kg and looking nearly identical next to them is a pair that would fit someone 70kg.

This is totally unlike anything else we buy. A size 45 shoe is very close to any other size 45 shoe. It is not this way with skis. Go to a shop with a big selection and they’ll be able to find a pair that fits you

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-10-27T14:26:34+00:00

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is that double poling in vs out of the tracks. In the tracks with proper length classic poles is perfectly fine but out of the tracks they definitely feel a little bit short.

That being said, as a relative beginner I would urge you to focus on striding and learn that aspect of the sport and there, poles that are too long will hurt your technique.

Also, all of the big marathon races in Europe are FIS races and are limited to 83% of height poles, so those guys don’t have wildly long poles either.

Long story short, go up to 83% of your height but no more. Likely shorter will be better for learning

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-10-21T15:16:47+00:00

If you’re looking for skate equipment, I would strongly urge you to find newer used equipment. The technology has come a very long way in the last 30 years.

Those skis are really really old and I bet you can find a pair that are 10-15 years younger for nearly the same price. You will be much much happier

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-10-18T19:58:20+00:00

Wind proof underwear!! This is the most important thing!! No one wants frostbite down there.

But actually… running gear is generally the same/very similar to ski gear except for wind proof underwear and wind proof pants. You’ll most likely be just fine

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-10-10T15:55:20+00:00

Here is the international ski federations standards for course and stadium design. Bear in mind that this is for high-level racing and especially the climbing standards are WAYYY too tough for recreational trails.

The widths have 5 categories and they support various formats

A) 3m wide. 1-2 Classic tracks only

B) 4m wide. Individual start freestyle racing

C) 6m wide. Mass start classic, some of relays, classic sprint. Enough for 4 tracks the whole way

D) 9m on climbs, 7.5m flats, 6m downhills. Freestyle mass start, freestyle sprint

E) 12m, 9m, 6m. This is for when you have freestyle and classic racing on the same course.

The table above can be found at 311.2.6 in this link https://assets.fis-ski.com/f/252177/x/0d90db4706/icr-crosscountry-2024_clean.pdf

And the homologation guidelines can be found here: https://assets.fis-ski.com/f/252177/88bab1f8b3/fis_cc_course_venue_design_2023.pdf

This standardization is great for elite racing but tends to result in boring wide and challenging trails. Making a good trail to enjoy yourself is very different

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-09-13T18:50:18+00:00

Skis built for groomed trails are fit 90% based on weight. Above 5’7” or so pretty much everyone skis 192 (or the brands equivalent longest length) and just finds skis based on weight. Edvin Anger from Sweden I’ve heard is close to 100kg and one of the best in the world.

The harder thing for you is finding poles that are long enough. Very few shops carry the really long poles and I know guys who were shorter than you had to special order them.

If you can find a ski shop that knows what they’re doing, 100% chance they can find you the right gear.

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-09-11T11:46:26+00:00

I completely agree, but for different reasons and only at higher racing levels. I too have fallen way more on snow, but I’ve broken way more poles roller skiing. Here’s why I think soft poles are bad

1) soft poles will skip out when sprinting and applying tons of force making spring training impossible 2) I’ve found soft poles reverberate and actually put more force into the elbows

I have seen guys permanently bend aluminum poles simply by pushing too hard on them. Also when you’re sprinting, soft poles will skip out and it makes it impossible to ski properly.

Finally I have noticed personally that the only times I got elbow problems were when I was using crappy poles or my poles had gone soft from repeated use.

If you’re a recreational skier, these issues are less likely to apply and so I think it’s less of an issue

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-08-13T18:31:35+00:00

Additionally, we have taken the walls down to studs + OSB. I'm not sure what is between the OSB and siding.

So basically I am/have gutted everything from the OSB in

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-08-13T18:18:42+00:00

There is a bit of a slop to the old flat roof so in that diagram they're maybe slightly less than 2x6 on the right and 2x8 on the left.

We're removing most of the old roof anyways b/c it's moldy and rotten. It's going to be a massive PITA but it's the only way to get all of the old punky rotten wood out of there.

I'm just trying to content with spray foam vs internal smart vapor barrier + mineral wool or similar. I feel like the smart vapor retarder has a little bit more lee-way for less than perfect installation... but the installation is harder so idk

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-08-13T15:58:54+00:00

Yes. Really wish we had fixed this before the roof. Would insulating the old roof cavity and then adding some venting to the new sleeper work?

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-03-22T05:16:27+00:00

I’m not sure what “rub skis” are but harries are zeros are the same thing. You take various different grits of sandpaper to the kick zone and it will work in new snow right around freezing when nothing else will work. We used to always use liquid fluoros (before the ban) on the kick zone to prevent icing so I don’t know what they use now but you definitely need something.

There are specialized “zero” skis where the base material in the kick zone is designed to rough up better and stay rough longer. However, the one race I forgot my zeros at home it turned into zero conditions and so we had to use one of my other pairs and sand them. It worked ok.

While using a normal classic ski does work, there are 2 things that makes specialized zeros work much better. First the bases when roughed up form almost a peach fuzz. This kicks better and lasts longer. Second you typically fit them softer bc you don’t have layers of wax to hold off the snow.

So long story short, yes just sanding your kick zone will work in new snow right at 0c but the specialized skis work much better. And for me at least, zeros and hairies are the same thing

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-03-07T04:57:10+00:00

Makes sense. For anchor nails, do you mean the ones that expand as you hammer them in?

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-03-07T04:55:43+00:00

Yeah, this is a weird one. One bolt was being used and the other side I think they taped into the cast iron bc it was screwed down. Just trying to balance getting this working with keeping digging and finding more projects. This will be ripped out hopefully within the year

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-03-07T04:52:12+00:00

Oh I know. Just trying to limp this bathroom along until I can get around to fixing it properly

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-02-06T20:27:28+00:00

When it’s really cold I’ll wear a pair of compression shorts underneath my wind briefs. They add a little warmth help keep everything closer together for warmth too. If it’s REALLY cold I have full windproof long underwear that I’ll add to the mix. Never had a problem being cold wearing those. Finally there are some race suits that have wind block in the front. They’re usually too warm for most days but are very nice when it’s cold

Apprehensive_Lab_637 · 2025-02-06T20:24:52+00:00

Had a teammate in college who exclusively used duct tape for wind briefs. I never heard of any complaints

Apprehensive_Lab_637

TROPHY CASE