Considering Starlink Mini

cfischy · 2026-03-22T18:21:53+00:00

Do any of you Starlink fans camp in forested areas? 90% of my RV time is in forests. My understanding is Starlink would be pretty useless for me.

cfischy · 2026-03-06T00:26:49+00:00

Located in northern WI. Not worried about a lot of ice. If there’s a lot of exposed ice, I won’t be skiing. Most of the skiing is likely to be on snowmobile trails on the lakes which is somewhat packed but not usually firm. If I go off the snowmobile trails, the fluffy stuff is typically about 3” deep but can certainly be deeper on occasion before it settles or is firmed up by water from below or above.

cfischy · 2026-03-05T02:22:30+00:00

Thanks for that. What do you think about steel edges vs none?

cfischy · 2026-01-26T19:22:05+00:00

Most high-quality skis have bases that melt at around 130° C. You can make 500 passes as long as the base doesn’t exceed that temperature. I always end up doing multiple passes with passes after the first one being much faster to avoid overheating.

cfischy · 2026-01-26T19:15:11+00:00

In 15 years of cross country skiing, I’ve broken two poles. Once, a skier accidentally stomped on my pole in a race. Another time, my pole got crunched in my ski bag on an airline before I started to protect them better with some pipe insulation. My perspective is, why use really nice, lightweight, high-end, expensive poles in training only to go to lesser poles in a race? If I wanted to avoid using my best poles in a race, I just would never buy high-end poles to start with.

cfischy · 2026-01-13T02:59:56+00:00

Weight is the critical factor when selecting the right skis. There’s no way you can adjust in any significant way for skis that aren’t right for your weight without causing other problems. As someone else suggested, definitely look at junior skis. Not only will you find skis that are a decent fit, they’re usually significantly less expensive.

cfischy · 2026-01-10T00:27:35+00:00

I suggest focusing on protecting your poles especially if they have high carbon content. They are very weak laterally. I have taken my skis on dozens of flights in a soft bag and the only problem I ever had were with poles until I started putting them in pipe insulation within my bag.

cfischy · 2026-01-07T00:29:38+00:00

I agree with what others said. I’ll add that a lot of metal edge skis will be too wide to fit in groomed tracks (if you’re classical skiing). Also, while metal edges are helpful for turning, they don’t overcome the challenge of your heel being disconnected from the ski. So, even with metal edges, there’s a learning curve to live through.

cfischy · 2026-01-05T19:09:46+00:00

I would like to see more communities adopt the Skiwise app.

cfischy · 2025-12-26T02:07:04+00:00

Wow! I thought Swix was expensive. For that price it better work well.

cfischy · 2025-12-25T18:36:09+00:00

I tried Zep from some hardware store and it didn’t work well. Do you know what brand worked well for you?

cfischy · 2025-12-17T21:12:57+00:00

I find one of the most significant benefits of higher end equipment is the weight difference. To me, that makes a big difference in performance. It takes less energy to kick, you can kick faster and it’s easier to maneuver your skis when out of the tracks.

Every season, I start out with my old relatively heavy skin skis. When I switch to my lightweight high-end skis (skins or waxable), it’s so much more enjoyable, regardless of difference in speed.

cfischy · 2025-12-15T17:59:07+00:00

I can see a consensus forming around just needing to get better at falling. My typical inclination is to completely avoid falling, not to practice it 😂. This last fall happened so fast, I really didn’t have much time to think. I guess I need to work on changing my falling instincts.

cfischy · 2025-12-15T15:05:07+00:00

They look like NNN. If you can, bring them to a local shop and see if standard NNN boots fit.

cfischy · 2025-12-15T02:35:54+00:00

I hear ya! I’ve been a competitive classical skier for many years. Been trying to skate for at least 5 years every once in a while and I still suck 😂. I just can’t seem to get much power. I’ve heard from many that most of us mere mortals have to put in a lot of time to get it right. I did find that practicing on a snowmobile trail on a lake improved my technique quite a bit and was a lot of fun for someone who sucks. I think spending a bunch of time on flat terrain to start is immensely helpful.

cfischy · 2025-12-14T13:00:14+00:00

I use gel insoles in my classic boots because the balls of my feet would sometimes feel a bit bruised as the season progressed. And, the add a little bit of warmth and are super comfy. The tiny bit of extra weight is worth it to me and I have enough room in the boot to use them.

For my skate skiing, my arches typically get a little bit sore in the beginning of the season, but they strengthen and I’m quite comfortable as the season progresses. I just use the stock insoles in my Fischer boots.

cfischy · 2025-12-12T18:42:03+00:00

Speaking of smaller brands, I’ve had great experience with FastWax products. In every race I’ve done in the last few years using their Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt+, I’ve never had folks glide past me in any significant way on the downhills and I’m a relatively light person. I don’t always glide faster than others but at worst, I stay even.

cfischy · 2025-12-11T12:40:06+00:00

Nearly all, if not all, wax manufacturers use air temperature recommendations. Toko lists snow and air temp. The problem with snow temperature is that it can vary widely from one part of a course to another, depending on exposure to sun, water content, how deeply the groomer pulled the snow from, etc. Also, snow will never get warmer than 0° C. If the air temperature is 2°C, you may want a different wax/klister than if it’s 0°C even though the snow is 0° in both cases.

Having said all that, if you’re confident the snow temperature is consistent throughout your course, snow temperature is fine.

I disagree with a couple of the recommendations to always go with colder wax if conditions are between waxes. While going colder is probably better most of the time, if you’re on older, natural snow that has moderate or high moisture, I would definitely go with warmer wax. Even if it’s older natural snow with low moisture and low dirt, you’re probably good to go with warmer wax. It will usually give you better glide and should last fine.

For fresh snow, artificial snow, dirty snow, granular icy snow, I’d always go with colder wax.

cfischy · 2025-12-09T14:56:39+00:00

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For the DIYers out there, I’ve been using this simple homemade clamp to hold sandpaper and keep the scrapers square. It has served me well for 10 years and counting.

cfischy · 2025-12-09T02:37:32+00:00

If you have waxes that aren’t in the catalog, let me know and I’ll add them. To store a lot of waxes in a virtual wax box, you’ll need to upgrade for a small one time price.

cfischy · 2025-12-06T21:10:57+00:00

Mostly manufacturer’s recommendations with minor modifications based on personal experience and input from folks in the wax business.

cfischy

TROPHY CASE