If the rising lift ticket prices at your local ski hill feel discouraging, consider trying cross-country skiing at your local Nordic center. You won’t see any lift lines and the groomed trails are less crowded. In addition, the day-use fees are inexpensive in comparison to resort pricing. You’ll need to provide the power up the hills, but getting exercise is part of the fun, right?
When taking friends XC skiing for the first few times, we recommend renting or demoing gear to find out if you enjoy the sport and have a positive experience. Alternatively, you could pick up some used gear at a reduced cost; however, buying used gear can be hit or miss if you don’t do your homework. The best way to save money buying cross-country ski equipment is to purchase new items from previous model years during the off-season when ski gear is on sale. Our best results shopping online to date have been with Backcountry.com and Als.com. (Al’s Sporting Goods) We’ve had good luck with REI as well, but they sell through XC Ski inventory early into the season, and the stores don’t stock much in terms of inventory.
Where to buy Cross-Country Skis and Boots
We have had some luck purchasing used equipment on Facebook Marketplace. In the past, we used CraigsList as well, but we’ve found being able to research the seller is safer and provides better results. If you’re shopping on FB, you’ll want to know exactly what you’re looking for as sellers rarely have interest in replying to questions. We’ve found ski swaps are a far better option for finding great deals on cross-country skis. After attending two gear swaps, my partner purchased a full set of metal-edge touring skis, NNN BC boots, and ski poles for less than a set of new boots. She also purchased used alpine poles and boots.
Portland has a great Nordic skiing community with two Nordic centers. We attended a recent swap sponsored by the TeaCup non-profit that operates one of our local Nordic Centers. Arriving early, we helped ourselves to the best selection of the deals. The best part was having knowledgeable volunteers help us through items and help my partner select gear suitable for her experience level, body weight, etc. They were also happy to share knowledge about optimal ski lengths as well as pole and boot sizing.
Boot & Binding Standards
It’s easy to make mistakes and purchase incompatible equipment if you don’t take the time to learn about the myriad of cross-country binding and boot standards. (the binding is the mechanism that attaches and connects your boots to your skis) If you’re shopping at a retail store, you’ll get help from knowledgeable sales staff. If you’re shopping used, you will want to learn about the various boot and binding standards prevalent in cross-country skis. One of the reasons we encourage renting gear your first year out is that it presents opportunities to ask questions and try out different types of gear without committing to a pricey purchase. You could even come back at the end of the season to get deals on purchasing used demo gear.
Buying used XC skis can be an inexpensive way to dip your toes into the sport. However, you need to know what you’re looking for.
There are multiple types of boots and bindings in the XC ski industry, which can be frustrating. It also makes a strong argument for purchasing more recent gear, as the XC ski industry seems to have finally gathered around four different binding standards: NNN, Turnamic, and Prolink. There’s also NNN BC, a more durable system (the binding and pin on the interface is wider and stronger) utilized for metal edge touring skis for exploring off-the-groom trails at the Nordic centers.
The most common binding and boot types you’ll encounter in the classifieds section are:
- NNN (NNN stands for New Nordic Norm)
- NNN BC (A wider, stronger version of NNN for designed for the rigors of backcountry touring adventures)
- Turnamic
- Prolink
- SNS – SNS Profile and SNS Pilot
- 75mm or 3-pin (the original style, now most commonly used for Backcountry)
We’re fans of the NNN and Turnamic as they are both compatible, but – and here’s the confusing part – Prolink is also compatible. Many cross-country skis come with an IFP plate that is bonded on. You can then choose a Turnamic binding, which slides on. The nice part of this system is that it allows you to move the binding with some fore and aft adjustments to fine-tune it to your preferences.
Be wary of investing in the SNS system (SNS stands for Salomon Nordic System) as Salomon has retired this system for the most part. If you purchase skis with an SNS system, it could make it harder to find a good deal on used boots as they’re becoming less common. It might be better avoided unless you can purchase a matching set.
You’ll see 75mm (3-pin) bindings on vintage cross-country skis. (the boots are easily identified by the rubber “duck bill” at the toe. Similar to the system found on telemark skis, it is still in use for Nordic backcountry skis. That said, most of these vintage skis end up as wall decorations in someone’s ski cottage or in the back section of the local Goodwill. Unless someone is giving you a matching set of boots and bindings and they happen to fit, something more contemporary is probably a better choice.
Beware perils of buying used cross-country gear – the lack of a ski industry warranty
We’ve had good luck buying used ski boots on Facebook Marketplace. Sizing is a challenge, as they’re primarily used in the snow, there usually isn’t a lot of wear and tear if they have minimal use on pavement, and there isn’t a lot that can go wrong with boots. However, in our experience, we’ve found that XC skis aren’t very durable. The Fischer Outback metal edge touring skis we started out on at the Nordic Center completely failed on our first adventure outside of the groomed trails. And the worst part is we were miles from the car with the sun rapidly setting.
One moment I was pushing my way up through soft snow to a viewpoint for a photo before a snack break. Then I tried turning around; unfortunately, my binding stayed attached to my boot while the ski remained in the snow, completely ripping out of the ski. I tried rethreading the binding back onto the ski to get back to the car, only to have it tear off again multiple times. I was lucky to reach the car just after dark; it could have been a long, scary night.
Unfortunately, although I purchased my skis from a friend and he was more than willing to assist with the warranty process, we didn’t even get a response from multiple times reaching out to Fischer
That’s not the only issue I had with used bindings on cross-country skis. The Atomic Skate Skis I purchased from someone on Facebook Marketplace had a binding that started to separate from the ski on my second time out. Fortunately, the local shop was able to repair it with a helicoil.
As mountain bikers, we have experienced amazing customer service support from bike manufacturers. We’ve broken more than our share of parts, and while some of it was user error, some simply broke. The majority of the time, the manufacturers stood by their products and brand. We’ve had frames replaced at no charge, as well as replacements offered at close to the manufacturer’s cost in order to keep us on the trail.
Pluses & Minuses of purchasing used XC ski gear
- Pluses:
- Save $$ and pick up someone else’s unwanted gear
- Minuses
- No warranty
- Getting a bad fit or the wrong size
- Accidentally purchasing mismatched boot and ski binding systems